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by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 19, 2019 Number of comments0
Disability Employment Japan

Following Revision to Employment Promotion Act for Persons with Disabilities, some plans announced

“In response to the problem of the employment of disabled people by the central ministries and agencies, the revised Employment Promotion Act for Disabled Persons, including measures to prevent recurrence, passed unanimously at the General Assembly of the House of Councilors on June 7th. There were 15 incidental resolutions made by the upper house. Enforcement begins on April 1st, 2020 with some exceptions.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 7, 2019 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Paralympics Tokyo 2020

Does the shoe fit for a disabled person applying to be a volunteer at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games?

“I was curious as to how a disabled person like myself – my feet are of different sizes (my left is wider and a little shorter than my right) – might give the correct shoes size to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Organizers. There wasn’t, initially at least, a way to communicate the relevant information on the form provided.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 23, 2019 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Travel

Tokyo’s Narita Airport to test Self-driving Wheelchairs

“In a statement from Panasonic, Juichi Hirasawa, senior vice president of ANA, said, “ANA’s partnership with Panasonic will make Narita Airport more welcoming and accessible, both of which are crucial to maintaining the airport’s status as a hub for international travel in the years to come. The robotic wheelchairs are just the latest element in ANA’s multi-faceted approach to improving hospitality in the air and on the ground.” “

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 19, 2019 Number of comments0
Disability Employment Japan Padded Jobs

One year after Padded jobs scandal, Japan to make a second attempt to increase disability employment numbers

“Japan’s National Personnel Authority announced on the 18th May that it will carry out a national government employee’s employment examination for persons with disabilities in 2019. Applications will be accepted in June in response to the problem of the employment of disabled people in central ministries and agencies identified in 2018 when 754 people passed in the first examination for disabled people, and the ratio for the number of applicants was about 12 times smaller.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 17, 2019 Number of comments0
Disability Employment Japan

Japan’s Diet revised Employment Bill regarding disabled people passes the House of Representatives unanimously

“The bill revising the Employment Promotion Act for Persons with Disabilities, which includes measures to prevent the government from interpreting the criteria arbitrarily when hiring people with disabilities in response to the central government ministries’s problem of employment of disabled people The ball was voted on and unanimously passed to the House of Councilors.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 21, 2019 Number of comments0
Disability Eugenics Forced Sterilization Japan

Japanese Medical Science Federation to investigate involvement in forced sterilizations

“Many medical societies were involved in the promotion of forced sterilizations, but self-investigations into the practice have been limited to a small portion of the organizations. It is especially rare for the JMSF, the largest academic organization in the country in the medical field, to confront the past history of its member societies and medical scientists. The purpose of the investigation is to identify the factors that led to scientists and physicians at the time to promote forced sterilizations.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 12, 2019 Number of comments0
Disability Eugenics Forced Sterilization Japan

Japan’s Lower House OKs relief bill over forced sterilization

“Victims of a eugenics program are unsatisfied with a relief bill to compensate thousands of people forcibly sterilized under a 1948 law designed to “prevent births of inferior children.” A proposal to provide lump-sum payments of 3.2 million yen ($28,800) for each victim was approved by the Lower House Committee on Health, Labor and Welfare on April 10. [L]awyers cited three main problems with the bill: The state does not directly apologize in the bill; the lump-sum payment is too small; and victims’ spouses and relatives are not eligible to receive relief.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 8, 2019 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Paralympics Tokyo 2020

Tokyo 2020 Paralympics Marathon event classes announced

“The Tokyo 2020 Paralympics Marathon event will feature a total of five classes, including a class for men and women with visual impairments (T12), male amputees (T46), and men and women’s wheelchair users  (T54). Athletes with visual impairment will be allowed to be accompanied by a guide runner. The players must hold the elbows of the guide runners or hold on the ropes and run, as they must not be separated by more than 50 cm.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 6, 2019 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Paralympics Tokyo 2020

ALS patient pins hope on volunteering for 2020 Tokyo Games with help from ‘avatar robot’

“”I want to show to the world Japan’s innovativeness, which allows even those with serious disabilities to participate in society,” said 54-year-old Hajime Takano, a resident of the Kanagawa Prefecture city of Kawasaki, south of Tokyo. He hopes to become a volunteer in the service sector, such as directing visitors to their destinations. “