National Aug 3, 2020
Funago also pointed to an issue concerning reasonable accommodations for students with vision or hearing loss.
National Feb 12, 2020
Lawmakers with disabilities fight 'invisibility' in Japan
by Miwa Suzuki
Lawmaker Yasuhiko Funago has a neurological disease that means he cannot speak and communicates by blinking to his caregiver or operating a computer system with his mouth. But he is demanding to be heard as he fights to improve the lives of people with disabilities ...
National / Politics Nov 7, 2019
Lawmaker with ALS becomes first in Japan to use speech synthesizer during Diet session
A lawmaker with severe physical disabilities attended his first parliamentary interpellation Thursday since being elected in July and became the first lawmaker in Japan to use an electronically generated voice during a Diet session. In the session of the education, culture and science committee, Yasuhiko ...
National / Politics Sep 5, 2019
Abe offers encouragement in meeting with disabled Reiwa Shinsengumi lawmaker Yasuhiko Funago
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with Yasuhiko Funago, a House of Councilors lawmaker with a severe disability, at the Prime Minister's Office on Wednesday, and offered him encouragement. Funago, a member of opposition party Reiwa Shinsengumi, has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. He and Abe ...
Editorials Aug 4, 2019
The election of two Reiwa Shinsengumi members to the Upper House will raise awareness of what must be done to help people with disabilities fully participate in society.
National / Politics Aug 1, 2019
by Tomohiro Osaki
A special five-day Diet session following the July 21 Upper House election kicked off Thursday, marking a momentous occasion for two opposition lawmakers with severe disabilities, who entered the Diet building for the first time. The first post-election session chose Akiko Santo of the ruling ...
National / Politics Jul 25, 2019
Japan's Diet plans steps to accommodate Reiwa Shinsengumi lawmakers with severe disabilities
In the Upper House, electric power sources will be installed so the lawmakers will be able to power their electric wheelchairs and medical equipment.
National / Politics Jul 22, 2019
Reiwa Shinsengumi makes splash in Japanese election debut, giving voice to people with disabilities
A new anti-establishment group led by actor-turned-politician Taro Yamamoto made a surprisingly strong showing in the Upper House election Sunday, reflecting a sense of stagnation and growing public frustration with vested interests in the country. Reiwa Shinsengumi candidates Yasuhiko Funago, 61, who has Lou Gehrig's ...
National / Politics Jul 21, 2019
Two Reiwa Shinsengumi candidates with disabilities win Upper House seats
Two candidates with severe disabilities belonging to the opposition group Reiwa Shinsengumi won seats in the Upper House election on Sunday, scoring an important victory for disabled people in a country where they have long been encouraged to stay in the shadows. In addition, the ...