Japan and Philippines mark World Autism Awareness Day

Japan's Tokyo Tower went blue for World Autism Awareness day on Tuesday, along with a number of other significant landmarks across Japan in an effort to increase awareness of the condition. Now in its sixth year, the event received a significant boost as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, along with other high-ranking government officials, attended the proceedings. Despite heavy rain and chilly temperatures, volunteers, families with autistic children and a number of local celebrities turned up to show their support. "It is our aim to create a safe society for those with autism worldwide. Today, both the Japanese government and members of National Diet are here to show support, as well as a number of citizens," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. According to the country's Autism Society, Japan has been at the forefront of autism research for several decades. Despite this, ignorance is still a problem. "Actually, in comparison to England or the United States, Japan has been ahead of the curve in terms of autism research. However, the average person still does not know much about the condition," said the society's president, Kosuke Yamazaki. One of the greatest obstacles for autistic people and their families is acceptance, Yamazaki said. "Having autism, or a developmental disorder is still treated with bias or prejudice, so children with this are very much learning to cope with revealing their situation to others," he said. Manila also joined the dozens of major cities around the world which turned their buildings blue for the day. A giant globe at the Mall of Asia on Manila Bay glowed blue as darkness fell and around 200 people joined a parade to raise awareness of autism. Other monuments around the world that joined the event included the Empire State Building in New York, the CN Tower in Toronto, as well as churches, city halls, schools, hotels and malls. The United Nations has designated every April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day, commemorated for the sixth time this year. — Reuters