Sometimes a very significant event in the life of a country passes largely unnoticed, particularly if it occurs away from the center of power. Just such a thing happened on the 11th of this month.
There is a saying in Japanese: Todai moto kurashi (It's dark under the lighthouse). Well, in Chiba Prefecture, deep in the shadow of the towering lighthouse that is its Tokyo neighbor, a minor revolution is in progress. It deserves not only national but international attention.
On Oct. 11, the Chiba Prefectural Assembly passed a wide-ranging law prohibiting discrimination against disabled people. The law, which goes into effect on July 1, 2007, is Japan's first piece of legislation banning such discrimination and enabling disabled people to seek legal redress when they feel they have been wronged. In a country where the rights of minorities have traditionally been neglected -- if not blatantly trampled on -- this is a great step forward.