CRPD/ C/JPN/CO/1

(d) Launch, in consultation with organisations of persons with disabilities, a
legal framework and national strategy with time-bound benchmarks, human, technical
and financial resources, aiming at the effective transition of persons with disabilities
from institutions into independent living in the community on an equal basis with
others, including the recognition of their right to autonomy and full social inclusion,
and obligations for prefectures to ensure its implementation;
(e) Strengthen support arrangements for persons with disabilities for their
living independently in the community, including the independent, accessible and
affordable housing outside any type of congregated premises, personal assistance, userled budget, and access to services in the community;
(f) Revise existing schemes of assessment for granting support and services
in the community for ensuring that they are based on human right model of disability,
including the assessments of barriers in society for persons with disabilities and their
required support for their social participation and inclusion.
Personal mobility (art. 20)
43.

The Committee is concerned that:

(a)
Legal restrictions do not allow using community living support services for
purposes such as commuting to and from work or school, or for an extended period;
(b)
Insufficient access to quality mobility aids, devices, assistive technologies and
forms of life assistance and intermediaries for persons with disabilities, in particular, in
regions outside of major cities.
44.

The Committee recommends that the State party:

(a)
Eliminate the restrictions under the Act on the Comprehensive Support
for the Daily and Social Life of Persons with Disabilities to ensure unrestricted personal
mobility of persons with disabilities in all regions;
(b)
Reinforce efforts to ensure that necessary mobility aids and assistive
devices and technologies are affordable for all persons with disabilities, including by
promoting local repairs, providing government and tax subsidies, and waiving taxes
and custom charges.
Freedom of expression and opinion, and access to information (art. 21)
45.

The Committee is concerned about:

(a)
Lacks in providing information and supporting communication of all persons
with disabilities, including those with more intensive support, such as the deafblind;
(b)
Barriers faced by persons with disabilities in gaining access to public
information and communication, including on television programmes and websites, and gaps
among local governments;
(c)
The lack of recognition in law of Japanese sign language as an official
language, lack of training of sign language and lack of sign language interpretations accross
all areas of life.
46.

The Committee recommends that the State party:

(a)
Develop legally binding information and communication standards at all
levels to ensure the accessibility of information provided to the public, including on
websites, television and media services;
(b)
Allocate sufficient funding for the development, promotion and use of
accessible communication formats, such as Braille, deafblind interpretation, sign
language, Easy Read, plain language, audio description, video transcription, captioning
and tactile, augmentative and alternative means of communication;

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