Policy Planning Division, Department of Health and Welfare for Persons with Disabilities
Social Welfare and War Victims’ Relief Bureau
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

FY2022 Draft Budget for the Department of Health and Welfare of Persons with Disabilities: 2,353.8 billion yen

For the FY2022 draft budget for the health and welfare of persons with disabilities (hereinafter referred to as PWDs), 2,353.8 billion yen has been appropriated, an increase of 5.3% from the previous year.  The main contents are as follows:

○ Ensuring high-quality welfare services to persons with disabilities, including support for children with disabilities: 1,796 billion yen (425.6 billion yen of which goes to the support of children with disabilities.)

We will comprehensively secure welfare services to persons with disabilities and support children with disabilities for a comfortable life in the community of their choice.

In addition, we will implement measures to increase the income of the staff working for the welfare of persons with disabilities by about 3% (¥ 9,000 per month).

○ Project for the steady implementation of community life support: 51.8 billion yen

We will steadily implement projects that support the community life of children with disabilities and persons with disabilities, such as support for communication and mobility, according to the nature of the community and the situation of the users.

○ Development of infrastructure providing welfare services to persons with disabilities:

4.8 billion yen

In order to further promote social participation and the community life of persons with disabilities, group homes, daytime care facilities that provide long-term care, and child development support centers will be established and promoted to help facilitate their transition to life in the community.

○ Enhancement of support for children requiring constant medical care: 400 million yen

To promote the establishment of centers for children requiring constant medical care, the “Act on the Support of Children Requiring Constant Medical Care and Their Families” was enforced on September 18, 2021.  From here on, we will comprehensively try to provide support to these children through the training of supporters, the establishment of places for discussion for the concerned parties in the community, the establishment of a system to secure nursing staff, provision of support for the families of such children, etc.

○ Establishment of a comprehensive community care system that includes persons with mental disorders: 800 million yen

We aim to build a comprehensive community care system that supports persons with mental disorders, such as securing their housing so that they can live peacefully as members of the community.  For this reason, we will build a support system through the multi-layered cooperation between and among psychiatric hospitals, other medical institutions, community aid providers, municipalities, etc. through the discussions among health, medical, and welfare personnel on the health and welfare of persons with disabilities, and we will endeavor to contribute towards this goal.

Moreover, from the perspective of preventing mental illness and early intervention, we will implement a “training project for the supporters of mental health” that uses the concept of mental health first aid and promotes understanding of mental health in general, especially mental illnesses, like depression and eating disorders, while securing a system to provide support in the community and the workplace.

Other than that, relative to the draft budget for FY2022, based on the “Basic Policy on the Budget Formulation of FY2022” decided by the Cabinet on December 3, 2021, the so-called “16-month budget” was adopted, in which the supplementary budget for FY2021 and the initial budget for FY2022 are integrated.

With regard to this “16-month budget,” the Cabinet decided on “Economic Measures to Overcome COVID-19 and Start a New Point in History” on November 19, 2021.  In order to take all possible measures against COVID-19, as well as to launch a “new form of capitalism” and realize a “virtuous cycle of growth and distribution,” it is stated that comprehensive economic measures shall be formulated with the following four pillars (I to IV).

1. Prevention of the spread of COVID-19
2. Resumption of socio-economic activities while coexisting with COVID-19 and preparedness for the next crisis
3. Launching a “new form of capitalism” for the future of society
4. Ensuring safety and security by promoting disaster prevention / mitigation and national resilience

The supplementary budget for FY2021 (approved on December 20, 2021) has been appropriated to support the economic measures based on the above-stated four pillars; and the so-called “16-month budget” has been adopted as it is necessary to integrate it with the initial budget of FY2022 in order to implement a seamless and secure fiscal policy during FY2022 and onwards.

FY2021 Supplementary Budget for the Department of Health and Welfare of Persons with Disabilities: 61.9 billion yen

The supplementary budget for FY2021 has been appropriated to support the above-stated “Economic Measures to Overcome COVID-19 and Start a New Point in History.”  The main contents are as follows:

○ Increasing the income of people working for the welfare of persons with disabilities: 41.4 billion yen

The government will provide prefectures the budget to implement the measures to increase their income by about 3% (¥ 9,000 per month) ahead of schedule from February 2022, on the premise that efforts will be made to continue the effect of raising the wages of the staff working for the welfare of persons with disabilities.

We also allow for flexibility in application so that adjustments can be made for the improvement of the work conditions of other staff.

○ Project for the support of expansion of production: 650 million yen

For welfare service establishments that offer employment to persons with disabilities whose production activities have been stagnant due to the effects of COVID-19, we will support the expansion of the production activities by converting to new activities, developing the market, and strengthening the measures to prevent infection.

○ Support for the continuation of services by establishments for the welfare of persons with disabilities: 3.6 billion yen

In order to minimize the impact on the services provided for the welfare of persons with disabilities caused by COVID-19, we will support welfare service facilities and establishments in cooperation with related organizations so that they can continue to provide necessary services through the thorough implementation of measures and the resourcefulness to prevent the spread of infection.

Moreover, we shall build a system that enables support for various forms of disability, such as staff and communication support in case someone is infected in facilities and establishments.

○ Mental health care in relation to COVID-19: 51 million yen

We will support the Mental Health and Welfare Centers so that we can provide mental health care for those with depression and such due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

○ Project to open support centers for children requiring constant medical care: 71 million yen

The “Act on the Support for Children Requiring Constant Medical Care and Their Families” was enacted in June 2021 and took effect in September 2021.  Based on the purpose of the Act which is to help children grow healthily despite their need for constant medical care and to prevent their families from leaving their jobs, it is expected that support centers for such children will be established in prefectures sooner than later, consultation services be provided to such children and their families, and the appropriate support given to them .  For this reason, we will promote the establishment of centers by subsidizing the prefectures in the purchase of equipment necessary to operate the centers.

○ Strengthening disaster resistance of facilities for persons with disabilities: 8.6 billion yen

Based on the “Five-Year Acceleration Plan for Disaster Prevention, Disaster Mitigation, and Building National Resilience,” the government will provide support to facilities for persons with disabilities by implementing measures for disaster recovery, especially through the enhancement of earthquake-resistance, the installation of emergency private power generation equipment, and inundation countermeasures, etc.

○ Introduction of a robot project for the welfare of persons with disabilities: 290 million yen

We will provide financial support for the facilities of persons with disabilities to cover the cost of introducing robots to reduce the burden of nursing care by utilizing robotic technology, to improve the work environment, and to promote the provision of safe and secure services for them.

○ Introduction of an ICT model project in the field of welfare for persons with disabilities: 460 million yen

By introducing to establishments, the use of ICT to further improve productivity and to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we shall promptly promote the provision of safe and secure welfare services to persons with disabilities.