Ableism: The Importance Of Welfare In The United States

Since the beginning of time, the golden rule has been this: treat others as one would want to be treated. In some countries, respect is highly revered and many implications of earning or receiving respect occur (bowing, shaking hands, etc.) But many people only apply their respect to others similar to their own likeness. Ableism, or discrimination against the disabled, is a very noticeable occurrence in today’s world, even in countries such as Japan where respect and honor are so important. It is often expected that the disabled are either taken care of by relatives and remain home or taught basic life skills and given a monthly or yearly sum of money (think of disability checks in the US but in yen), to get by on: but never given education

aside from survival skills. Stigma towards the disabled causes developed nations (Japan) to not treat their citizens fairly, and giving them respect and honor, the entire base of Japan’s culture, can solve this.
In Japan, the disabled are defined as: “people whose daily life or life in society is substantially limited over the long term due to a physical disability, mental retardation, or mental disability” (Kramer, 2003). What is interesting about that definition is the “substantially limited over the long term.” Contrary to popular belief, physical disabilities or abnormalities can be minor, such as low-set ears; they can increase one’s possibility of being bullied because of their physical appearance, but do not affect one’s life in society over the “long term,” as they can easily be managed.
In the United States, welfare is provided by the government revenue (taxes) and a percentage is given to households in need.

The same goes for Japan, and it was found in January of 2017 that 430,601 households that received welfare have disabled, sick, or injured family members either residing in or who are the head/owner of the household (Households on Welfare). Welfare in Japan depends on the local government of the prefecture, such as Tokyo or Hokkaido, while in the US it varies from state to state. The average minimum wage in Japan (similar welfare in terms of amount) is roughly seven hundred and eighty yen an hour, or six dollars and ninety four cents (Japan to Raise Minimum

Wage).
Based on this, welfare in Japan is lower than the baseline in the US, which is hard to get by on. A vending machine meal, which is rather small can cost upwards to four hundred yen, or more than half of one’s wages for just a singular work day. And that does not even cover any other expenses such as bus fare or buying groceries for the other members of one’s family.
In addition to the fundamental lack of wages for the disabled, violence is also not a new thing. On July 26th of 2016, a man broke into the Tsukui Yamayuriena, an assisted living location for the disabled outside of Tokyo. He murdered nineteen people during the night and injured twenty-six after. His explanation to the police was “It is better that the disabled disappear.” The man’s reasonings to his crime was his own ignorance towards someone’s existence and believing it should be eradicated, or destroyed completely. This was Japan’s worst massacre since World War II, and it was an ableist crime (Adams, 2016). Looking at picture of the building (see Appendix A), it appears to be within plain view of the street, with a couple of buildings accompanying it, granting easy access. The murderer, Satoshi Uematsu, was a former employee of the facility and he broke through a window, tying up a staff member and taking the keys to everyone’s room (McCurry 2016).
Many people could argue that because there is already a law against the discrimination of disabled people in Japan, that it soon will no longer become an issue.

On April 1st of 2016, Japan passed the “Law to Eliminate Discrimination against People with Disabilities,” in order to make the nation’s 7.8 million people with disabilities have easier lives. This law bans “unjust discrimination,” paired with private businesses and governments to create “reasonable accommodations.” Accommodations can be seen as illustrations to communicate, along with making areas more accessible. Organizations can be fined around two hundred thousand yen (one thousand, seven hundred and eighty-seven dollars) for unreported practices.

While anyone can easily say that the law seems rather clear and helpful, some advocates state otherwise. Kiyoshi Harada, an official of the Japan Disability Forum, stated “The law does not clearly define what exactly constitutes discrimination” (New Law Bans Bias). Discrimination is a relative word to many people and varies in degrees. Calling someone “kurui” or “crazy” can be seen as discrimination, while refusing to provide something in Braille for a blind person can also be seen as discrimination. It is too relative and there would need to be a clearer definition of discrimination in the

law.
In conclusion, it is necessary for Japan to expand its’ horizons one their disabled population. Japan’s culture is centered around respect and honor (there are nine standard honorifics along with varying bowing techniques). It is considered extremely rude to pay someone any form of disrespect, but it seems that disrespect towards anyone with a disability is unconsidered. Wages are nigh impossible to live on, the laws protecting them are unclear and hole-filled, and violence is concealed. The only way Japan will give its’ citizens the respect and honor they deserve: is to treat them like humans who have needs and minds. The highest degree of respect is acknowledging someone’s existence in a positive way.