The JASE Code of Ethics

Members of the Japanese Association of Special Education (hereinafter, “Members”) shall show proper respect for the basic human rights and dignity of all people, and honor the pursuit of freedom and happiness of people with and without disabilities.

For that purpose, Members shall give sufficient thought to the health, welfare and safety of research participants, protect their privacy, and give their utmost consideration to honoring individuals’ rights to self-determination and autonomy.

Members hold the right to freely convey knowledge and information they have obtained, but shall be aware of the accompanying responsibility and strive to be fair and objective in their statements, while also giving full thought to the effects of their statements on society.

Based on the preceding, the following principles are established.

1. The will of research participants shall be respected when they are deciding whether to participate in research. Excessive persuasion or coercion for participation must not be used.
2. It shall be explained in advance to research participants that they can refuse to participate in research or withdraw of their own volition. This shall be communicated in a form commensurate with the participant’s level of development or understanding.
3. In the case of research involving issues of privacy, the written or oral consent of the research participant shall be obtained in advance. However, in the case of participants who are unable to make their own judgment regarding consent, it is necessary to obtain consent based on the judgment of the person who is in the position to protect the participant (hereinafter, “Guardian”).
4. When obtaining the above consent, information related to the implementation of the study shall, as a rule, be disclosed and sufficiently explained. However, in studies when this information cannot be disclosed in advance, the study shall be conducted after confirming that this lack of disclosure will not be detrimental to the individual in any way, and the reason for this must be explained to the participant or Guardian after the fact.
5. Research participants shall not be made to suffer any physical or mental distress, danger or continuing harm. In the event that a researcher notices a mental or physical threat to a research participant during the course of a study, the researcher shall immediately stop the study and attempt to remedy the situation.
6. Information regarding a research participant that is obtained in a study shall be strictly controlled, and must not be used for purposes other than that for which consent was obtained at the time the study was conducted.

1. When publishing a study/report, full consideration shall be given to the social, human, and political implications of the research, and publication shall be made with the Member’s awareness of his or her responsibilities as a professional.
2. An individual's privacy must not be infringed upon. Members shall take responsibility for strict maintenance and safekeeping of individual data on research participants. When it is necessary to publish individual data involving matters of privacy, consent from the participant or Guardian shall be obtained.
3. Sources of information and data used in a study shall be specified.
4. In joint studies, consideration shall be given at the time of publication to the rights and responsibilities of co-researchers.
5. Efforts shall be made for fairness and objectivity when publishing research results for the general public. Research publications shall be based on scientific evidence, and Members shall strive to ensure that such publications contain no fallacies, exaggerations, distortions, or incendiarism.