Lawmaker with ALS to retire after paving way for accessibility
Yasuhiko Funago, Japan's first lawmaker with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), announces his retirement as a statesman on June 17. (Naohito Maeda)
Yasuhiko Funago, a barrier-breaking member of the Upper House who helped make the Diet more accessible for people with disabilities, announced that he will retire at the end of his current term.
Funago, 67, made the announcement on June 17 after serving six years as a lawmaker while living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a severe neurological disease that causes muscle weakness and paralysis.
The opposition party Reiwa Shinsengumi member cited his age and declining physical strength for deciding not to seek re-election in next month's poll.
'Since taking office, I have seen both physical and institutional accessibility at the Diet improve significantly,' Funago said. 'I'm proud to have helped pave the way for others with serious disabilities to follow.'
Funago also offered a critical view of the political establishment, pointing out the unspoken assumption that legislators must be in perfect physical health.
'The Diet is still a place dominated by the notion that only the physically strong can contribute. That mindset borders on eugenics,' he said. 'It's not right for the nation's highest decision-making body to be a place where only a small group of able-bodied men can perform their duties.'
Funago was elected in 2019 through a system that allows political parties to prioritize certain candidates for proportional representation, regardless of their individual vote totals.
Appearing in the chamber in a reclining wheelchair and on a ventilator, he has since become a powerful symbol of inclusion in Japanese politics.
Due to his inability to speak orally, Funago participated in parliamentary debates using a computer-generated voice to read pre-written text or by having his aide read speeches he composed using a character board.
Issues that Funago addressed throughout his term include the controversial practice of rejecting students from public high schools even when slot were available. His advocacy helped prompt a nationwide survey by the education ministry.
He also called for changes to health ministry regulations that limited the use of personal care assistants during working hours.
Reiwa Shinsengumi party leader Taro Yamamoto expressed deep gratitude for Funago's service.
'Just his presence in the Diet prompted important discussions,' Yamamoto said. 'He showed the nation that it is possible to participate in politics and drive change, no matter the circumstances.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
6 hours ago
Japan Foreign Minister Urges Israel to Calm Iran Conflict
News from Japan Jun 20, 2025 21:54 (JST) Tokyo, June 20 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya called on Israel to scale back its escalating conflict with Iran, in a phone call to his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, on Friday. Iwaya expressed deep concern over the extensive damage caused by the exchange of attacks by Israel and Iran. He also sought the Israeli government's support for the protection of Japanese nationals in the country, for which Saar offered cooperation. The Japanese foreign minister said that Iran's development of nuclear weapons is unacceptable, while emphasizing the importance of pursuing a resolution to the conflict through dialogue. On the situation in Gaza, Iwaya strongly urged Israel to abide by international law, including international humanitarian law, through actions such as protecting civilians and enhancing humanitarian assistance. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
The Mainichi
6 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Japan PM to visit Netherlands from Tuesday for NATO summit
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will be in the Netherlands for three days from Tuesday to attend a NATO summit, the government said Friday, as Japan aims to deepen its partnership with the military alliance. It will be the fourth straight year that a sitting Japanese prime minister has participated in a NATO summit. Japan is not a NATO member but is one of the alliance's Indo-Pacific partners. Ishiba also plans to hold bilateral talks with leaders of NATO members and those of its partners while in the Hague for the summit, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said. U.S. President Donald Trump is among the expected attendees at the two-day summit from Tuesday. "Given the severe security environment we face, and based on the shared view that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and that of the Indo-Pacific are inseparable, Japan, along with other partners from the region, will discuss how we can cooperate with NATO in concrete terms," Hayashi said. At a meeting in Tokyo in April, Ishiba and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte underlined the need to strengthen the Japan-NATO partnership amid security threats from Russia and China and agreed to push for defense industry cooperation.
Kyodo News
7 hours ago
- Kyodo News
FOCUS: Nippon Steel buyout spat hints at business fragility in U.S.
By Junko Horiuchi, KYODO NEWS - 7 hours ago - 13:07 | Japan, All U.S. President Donald Trump's bid to attract investment threatens to undermine the appetite for corporate spending in an ironic twist, with the 18-month saga over Nippon Steel Corp.'s buyout of United States Steel Corp. showing the growing vulnerability of businesses in the U.S. market, according to analysts. The U.S. administration's earlier blocking of the $14.1 billion takeover deal was clearly driven by political motives and corporate executives will no longer be able to make decisions regarding their U.S. operations based only business criteria, they said. The wrangling in the high-profile case could lead global companies to think twice about making sizeable investments and acquisitions in the world's largest economy, with many moving to reduce their exposure to the U.S. market. "I do think many companies are pausing investments and major capital expenditures, not only because of the Nippon-U.S. Steel deal but due to general uncertainty surrounding political and economic dynamics in Washington," said Zack Cooper, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Trump had repeatedly rejected Nippon Steel's plan to take full control of U.S. Steel. But Nippon Steel, the world's fourth-largest steel producer, and U.S. Steel, the 29th largest, said Wednesday following Trump's approval of the buyout plan that they had signed a national security agreement with the U.S. government and finalized the acquisition transaction. Under the deal, the Japanese steelmaker is obliged to invest $11 billion by 2028 on bolstering the U.S. steelmaker's operations, far more than the previously planned $2.7 billion. The U.S. government also obtained a golden share allowing it to veto key management decisions, such as when reducing investment, shedding production capacity in the United States or closing plants. Nippon Steel CEO Eiji Hashimoto told a press conference on Thursday that his company had learned from a year and a half of negotiations with the U.S. government that a flexible management strategy is required. The top executive said it had been believed that governments should not get involved in business deals. "But are strengthening their involvement in economic and business matters through industrial policy," he said. Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, initially blocked the purchase of U.S. Steel on national security grounds, saying the manufacturing icon, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania -- a key battleground state in the 2024 presidential election -- should be "American-owned and American-operated." Trump also opposed the deal during the presidential race, saying the acquisition of a minority stake in U.S. Steel would not cause any issues, but foreign ownership of the company would not be good psychologically. He ordered a new review of the deal by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States in April with a deadline for Trump to make a final decision initially set for June 5. "Because predictability is insanely low right now in the United States, Japanese companies are going to cut back the percentage of their business in the country," said Keisuke Hanyuda, the chief executive of Owls Consulting Group. While rising costs must be dealt with, "The last thing a business wants is to lose predictability," said Hanyuda, a former Japanese trade ministry official in charge of trade talks. Nippon Steel is betting on firm demand for high-tensile strength steel in the U.S. market, capitalizing on its advanced production technology for high-end steel plates used in products such as electric vehicles. The United States is one of three growth markets for the Japanese steelmaker, compensating for shrinking domestic demand. Under Trump, the steel, aluminum, auto and semiconductor sectors have been targeted by specific tariffs driven by political pressures and companies in these industries should consider other markets for growth to hedge their risks, analysts say. Earlier this month, Trump signed an order doubling the tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to 50 percent. "I think Japanese companies will have a difficult time purchasing famous American companies in sectors that President Trump prioritizes, such as autos, steel, aluminum, and chipmaking," Cooper at the American Enterprise Institute said, though investment in other sectors may still be viable. "But any Japanese company that is considering a major deal in the United States should develop a detailed political strategy before announcing a deal, lest they suffer similar roadblocks as Nippon Steel," he said. The United States remains a lucrative market with high growth potential but some global companies are beginning to reduce their reliance on it after the tariffs imposed by Trump, Hanyuda said. The European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, for example, have resumed economic partnership negotiations, while the EU is also looking at Japan, which is part of a trans-Pacific free trade pact that took effect in 2018 without the United States. Related coverage: U.S. Steel's strategic importance growing: Nippon Steel CEO Nippon Steel finalizes deal to make U.S. Steel wholly owned Trump effectively approves Nippon Steel's takeover of U.S. Steel
