Disability News Japan

A 53-year-old company employee was sentenced to three years and six months in prison on Oct. 30 by the Saitama District Court for causing the death of her younger sister, who had a mental disorder and lived with her, through assault. In explaining the reasons for the ruling, Judge Koike described the circumstances leading up to the incident. The defendant began living with her younger sister aroun...

The strong Typhoon In-fa, also known as Typhoon No. 31, was located near the Ogasawara Islands on Monday morning and was moving west-northwest at 20 kph, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Its central pressure was 965 hectopascals with maximum instantaneous wind speeds of 185 kph as of 9:00 a.m. on Monday. Episode notes: 'Typhoon In-fa Located Near Japan’s Ogasawara Islands with Wind Sp...

Not much going on ‘disability in Japan-wise’. Typhoon 31 - ‘In-fa’ is getting close to Japan but will probably swerve away.

According to the report, former employees of ‘Megumi', a Japanese operator of group homes for people with disabilities have alleged that a facility director repeatedly assaulted and verbally abused residents in a space known as a “punishment room,” according to an investigative report published Monday that said that a Megumi day-care facility home in Kasugai, Aichi Prefecture had a space adjacent...

Japan won a record 64 gold medals at the Asian Para Games, which concluded Saturday after bringing together around 3,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions, although concerns were raised over accessibility for disabled volunteers. Episode notes: ‘Japan wins record 64 golds at Asian Para Games amid accessibility concerns’: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2026/10/26/japan-wins-record-64-golds-at-as...

What’s left of typhoon 30 ‘Champi’ passing through mainland Japan, not as bad as it could have been but 31 is a-coming!

‘Runa’ - a pseudonym, whom was 16 at the time that she died, intervened when a female service user with a severe intellectual disability attempted to bite another person during an event at a disability welfare facility in Hyogo Prefecture. A person who witnessed the incident later reported it to a local government authority as possible abuse. Speaking after the hearing, Runa's mother said she want...

Severe tropical storm Champi is bringing strong winds to parts of Okinawa Prefecture in southern Japan. Authorities are warning of high waves and storm surges. The large storm is estimated to be moving north-northeast over the waters around the Sakishima Islands at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour. Maximum sustained winds are blowing at 108 kilometers per hour, with peak gusts of 144 kilometers p...

Large Typhoon Champi is expected to come closest to the Sakishima Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan, between late Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, and may be accompanied by a band of heavy rain clouds. The prefecture already has extremely strong winds and rough seas. As of noon on Friday, the typhoon was about 160 kilometers south-southwest of Ishigaki Island in the Sakishima Isl...

There have been calls for the organizers of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games to improve accessibility for disabled volunteers, following criticism that insufficient consideration was given to those volunteering at the Asian Games. Over 100 disabled individuals have volunteered for either the Asian Games, which concluded on Oct. 4, or the Asian Para Games, according to the organizing committee. Sa...

Princess Kako on Sunday called for greater understanding of hearing loss at a national welfare convention in Kyoto, expressing hope for a society where everyone can communicate with confidence. At the ceremony, the second daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito, also known as Crown Prince Akishino, said, "I hope everyone can access a wide range of information, communicate their thoughts to one another w...

Michael Gillan Peckitt, whom now lives in Kobe, lived in Tokyo for about nine months and visited many times after. He has never seen Tokyo this empty.

Barrier Free Japan is going to Tokyo. Hopefully interesting podcasts will follow.

Japan's weather agency canceled a mistakenly issued warning of strong seismic shaking from an earthquake off northern Japan on Friday after overestimating the temblor's magnitude as a catastrophic 9.9, causing temporary train service disruptions in parts of the country. The Japan Meteorological Agency said it is investigating the cause of the erroneous projection. It issued the warning for a wide...

The 5th Asian Para Games will take place in Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya, Japan, from October 18 to October 24, 2026. This marks the first time Japan has hosted the event. Episode notes (Asian Para Games Website): https://www.asianparagames-2026.org/

The workers had been told by an employment support provider, which arranges workplaces for disabled people through a scheme known as the “disability employment business”, that they would be participating in an 18-month programme. Some were so shocked by the news that they became unable to continue working. Episode notes: ‘50 Workers with Disabilities in Japan Lose Jobs After Nine Months, Despite 1...

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government will hold the 25th Tokyo Skills Competition for Persons with Disabilities, known as the Tokyo Abilympics, on Feb. 20, 2027, and will accept applications from Oct. 19 to Nov. 13. Applications must be submitted through an online form to be published on the website of the organisation’s Tokyo branch. Applicants’ eligibility will be reviewed, and participants will be...

Typhoons Nolo and Koguma may impact Japan from this weekend into next week. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the Typhoon Nolo, otherwise known as Typhoon No. 28, was moving west-northwest at 35 kilometers per hour near Minamitori Island in the North Pacific, with its central atmospheric pressure of 985 hectopascals as of 9 a.m. on Thursday. It is forecast to maintain its west-northwes...

A total of 11.4% of disability pension applicants in Japan were denied benefits in fiscal 2025 because their disabilities did not meet eligibility criteria or because of incomplete documentation, according to Japan Pension Service statistics. Although the rate fell from a record 13.8% in fiscal 2024, concerns remain that applicants can struggle to obtain the medical records and other documentation...

It has been discovered through research that Omi Gakuen, a facility for children with intellectual disabilities in Shiga Prefecture founded by Kazuo Itoga, who was praised as the “father of disability welfare,” gave a 16-year-old girl with an intellectual disability the false explanation that “your bed-wetting will stop” when applying for her forced sterilization in 1952, during the period when th...

Typhoon No. 27, Choi-wan, a large and very strong system with a central pressure of 925 hectopascals and maximum sustained winds of 50 meters per second, was moving northward near the Ogasawara Islands and is forecast to move away from Japan. Typhoon No. 28, Nolo, also classified as very strong, had a central pressure of 950 hectopascals and maximum sustained winds of 50 m/s and was moving west-no...

The average number of influenza patients per monitored medical institution has exceeded 1.0 in all 47 Japanese prefectures, signaling a nationwide flu outbreak, a health ministry announcement showed Friday. The ministry said that the number of flu patients at some 3,000 regularly monitored institutions across the country came to 7.17 on average in the week through Sunday. While the figure was slig...

A large and powerful typhoon, now over the sea far south of Japan, is expected to move north while developing and come closest to the Pacific islands of Ogasawara early next week. People are advised to be on the alert for high waves from Sunday 4th October onward. The Japan Meteorological Agency says that as of 6 a.m. on Saturday, Typhoon Choi-wan was moving north-northeast near the Mariana Island...

The Supreme Court’s Third Petty Bench, presided over by Justice Kimihiro Ishikane, has ruled against a second retrial petition filed by former employee Satoshi Uematsu, 36, who was sentenced to death for the 2016 killings and wounding of 45 people at the Tsukui Yamayuri-en facility for people with intellectual disabilities in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture. The decision, dated Sept. 29, dismissed...

People with disabilities in Japan continue to face significant barriers in securing housing and accommodation, with multiple recent cases highlighting concerns over discrimination, limited legal enforcement, and a lack of understanding among property owners and service providers. A survey by the Fukuoka City-based group Association to Eliminate Discrimination against People with Disabilities in Fu...