FEATURE: Esports helping disabled people enter Japan's workforce

SAITAMA, Japan - Competitive video gaming is opening new opportunities for people with disabilities in Japan, with a growing number of organizations using esports to promote social participation and help players find work.

At a tournament held in May at Tokyo Big Sight, 32-year-old Shunya Hatakeyama, who has muscular dystrophy, faced an able-bodied opponent in a fighting game using a controller operated with his chin and a hand-held switch.