On July 28, 2023, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) held the first meeting of the “Study Group for the Smooth Implementation of the Hotel Business (Amendment) Act 2023.”

The Hotel Business Act (Act No. 138 of 1948) was amended by the enactment on June 7, 2023 of the “Act Partially Amending the Hotel Business Act and Other Acts to Develop a Business Environment to Support the Continued Business Activities of Businesses with Operations Related to the Environmental Health Industry, etc. (Act No. 52 of 2023).” Article 5 of the act stipulates that lodging can be refused if the guest is a patient with a specified infectious disease. Given this, organizations for persons with disabilities expressed concern that disabled persons might also be denied lodging. Then, a supplementary resolution of the Diet was passed to clarify that lodging refusal cannot be made on the basis of disability when formulating the guidelines necessary for business operators to deal with the situation appropriately.

In addition, Article 3-5, Paragraph 2 of the act states that efforts shall be made to prevent the spread of specified infectious diseases and to provide employees with training regarding services for the elderly and guests with disabilities.

This study group was convened to discuss formulating a ministerial ordinance and guidelines regarding these matters.

For more information, please visit the website below（Japanese）: 
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/shingi/ryokangyouhou-kentoukai_00005.html