Japan's company leaders can lead by example on disability inclusion

By acknowledging own impairments, corporate chiefs will foster mindset shift

Jun Sawada and Caroline Casey

April 9, 2023 05:00 JST

Japanese legislator Eiko Kimura, who has cerebral palsy, is brought into the Diet building in 2019: Many workplaces do not understand the needs of the disabled. © Reuters

Jun Sawada is chairman of the board of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone. Caroline Casey is founder of The Valuable 500, a global collective of chief executives and companies supporting disability inclusion.

When Japan hosted the Paralympics in 2021, disability took the spotlight. Tokyo's infrastructure was made more accessible to welcome spectators, disabled athletes competed on an international stage and the world celebrated the strength and skill of Paralympians from 162 countries and territories.