Current Status and Issues of Car Ownership by Persons with Disabilities in Public Welfare Trials

Abstract

In principle, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare does not recognize ownership of an automobile as daily necessity, for recipients of public assistance. Exceptions are made to allow recipients to commute to work in areas without convenient public transportation, to pick up and drop off children at daycare centers, to work independently, or, for persons with a physical disability, to seek medical treatment or go to work or school.

The issue of car ownership for people with disabilities who are receiving public assistance should have been settled after a 2013 trial involving Hirakata City （known as the “Hirakata Welfare Automobile Ownership Lawsuit”）. However, four other lawsuits, two filed in Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture in 2022, one filed in Seki City, Gifu Prefecture in 2023, and one filed in Ebetsu City, Hokkaido Prefecture in 2024, granted these cities a stay in implementation of the decision.