Japanese company ‘Whill’ produces smartphone-controlled wheelchair [NHK World Japan Video in English]
“Japanese company ‘Whill’ produces smartphone-controlled wheelchair”
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Japan’s first civil service exam for disabled falls 3,000 short of target
“[To] achieve the hiring rate of the disabled for public institutions set by the country’s law at 2.5 percent of all officials, the government needs to secure 3,000 more.”
Gain forced sterilization victims’ understanding for damage relief bill [Yomiuri Editorial}
“Diet members from the ruling and opposition parties have jointly compiled a draft bill to provide relief to many with intellectual disabilities and others who underwent sterilization surgery under the now-defunct Eugenic Protection Law.”
Japan’s Government approves Bill requiring confirmation of a job applicant’s disability status
“The bill would obligate central government ministries, agencies and local municipalities to confirm a job applicant’s disabled status by verifying specific documents.”
Japan adopts Bill to prevent further ‘Padding’ of Disabled Employment
“The labor ministry will be granted review and advisory power to check whether such agencies are employing disabled people according to the rules.”
Japan’s Government’s departments face budget cuts for missing disabled hiring goals
“Under the plan, presented at a related meeting on Monday, such ministries and agencies will each see a cut of ¥600,000 per person a year from funds allotted to purchase consumables, beginning in fiscal 2021.”
Training to open a “welfare shelter” for disabled and elderly in disasters held in western Japan
“Training to open a “welfare shelter” that accepts victims who need assistance such as disabled people when a disaster occurs was held in Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture on the 17th March. Approximately 40 people, including nine visually impaired people and city and center staff, participated in the training conducted at the Shiga Prefectural Center for the Visually Impaired in Hikone City.”
Tokyo 2020 organizers unveil assist robots to aid wheelchair users
“The robots, created with Japanese technology, are expected to assist spectators in such ways as guiding people to their seats at stadiums, bringing food and drinks to those in wheelchairs, providing event information and helping carry things.”
Victims of forced sterilizations dissatisfied with relief proposal
“Lawyers indicated that the proposal will not end the litigation. One problem, they said, was that the apology in the bill does not clearly state who is apologizing… The compensation amount outlined in the legislation was also blasted as inadequate.”
Japanese Government to offer 3.2M Yen in compensation for forced sterilization surgery
“”I don’t think this bill can be said to squarely face up to the suffering (of the victims),” Koji Niisato, a co-leader of the group, said at a news conference, noting that the plaintiffs will continue with their lawsuits.”
Hyogo prefectural police instructed pay compensation over illegal DNA collection from intellectually disabled man
“A man,41, from Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, who has autism due to severe intellectual disability, who sought damages of ¥ 16.5 million from the prefecture, because his DNA was collected from prefectural police without consent. He was awarded 110,000 yen. The ruling was made at Kobe District Court on the 13th March. “
Hospital head approved surgeon’s proposal to stop dialysis for kidney disease patients
“The woman signed a letter of intent to discontinue dialysis. The woman subsequently suggested her will to resume dialysis saying, “I’m wondering whether to retract the letter,” but she died.
“We offered various options to her and she made her own decision. We confirmed her will on multiple occasions, so what we did is an appropriate medical practice…””
Prenatal diagnosis problems [Editorial from The Japan Times]
“…[C]oncerns have been raised about whether the quality of the counseling and other support provided to women taking the tests and their families can be secured if the tests are made available at a wider range of medical institutions, including small clinics, by easing the requirements for authorized facilities.
20 nonterminally ill patients died after Fussa hospital didn’t carry out dialysis treatment
“The revelations follow the disclosure of the death of a 44-year-old woman suffering from a kidney ailment after a doctor at the hospital offered the option of discontinuing dialysis and she complied.”
京都ダウン症児を育てる親の会(トライアングル
“京都ダウン症児を育てる親の会(トライアングル”
Bill eyed in April to widely redress forced sterilization victims
“The bill will offer an apology and a lump-sum payment of at least 3 million yen ($27,000) to each of the victims, even those without surgical records.”
Attention! There are only stairs at JR Shibuya (unless you take the South Ticket Gate)
By Barrier Free Japan March 7th 2019 Here are some images and videos from my recent visit to Tokyo.
Deregulation for prenatal genetic screening in Japan needs further scrutiny [Asahi Shimbun Editorial]
“This raises the grave concern that undergoing such screenings could become “a matter of course” and may well result in “overly casual” decisions concerning the fate of fetuses with irregularities.”
Japan’s private obstetricians and gynecologists to be allowed to conduct prenatal tests to detect possible chromosome abnormalities
“The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology’s (JSOG) executive board has decided to allow obstetrician-gynecologists who run their own private practices to conduct blood tests on pregnant women to detect possible chromosome abnormalities such as Down syndrome in their babies.”
Japan to compensate thousands for trauma of forced sterilisation policy
“Speaking at a protest meeting in December, Takaji Kobayashi claimed he was forcibly sterilised because of a hearing impairment. His wife, Kimiko, who also has a hearing disorder, was coerced into having an abortion and being sterilised…”
Interview with Hirotada Ototake [Video in Japanese with English subtitles]
“Asian Boss’s reporter Hiroko asks Hirotada Otatake about his childhood, and what sort of experiences he had growing up.”
Barrier-free tourism gaining traction in aging Japan
“Universal tourism, or tourism accessible to all people regardless of age, nationality, disability and other factors that may discourage leisurely travel, is starting to gain wider recognition in graying Japan.”
Kobe resident with cerebral palsy, Yumi Suzuki, files civil lawsuit over forced sterilization
“Yumi Suzuki, a woman with cerebral palsy, who is now 63 years old, filed a civil law suit at the Kobe District Court on Wednesday February 27th seeking compensation of 11 million yen for violations she experienced under the former Eugenic Protection Law, which was a law enforced in Japan from 1948 until 1996.
Bus driver refuses ride to passenger in wheelchair
“The driver told the company he regrets “making the wrong decision,” according to a Matsudo Shin-Keisei Bus official.”
Kids’ cafeteria serves up meals, smiles while helping mentally ill
“The group “Aoitori” (“Bluebird”) has been running a free meal service called “Kishiwada Kodomo Shokudo” every fourth Saturday of the month to help children and other people in need, supporting patients who are hospitalized for lengthy periods in psychiatric wards, and making radio appearances to address various concerns.”
Japan to ease language requirements for foreign nursing care trainees
“The Japanese government plans to ease language requirements for foreign technical interns to work in the nursing care business as part of efforts to bring in more laborers from abroad…”
’37 Seconds’ Film Trailer [Japanese with English subtitles]
“In 37 Seconds, 23-year-old comic book artist Yuma, physically disabled due to profound cerebral palsy and emotionally stunted by her well-meaning but overly protective mother, forges her own unusual path to sexual awakening and independence while at the same time discovering love and forgiveness.”
Japan OK’s iPS cell trial for treatment of spinal injuries
“The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry’s assessment committee on regenerative medicine approved Monday a clinical trial by Keio University’s team to transplant human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells into patients with spinal cord injuries.”
Swiftly create environment where disabled people can work stably [Yomiuri Shimbun Editorial]
“The important thing is to make preparations for accepting them. Should these new workers be hired on a massive scale and in a coercive manner, just to make up the numbers, it would be difficult for these individuals to settle into their new workplaces. It is a matter of course to aim at meeting the statutory hiring rate soon, but such endeavors should be advanced carefully, in keeping with workplace conditions.”
Japanese Designer Develops “Visually Readable” Braille
“A young Japanese designer has developed a set of letter designs to be printed on corresponding braille patterns of raised dots, in a bid to help those who do not use braille to understand the language for the visually impaired.
“I hope to bridge the worlds of the visually impaired and other people by using the same tool,” said Kosuke Takahashi, the 25-year-old designer from Tokyo.”
Disability group claims width mandated by Tokyo accessibility ordinance insufficient for wheelchairs
“In the group’s tests, which looked into whether wheelchair users could enter the bathroom without making contact with walls, most motorized wheelchairs failed while all the manual wheelchairs passed.”
Paralympic medalists check accessibility of 2020 Tokyo Games venue area
“”Just after exchanging greetings, however, basketball player Katsumi Miyake rushed back into the station. He returned sometime later and explained that the accessible washroom outside the gates was broken, so he had to use the one inside. There aren’t many bathrooms for wheelchair users so I can’t hesitate even if I have to go back in,” he said. Miyake’s remark hinted at a major challenge in improving the washroom situation at stations near venues.”
Takarazuka City Mayor introduces ‘barrier free’ language for municipal documents
“The regular meeting of the Takarazuka City Council of Hyogo Prefecture was held on 15th, Mayor Nakagawa Tomoko announced in the administration policy speech of the plenary, “To promote the barrier of the mind”, “Opinion” in the official documents created by the city from April To change the notation of “disability” It was said that there are no cases of using “disability” in municipal documents of the municipal nation in the whole country.”
NHK Produces Anime for Tokyo 2020 Paralympics
“NHK Produces Anime for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics”
Sex and disability make for tenderly humorous Japanese drama
“ ”Every culture has something they don’t want to talk about,” Hikari, who goes by one name only, told Reuters. “People with a disability and their sexuality is definitely not something that people would talk about in Japan.” ”
Disabled LDP heavyweight Tanigaki tells party convention ‘Paralympic athletes will inspire me’
“Former LDP secretary-general and president Sadakazu Tanigaki said: “As I’m now disabled, I feel each and every individual faces different challenges. I’d like to see how disabled athletes will overcome their challenges and fight in the games,” referring to next year’s Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. “Their efforts will inspire me.” ”
Osaka parents of car accident victim left with disability gets govt to boost support measures
“Yuji Kuwayama, 62, and his wife Akiko, 58, were driven by a sense of danger in “receding relief measures.” Although reluctant at first, the Ministry of Finance resumed returning investment profits that had been diverted from the transport ministry’s special account to the state’s general account, for the first time in 15 years.”
Yokohama group aims to make media available to the developmentally disabled
“Projects to rewrite newspaper articles, government documents and even manga normally too difficult for persons with mental disabilities to understand. “Slow Communication” based in Yokohama, southwest of Tokyo, which publishes easy-to-understand Japanese news articles on its website. All the sentences are short and the Chinese characters come with smaller kana, or syllabic characters, to assist with pronunciation.”
Toyota to update taxis for improved wheelchair access
“The company had received calls for a revamp of the model from wheelchair users and others, as the setup operation is complicated and some drivers refused to accept such passengers.”
Autonomous wheelchair trial starts in Tokyo
“The realization of a society in which physically disabled people can be transported on autonomous wheelchairs at such places as airports and shopping centers has moved a step closer with the start of trials in Tokyo by Yokohama-based venture company Whill Inc. together with Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and others.”
“Japan has problems with respect to sex and disabled people, and we have to talk more openly about it”
“Disabled people and sexuality are rarely discussed in Japan. The manager of ‘Heart Life’ speaks about providing disabled people in Japan with opportunity to have sex.”
“I want the country to apologize.” Couple with hearing impairments file a lawsuit in Osaka over forced sterilization
” ‘ I want the country to apologize’ A couple in their 70s who have hearing impairments in Osaka prefecture file a lawsuit on January 30th, alleging that they were forced to undergo infertility surgery under the former eugenics protection law, violating their right to pursue of happiness, guaranteed by Article 13 of the Constitution. They filed a lawsuit seeking damages totaling 22 million yen at the Osaka District Court..”
“Your first child has a disability. The second will not grow up properly either.” Japanese woman forced to abort second child and sterilized under eugenics law files lawsuit
“ ‘Your first child has a disability. (The second) will not grow up properly, either.’
A novel titled ‘Moon’ depicts a fictionalized version of the Sagamihara killings
“A novel by Hiroshi Henmi titled ‘Moon’ that depicts a fictionalized version of the Sagamihara killings was published on October 31st 2018.”
‘Workshops’ that employ disabled people in Japan to receive less funding [Video]
“Businesses that employ disabled people in Japan are called ‘Type B workshops’. A report by a disability group reports that 60% of 866 such ‘workshops’ say they received smaller government rewards this fiscal year.”
When it comes to ‘Priority seats’ I ask ‘Why Japanese people?’ 「優先席」に関しては、なぜ日本人はこのように行動するのですか？
“On my way home on a train in Kobe, I saw this: Someone lying down the priority seats, the seats meant for children, those who are pregnant, the elderly and the disabled. No one approached the person as they lay on the priority seats for as long as I was on the train..”
Two and a half years on NHK remembers Sagamihara [Video]
“Saturday 26th January 2019 will mark two and half years since the Sagamihara killings that occurred on July 26th 2016. NHK made a news report about it.”
Underground star in a wheelchair to bring positivity to movie role
“Tomoka Igari is a member of the underground pop idol group “Kamen-Joshi” (masked girls). In April last year, she suffered a spinal cord injury when a strong wind caused a sign to fall onto her on a street in Tokyo. Igari will play a character called Hinata, who also uses a wheelchair and who encourages the depressed Nao with her positive attitude while undergoing rehabilitation at the same hospital.”
Tokyo Government challenged over ‘barrier free’ bylaws not accommodating all wheelchair types
“Kazuhiko Motoki, a section chief in charge of the revisions at the Tokyo Office of the Governor for Policy Planning said” “We understand that the wider a space is, the easier it is (for wheelchair users) to use, but it was decided via intense negotiations,” “
2 major Japanese psychiatric groups to conduct internal surveys of involvement with eugenics law
“Two of Japan’s largest psychiatric societies will carry out investigations of their connection to the “unfortunate history” of forced sterilization surgeries on those with intellectual disabilities or mental illnesses carried out under the eugenic protection law.”
