Abstract
The statistics of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan in 2021
showed a stable increase in the number of employees with disabilities in the
private sector, reaching the highest for 18 consecutive years. A positive response
from private enterprises to the revised Act to Facilitate the Employment of Persons
with Disabilities has led to an increasing number of employees with disabilities. The Act to Facilitate the Employment of Persons with Disabilities that was
revised in 2013 requires the private sector to provide reasonable accommodation
for persons with disabilities. In principle, reasonable accommodation is provided
by mutual agreement between an applicant employee and a provider or employer
at the employee’s request. In reality, however, a lack of awareness on the part
of either the employee or employer prevents a mutual agreement. In addition,
accommodation for persons with mental disorders considerably varies from case
to case, and the preceding cases are not always applicable to the present case.
As an HR professional, the author examines employment promotion and laws for
persons with mental disorders, focusing on reasonable accommodation.
