While recent years have seen an explosion of studies related to age, race, class, and gender in Japan, the topic of disability remains relatively unexamined. To date, only a handful of studies have been published about disability in Japan in English, most of which focus on the circumstances of individuals with specific disabilities (i.e. blindness, deafness, and schizophrenia) or offer general overviews of disability-related laws and policies. My research expands upon this body of literature by offering the first English language history of accessibility in Japan. Its value cannot be overstated for scholars seeking to understand Japan’s social hierarchies, economic entanglements, and modes of cultural production.