Japan Offers Disabled a Stage for Paralympic Glory But Few Jobs
- Ratio of disabled with jobs in Japan two-thirds of U.S. level
- Too many firms choose to pay fines rather than give employment
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Japanese wheelchair racer Tomoki Sato’s last-gasp surge down the home straight landed him a gold medal in his 400 meters race at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Many of his disabled compatriots may feel a similar effort is required to land a job in Japan.
While the country will share some reflected glory from the Paralympics for raising the visibility of disabled sporting excellence, its track record for integrating people with disabilities into the workforce lags many of its peers.