As societies evolve, they naturally question the language they use. What may have been appropriate in the past may now seem biased or prejudiced. Japan is no different A recent example is the language used for discussing disability in Japan. In the run-up to the 2020 Paralympics, some are arguing that the term deserves to be re-considered. That debate prompted an interesting exchange in a Japanese newspaper between a doctor and a 9-year-old boy – one that’s earned the doctor high marks from Twitter users.
“Disabled” Versus “Supported”
It’s no wonder this debate is happening now. The looming 2020 Tokyo Paralympics has, obviously, sparked a lot of interest in ensuring that Tokyo is more accessible than it has been – a problem that Japan as a whole is working to fix. Disabled Twitter users has also sparked conversation by increasingly speaking up for themselves. And the election of two severely disabled candidates to Japan’s Diet has also helped draw attention to the issues the disabled face in the country.
The Japanese term for “disabled” is 障害者 (shougaisha) – “person with a disability.” shougai is a versatile word, as it can contain both the English implications of “disability” and “impairment,” as well as a more general meaning of “obstacle” or “hindrance.” (A steeplechase in Japanese is a 障害競走 [shougai kyousou], or “obstacle race.”)
Some people argue that the term is prejudiced toward the disabled. Recently, Asahi Shinbun solicited readers’ opinions on the word and whether Japan shouldn’t start using something more suitable.
The paper published several opinions that argued for a change. One was from a rehabilitation doctor, Okutani Tamami, who argued for the neologism “supported person” (要助者; youjosha). Dr. Okutani argued that the term was more closely akin to “special needs” in English. The doctor says they were inspired by an interview with quadriplegic Ototake Hirotada, a Japanese author and talent who was born without arms and legs.
Another moving opinion came from Shiomi Ryuu (塩見龍), a nine-year-old in Osaka. Ryuu isn’t disabled, but a recent stay in the hospital got him thinking about the word shougaisha:
I got sick last September and had to stay in the hospital for a week. That’s when I understood how important one’s health is.
When i got sick, I was a little mad at being called a “sick person” (びょう人; byoujin). It made me wonder, what do disabled people think? They probably don’t like being called “disabled.”
…
I see now how important labels are. I think given that the Paralympics is this year, we should all think about searching out labels that don’t upset people.
With Disability in Japan, “The ‘Barrier’ Is About Society”
Ryuu’s letter was not only touching, but pretty sophisticated for a boy under 10. But it was a response to the boy’s letter that drew the most attention on Twitter.
On February 7th, Asahi ran a piece from Dr. Matsunaga Tadashi, a pediatrician in Chiba, in response to Ryuu’s letter. Dr. Matsunaga, in plain language, laid out why he thought the term shougaisha was acceptable:
I’ve seen many disabled kids in my work. Do you think that these children are called shougaisha because a part of them is inferior compared to others? That’s not correct. It’s because there’s a wall between them and society – a barrier, in other words – that we call them shougaisha or shougaishi [handicapped kids].
In other words, the “barrier” isn’t about the people, but about society. It’s about things such as gaps that wheelchairs can’t cross and objects left on top of Braille blocks.
That wall exists in our hearts as well. If they day comes when we can eradicate that wall from within us, then maybe we can stop using the word shougaisha. I pray for just such a society.
The reply drew praise from many on Twitter. User morningcoffee popularized the response on Twitter with a tweet that’s garnered over 34,000 retweets to date:
As user ryokokok put it:
This is a model for specialists on how to avoid specialized language and explain things to non-specialists in an easy to understand way.
And @1987_matsu added in a touching RT:
I look at our kids with autism and think, yeah, he’s got it. Gonna cry now.
Dr. Matsunaga’s response raised a good point. Sometimes, the language we use is less important than the intent behind it. How many people in Japan have thought of shougaisha as relating, not to the “disabled” person, but to society’s inherent bias towards the abled? I’ll be curious to see if such thinking shapes or changes the discussion of disability in Japan.
No matter which way the language debate goes, I echo Dr. Matsunaga’s wish that all societies eliminate the barriers in their hearts.
