Japanese Federation of the Deaf
Encyclopedia
The is the national organization of the Deaf in Japan
. JFD is also a member organization of the World Federation of the Deaf
.
The JFD supports Deaf culture in Japan and works to revise laws that prevent the Deaf in Japan from participating in various professions and activities. In addition, JFD helps to incorporate Japanese Sign Language
into education systems for the Deaf and supports the sign language
interpreter system.
The JFD is a politically independent national organization with limited financial resources. The 47 prefectural
associations are organized in ways which constrain political action, but which are able to access to government funding which benefits its members and related constituencies.
The JFD has influenced the government to pass laws for the welfare of the Deaf and implementation of the Sign Language interpreter system.
May 10, 1948. Its pre-war roots arise from the Japanese Association of the Deaf, which was established in 1915 by alumni of the Tokyo School for the Deaf
.
As times changed, the JFD officially registered with the Ministry of Health and Welfare
May 20, 1950.
Throughout its history the JFD has held many conferences and events for the deaf in Japan, including sporting events and legal seminars.
In 1968 a campaign was organized by the JFD to pressure the government of Japan
to allow the Deaf the right to obtain driver's licences, a right that had been withheld due to the Deaf's legal status as "quasi-incompetent persons".
In 1969 The JFD began publishing text books and other learning materials relating to sign language and Deafness and continues to publish newsletters and updated text books today. The JFD began giving certification exams for sign interpreters in 1976 and helped establish the National Training Institution of Sign Language in 2002 for the purpose of educating sign language interpreters.
As a result of the classification the Deaf as "quasi-incompetent persons" they were considered "incompetent due to diminished mental and/or physical capacity and wasteful habit". They were not allowed to perform legal acts related to property and were not able to apply for housing loans nor to succeed family businesses. This status was challenged by the JFD, and in 1979 they succeeded in having Article 11 of Japan's Civil Code amended; thereby allowing the Deaf to participate as fully functional persons in legal matters.
In 2006, the National Police Agency
began the process of revising Japanese laws about issuing driver licenses to persons with deafness.
In addition, JFD also works closely with the National Research Association for Sign Language Interpretation, the Japanese Association of Sign Language Interpreters (JASI), and the National Center of Sign Language Education.
The JFD has offices in both Tokyo
and Kyoto
.
, the JFD works to bring the views of the Deaf in Japan to the international level.
. The JFD were also among those arranging relief supplies for survivors.
During the crisis, the Japanese government provided JSL interpreting at press conferences related to the earthquake and tsunami. Television broadcasts of the press conferences of Prime Minister Naoto Kan and the Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano included simultaneous JSL interpreters standing next to the Japanese flag on the same platform.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. JFD is also a member organization of the World Federation of the Deaf
World Federation of the Deaf
The World Federation of the Deaf is an international non-governmental organization that acts as a peak body for national associations of Deaf people, with a focus on Deaf people who use sign language and their family and friends...
.
The JFD supports Deaf culture in Japan and works to revise laws that prevent the Deaf in Japan from participating in various professions and activities. In addition, JFD helps to incorporate Japanese Sign Language
Japanese Sign Language
, also known by the acronym "JSL", is the dominant sign language in Japan.-History:Little is known about sign language and the deaf community before the Edo period. In 1862, the Tokugawa shogunate dispatched envoys to various European schools for the deaf...
into education systems for the Deaf and supports the sign language
Sign language
A sign language is a language which, instead of acoustically conveyed sound patterns, uses visually transmitted sign patterns to convey meaning—simultaneously combining hand shapes, orientation and movement of the hands, arms or body, and facial expressions to fluidly express a speaker's...
interpreter system.
The JFD is a politically independent national organization with limited financial resources. The 47 prefectural
Prefectures of Japan
The prefectures of Japan are the country's 47 subnational jurisdictions: one "metropolis" , Tokyo; one "circuit" , Hokkaidō; two urban prefectures , Osaka and Kyoto; and 43 other prefectures . In Japanese, they are commonly referred to as...
associations are organized in ways which constrain political action, but which are able to access to government funding which benefits its members and related constituencies.
The JFD has influenced the government to pass laws for the welfare of the Deaf and implementation of the Sign Language interpreter system.
History
The JFD was founded May 25, 1947 and held its first National Congress in KyotoKyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
May 10, 1948. Its pre-war roots arise from the Japanese Association of the Deaf, which was established in 1915 by alumni of the Tokyo School for the Deaf
Tokyo School for the Deaf
The , now called the Central School for the Deaf, was the first Deaf educational program to be established in the eastern capital during the Meiji period.-History:The Tokyo School for the Deaf was established in 1880...
.
As times changed, the JFD officially registered with the Ministry of Health and Welfare
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan)
The ' is a cabinet level ministry of the Japanese government. It is commonly known as Kōrō-shō in Japan. This ministry provides regulations on maximum residue limits for agricultural chemicals in foods, basic food and drug regulations, standards for foods, food additives, etc.It was formed with...
May 20, 1950.
Throughout its history the JFD has held many conferences and events for the deaf in Japan, including sporting events and legal seminars.
In 1968 a campaign was organized by the JFD to pressure the government of Japan
Government of Japan
The government of Japan is a constitutional monarchy where the power of the Emperor is very limited. As a ceremonial figurehead, he is defined by the 1947 constitution as "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people". Power is held chiefly by the Prime Minister of Japan and other elected...
to allow the Deaf the right to obtain driver's licences, a right that had been withheld due to the Deaf's legal status as "quasi-incompetent persons".
In 1969 The JFD began publishing text books and other learning materials relating to sign language and Deafness and continues to publish newsletters and updated text books today. The JFD began giving certification exams for sign interpreters in 1976 and helped establish the National Training Institution of Sign Language in 2002 for the purpose of educating sign language interpreters.
As a result of the classification the Deaf as "quasi-incompetent persons" they were considered "incompetent due to diminished mental and/or physical capacity and wasteful habit". They were not allowed to perform legal acts related to property and were not able to apply for housing loans nor to succeed family businesses. This status was challenged by the JFD, and in 1979 they succeeded in having Article 11 of Japan's Civil Code amended; thereby allowing the Deaf to participate as fully functional persons in legal matters.
In 2006, the National Police Agency
National Police Agency (Japan)
The is an agency administered by the National Public Safety Commission of the Cabinet Office in the cabinet of Japan, and is the central coordinating agency of the Japanese police system....
began the process of revising Japanese laws about issuing driver licenses to persons with deafness.
Seahorse logo and mascot
The seahorse is the recognized symbol of the Deaf community in Japan. According to Japanese legend, dragons have no ears and are deaf. The ears of the dragons fell into the ocean, where they became seahorses. The former "dragons ears" are graphically represented by the seahorse as the JFD logo and mascot; and the graphic mark is also found in other Deaf community logos. For example, the JFD seahorse graphic has been incorporated in the logos of other subsequently formed Deaf organizations, such as the Tokyo Federation of the Deaf and the Japanese Deaf Table Tennis Association.Network of relationships
The Federation has member associations in all 47 Japanese prefectures, which are coordinated on the national level by the General Assembly and the Board of Directors of the JFD.In addition, JFD also works closely with the National Research Association for Sign Language Interpretation, the Japanese Association of Sign Language Interpreters (JASI), and the National Center of Sign Language Education.
The JFD has offices in both Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
.
International context
As a member of the World Federation of the Deaf, which has consultative status with the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, the JFD works to bring the views of the Deaf in Japan to the international level.
Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The JFD's networks of relationships were challenged and strengthened by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
. The JFD were also among those arranging relief supplies for survivors.
During the crisis, the Japanese government provided JSL interpreting at press conferences related to the earthquake and tsunami. Television broadcasts of the press conferences of Prime Minister Naoto Kan and the Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano included simultaneous JSL interpreters standing next to the Japanese flag on the same platform.
Further reading
- Japanese Federation of the Deaf. (1996). Renmei no Genzai (The Current State of the Federation). Tokyo:
- __________. (1997). 50-nen no Ayumi Shoshite Mirai e (Our 50 Year History and Future). Tokyo:
External links
- JFD released this 14-minute video message, in JSL with Japanese subtitles