Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2005, published 95th ILC session (2006)

Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention, 1983 (No. 159) - Japan (Ratification: 1992)

1. Promotion of employment for persons with disabilities. In reply to its previous direct request, the Government indicates  that the actual employment rate of persons with disabilities by private companies has remained flat since 1998. Nevertheless, the Government further states that in response to growing awareness of social corporate responsibility, the employment rate of persons with disabilities by large companies has exceeded the average employment rate by companies with 56 or less employees. Some 1,113 companies were in the process of implementing a hiring plan of workers with disabilities in 2004. If a company shows no improvement after it receives guidance for employment of people with disabilities, the company’s name is made public as a virtual punitive measure. The Committee would appreciate receiving in the Government’s next report further information on the progress made through the measures taken by the private sector in order to promote employment opportunities for persons with disabilities in the open labour market and by the implementation of the Basic Programme for Persons with Disabilities, 2003-12. It asks the Government to provide general information on the manner in which the Convention is being applied, including, for example, statistics, extracts from reports, studies and inquiries concerning the matters covered by the Convention (Part V of the report form).

2. Consultation with employers’ and workers’ organizations. The Government indicates that the Central Council on Promotion of Measures for Persons with Disabilities is composed of persons with disabilities, persons engaged in welfare of persons with disabilities and experts appointed by the Minister. The Committee recalls that Article 5 of the Convention requests that the representative organizations of employers and workers shall be consulted on the implementation of policies on vocational rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities. It therefore asks the Government to provide information on how cooperation with employers’ and workers’ organizations is promoted and how their views are taken into account in formulating policies and programmes covered by the Convention.