Photo/Illutration With the help of a secretary and care-provider, Upper House member Eiko Kimura asks a question at the Nov. 5 session of the Upper House Land and Transport Committee. (Takuya Isayama)

Eiko Kimura on Nov. 5 became the first severely disabled lawmaker requiring assistance to raise questions in the Diet, and she received positive responses to her inquiry about barrier-free public restrooms.

Kimura, 54, from the Reiwa Shinsengumi party, sat in a wheelchair while being helped by both a secretary and care-provider when she spoke at a session of the Upper House Land and Transport Committee.

She described her life that has been filled with barriers, particularly her frustration over trying to find public toilets that she could use while in a wheelchair and requiring the constant attention of a care-provider.

One time, she was unable to find a single toilet that she could use in a seven-floor department store.

Kimura focused on the multifunctional toilets in public facilities that are designed for a wide range of people, including senior citizens and parents with young children.

“Wouldn’t it be better to construct a number of different toilets that could accommodate those with different needs rather than include a number of various functions in the toilet for wheelchair users?” Kimura asked.

Kazuyoshi Akaba, the minister of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism, responded to Kimura’s question.

“Measures that we thought would work out well turned out to be not so good for those with disabilities,” Akaba said.

When Kimura also pointed out that multifunctional toilets were often cramped for space, Akaba said he would issue instructions for a review of the regulations.

The secretariats of the two Diet chambers said Kimura was the first severely disabled lawmaker requiring assistance from a care-provider to pose questions at a Diet session.

Kimura was elected in the July Upper House election along with fellow Reiwa Shinsengumi candidate Yasuhiko Funago, who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and also uses a special wheelchair.

Kimura was 8 months old when she injured her cervical spine in a fall in a walker at the entrance of her home. She lost the use of most bodily functions from the neck down and can barely move her right hand.

She lived in a special needs facility until moving out at 19. Except for speaking, she requires help for all other daily activities.

While lawmakers normally stand when asking questions at Diet committee sessions, Kimura was allowed to raise her points while remaining in her wheelchair.

It once took until 3 a.m. for Kimura to prepare her questions, mainly because her secretaries had to write down what she explained verbally.

Diet exchanges are recorded in the minutes, and responses given by Cabinet ministers and government officials represent government thinking on various issues.

After completing her questioning, Kimura spoke with reporters and said: “There are many barriers for disabled people who want to participate in society. I felt a bit of optimism based on the positive responses that I heard today.”