Japan revamps upper house to boost access for disabled lawmakers

FILE PHOTO: Workers start the renovation to prepare a barrier-free area for two newly elected lawmakers with severe physical disabilities at the upper house of parliament hall in Tokyo, Japan July 28, 2019. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's upper house of parliament was completing renovations on Monday to improve access for two severely-disabled lawmakers set to arrive this week, carving out space for their wheelchairs and building a temporary ramp.

As members of a small opposition group who won seats in the July 21 election, Yasuhiko Funago and Eiko Kimura symbolise changing attitudes in a nation that has long encouraged disabled people to stay in the shadows.