Disability News Japan

Back in December 2023, Barrier Free Japan wrote about they often leave Kyoto by JR Kyoto Station and noted that one of JR Kyoto Station’s ‘accessible toilets’ had been ‘out of order’ or 'unavailable for use' for weeks. Almost one year later, it remains ‘out of order.’ It might seem a small thing to some, but one wonders how people would react if ‘regular’ - i.e. for non-disabled people - was ‘sign...

A Post-election in Japan digest podcast episode, full of pneumonia and abandoned Yakuza facilities! Episode Notes: ‘Medical society in Japan recommends steps to prevent mycoplasma pneumonia’: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/10/28/medical-society-in-japan-recommends-steps-to-prevent-mycoplasma-pneumonia/ ‘Former yakuza office repurposed to become elderly care facility’: https://barrierfreejapan.c...

As this blog post is being written it is 8PM on Sunday 27th October, the polls have just closed and NHK is predicting that the LDP and New Komeito may lose their majority. The polling place near where Barrier Free Japan lives in Kobe had NHK crew near it in the morning and were asking questions about how people voted, and what they thought about far right groups like the ‘Sanseito’, a party that i...

Tomorrow, Sunday October 27th 2024, is a general election in Japan, or more specifically, an election for the ‘lower house’ the House of Representatives. I did think it was kind of cool that Hiromi Fujisue, the Japanese Communist Party Candidate for the Hyogo 1st District,, passed by me and seemed to waved at me from her van whilst canvassing today.

This just happens too often to Michey of Barrier Free Japan. Michey will be walking down a street and then, from behind, someone will grab Michey’s backpack. Some will say ‘but they were trying to be kind.’ As someone with a physical disability, all I can say is this: their unwelcome attention is no less painful because it was well-intentioned. Just ask permission before grabbing people and their...

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has taken issue with the response of the organizing group regarding the participation of a man with a mild intellectual disability at a matchmaking party posted on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's website. The man was refused participation immediately after declaring his disability. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has asked the organizers to "take sincere act...

On October 18th, the Japan Council of Disabled People, an NPO made up of groups for disabled people, requested the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications to improve the barrier-free environment at polling stations so that disabled people can vote smoothly in the Lower House election. They said there are differences in the way election commissions handle things depending on the city, ward,...

The suspect (71) arrested on suspicion of non-consensual sexual intercourse, is a driver for a disability support facility in Koganei City, Tokyo, who is suspected of sexually assaulting a female user in her 20s on the bus he was driving in July this year. The suspect denied the charges, saying, “I did nothing obscene.” The woman claims to have been a victim of similar assaults multiple times, and...

A 34-year-old man was arrested for assaulting a visually impaired man by kicking him with his foot in the multipurpose restroom at Jimbocho Station on the Toei Shinjuku Line in Tokyo. The suspect Ikeda admitted to the investigation that he “felt rushed” and admitted to the charges. Episode Notes: ‘Man arrested for allegedly assaulting visually impaired man in multi-purpose toilet at Jimbocho Stati...

A total of 38 cases suspected to be abuse were confirmed going back about 10 years, with 11 users abused and nine staff members abusing them, and the committee pointed out that "abuse had become the norm.” According to the report, the abuse continued from around 2014 until last year, and included the following acts: hitting users on the head and ankles with a mallet in what was called "Hammer Chan...

The Diet enacted a bill into law on Tuesday to compensate victims of forced sterilization under Japan’s now-defunct eugenic protection law. The new law includes a preamble expressing the state’s apology and calls for compensation of 15 million yen each for victims and 5 million yen for their spouses, as well as a lump-sum payment of 2 million yen for those forced to have abortions. The compensatio...

Japan’s House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, unanimously passed a bill on Monday 7th October to compensate victims of forced sterilization under the now-defunct eugenic protection law. The bill is expected to be enacted on Tuesday after approval by the House of Councillors, the upper chamber. It calls for compensation of 15 million yen each for victims and 5 million yen for t...

There is one week to go until the release of ‘Mark - A Call to Action’ on October 8th 2024! Mark 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. The film is...

A forum was held in Tokyo on September 22nd to form a national network for people with developmental disabilities, Kyodo News reported. In order to reflect the voices of people with developmental disabilities in national and local government policies, local groups of people with developmental disabilities have decided to form a national network. Representatives of the initiators exchanged opinions...

On September 17th, two parents and their children in Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture, filed a human rights complaint with the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, claiming that their opinions and those of their guardians were not respected and were harmed during school counselling sessions for their children with disabilities. The parents and children allege that they wished to study in regular...

Mark 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. The documentary film ‘Mark: A Call To Action’, directed by Ron Small about Mark, will be released on DVD...

On September 13th, the plaintiffs and the government signed a settlement agreement in a lawsuit over forced sterilization under the old Eugenic Protection Law. Final adjustments were being made on the government’s payment of 15 million yen in compensation to any individual who underwent the surgery. Lawsuits currently underway in various regions have been gradually entering settlement procedures,...

The Tokyo Shimbun reported that although Shinjiro Koizumi is considered one of the “favorite” candidates due to his high name recognition and ability to communicate, there are strong concerns about his ability to answer questions as prime minister, as he has made some unique statements at international conferences, such as “I will tackle climate change in a sexy way.”  At the press conference that...

A survey by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare found that 761 people with disabilities suffered abuse at work, such as unpaid wages and verbal abuse, last year, an increase of 105 from the previous year. This is thought to be due to the recovery of economic activity from COVID-19, which has increased employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Episode Notes: ‘761 people with disa...

Japan won its first Paralympic gold medal in wheelchair rugby Monday after seeing off the United States 48-41 in Paris, with the nation adding two badminton gold on the day to make it five total at the ongoing games. The Chunichi Shimbun reported that on August 30th, businessman Hiroyuki Nishimura (47), known as "Hiroyuki", updated his X (formerly Twitter), giving his personal opinion regarding Ni...

It is Sunday 1st September 2024. Now a tropical cyclone, ‘Shanshan’ has moved past Kansai on to Kanto (mostly). Might still be rainy on the 2nd September though.

Saturday 31st August 2024. Now a tropical cyclone and probably a depression by tomorrow, ‘Shanshan’ is hanging around between Shikoku and Kansai. It’s windy and rainy and it’s amazing how slow moving and ‘localized’ the storm is - it is much more rainy in Osaka than it is here in Kobe - & might still be around Kansai on Sunday!

It is now the evening of Friday 30th August here in Kobe. Typhoon 10 ‘Shanshan’, is now a tropical cyclone and should be further downgraded to a tropical depression by the morning of the 31st. It is still amazing to me that what remains of ‘Shanshan’ won’t even be that near to here in Kansai until 6AM on 31st August.

It is now the evening of Thursday 29th August 2024. Typhoon 10 ‘Shanshan’ is still ‘doing its thing’, has arrived in Kyushu and will take a long time to get to Shikoku and Kansai. It may not be deep into Kansai until 6PM on the 30th, if indeed, it goes there, it is not impossible it will go more eastwards nearer Tokyo. The bullet train between Shin-Osaka and Tokyo has already been suspended.

It is the evening of Wednesday 28th August. For a typhoon that’s essentially still almost two days away from my part of Japan - it might hit Kansai late 30th August - it is incredibly windy outside.