Members with disabilities produce official animation for the Ministry of Justice

Shake Hands, a Type-B disability employment support facility operated by Fukuro LLC (Shiga Prefecture), has produced an animation titled 'Continuing the Calendar: Beyond a Fresh Start' (カレンダーの続きを｜再出発のその先へ) at the request of the Ministry of Justice's Kinki Regional Correctional Headquarters.

It has been available on the Kinki Regional Correctional Headquarters' official YouTube channel since Thursday, April 23, 2026.

The project was driven by members with developmental and mental disabilities, who handled everything from planning to illustration and editing themselves. This serves as a case study of an official government public relations project commissioned to and produced by members of a Type-B disability employment support facility.

Focus of the Production Modern prisons are transforming into 'welfare-oriented places' that support the rehabilitation of inmates. To convey this shift, the team deliberately avoided dark imagery like iron bars or barbed wire. Instead, they depicted interactions with prison officers and local community members, showing the protagonist gradually integrating into society through farming and vocational training after release.

Moving Beyond 'Light Labor' to Leveraging Individual Strengths Type-B disability employment support is a welfare service for individuals who have difficulty with standard employment, allowing them to work at their own pace. According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the national average wage for Type-B facilities in fiscal 2024 was 24,141 yen per month—a 6.6% increase from the previous year, yet still insufficient to fully support livelihood. Low wages are largely due to the nature of the tasks, which are often low-margin manual jobs like finishing work, cleaning, or light assembly. This commission represents breaking down the barrier between 'work done as a favor to people with disabilities' and 'creative work that competes on quality.'

Creating a Space Where Members Can Thrive At Shake Hands, many members excel at drawing, design, and storytelling. Many possess strengths compatible with creative work, such as focus, unique sensibility, and persistence in precise tasks. For this animation, each member took responsibility for their area of expertise. It is not about being a one-way recipient of support due to disabilities; rather, it is about creating things that can only be produced because of those disabilities. We aim to increase such workplaces one by one.

Featured on NHK E-Tele The activities of the facility will also be showcased on the NHK E-Tele program 'Heart Net TV: Fukuticchi,' airing on Monday, May 18, 2026, from 20:00 to 20:29.