and organisation of the paralympics this is bbc new. the headlines at 11am.: talk to us, thank you very much and congratulations. thank you very has highlighted another important and this figure is set to rise. reason why it is vital much. lieutenant colonel there with that the games provide a long—lasting legacy. yet i've not seen or noticed as many his story of bravery. it may have around 5% of the population of japan is registered disabled, people with disabilities cautious optimism from both the been reckless but it is an admirable conservatives and labour party over thing to have done and we are brexit talks after they broke up here as i have another major cities grateful to him for telling us about around the world. i'm off to an event when nondisabled it. now the weather with susan people actually get last night without progress. the to experience a bit of what life powell. it is probably not government perhaps has to show a is like for people like us. little bit more flexibility as it surprising that pinning down the has so far. there has been no detail on the weather is difficult. movement from the government on the low pressure is swirling the cloud actual concept of the political gci’oss low pressure is swirling the cloud across the uk through this weekend. there are some gaps to be found at declaration, and that is key. the so, tell me a little bit times but it is like trying to about what's going on here? conversations are continuing. we are predict which sock will come out of we have our para—sports awareness expecting to exchange some more tax the tumble drier first! eastern event, we have a lot with the labour party today. so, of different para—sports. counties thanks to that easterly this is an ongoing process, and i am you can try out anything you want. wind always having more cloud, and optimistic we will beat some sort of towards the west, the best of the agreement. housing greens turn -- brightness and top temperatures, but for much of scotland, a cloudy it's hoped that events like this housing dreams of turning into picture without pics of rain. the will not only educate the public nightmares. higher pension contributions must far north and east south—west getting the brightest whether. on how to behave around people with disabilities, overnight, cloud becoming but actually change society. widespread. just northern ireland i have a physical impairment,

and north wales with the risk of a but i'm not a special person. patchy frost. sunday, if anything, para—sports as a whole, the north holding onto the cloud, they can change society. and drier to the south, brighter the pa ralympics has the power to change society. spells developing back with the it has been changing little by little, and in sunshine, temperatures pushing up enough to spark off the odd, hefty the next three years, we are going to change thundery shower. our society very fast. it all looks very great. i can see the wheelchair basketball happening over there. hello, this is bbc news. would you like to try some? the headlines. go on, then. there is cautious optimism from both let's give it a crack. the conservatives and labour over brexit talks after they broke up last night without progress. this is the worst thing i've the government perhaps has to show ever done in my life. a little bit more flexibility take it easy on me. than it seems to have done so far. are you ready? there has been no movement 0k! i don't think so, but ok. from the government on the actual content of the political declaration be nice to me, please. and that is key. the conversations with the labour party are continuing, they were continuing last night. nice! we are expecting to exchange thank you. some more text with the labour party today. so this is an ongoing process and i'm optimistic that was genuinely terrifying. that we will reach some form of agreement. how was it? the developer persimmon has announced an independent review into

its housing quality you're sweating a lot. of the increasing concerns about the that was really scary! standard of its new builds. millions of workers will see more of their wages automatically diverted into a pension from today. look at it, it's quite refreshing to see so many people minimum contributions engaging with the events, are going up from three to 5%. with the trials. i was a little bit cynical about this, coming into it, people doing para—sports, now on bbc news, the travel show. sometimes it's a bit naff. actually, you know what? people were really engaging with it. i'm paul carter, i'm a journalist and if that is what it takes and i have come here to tokyo to expose people to this kind to experience its culture, of sport and engage with people its sights and smells. with disability i guess like a lego cityscape, it's only a good thing. it doesn't look real. it's much bigger than i was expecting. a lot more, for want of a better word, gold. i think coming here and surviving for as long as i have i have come as any other western in finding my way around has been tourist could come and do, but i have also come an achievement for me. here as a disabled person, to experience all of those things disability—wise i've found that maybe people were perhaps a little through the eyes of someone bit reticent to offer assistance, who might have some difficulties getting over some of those but perhaps it was a shyness

problems, getting around. in offering to want to help, ifeel like i'm... i think is the issue. ifeel like i'm done for the day already and i haven't everyone connected with disability even got anywhere yet. is really super—aware of the fact that they still can improve and want to get better, and they are really trying to get better, and with the paralympics tokyo is one of the most densely coming here it has almost given them a catalyst to sort populated cities in the world. of make that change sooner, and next year, it will play host and greater than perhaps they would have done otherwise. to the olympics and paralympics. japan expects a record a0 million visitors in 2020, including many disabled travellers. so i want to find out how prepared its capital is to welcome an influx of foreign visitors, especially people like me. i was born without any lower arms or legs, as you can probably see i use short prosthetics to get around. hello. i will hold my hands up

at the start of this forecast, because pinning down the detail so i'm just off to try for this weekend is going to be pretty tricky. and find something to eat. the biggest difficulty obviously it does pose some is predicting where we will see challenges, particularly the thickest cloud, and when. with my height, and in terms it is quite a complicated weather of fatigue i can't walk very long distances. picture, with areas of thicker cloud swirling around, the remnants of an area there is quite a big bar culture of low pressure that brought us all of the showers here in tokyo so it means that in the weekjust gone. as a rough rule of thumb, anywhere with high stools like this as we are getting an easterly is actually out of bounds breeze, eastern areas will have to me, as it would be cloud and often feel cooler, but that's not always the case, to wheelchair users for example. and, towards the west, i do have to be a little we should get some of the best bit more picky. of the sunshine and some of the best of the warmth, sometimes people see me with some spots looking a little and have a perception of who i am, greyer for sunday than they will be for this afternoon. and what i might be able to do anyway, a closer look at this afternoon. for much of scotland, and what my limitations are. some fairly solid cloud and outbreaks of rain. and i don't always think that their perceptions necessarily meet my reality. for the highlands and the northern isles, doing pretty well can i have this one? 0h! 0k. for the second part of the day, and along with dumfries is that 0k? and galloway and ayrshire, success. we have a table. arigato. sunshine for northern ireland, for the north—west of england, cutlery wise, there is a selection wales and the south—west.

and hopefully a little of chopsticks, which for obvious further east as well, feeding as far east as kent, but east anglia often rather grey reasons aren't much use to me, and cold around the coasts. and some spoons. looking great, though, for the grand national at aintree. no forks, so i planned ahead here, 13 the afternoon high, perhaps just a little cooler and i have the japanese word by the time the race takes place at around 10 degrees. forfork on my phone... if you are heading out this evening, still some rain to come across scotland. so when my food comes perhaps a few showers running i will see if they have any. into the south—west of england. otherwise it will be generally more cloud around as the night goes on. a job of improvising. certainly more cloud than last night, so a milder night, ah, thank you, arigato. with just north wales, perhaps, and northern ireland seeing the risk of a touch of frost. success! generally lows around six celsius. first thing on sunday, perhaps the cloud a little more i have a fork. evenly spread across the uk. looks good! still to the north i think the cloud is going to stay pretty solid on sunday. further south it looks like we will see some sunny spells there are around 6 million people developing by sunday lunchtime. with disabilities in japan, you may think, oh, that's good news, and my goal over the next few days because the temperatures will also shoot up but you can see is to see what it is like for us what happens once it gets a little to visit this city. bit warmer across eastern counties. there's the risk of some pretty big thunderstorms developing, and those could affect the boat race and maybe even the fa cup semifinal taking place at wembley. some punchy showers,

certainly for sunday afternoon. monday could be a similar story as well. grey first thing, then a little bit of brightness and then some more we're off to the skytree. hefty rain spreading its way not really sure what to expect, looking forward to the view. across england and wales it's a reasonably clear day as the day pans out. so hopefully we'll be able it looks like, by monday, it will be northern ireland to see something at least. i guess we'll find out and scotland enjoying the best when we get to the top. of the brightness. it is already looking busy inside. there are quite a few escalators to get up but that's not too bad. i'm quite lucky that i can use escalators all right, there are lifts here as well. the skytree is the world's tallest tower, and one of the country's most popular attractions. this is the mostjapanese thing i've seen since i've been here. hello kitty over here, people dressed up in all kinds of slightly weird outfits. hi, thank you very much. thank you. which way... this way. thank you. built in 2012, this

modern icon stands at a whopping 634 metres high. announcer: the tokyo skytree temple deck, floor 350. oh, my earsjust popped. i am told it can withstand earthquakes up to 7.0 magnitude as well as handle some 10,000 visitors a day. whoa! that's amazing! looks like a lego cityscape, it doesn't look real. i think when you get up here it is just a sense of not only scale, of how massive this place is, but how densely populated it is, how everything is so tightly packed together. i think usually on a clear day you are supposed to be able to see

mount fuji in the distance, but i think the weather gods haven't smiled on us today. man and woman speaking injapanese. this is actually like heaven for me, i have this game at home. i have seen all these original sketches, i was not expecting to see something like this here. oh my god, there is merchandise as well. take me away, before i spend all my money. me and tall things don't usually go together, to be honest with you, but it's actually nice to feel like i'm looking down on something for once. you can't come to the skytree tower and not have your photo taken. oh my god! laughs. i've just realised there is a glass floor. 0h... that makes me feel a little bit sick.

0h... laughs. i really don't like it! i love it! got my best side. sayonara! that was so cool. but you know, if you can cope with the crowds it is fairly easy to get around. could have done without the glass floor, to be honest with you, not the biggest fan of heights, didn't realise that was there, but no, absolutely cracking fun, really good place to come. but to be honest, i only had high expectations of tokyo, one of the most high—tech and futuristic capitals in the world. and uniquely, this city has been down this road before. newsreel: the world's biggest city,

more than ten million population and still growing, tokyo prepares for the first olympic games to be held in the orient. a massive facelifting is but one part of the feverish activity in the japanese capital. back in 1964 japan's capital became the first asian city to host the games, and the first city outside of europe to hold the paralympics. newsreel: speaks japanese. 378 paralympians representing 2! countries were greeted with an enthusiastic and heartfelt welcome to tokyo. helped by the star power of japan's then crown prince and princess, who were committed to raising awareness of disability in sport, the 1964 paralympics were hugely popular. some 5,000 spectators turned up to cheer on the athletes over the five day competition.

the 1964 championships and subsequent paralympic games put disabled people in the spotlight. but what is it like for people living here from day—to—day? i'm in the lively harajuku area, to meet an award—winning disability vlogger who has been documenting her journeys around japan. ah, yuriko, hi! i'm paul, nice to meet you! hi, nice to meet you! how are you? hi, i'm good! this is pretty busy. yes, so crowded. what is this place? i could tell. so you've made videos and provide information for disabled people, how did you start doing that, and why?

200? wow! yuriko thinks the momentum of the paralympics here will change how japanese people interact with disabled people. what is it about the culture here around disability that makes things a bit difficult?

why do you think that is, that people are shy to help? is it a culture thing? part of the success of the paralympics will hinge on people's experience of tokyo. with that in mind, the city has spent billions preparing for the event, which includes updating the infrastructure with lifts and escalators. i am trying to find the entrance to shibuya station, which i'm told should be just up ahead. i am told that the metro system is about 90% accessible. but... is this the entrance? no way to get in with an elevator? no elevator? there is no signs to say where the accessible route is.

so i'm just going to have to brave the stairs, because i don't know where the elevator is. exit, toilets, information... with the power of translation apps, i can find a lift. downstairs? ok, thank you. so, there isn't an elevator on this floor. so it's stairs again. shibuya station underwent a huge makeover in 2013. now sprawling over three levels, it's a bit of a struggle to navigate, especially with so many steps. there are lifts and escalators here but it takes me more than 20 minutes to actually find them.

ok, this looks more like it. right, the first challenge is... international languages. too high for me to reach. could i buy a ticket? he's going to help me. at least, i think so. 0k. thank you! by the time i reached the platform on the lowest level, i was pretty tired. i have no idea if i'm actually in the right place but we'll soon find out.

and it seems i'm not the only one. even locals are confused by the signage. how do you find it access—wise, the subway? but eventually, i reach my destination. ifeel like i'm done for the day already and i haven't even got anywhere yet. we made it. to a side street.

oh well, we sort of got there. it's just over 500 days in the countdown to the paralympics. but post—games, japan wants to show the world a society that is inclusive for all. i was curious to find out how tokyo's historic monuments measure up for accessibility. sensoji is tokyo's oldest and most famous temple, originally built in the 7th century. hey, josh. hello. good to meet you. good to meet you too. so this is sensoji temple? it is, yeah. want to show me the sights? let's go. canadian—born josh has lived here for a decade and runs a website offering advice to disabled visitors. i don't know where to look first. sights everywhere. yeah, there is.

the building's not original. i was going to say, it doesn't look 1,400 years old. i think one of the things that's most impressive about this place is that they've done it a lot to make it wheelchair accessible, but they have done it in a way that doesn't affect the feeling of the place. that is the lift, the elevator? yeah, it's well hidden, a lot of people didn't know where it was. they had to put a sign on it. as we enter the main pagoda, i begin to absorb some of the ancient traditions of japanese buddhist culture. so, what's happening over here? they‘ re making prayers. the first thing that strikes me about this is the scale of it. it's much bigger than i was expecting and it's a lot more, for want of a better word, gold. yes, it is! everyone here seems very deferential. there is quite a sense of reverence here. yeah, it is very important to people in japan. in the past 10 years, 11 years, since you have been here, have you seen things change?

yeah, for sure. for example, along with the infrastructure improvements, i think people's attitudes have begun to change a lot more. before, there would be barely anybody else out in a wheelchair. you did get strange looks and stuff like that. people are able to go out more often so they're going out more often, and because about people around them are getting more used to, you know, different colours of society. and with the olympics coming up soon, i think it's getting even better. tokyo 2020 will be the first games where sponsors are mandated to acquire rights for both the olympics and paralympics. advertisers have been asked to feature paralympic athletes just as prominently as olympians in their advertising campaigns. i meet one of the paralympics' organising committee, who has been taking part in the drive to raise awareness, including talks and demonstrations at hundreds of schools and businesses.