Japan's upper house begins renovations for wheelchair-using lawmakers

Japan's upper house on Sunday started renovation work for two newly elected lawmakers with severe physical disabilities.As Yasuhiko Funago, 61, who has Lou Gehrig's disease, and Eiko Kimura, 54, who has cerebral palsy, use bigger-than-normal wheelchairs, the House of Councillors removed three seats from its chamber for plenary sessions to create space for them to attend. The seats were at the back of the chamber near a doorway.Funago and Kimura won seats in the July 21 election as candidates for Reiwa Shinsengumi, a political group founded in April by actor-turned-politician Taro Yamamoto t…READ FULL ARTICLE