A hotel in Kumamoto Prefecture that made headlines by turning away former Hansen's disease patients in November said Monday it now plans to accept such people unconditionally.
"Almost 1 1/2 months have passed since the incident. We have been able to erase our discrimination, which had stemmed from our lack of understanding (about the disease)," said Tadao Eguchi, president of Aistar Co., which runs the Ai-Ladies Kyuden Kurokawa Onsen Hotel in Minamioguni, Kumamoto Prefecture.
"It is also our responsibility, as a party involved in the incident, to actively carry out educational activities about Hansen's disease," Eguchi told reporters.
Eguchi said the hotel will adopt designs that are friendly to people with disabilities, adding, "We would like to start from scratch."