It's never too late for good news: Ishikari City in Hokkaido has passed an ordinance recognizing Japanese Sign Language

VAOJ apologizes for the late reporting...

Earlier this month Ishikari City in Hokkaido passed the second ordinance in Japan that recognizes and supports the use of Japanese Sign Language. The ordinance is similar to the one passed recently in Tottori prefecture. Part of Ishikari's ordinance also mandates written Japanese be used in social welfare matters for those deaf people who don't use sign language. It is encouraging that information about the nature of sign language and deaf people is spreading. Let's hope for more similar ordinances soon.

Source (Mainichi Shimbun in Japanese): http://mainichi.jp/select/news/20131216k0000m040065000c.html