# Building a Safe and Comfortable Society

Section 1

## Realizing a Universal Society

## 1 Realizing Accessibility through a Universal Design Concept

The “Act on Promotion of Smooth Transportation, etc. of Elderly Persons, Disabled Persons, etc.” embodies the universal design concept of “freedom and convenience for anywhere and anyone”, making it mandatory to comply with “Accessibility Standards” when newly establishing various facilities (passenger facilities, various vehicles, roads, offstreet parking facilities, city parks, buildings, etc.), mandatory best effort for existing facilities as well as defining a development target for the end of FY2020 under the “Basic Policy on Accessibility” to promote accessibility.

Also, in accordance with the local accessibility plan created by municipalities, focused and integrated promotion of accessibility is carried out in priority development district; to increase “caring for accessibility”, by deepening the national public’s understanding and seek cooperation for the promotion of accessibility, “accessibility workshops” are hosted in which you learn to assist as well as virtually experience being elderly, disabled, etc.; these efforts serve to accelerate accessibility measures (sustained development in stages).

## (1) Accessibility of Public Transportation

In accordance with the “Act on Promotion of Smooth Transportation, etc. of Elderly Persons, Disabled Persons, etc.”, public transportation administrators are required to comply with “Accessibility Standards for Public Transportation” when carrying out new development of passenger facilities or large-scale improvements as well as introducing new vehicles and for existing facilities. Efforts must be made to comply with these standards and staff must be educated and trained as needed to strive for accessibility as part of the stipulated requirements for mandatory efforts. In addition, assistance measures are available to support the accessibility of passenger ships as well as train stations and other passenger terminals along with the implementation of non-step (low-floor) busses, lift-equipped busses, welfare taxis, and other initiatives.

## Figure II-7-1-1 Current Accessibility of Public Transportation

(as of March 31, 2015)

Passenger Facilities (over 3,000 persons/day using on average)

Total Facilities	Passenger Facilities Compliant with Accessibility Standards for Public Transportation (No Grade Barriers)	Percentage of total number of facilities
Railway stations	3,497	2,964	84.8%
Bus terminals	49	41	83.7%
Passenger ship terminals	15	15	100.0%
Airport passenger terminals	34	29	85.3% (100%)

(Notes) 1 Regarding the “elimination of steps”, it is calculated in accordance with conformity to Article 4 (which covers width of the travel path, ramps, elevators, escalators, etc.) of the “Standard for Smooth Transport, Etc., with Public Transportation” based on the Barrier-Free Law.

2 The installation of elevators, escalators, and slopes that can be used by the disabled in airport passenger terminals had already reached the 100 percent level by March 2001.

○ Vehicles

Total Number of Vehicles, etc.	Vehicles Compliant with Accessibility Standards for Public Transportation	Percentage of total number of vehicles
End of FY 2014	End of FY 2014	End of FY 2014
Railway carriages	52,203	32,389	62.0%
Low-floor busses (excluding exemption-certified vehicles)	44,874	21,074	47.0%
Lift-equipped busses (excluding exemption-certified vehicles)	15,105	856	5.7%
Welfare taxis	—	14,644	—
Passenger ships	674	217	32.2%
Airplanes	574	543	94.6%

(Notes) 1 “Compliance with smoothness of transport vehicles” is calculated based on each vehicle’s compliance with the Accessibility Standards for Public Transportation.

2 Since the way in which targets for buses are formulated has changed between the old and new versions of the basic policy, items differ as outlined in Exhibits 1 and 2.

Source) MLIT

## (2) Accessibility of Living and Housing Environments

## (i) Accessibility of Housing and Architecture

In order for those such as the elderly and disabled to lead a secure, safe, and comfortable housing life within the region, the conversion of housing to be barrier-free is supported by measures, for example, the financing interest of the Japan Housing Finance Agency’s (Independent Administrative Institution) “Flat 35 S Loan” is reduced for obtaining housing.