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| General Principles
of Universal Design Policy |
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| Introduction |
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Japan has, as a consequence of a
process of modernization and industrialization that has taken place mainly
in the twentieth century, become one of the world's major economic powers.
During the half century since the end of World War II, it has experienced
particularly rapid urbanization and industrialization and created urban
and transportation systems appropriate to its new status. These were adapted
to a society whose principal characteristic was growth.
But now at the beginning of the twenty-first century, Japanese
society has entered a period of radical change. The simultaneous aging of
the population and decline of the birth rate are bringing an unprecedented
period of population decline. This society is introducing measures to support
independent activities planned so that elderly people can autonomously select
their own life styles. Efforts are also being made to create a gender equal
participation society that lets both men and women mutually exercise their
distinctive characteristics and capabilities.
It is also essential to create a symbiotic society in which
handicapped people make independent choices and decisions to enter and participate
fully in all social activities. Therefore, measures to help all handicapped
people exercise their own capabilities to achieve self-actualization are
being introduced.
Continued internationalization is deepening links between Japanese
society and foreigners who come here to do business, tour Japan, and for
other purposes.
We are entering an age when we must make efforts to create a
society in which every person can exercise his or her own unique qualities
in this way and participate freely in society to achieve self-actualization.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT) is now implementing
national land and transportation policies based on the concept of universal
design *1 that is defined as the design of facilities,
"easily and freely used anywhere, by anyone" in order to create
such a society by providing social capital and transportation systems that
will support society in the twenty-first century.
In October of last year, the MLIT established the Universal
Design Policy Promotion Headquarters within the ministry. It has now conducted
discussions a total of fifteen times. It prepared these General Principles
by carrying out an overall examination of all fields of national land and
transportation administration and conducting discussions with experts both
inside and outside of Japan, and at the same time, has linked discussion
groups formed to deal with the way to achieve barrier free *2
conditions, to smooth the use of public transportation systems and to promote
Free Mobility Project *3.
Through this organization's activities, the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure and Transport will reform the consciousness of every one
of its employees so that the entire organization will implement national
land and transportation policies based on the concept of universal design,
and it is counting on internal groups and individuals who play a variety
of roles working together to undertake aggressive measures to achieve the
above goals. |
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| *1 |
Universal design: This
is the concept of designing cities and living environments that can
be utilized without difficulty by everyone including the handicapped,
people of all ages and of both genders, and of all races (From the
Basic Plan for Handicapped People (Cabinet Decision of December 24,
2002)) |
| *2 |
Barrier free: This is the
process of removing barriers preventing elderly and handicapped people
for example from participating in the life of society. It is the concept
of moving all obstacles including physical, social, systemic, psychological,
and information obstacles. (From the Basic Plan for Handicapped People
(Cabinet Decision of December 24, 2002)) |
| *3 |
Free Mobility Project:
This refers to projects that apply revolutionary ubiquitous network
technologies to use Ubiquitous Location Information Systems that provide
necessary information anytime, anywhere, to anyone in real time in
order to provide system users with information such as travel routes,
transportation methods, and destinations by voice, by a letter, and
in multiple languages to allow the elderly and handicapped to travel
freely to destinations they wish to reach. |
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