Wheelchair user Momoka Hidaka trains to be a service dog handler

Momoka Hidaka, a 23-year-old living in a wheelchair due to fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, has enrolled at the training facility of the Japan Hearing Dogs Association in Miyada Village, Nagano Prefecture, to train service dogs for others, as Yomiuri Shimbun reported.

Hidaka Commutes to the Training Facility for Daily Instruction

Hidaka moved to Komagane City, adjacent to Miyada Village, to live alone and commute five times a week to the training facility run by the厚生労働相指定法人 (Health, Labour and Welfare Minister-designated corporation), the Japan Hearing Dogs Association. Her routine involves repetitive exercises to teach candidate dogs necessary physical actions, alongside attending classroom lectures on sign language and physical therapy. In mid-September, Hidaka worked with a service dog candidate at the facility, dropping a spoon intentionally, giving the command Take and praising the dog by petting its head when it retrieved the item skillfully in its mouth.

The 23-year-old originally hails from Miyazaki Prefecture and was enrolled at a university in Okayama Prefecture when she was struck by widespread pain around January 2025. Frequent episodes of losing strength and fainting caused her to withdraw from university in September 2025, leading to her diagnoses of fibromyalgia—characterized by widespread bodily pain—and chronic fatigue syndrome, which brings persistent severe exhaustion. While searching for a service dog to assist her wheelchair-bound daily life, she discovered the association. Having previously spent two years of her university studies taking a leave of absence to help find owners for rescued shelter dogs and cats, she shared her lifelong ambition of working with dogs with association staff, who subsequently invited her to train as a professional handler.

Living with Illness and Relying on Canine Support

Hidaka still experiences bouts of intense pain, yet she notes that working with the dogs helps her forget painful hours and grants her the courage to face reality. The practical utility of the training proved itself in mid-August when her physical condition deteriorated and she became unable to move at her home entrance. She used a candidate dog she had brought home as part of her training to fetch her smartphone so she could call for help. Association President Moto Arima noted that Hidaka’s personal understanding of the movements and physical exertion required by service dog users serves as a distinct professional advantage.

National Disparities in Public Acceptance and Disaster Readiness

Both hearing dogs and assistance dogs lag significantly behind guide dogs in total numbers across Japan, remaining below one-tenth of guide dog populations due to widespread social misunderstandings that treat them as ordinary pets. Although the Bodyguard Dog for Physically Disabled Persons Act enacted in 2002 prohibits public facilities and large commercial complexes from refusing entry to assistance dogs, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare still receives reports of individuals being denied entry alongside their working dogs. Evacuation readiness during disasters remains similarly strained; a ministry survey conducted between December 2025 and January 2026 revealed that out of 750 responding municipalities, only 256 local governments included guidance on accepting service dog users in their shelter operation manuals, while a mere 82 municipalities had considered or anticipated specific operational responses.