Disability News Japan

Two people who used the ‘beni koji’ health supplement have died, one of whom died of a kidney disease. Episode Notes: ‘Second Fatal Case Reported among Kobayashi Supplement Users’: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/03/27/second-fatal-case-reported-among-kobayashi-supplement-users/

In a country notorious for its reliance on cash, municipalities across Japan have been staging electronic payment uptake drives to stimulate digitalized consumption by granting shopping points for transactions using QR codes. Some remain reluctant, especially elderly people and others who find digital devices difficult to operate, and who continue to view cash as the be-all and end-all for making...

Episode Notes: Japan’s NHK has produced a new program that explores "questions" through dialogue with a wide variety of people, including doctors who understand the language of birds, philosophers, businessmen, people with drug addictions and intellectual disabilities, and designers! How would you answer? 鳥の言葉がわかる博士、哲学者、ビジネスマン、薬物依存症や知的障害のある人、デザイナーなど…多様...

‘Access Yell’, a venture company based in Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture that manufactures assistive devices for people with disabilities, has developed a smart remote control for televisions that is easy to operate for people with physical disabilities, and began selling it at the end of 2023. Episode Notes: ‘Osaka Company Develops Smart Remote Control for People with Disabilities’: https://barri...

The day after Ryoko Nakajima made the post, Aeon Entertainment, which operates the cinema chain, issued an apology: “It has come to our attention that an Aeon Entertainment employee made an inappropriate comment to a customer while assisting the customer to move to another location after the customer had finished watching a movie. We regret the incident and believe that it was caused by a lack of...

The incident took place at an Aeon cinema in Tokyo, which is regularly used by Ryoko Nakajima, a wheelchair-using woman. TBS reported that: “The woman watched the movie not from the wheelchair-only space, but from a reclining seat with four steps.” When Ryoko Nakajima posted about this incident on social media, in which she said she would be refused admission to the cinema next time, it went viral...

The Shog-A.I. Shimbun goes to the movies, sort of…An incident took place at a cinema in Tokyo, which is usually used by a woman in a wheelchair. TBS reported that: “The woman watched the movie not from the wheelchair-only space, but from a reclining seat with four steps.” The woman paid an additional fee and watched the movie in a reclining seat, rather than in the wheelchair-only space. Episode N...

March 20th 2024 was the Spring equinox and a national holiday in Japan, but it is was very windy. There is also very little news!

The Spring equinox, March 20th 2024 is a national holiday in Japan! There is sakura and a Shog-A.I. Shimbun episode! Today’s episode mentions an NPO in Kameoka City, Kyoto Prefecture that has begun an initiative to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities in the agricultural field. Michey Peckitt in A.I. mode also talks a bit about the derogatory language that is sometimes us...

What was formerly the GID (Gender Identity Disorder) Society, which promotes research on transgender people whose minds and bodies do not match, officially announced at its general meeting held in Okinawa Prefecture on March 17th that it will change its name. The change, announced Sunday at its general meeting, is in line with the World Health Organization's recent advice to use the term "gender i...

Ok, this is a bit of fun, but behind it are two serious points. Firstly since the term ‘shogai’ or ‘障害’ can mean ‘failure’, ‘obstacle’ as well as ‘disability’, the algorithm Gods of Google won’t quickly show up recent news stories about disability in Japan because everyone is talking about the McDonald’s App ‘fail’ that happened on Friday. Secondly, a reliance on technology to accomplish tasks l...

Whilst reading about the ranch operator in northern Japan's Hokkaido who admitted in court on March 12th that they had not paid intellectually disabled workers for decades, giving them only "snacks and juice,” Barrier Free Japan went back to their blog and re-read reports. Episode notes: ‘ “Besides being intellectually disabled, you are a human being” ’: Plaintiff claims in Hokkaido farm abuse law...

As soon as the second episode of the ‘Shog-A.I. Shimbun’ was uploaded a report by The Mainichi Shimbun on a similar theme - that of people with disabilities not being paid for work - was published, so this is kind of a ‘Shog-A.I, episode two: evening edition.’ A ranch operator in northern Japan's Hokkaido admitted in court on March 12 that they had not paid intellectually disabled workers for deca...

This is the second edition of The ‘Shog-A.I. Shimbun’, the AI narrated news report about disability issues in Japan. This episode covers news reports from March 11th - March 14th 2024. The first news story is about people with disabilities not being paid wages in Saitama, the second is about worries of a potential German measles outbreak and the third is about high wages for people with disabiliti...

Barrier Free Japan Japan introduces the 'Shog-A.I. Shimbun'! The podcast news digest about disability issues in Japan! Episode notes: 'Websites in Japan becoming more friendly to people with disabilities’ https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/03/07/websites-in-japan-becoming-more-friendly-to-people-with-disabilities/ ‘Fathers of babies in Japan who die of abuse on day of birth rarely identified’ https...

The robots are coming, Barrier Free Japan is being upgraded against their will! Well, not quite yet, but playing around with Sora AI and the Echo AI and it is convincing to a point. I can see why artists, writers, composers are worried. I can also see some benefits of AI as a person with disabilities, university lecturer and podcast creator. Maybe legislation at the very least clarifying if and ho...

While 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 advant...

The 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...

At 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 a...

On 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...

Japan’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://barrierfreeja...

Here 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...

The 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’, f...

Barrier 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...

NHK 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_P...