Last January, a major scandal broke over budget hotel chain Toyoko Inn Co.'s illegal removal of special guest rooms and parking spots set up for the disabled after the construction of those facilities had passed official inspection. Toyoko Inn converted the special rooms into normal rooms and the special parking spaces into a lobby and a storeroom.

Toyoko Inn President Norimasa Nishida tried to justify the transgression by asserting that only a few customers a year would have checked in to the special rooms. Nishida's thinking was wrong. The disabled were likely to have avoided Toyoko Inn not because it was a budget hotel, but rather because it discriminated against them.

Some businessmen with disabilities no doubt would like to stay at a budget hotel, and most people develop some form of disability as they age. Due to falling birthrates and the aging population, Japan's working-age population is set to decrease. The nation must build a social infrastructure that makes it easier for disabled people to work. It's not a matter of welfare; it's a crucial strategic challenge for the nation.