Improving Care for Preschool Children with Disabilities During Disasters in Japan

Abstract

This commentary traces the origins of Japan’s special education system and explores the need to equip preschool teachers with the specific knowledge and skills necessary to care for children under the age of six with disabilities during disasters in Japan. Japan’s slow implementation of inclusive education, in which children with and without disabilities are educated together, was noted by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2022. The Committee also recommended improved care for persons with disabilities in disaster situations and humanitarian emergencies. Historically, Japan has promoted policies that segregate children with disabilities from children without disabilities. Integrated childcare began in the 1970s, but there continues to be a lack of suitable systems and practical guidelines for disaster management in inclusive childcare. The curricula of institutions that train childcare professionals were reviewed. As of April 1, 2023, there were 666 designated childcare teacher training institutions in Japan. Of these, 498 training institutions offered courses to obtain both kindergarten and nursery teaching licenses. Thirty-seven of the institutions were national and public schools, of which the present study included 36 schools whose syllabus was available online and whose course content could be confirmed. Only one school (2.8%) was found to include “disaster and childcare” in its curriculum, and three schools (8.3%) included “safety of children with disabilities” in their curriculum. Specialist disaster preparedness training to enable teachers to care for preschool children with disabilities in the event of a disaster is critical in the context of inclusive childcare.