[April Dream] Creating a Flat, Barrier-Free Society

WheeLog, a specified non-profit organization that develops and operates the crowd-sourced barrier-free map application "WheeLog!" (Location: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Yuriko Oda), endorses April Dream, a day for sharing dreams on April 1st. This press release is WheeLog's dream.

Our Dream: To Make Step-Free, Flat Cities the 'New Normal'

"That restaurant looks delicious!" The excitement of such daily moments can turn to despair in an instant because of a 'single step' at the entrance. A lovely cafe found on social media. A restaurant where I arranged to meet a friend. However, with just a 10-centimeter step, I, in my wheelchair, can only watch my friends laughing happily through the glass from the outside.

We do not want to pass on the sorrow of this 'so-close-yet-so-far seat' to the next generation. Our dream is that "every new place built is, from the very beginning, a kind place for everyone."

Why We Must Change the Rules Now

Japan's urban development has a 'structural problem' that cannot be solved by individual consideration or effort alone.

・ The Void Created by the '2,000m² Wall': Current law only mandates barrier-free access for large buildings of 2,000 square meters or more—the size of two gymnasiums. Many of the convenience stores and cafes we use daily are exempt from this obligation, creating 'blank spots' of accessibility.

・ Don't 'Reserve' 50 Years of Inconvenience: The latest surveys show that even now, new steps are being created in about 1 in 4 new stores (23%). Once a building is constructed, it remains in the city for over 50 years. Allowing these steps today is the same as 'reserving' inconvenience until the year 2076.

・ Bringing 'Tottori Prefecture's Success' Nationwide: This dream is not an impossible ideal. In Tottori Prefecture, a unique ordinance has made 'zero-step entrances' a common sight, regardless of building size. What can be achieved in one region can surely be achieved throughout Japan.

Knocking on the Nation's Door Through a Petition

We are launching a petition campaign to eliminate this structural flaw and update the nation's building codes.

・ Our Proposal:

・ Mandate 'zero-step entrances' from the design stage for all new stores.

・ Ensure standards from the start for aspects difficult to modify later, such as aisle width.

This is not just for wheelchair users, but also for parents pushing strollers, elderly people with mobility concerns, and even future delivery robots. A step-free city is 'future infrastructure' that benefits all generations.

[Towards the Dream] Held: 'Petition Briefing' to Stop the 50-Year Barrier

~A YouTube Live to Discuss the Behind-the-Scenes of the Petition and the City We Will Build in 50 Years~

To mark the full launch of this project, we will host a 'Briefing Session' via YouTube Live on Saturday, April 4, 2026, at 8:00 PM.

Date & Time: Saturday, April 4, 2026, 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Live Stream URL: https://youtube.com/live/aSD3SVZh40Y?feature=share

Speakers:

・ Yuriko Oda (Representative Director, Certified NPO WheeLog)

・ Satoshi Sato (Secretary-General, Certified NPO DPI Japan)

・ Yuji Kato (Change.org Japan)

Petition Site: www.change.org/wheelog2026

From Yuriko Oda, Representative Director of Certified NPO WheeLog

"When I was diagnosed with an incurable disease at 22 and started using a wheelchair, I felt like society had drawn a line, telling me 'this is as far as you can go.' But in places without steps, I can be a free individual who can go anywhere. Just a few centimeters of consideration at the design stage can create 50 years of freedom for someone. Decades from now, when we are grandfathers and grandmothers, please join us in creating a future where we can smile and say, 'It's a good thing we changed the rules back then.'"

Creating 'A World Where Wheelchairs Don't Mean Giving Up,' With You

Won't you join us as a supporter of our activities and help us expand the 'world's warmest map' together?

・ Change with Your Signature: Please support our petition to change the rules for future cities. Special Site & Petition Here

・ Share Information with the App: Post the barrier-free information you find on the WheeLog! app.

・ Support Our Activities with a Donation: Your monthly support of 1,000 yen helps 5 wheelchair users 'get out and about' annually. Support Us Here

・ Promote Projects Through Training & Surveys: For companies and local governments, shall we advance projects to create a barrier-free society together? Details for Corporations

・ Create the Future Through Lectures: We deliver the 'insider's perspective' needed for promoting your organization's SDGs and D&I. As partners in creating the future, let's learn how to empathize with diverse people.

About Specified Non-Profit Organization WheeLog

With the mission to 'create a world where wheelchairs don't mean giving up,' we released Japan's largest barrier-free map 'WheeLog!' in 2017. Together with over 100,000 app users, we visualize mobility barriers and promote urban development where everyone can participate in society with hope. As a leading group of social entrepreneurs in Japan, we are accelerating the implementation of a barrier-free future while receiving high praise both domestically and internationally.

[Major Awards & Achievements]

・ 2019: World Summit Award 'Global Champion'

・ 2020: Selected as 'Expo Live Global Innovator' for Expo 2020 Dubai

・ 2023: Received the Prime Minister's Award at the 7th Japan SDGs Awards

・ 2024: PR TIMES 'Public of The Year 2024' Award

・ 2025: Obtained 'Certified NPO' status from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Spoke at the HLPF at the UN Headquarters in New York

・ 2026: 2nd Place at ICC Summit FUKUOKA 'Social Good Catapult'

[Profile of Representative Director Yuriko Oda]

Representative Director of Certified NPO WheeLog, Representative of NPO PADM (Patients Association for Distal Myopathies). Diagnosed with the ultra-rare progressive muscle disease 'Distal (GNE) Myopathy' in 2002 and 'Multiple Sclerosis' in 2013, she is a severely disabled individual. As the head of the GNE Myopathy patient association, she has also dedicated efforts to achieve the world's first development of a therapeutic drug. Currently using an electric wheelchair, she serves as a committee member for promoting pedestrian mobility support using ICT for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), a member of the MLIT's Architectural Design Standards Follow-up Council, a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Council for Inclusive Community Development, and a director of the Japanese Association for an Inclusive Society. Fueled by the pain of her own 'inability to walk' and the societal barriers that 'prevent her from going where she wants to go,' she is deeply involved in policy proposals to national and local governments from a first-person perspective to realize a 'Welfare-Advanced Nation, Japan.'

[Contact for this matter] Certified Non-Profit Organization WheeLog Contact Person: Yoichi Oda, Secretariat info@wheelog.org / Official HP

🌏 #AprilDream #ToABarrierFreeFuture #StopThe50YearInconvenienceNow