Disability News Japan
304 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 12 hours ago -Hosted by Michael Gillan Peckitt, who resides in Kobe, Japan, the Disability News Japan Podcast is News website 'Barrier Free Japan's podcast, a weekly digest of some of the news about disability in Japan in audio form. New episodes will usually available every Friday at 6am Japan Time.
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Episodes
Father Speaks About His Daughter, The Late Yuri Hayashi, ALS Patient
March 08, 2024 21:00 - 6 minutes - 11.2 MBWhile her father, Kazuo Hayashi believes her death was the course his daughter chose, Kazuo had nothing but disdain for the two doctors implicated in her death. “I have no idea why they did what they did, but it is only to be expected that they were arrested,” Kazuo said. He also expressed anger that the doctors received 1.3 million yen before Yuri died. “How could they take money by taking advantage of the weakness of an individual?” Kazuo asked. Episode Notes: ‘Father of woman in ‘mercy...
Kyoto Court Sentences Doctor To 18 Years In Prison For Killing Yuri Hayashi, ALS Patient
March 06, 2024 21:00 - 12 minutes - 23.7 MBThe trial of Yoshikazu Okubo (45), who was charged with commission murder and murder for killing a patient with the incurable disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by administering drugs at her request concluded on March 5th. The Kyoto District Court handed down the verdict on March 5th. Presiding Judge Hiroshi Kawakami rejected the defense’s claim of innocence and sentenced him to 18 years in prison (23 years in prison was originally sought), stating that “social appropriateness canno...
‘Assist Mats’ Begin to Appear in 7-11 Branches in Japan
March 05, 2024 21:00 - 3 minutes - 6.86 MBAt some branches of 7-11, as you walk up to pay, you might see this mat, stuck to the counter. The mat has images with writing underneath, the writing is in Japanese & English and below the images it reads: ‘Buy Coffee’, ‘Buy Plastic Bag’, ‘Chopsticks’, ‘Fork’, ‘Spoon’, ‘Warm Up Microwave’, ‘Yes’ & ‘No’. The mat is intended to help people with difficulties communicating, especially d/Deaf people and people with hearing impairments, when attempting to tell the 7-11 staff what they want to buy...
Kanagawa Group Homes Investigated Over Alleged Evictions
March 03, 2024 21:00 - 5 minutes - 9.79 MBOn March 2, it was learned that the Kanagawa prefectural government had conducted on-site inspections at two group homes for the severely disabled in Kanagawa Prefecture. According to the officials, last year, a mentally disabled woman moved into a Group Home (GH) in Fujisawa City, and the GH asked her to move out immediately after a month or so because the staff could not handle her well and her behavior had become unstable. The woman was forced to return to her home with her parents. Epis...
Japan’s Barrier Free Laws Regarding Wheelchair User Spaces to be Revised
March 01, 2024 21:00 - 6 minutes - 11.9 MBJapan’s infrastructure ministry plans to create a nationwide rule requiring that 0.5 pct of seats at sports venues and theaters be reserved for wheelchair users. The central government’s move comes after many local governments have set their own wheelchair space requirements of 0.5 pct or more. Episode Notes: ‘Japan to Set 0.5％ Rule for Space for Wheelchair Users at Events’: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/02/27/japan-to-set-0-5％-rule-for-space-for-wheelchair-users-at-events/
‘Mark - A Call to Action’: A ‘Review’
February 28, 2024 21:00 - 8 minutes - 16.1 MBHere is my ‘review’ - perhaps ‘appraisal’ or ‘observations’ would be a better way of describing it - of the documentary ‘Mark - A Call to Action’, about my friend, the late Dr. Mark Bookman, which I hope receives wider attention. At the beginning and end of the podcast episode, there are audio extracts from Carolyn Stevens, Professor of Japanese Studies and Director of the Japanese Studies Centre at Monash University, Australia, speaking at Sophia University, Yotsuya Campus on February 25th ...
‘Mark - A Call to Action’ Premiere at Sophia University, 25th February 2024
February 26, 2024 21:00 - 5 minutes - 9.65 MBThe place, Sophia University, Yotsuya Campus. The date, Sunday 25th February 2024. The reason for this gathering was to watch ‘Mark - A Call to Action’, a documentary film about the late Dr. Mark Bookman, an academic and disability activist who lived in Japan and researched about disability issues in Japan. This podcast begins with Wasna Al Dabbagh introducing the film ‘Mark - A Call to Action’, followed by the trailer for the film. Finally, there are some comments made after the film by Pr...
A Good/Bad Disability News Japan Weekend
February 24, 2024 21:00 - 3 minutes - 5.51 MBBarrier Free Japan is hopefully off to Tokyo by the time this podcast episode drops, or in the language of Douglas Adams, ‘will and have been’ to Tokyo, weather permitting on Sunday 25th February 2024, to see the film about the late Mark Bookman. Episode notes: ‘New families sought for children with disabilities via adoption in Japan’ https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/02/23/new-families-sought-for-children-with-disabilities-via-adoption-in-japan/ ‘Disabled woman forced to sell body sentence...
Health Care in Ishikawa After Quake & Off to Tokyo!
February 20, 2024 21:00 - 2 minutes - 4.36 MBNHK reports that life begins to return to normal in Ishikawa Prefecture after the earthquake on January 1st 2024 and it seems that Barrier Free Japan will get to go to Tokyo and see the film about Mark Bookman! ‘Mark - A Call to Action’ Online Registration Form for Tokyo Premiere on February 24/25/27 2024: https://woobox.com/cg5e8w?fbclid=IwAR27Kqy-ObiWOJ1rhGEYDckuAqwbcVUWYIJK0YPngV4BrjoTZPBSUYf_PRM
Japan’s Land And Transport Ministries Report & The Language Of ‘Barrier Free’ Law
February 18, 2024 21:00 - 7 minutes - 13.1 MBRecent reports made by Japan’s Ministry of Infrastructure, Land and Transport regarding the elderly and people with disabilities are arguably a kind of good news/bad news situation. Episode Notes: ‘Japan’s Land Ministry to take steps to help property owners who “hesitate” to rent to elderly and disabled’ https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/02/15/japans-land-ministry-to-take-steps-to-help-property-owners-who-hesitate-to-rent-to-elderly-and-disabled/ ‘Japan’s Transport Ministry Points Out Lan...
'Mark - A Call To Action' Documentary About Being Disabled To Premiere In Tokyo
February 12, 2024 21:00 - 2 minutes - 4.83 MBMark Bookman was a historian, whose specialism was disability policy and related social movements in Japanese and global contexts. He studied Japanese Studies at University of Pennsylvania, and at the time of his death on December 16th 2022 he was Postdoctoral Fellow at The University of Tokyo. Before he died, Mark was working on a new project with an organization that would help organizations such as governments & businesses include people with disabilities called ‘GLIDE’ or ‘Global Leaders...
Disabled User of Ibaraki City Facility Suffers Serious Burns, Carers Did Not Check Bath Temperature
February 11, 2024 21:00 - 2 minutes - 4.92 MBA male client suffered severe burns while taking a bath at a facility for the disabled in Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture. The staff neglected to check the temperature of the hot water. Ibaraki City announced on February 5th that a male user in his 30s suffered severe burns to approximately 85% of his body after taking a bath at a municipal living support center for people with disabilities. However, at the time, the two male employees in charge of bathing did not measure the temperature, so...
Non-Sterilized Trans Man Wins Right To Change Gender at Okayama Family Court
February 08, 2024 21:00 - 3 minutes - 7.2 MBA Japanese court on Wednesday 7th February recognized a transgender man’s petition to legally change his gender without having first undergone sterilization, after the country’s top court ruled the requirement unconstitutional in October. The plaintiff, 50-year-old Tacaquito Usui, welcomed the ruling from the Okayama Family Court’s Tsuyama Branch as “profoundly moving.” It is likely to be followed by more from other family courts deliberating over similar circumstances. Episode Notes: https...
Aichi Governor Condemns Care Provider ‘Megumi’ over “economic abuse” of People with Disabilities
February 06, 2024 21:00 - 4 minutes - 8.17 MBThree cities and towns in Aichi Prefecture, including Koda Town, Aichi Prefecture, have accused Megumi (Headquarters, Tokyo) of a major management company of group homes (GHs) for people with disabilities of overcharging food costs. This is the first time that financial abuse has been found in a series of issues, Governor Hideaki Omura stated in an announcement at a press conference on February 5th. According to Governor Omura, by the end of last year, there were reports that two other cities...
One Month After Quake, Ishikawa Disabled Facility Users, Families and Carers Moved to Aichi
February 01, 2024 21:00 - 3 minutes - 6.13 MBOn January 30th, users of a facility for the disabled in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, which was hit by the Noto Peninsula earthquake, and their families evacuated to a facility in Aichi Prefecture, together with the staff who had been supporting them. A total of 19 people, including users and family members of a facility for people with disabilities run by the social welfare corporation Kowa-kai in Wajima City, as well as support staff, moved from Hakui, Ishikawa Prefecture, where they ...
Gunma Disabled Man Files Criminal Charges After Being Called “Socially Unacceptable” Online
January 30, 2024 21:00 - 5 minutes - 10.2 MBA man in his 40s who is severely disabled, filed a criminal complaint against an online contributor in Tokyo for defamation and insult on December 18, 2023. Prior to the criminal complaint, the man filed a civil suit against the online poster, seeking compensation for damages, and the Maebashi District Court ordered him to pay approximately 960,000 yen on December 8, 2023. The criminal complaint was filed because the online contributor submitted a written defense in the civil trial, stating...
Almost One Month After Quake in Japan, Vulnerable People Struggle [NHK News, Audio in English]
January 30, 2024 10:44 - 2 minutes - 4.1 MBThe audio is from a NHK G TV programme broadcast at 7PM on Tuesday 30th January 2024. It reports that vulnerable people, such as the elderly and those with disabilities, continue to struggle after the earthquake that hit Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan on January 1st 2024.
Scanning Errors: QR Codes Might Encroach on Barrier Free Travel in Japan
January 28, 2024 21:00 - 3 minutes - 7.31 MBThe photograph was taken at my local train station in Kobe. The station itself is quite accessible to a person with disabilities like myself. However, there is one small problem when one enters the station, because those who enter the station, enter what I like to call an ‘empire of QR codes’. If you want to know where and when the trains are arriving or departing at this station, the quickest – and possibly the only way of finding out – is by scanning the QR code on posters. ‘But isn’t tha...
Japan's Politicians With Disabilities Meet To Discuss Quake Response
January 26, 2024 21:00 - 3 minutes - 6.5 MBA meeting of a national organization made up of local politicians with disabilities was held in Isesaki City, Gunma Prefecture on January 15th, and the plan was to provide extensive support to people with disabilities in anticipation of a prolonged evacuation period following the Noto Peninsula Earthquake. Episode Notes: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/01/16/anticipating-a-long-time-to-recovery-local-politicians-with-disabilities-meet-to-discuss-disabled-peoples-needs-after-quake/
Disabled in Ishikawa Turn Down Secondary Evacuation, Education Ministry Reports on Disabled Students
January 23, 2024 21:00 - 4 minutes - 8.46 MBMore on why some elderly and people with disabilities are reluctant to take the ‘secondary evacuation’ option and Japan’s Education Ministry drafts a report on how to accommodate the increasing number of people with disabilities attending universities in Japan. And snow is coming… Episode notes: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/01/23/japans-education-ministry-discusses-support-for-increasing-number-of-university-students-with-disabilities/
In Quake-Affected Areas, Residents of Facilities for Disabled Turn Down Secondary Evacuation
January 22, 2024 21:00 - 57 seconds - 1.75 MBNHK reported on its TV programme ‘News Watch 9’ on January 22nd that four ‘Group Homes’ and facilities for people with disabilities in Ishikawa Prefecture decided not to take the ‘secondary evacuation’ option, out of a concern that a change of environment might be disruptive to their mental health.
NHK ‘Baribara’ on Noto Peninsula Quake, Comedian ‘Esper’ Ito Dies after Epileptic Seizure
January 21, 2024 21:00 - 3 minutes - 7.17 MBFormer comedian Esper Ito, who was reported to have passed away on the 17th at the age of 63, announced on the 19th that the cause of his death was status epilepticus. The office said, “Esper Ito (real name Masuo Ito) had been receiving rehabilitation treatment at a facility for a long time and has been repeatedly in and out of the hospital, but on January 16, 2024, due to status epilepticus, He passed away at a medical institution.” Episode notes: Retired Japanese Comedian Masuo ‘Esper’...
NHK News Report on Elderly & Disabled Noto Peninsula Earthquake Evacuees [English Audio]
January 19, 2024 13:18 - 1 minute - 2.89 MBThis is a short audio extract from the NHK G TV programme ‘News Watch 9’ broadcast on January 19th 2024, reporting about the elderly and people with disabilities in Ishikawa prefecture after the earthquake on January 1st 2024.
Japan’s Welfare Ministry Finds Major Care Home Company for Disabled ‘Megumi’ Overcharging for Food
January 18, 2024 21:00 - 4 minutes - 8.17 MBThe Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has determined that ‘Megumi’, a major group home management company for people with disabilities, was overcharging food costs from residents. It was revealed on January 17th, through interviews with related parties, that the government has recommended that a report be submitted by the end of this month. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare conducted a special audit and made recommendations at the end of last year. This is a form of sloppy managem...
Noto Peninsula Earthquake Aftershock 16th January 2024 @ 18:42
January 16, 2024 12:58 - 23 seconds - 742 KBThere was an aftershock from the Noto Peninsula Earthquake on Tuesday 16th January 2024 at 18:42. It was only 4.8 in magnitude but Shindo 5 and apparently NHK felt it was worth interrupting its programming to report it. This short audio clip is the sound of an NHK G TV reporting it just as it happened.
After Quake, People with Health Conditions Are Concerned About "unfamiliar" Hospitals
January 15, 2024 12:52 - 39 seconds - 1.2 MBFourteen people who evacuated to safety are now believed to have died from causes related to the earthquake in Ishikawa prefecture. Medical experts warn the figure could increase due to poor sanitary conditions in shelters. On January 15th, NHK reported how some elderly people are hesitant to evacuate out of Ishikawa prefecture because it may disrupt their medical care regime.
Are Japan’s Train Stations Going to Become an Empire of QR Codes?
January 14, 2024 21:00 - 4 minutes - 7.99 MBFor a break from ‘earthquake news’, Barrier Free Japan talks about the prevalence of ‘QR codes’ at train stations in Japan and how this might affect accessibility. On September 9th 2020, Kyodo reported that: “East Japan Railway Co. on Wednesday began testing new ticket gates in Tokyo that can be accessed using QR codes to make travel smoother for those without its Suica IC prepaid travel cards such as overseas tourists or visitors from rural regions. It can read a code downloaded via a sma...
After the Quake, Concerns Rise for Service Users and Staff at Ishikawa Care Facilities
January 13, 2024 21:00 - 3 minutes - 5.7 MBA massive earthquake that struck central Japan on New Year's Day has now claimed 215 lives in Ishikawa Prefecture. Fourteen people who evacuated to safety are now believed to have died from causes related to the disaster. Medical experts warn the figure could increase due to poor sanitary conditions in shelters. A survey has found that caregivers at facilities for the elderly and people with disabilities are working under extreme stress following the earthquake. One facility said only ten p...
Concerns Grow for Elderly as Deaths from Indirect Causes after Quake Increase
January 11, 2024 10:41 - 2 minutes - 5.22 MBThe death toll in Ishikawa Prefecture from a huge earthquake that struck central Japan’s Noto Peninsula on New Year’s Day has risen to 206, the prefectural government said Wednesday. Of the total, eight died of indirect causes related to the earthquake, including exhaustion and poor health during evacuation. As of 2 p.m. Wednesday, the number of people still unaccounted for stood at 52. The Japanese government plans to focus more on preventing deaths from indirect causes, rushing to move ev...
Death Toll from Central Japan Quake Exceeds 200
January 09, 2024 10:55 - 1 minute - 2.12 MBFatalities in the central Japan prefecture of Ishikawa from a massive earthquake that struck on New Year’s Day have exceeded 200. According to an announcement by the Ishikawa prefectural government Tuesday, the death toll in the 7.6 magnitude quake rose to 202. Episode notes: *Since recording this podcast episode fatalities in the central Japan prefecture of Ishikawa from a massive earthquake that struck on New Year's Day have exceeded 200. https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/01/09/death-tol...
Ishikawa Experiences Medical Woes After Quake, Supply Shortage And Infections A Concern
January 08, 2024 09:28 - 2 minutes - 5.31 MBMayor Shigeru Sakaguchi of Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, announced on January 7th that one victim of the Noto Peninsula earthquake who had evacuated to an evacuation center in the city had died of hypothermia. Nine people at evacuation center in Ishikawa were infected with norovirus and two people were infected with the new coronavirus. They were all in the same evacuation center. Episode notes: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/01/08/ishikawa-experiences-medical-woes-after-quake-suppl...
Five Days Later and Over 100 Dead
January 06, 2024 21:00 - 1 minute - 3.19 MBThe death toll in the central Japan prefecture of Ishikawa from Monday's powerful earthquake has risen to 126, prefectural officials said Saturday. The magnitude-7.6 New Year's Day quake has left 210 people unaccounted for in the prefecture, the officials said. The toll is likely to increase, as many people are believed to remain trapped under collapsed houses. More than 30,000 people stay in evacuation facilities set up in the prefecture. Water outage continues to affect about 66,400 h...
Residents of Ishikawa Care Homes Unable to Use Toilet or Take a Bath
January 05, 2024 21:00 - 2 minutes - 5.05 MBAccording to Ishikawa Prefecture, as of 10 a.m. on the 4th, damage such as water outages and power outages had been confirmed at around 120 elderly facilities in the prefecture, including special nursing homes and group homes. . Residents are not able to take a bath, and the toilets cannot be flushed, raising concerns about hygiene. Episode Notes: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/01/04/residents-of-ishikawa-care-home-unable-to-use-toilet-or-take-a-bath/
72 Hours Later And Concerns About The Elderly And Disabled
January 04, 2024 13:03 - 4 minutes - 7.81 MBAt the time of posting this it is 72 hours after the earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture. Aftershocks seem to be lessening, although one should not be too blasé. *Since recording the podcast episode there has been a NHK report about a care home in Ishikawa where residents cannot use the toilet or take a bath: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/01/04/residents-of-ishikawa-care-home-unable-to-use-toilet-or-take-a-bath/
Aftershocks from the ‘2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake’
January 02, 2024 11:48 - 3 minutes - 5.99 MBNot ‘disability news’ exactly, but a powerful earthquake registering Shindo 7, the highest on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, rocked Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, on Monday 1st January 2024. The temblor struck around 4:10PM, registering 7.6M. According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, a total of 30 people were killed and 48 people in six prefectures were injured in the quake, at the time of writing this post at 19:30 on Tuesday 2nd January 2024. The Japan Meteorol...
As If The New Year Should Tremble To Begin…
January 01, 2024 12:37 - 3 minutes - 5.61 MBAs If The New Year Should Tremble To Begin… by Michael Gillan Peckitt
At Nagoya Castle Debate Wheelchair User Told “Don’t confuse equality with your selfishness”
December 29, 2023 21:00 - 5 minutes - 9.36 MBAfter more than 400 years, the iconic Nagoya Castle is under siege, this time by those wanting to make it more accessible to wheelchair-users and those who are determined to keep it as original as possible. At a town hall meeting on the planned reconstruction of the castle here on June 3, a man scolded a wheelchair-user. “Don’t confuse equality with your selfishness,” the man said. “How dare you be so selfish.” The harsh remarks were hurled by a participant of the debate toward a 70-year-ol...
The ‘BoxingHeimer Day’ Episode
December 26, 2023 21:00 - 2 minutes - 5.13 MBA 27-year-old employee of a support facility for people with disabilities in Miyazaki City was arrested on the night of December 22nd on suspicion of assault after allegedly punching a resident in his 50s this month. Miyazaki City has revealed that this employee has been confirmed to have committed abusive behavior towards a total of five residents, and has decided to issue administrative guidance to the facility in the future. Episode notes: ‘Miyazaki Disability Support Facility Employee Ar...
The Disabled and Elderly in Japan: ‘Silent Night’ Edition
December 23, 2023 21:00 - 4 minutes - 8.31 MBJapan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced on December 20th that the number of cases of abuse against people with disabilities confirmed by prefectures and municipalities in fiscal 2022 was 3,079, an increase of 386 from the previous year, setting a new record high. The incident appears to have come to light partly because the government is requiring businesses to take measures to prevent abuse through the revision of remuneration for disability welfare services. People aged 65 ...
Citizens Debate Held Over Restoration of Nagoya Castle and Discriminatory Remarks Towards Disabled
December 19, 2023 21:00 - 5 minutes - 10.9 MBOn December 18th, the Nagoya City Citizen Debate Committee held its fourth meeting on the issue of discriminatory comments made against disabled people during a citizens’ debate on the Nagoya Castle wooden restoration project. The city presented a draft of the interim report, which it aims to publish by the end of the year, and the committee members expressed their opinions. The meeting was closed to the public. The preliminary draft is a compilation of the facts on the day of the debate hel...
Manager of Facility for the Disabled Arrested by Osaka Prefectural Police for Assaulting Woman
December 17, 2023 21:00 - 3 minutes - 5.69 MBOn 15th December, the Osaka Prefectural Police arrested the manager (32) of a welfare facility for the disabled in Kaizuka City, Osaka Prefecture, on suspicion of assaulting a 48-year-old woman by dragging her and knocking her to the floor. He denies the charge, saying he dragged the woman but made a slight mistake in the part where he knocked her to the floor. The police will investigate the possibility that he may have assaulted the woman and other users. Episode Notes: https://barrierfree...
Mark Bookman (1991 - 2022) In Remembrance and Action One Year Later
December 15, 2023 21:00 - 2 minutes - 4.27 MBMark was a historian, whose specialism was disability policy and related social movements in Japanese and global contexts. He studied Japanese Studies at University of Pennsylvania, and at the time of his death on December 16th 2022 he was Postdoctoral Fellow at The University of Tokyo. Before he died, Mark was working on a new project; a charity that would help organisations such as governments & businesses include people with disabilities. The charity is called ‘GLIDE’ or ‘Global Leaders i...
Disability Welfare Organizations Highlight Staff Shortages Ahead of Next Fiscal Year
December 14, 2023 21:00 - 2 minutes - 5.08 MBIn preparation for the next fiscal year's revision of compensation for welfare services for persons with disabilities, Kyosaren, a Tokyo-based national organization that supports persons with disabilities, submitted a petition signed by 1,411 organizations to Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Keizo Takemi on December 8th, requesting a positive revision of basic compensation in light of the severe operating environment at service centers, including a serious labor shortage. Episode Notes:...
Parents of Severely Disabled Boy Lose Appeal Claiming Son Illegally Sent to Special Needs School
December 11, 2023 21:00 - 3 minutes - 5.9 MBJapan's Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by the parents of a boy from Kawasaki City against a lawsuit in which they sought damages from Kanagawa Prefecture and the city on the grounds that it was illegal for the boy to be designated to a special-needs school on the grounds of severe disability. Episode Notes: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2023/12/11/kawasaki-parents-of-severely-disabled-boy-lose-appeal-claiming-son-illegally-sent-to-special-needs-school/
Disabled Man Awarded Damages Over Online Hate Speech
December 09, 2023 21:00 - 4 minutes - 8.24 MBThe Maebashi District Court has ordered a man who made a post on an anonymous bulletin board on the Internet to pay 960,000 Yen in damages to a man with severe disabilities. Kazuaki Hyodo, a man with severe disabilities from Maebashi City, was seeking approximately 1.95 million yen in damages from the man who made the post, in Tokyo, for suffering mental pain after being defamed on an anonymous bulletin board on the Internet. On December 8th, the Maebashi District Court handed down a judgmen...
Tokyo Lawyers Offer Free Telephone Consultations During ‘Disabled Persons Week’
December 07, 2023 21:00 - 3 minutes - 6.78 MBTo coincide with Disabled Persons Week, which started on the 3rd December 2023, the "Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities 110 Hotline'' is being held, where lawyers provide free consultations for people with disabilities and their families. Every year, the three bar associations in Tokyo hold consultation sessions during Disability Week, where lawyers provide free consultations to people with disabilities and their families by phone or fax. Episode Notes: https://barrierfreejapan.com/20...
Disabled Kids In Nagano Get Night Trip To The Zoo!
December 03, 2023 21:00 - 8 minutes - 15.4 MBCreating a fun haven for children with disabilities hoping to see wildlife is a global effort that has lasted over a quarter century. And it is spreading widely among Japanese zoos, albeit normally as a one-day event as they embrace the twilight by opening their gates at night or reserving entire days exclusively for those with special needs and their families. Episode Notes: Dreamnight program enables disabled children to enjoy visits to zoos in Japan: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2023/12...
Employees at Chiba Facility for Disabled Post Photos of Patients Defecating on LINE
November 30, 2023 21:00 - 4 minutes - 8.55 MBAt a daily-life care facility for people with severe intellectual disabilities in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture, a staff member was found to have posted a photo of a user defecating on a LINE group used for business communication. The pictures of users’ faces had been doctored in a manner that could be interpreted as teasing. The city’s Disability Welfare Division is investigating the possibility of abuse. Episode Notes: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2023/11/29/employees-at-chiba-facility...
Three Hokkaido Farm Workers with Intellectual Disabilities File Lawsuit Over Alleged Abuse
November 28, 2023 21:00 - 2 minutes - 5.46 MBThree men with intellectual disabilities filed a lawsuit asking a ranch owner’s family and the city to pay a total of approximately 94 million yen in damages, alleging that they were abused at the ranch where they lived and worked for many years (in Eniwa City, Hokkaido). The first hearing was held on November 28th at the Sapporo District Court (presiding judge Yuji Fuse). The defendants, the manager’s family, and the city requested that the claim be dismissed, stating that they were not awar...
Japan’s Health Ministry to “Take Measures” After ‘Megumi’ Homes Overcharges for Food for Disabled
November 26, 2023 21:00 - 2 minutes - 4.18 MBIn response to the issue of Megumi, a nationwide operator of group homes (GH) for people with disabilities, having been found to have misappropriated food expenses from people with disabilities at 139 GH facilities in Aichi Prefecture, including those operated by Megumi, Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Keizo Takemi announced at a post-cabinet meeting on November 24th that he would take measures to revise compensation for welfare services for the disabled in the next fiscal year. Episod...