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by Michael Gillan Peckitt November 28, 2021 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Japan Travel

‘Keep-the-way-open’ rule on escalators at train stations in Japan remains a barrier to people with disabilities

Escalators at train stations in Japan suggest that on one side it is acceptable to stand and that it is acceptable to move on the other side. In Tokyo you stand on the left, leaving the right side free for people move, whilst in Osaka, the etiquette is reversed, you stand on the right side, leaving the left side for people to walk quickly. However, such an arrangement makes it difficult for people with disabilities to use escalators, especially at train stations where people are often in a rush.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt November 22, 2021 Number of comments0
Care Japan

Kanagawa prefecture offers settlement after care home resident at facility for people with disabilities chokes on bread

On November 22nd, Kanagawa Prefecture made a statement about an accident in which a man got bread lodged in his throat and fell unconscious in October last year at the prefectural facility for the people with intellectual disabilities “Nakai Yamayurien” or “Nakai Town”. The prefecture announced it would pay about 26 million Yen to settle the matter. The man, who was a resident at the facility, is still in the hospital as he is still unconscious.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt November 20, 2021 Number of comments0
Crime Japan

One arrested after house in Chiba burns down killing two residents with disabilities

A house fire that broke out in Sangawa, Asahi City, Chiba Prefecture on the morning of the 17th, killing two male residents, has led to an arson and murder investigation. On the night of the 18th, the Chiba prefectural police arrested a 65-year-old unemployed person who lives in this house on suspicion of arson and murder. The deceased, a man aged 32 and his father, aged 67 had severe physical disabilities, and it is possible that the attack was motivated by fatigue from long-term care and pessimism about the future.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt November 1, 2021 Number of comments0
Care Coronavirus COVID-19 Japan

Dogs, Cats Healing COVID-19 Loneliness in Japan

Animal therapy, designed to heal people through contacts with animals, is spreading in Japan amid the COVID-19 crisis.

A university in Tokyo has hosted a session to introduce therapy dogs to students and alleviate their loneliness attributed to the prolonged novel coronavirus crisis, while facilities for disabled people are developing environments that allow residents to live with animals.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 31, 2021 Number of comments0
Blind Coronavirus COVID-19 Disability Japan

Visually impaired people in Japan with coronavirus did not get enough support during the fifth wave, group for the blind says

According to the Japan Association of Visually Impaired Persons, the new coronavirus has been effecting the visually impaired one after another since last year, and multiple infections were confirmed in the fifth wave of this summer when the infection spread rapidly.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 26, 2021 Number of comments0
Coronavirus COVID-19 Japan

COVID-19 Vaccination Rate Tops 70 Percent in Japan

As of Tuesday, 70.1 pct of Japan’s population has received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, while 76.7 pct has been given at least one dose.

The total number of vaccine shots given in the country came to some 185.97 million. The number of people who has received two shots stood at about 88.79 million. The proportion of such people reached 90.4 pct for those aged 65 or older.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 22, 2021 Number of comments0
Children Health Japan

Anorexia Cases Up 60 percent among Youth in Japan amid Pandemic

New anorexia cases among people younger than 20 in Japan grew 60 pct from the previous year in fiscal 2020 amid the novel coronavirus crisis, a survey by the National Center for Child Health and Development showed Thursday.

“Stress and anxiety stemming from school closures due to the pandemic and other reasons might have affected them,” the center said.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 19, 2021 Number of comments0
Care Disability Japan Sagamihara

Saitama Police train for Sagamihara-like knife attack

On October 15th, a training for suspicious persons was held at Tamonji, Kazo City, Saitama Prefecture, at the “Group Home Tsukushimbo”, a communal living support facility for persons with disabilities, with the cooperation of the Kazo Police Station. They learned from the how to respond when a suspicious person invades and how to have a sense of crisis.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 13, 2021 Number of comments0
Disability Independent Living Japan

Japan’s Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry to ‘relax’ staff standards to increase number of independent living services

On October 1, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced at the Social Security Council’s Disability Subcommittee (chaired by Kaoru Kikuchi, Professor of Waseda University) that it would relax the staffing standards for “independent living support” for disability welfare services. It is necessary to assign a service manager to receive the designation of the business establishment of this service, but it is judged that this would be a barrier and entry will not proceed. By relaxing this standard, the number of business establishments and users would be increased.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 7, 2021 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Sexual abuse

Osaka man receives three years prison sentence, suspended for five years for indecent assault against woman with intellectual disabilities

It took more than four hours for the woman to verbally testify about the damage she suffered, which was a decisive factor in the indictment of Kanta Ogura, 40, a former company employee in Sakai City, Osaka, for indecent assault.

Ogura was sentenced to three years in prison suspended for five years with probation, as he had demonstrated an attitude of remorse.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 6, 2021 Number of comments0
Care Disability Japan Sagamihara

Kanagawa Governor Kuroiwa inspects facilities for persons with intellectual disabilities

Nakai Yamayurien, a prefectural facility for the mentally disabled located in Nakai Town, was found to have locked two residents in their rooms for more than 8 hours on multiple occasions in February of this year, which was recognized as abuse as it was more physical restraint than necessary. It was also found that there was a case where a child was confined to a private room for more than 20 hours, although it was not recognized as abuse.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 30, 2021 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Paralympics

China requests support from Japan for Beijing 2022 Games, International Paralympic Committee welcomes decision to restrict spectators to residents of China

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) welcomed the decision to allow for the sale of tickets to spectators residing in China’s mainland and will be sold exclusively to spectators residing in China’s mainland, who meet the requirements of the COVID-19 countermeasures, namely that “all athletes and Games participants who are fully vaccinated will enter the closed-loop management system upon arrival. Games participants who are not fully vaccinated will have to serve a 21-day quarantine upon arrival in Beijing.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 25, 2021 1
Barrier Free Japan Travel Unmanned Stations

Drivers and conductors to assist wheelchair users at Japan’s ‘unmanned stations’, draft report suggests

On the 24th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism compiled a draft barrier-free measure to enable people with disabilities to get on and off smoothly at unmanned stations. If it is not possible to assign a staff member to assist wheelchair users in advance, the main suggestion is for drivers and conductors to get off the train and assist. Specific guidelines are to be established within the year.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 24, 2021 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Disability Japan

After the Paralympics, is Japan aiming to be ‘Barrier Free’ or simply ‘Contact Free’?

Japan just finished hosting the Paralympic Games, making a big show of it, and some say quite successfully given the conditions that a pandemic allows, of at least attempting to demonstrate that Japan could be a ‘barrier free society.’

However, it was reported by Jiji Press recently that the Japanese convenience store chain ‘Family Mart’ plans to open approximately 1,000 outlets with unmanned checkout counters by the end of the 2024 fiscal year.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 19, 2021 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Welfare

(Updated) Central Japan man, Kikuo Fujita, retroactively awarded $140k in disability pension in high court appeal

“Kikuo Fujita (78) of Hodatsushimizu Town, Ishikawa Prefecture, who has a physical disability, said that it was illegal to refuse to apply for a disability pension because he did not have a medical certificate. The appeal decision was made at the Kanazawa branch of the Nagoya High Court on the 15th. Judge Shunji Hasui decided that the government’s response was “illegal.”