Laws on Disabilities "The 38 Selected Japanese Laws Related to Persons with Disabilities"
6. Employment
Law 12.
Physically Handicapped Persons' Employment Promotion Law (1960, Law No. 123)→Law for Employment Promotion of the Physically Disabled
→Law for Employment Promotion, etc. of the Disabled Persons
The Quota System and Levy and Grant System play a central role in promoting employment for persons with disabilities.
- The Quota System: General employers, including the government and municipal offices, are obligated to employ workers with disabilities in excess of the below quotas.
Governmental bodies: 2.1%
Private companies: 1.8% (Specialized juridical persons: 2.1%)
Boards of Education in prefectures : 2.0%
This ratio does not include persons with psychiatric disabilities. Employers are obligated to report the number of workers with disabilities they employ to the head of the Public Employment Security Office annually. This office may announce to the public the names of enterprises that fail to meet the quota and request that they draw up a plan to employ the legally mandated number. - Levy and Grant System: This system works by collecting levies from enterprises that fail to meet the quota for employing workers with disabilities. The funds created by the levy system are used to encourage employers to employ persons with disabilities in excess of the quota and promote employment for workers with disabilities and improve working conditions.
Amount of levy: \50,000 a month per person not employed in companies with more than 300 full-time employees. Adjustment allowance: \27,000 a month per person is paid to employers who employ workers with disabilities above the legal quota (in companies with more than 300 full-time employees). Rewards: \21,000 per month per person is paid to employers who employ workers with disabilities in excess of the legal quota (in companies with fewer than 300 full-time employees). Amount of Grants: Grants are provided for the establishment of work facilities, special employment management, vocational adjustment, ability development, and other such endeavors that promote the employment of persons with disabilities.
- Public vocational training allowance: This allowance is provided for persons with disabilities and a system of loans for purchasing technical aids and equipments.
Law 13.
Employment Countermeasures Law (1966, Law No. 132)This law provides the following measures to improve vocational training for persons with disabilities and assist them to find employment.
- Vocational training facilities and improvement of the contents of training programs.
- Ensuring the training of training guidance workers and the enhancement of their quality.
- Supply of an allowance for adjustment training.
- Supply of a training allowance to employers.
Law 14.
Employment Insurance Law (1974, Law No. 116)Unemployment benefits are provided to people who have lost their job to give them security until they find a new one. Re-employment allowance is also provided to individuals who find work within an allotted period of time.
- Payment of unemployment benefits: Additional days on payment are counted in case of persons with disabilities.
- Employment preparatory allowance: A payment equivalent to 30 days of unemployment benefits is granted if certain conditions for finding a new job are met.
Law 15.
Human Resources Development Promotion Law (1969, Law No. 64)The law is aimed at creating opportunities to develop various vocational skills. Vocational Ability Development Schools for Persons with Disabilities are established under this law. At present, there are 13 such schools that were established by the central government and 6 established by prefectural governments in Japan.