The Government Action Plan for Persons with Disabilities was formulated by the Headquarters for Promoting the Welfare of Disabled Persons in December 1995. The Action Plan is a seven-year strategy from fiscal 1996 to fiscal 2002 and includes not only health and welfare measures, but also measures for people with disabilities as a whole, covering housing, education, employment, communications and broadcasting. There is specific reference to promoting on a priority basis a barrier-free society.
In November 2000, The "Law for Promoting Mobile Access on Public Transport for Aged Persons and Persons with Physical Disabilities," was enacted. The following points are covered:
1) Transportation companies are obligated to ensure accessibility for newly built or largely renovated railway stations, bus terminals, passenger ship terminals and airports by installing elevators, escalators and ramps.
2) Transportation companies are obligated to purchase accessible vehicles. For example, bus companies should purchase low-floor buses.
3) When renovating existing transportation facilities, transportation companies and municipalities concerned can be funded by the central government.
4) Municipalities are encouraged to make plans for total mobile accessible, dealing with transportation facilities, public buildings, pedestrian decks and pathways. If such plans are authorised by the central government, they will also be funded.
Government is active in defining technical standards for infrastructure, but financing programs between business organisations and various levels of government and representative consumers are myriad and complex. Essentially the government has encouraged much more flexibility and private initiative in this area to develop and active and competitive market, (as described in more detail elsewhere in this report).
Some examples of care products and services are:
As Japan’s population ages, the home health-care market is becoming more attractive to a range of companies from outside the field. Electronics makers, for example, have begun offering remote health-monitoring services that operate via the Internet.
Omron Corp. and the Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. group have both started full-scale remote health-care support services, while NEC Corp. and Sanyo Electric Co. are developing sophisticated home health-care terminals.
Sanyo has added a videophone function to a similar home terminal it markets. The device was used to relay medical data, such as blood pressure, but now consultations between medical personnel and patients can be carried out in real time.
Much equipment used on a daily basis, such as personal computers, printers, and AV equipment, is being equipped with a digital communication interface. Study is being carried out on a home network system that would link not only these devices but also home appliances.
Home networks will link various AV devices and appliances in the home and will further be connected with broadcasting and communications networks via a home gateway. The introduction of such a home network is expected to add a variety of new applications that will benefit the elderly and disabled.
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