“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.”
“The Japanese government plans to allow people with disabilities hired by government agencies to work part time before officially beginning their full-time duties, officials said.”
“When I interviewed people with disabilities, I was often told, ‘We’re not saints. I want you to portray [Shikano] as an ordinary man.’”
“Of the 38 prefectures in Japan in which prefectural government departments and boards of education inappropriately reported jobs information, 26 prefectures are planning to recruit at least about 1,200 people by the end of 2020 due to the lack of recruiting persons with disabilities.”
““I wanted to be a caregiver and help the elderly because I didn’t get the chance to look after my father (who died),”
“[A]ttention may have been attracted by the pathetic yet manly sight of a young non-commissioned officer in the white uniform of an army patient, handling the plane and operating the rudder bar with his artificial limb. The young soldier is Sgt. Maj. Mitsumasa Seo, who, though minus one leg, is awaiting the day when he may again resume his service with the Army Air Corps, reports the Asahi.”
“Brief extracts from when the Sagamihara killings suspect was interviewed at the Yokohama Detention Center on December 28th 2018”
“A draft of the bill to revise the Employment Promotion Act for Persons with Disabilities submitted to the ordinary Diet session next year by the government will be announced on Thursday 3rd 2019 January, to deal with the problem in increasing the employment of persons with disabilities such as central ministries.”
“The number of prenatal tests conducted in Japan to check for serious health issues with the fetus has jumped 2.4 times over a 10-year period from 2006 to 2016, according to an estimate by researchers at the National Center for Child Health and Development and other institutions.”
“Japan’s welfare ministry said Tuesday that the number of disabled employees stood below the standard required by law at 35 of the 43 state institutes as of June 1 this year.”
Plaintiffs are acting names of both Mr. Takaji Kobayashi (86) and Ms. Kimiko (86) in Akashi-shi, Aichi Prefecture, and Tatsuo Takao and Mrs. Namie in their 70s living in the prefecture. In September this year, two pairs have filed a lawsuit as the deaf blockers for the first time.
In the court of the day, Mr. Takaru appealed in sign language that “My dream of giving birth to a child was cut off, I regretted my teeth had been feeling frustrated.”
According to the complaint, Mr. and Mrs. Kobayashi were aborted and sterilized without explanation immediately after marriage for 60 years. Mr. and Mrs. Takao were infertile surgery without explanation just before marriage in 1968.
The plaintiffs allege that the Constitution guaranteed by the old law infringed the right to pursue happiness and reproductive rights (sexual and reproductive rights).
Over the old law, a total of 15 people have filed suit in six nationwide districts so far. Discrimination has already begun in Tokyo, Sendai, Osaka etc.
“n a summary released by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of persons with disabilities who were abused in families and workplaces, etc., was the highest it’s ever been, with 3,500 people abused nationwide last year.
A video from an report by NHK from the NHK G 9pm news broadcast on December 25th 2018
“In connection with the Tokyo Games, the government-backed “beyond2020” program, which aims to realize a society where diverse people can live together post-2020, encourages participants to propose cultural events that “eliminate barriers of people with disabilities.” ”
“When the guardian of a woman ordered to be sterilized sought nullification of the decision by the local eugenic protection council in July 1965, the panel turned down the complaint on the grounds that the guardian “did not have sufficient understanding of the law.” ”
“A campaign to promote the safe use of escalators has begun at Tokyo Station ahead of the year-end and New Year’s travel season.”
“The 75-year-old man, now using the name of Saburo Kita is the fifth defendant to reveal his face among 13 who are suing the government over the sterilization procedure under the old law, and is a joint representative of a victims’ organization. The third hearing of his damages trial is scheduled to take place at the Tokyo District Court on Dec. 20.”
From The Yomiuri Shimbun December 16th 2018 The government has released free of charge a trial app called “Personal navigation,”Continue Reading
“Amid growing public attention and heightened expectations for athletes with impairments ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, critics argue that not many people with a disability in Japan regularly exercise or play sports due to limited opportunities compared with those for people without a disability.”
“a social worker in Kyoto, says she has seen many cases of dementia patients withdrawing large sums without a clear grasp of what they are doing or why. In one example, she said, a woman in her 90s withdrew ¥20 million ($266,000) of her savings at a grandson’s urging. “She was saying she withdrew nine or ten. It took me a while to realize she was talking about a number of banknote rolls,” A roll is typically one hundred ¥10,000 notes. “It was clearly a case of abuse.”
“Under the revised Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law (see below) set to take effect in April next year, foreign workers in the nursing care business will be in supplementary roles such as helping the elderly with eating and bathing at relevant facilities, and basically will not provide home-visit care services.”
“The central government has taken the stance that it will fight the suit demanding 33 million yen in compensation, but did not make any mention of its position on the constitutionality of the now-defunct law. Facing the courtroom to give her testimony, the woman lamented, “Give me back a body that can bear children.” “
“As the top visually impaired marathon runners prepare for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, they are facing an unforeseen hurdle on the path to glory — a lack of qualified guide runners to help them navigate the course.”
“Oita is known for putting a premium on accommodating the disabled, being the birthplace of Yutaka Nakamura, the pioneering doctor who helped bring the Paralympics to Japan for the first time in 1964.”
“The envisioned bill will have a preamble which says, “We sincerely reflect on and deeply apologize for the great physical and mental suffering” inflicted.”
“In Japan, the idea of” right to move “is missing. It is not a problem only for people with disabilities. In rural areas, public transportation declines for business reasons and elderly people who can not drive a car are inconvenienced… “
“Disabled rights advocacy groups point out that electric wheelchairs are treated the same as pedestrians under the Road Traffic Act, and pedestrians are not prohibited from drinking alcohol. Therefore, they say, banning chair users from tasting at beer factories constitutes discrimination under the Act for Eliminating Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities. They want the ban removed from the NPA guidelines.”
“Only 35 percent showed willingness to hire people with mental or physical disabilities either “positively” or “to abide by the law,” the survey conducted by staffing firm En-japan inc. showed.”
“Through the exams, comprising first-round paper tests set for February and subsequent interviews by separate government bodies, a total of 676 people will be hired. The final passers will be posted on March 22.The authority said people can take the exams if two or more years have passed since their junior high school graduation and they have certificates for their disabilities. Applications will be accepted until Dec. 14.”
“The government is aiming for the nursing care sector to account for 50,000 to 60,000 of those jobs to help make up for a shortage of 340,000 caregivers expected by 2025. But that projection may look overly optimistic, especially in the face of competition from countries including Germany, Singapore and the United States, which also have a shortage of caregivers.”
“As many as 35 of Japan’s 47 prefectural governments exclude regular job applicants with mental or intellectual disabilities despite legal requirements protecting their being hired.”
“At the disabled facility “Tsukui Yamayuri Garden” in Sagamihara City, where 19 inhabitants were killed in July 2016, a bereaved family who lost their son (then 41) wrote a note which was printed in Kyodo News, saying “I would like to see you My thoughts are getting stronger. ” It is two years and four months since the occurrence on 26th. “We are paying more attention to people with disabilities”. ”
“三ノ宮では、障害者グループ「7.26神戸アクトン」が障害問題の認識を高めています。”
“A nursing home in southwestern Japan that has just one caregiver on duty at night to look after 33 residents denied any mismanagement of the facility Wednesday after six people died in just over a month.”
“Just when he was tasting a second serving of wine in a space where customers could try wine for about 1,000 yen per serving, an employee handed him a paper reading, “Customers using a wheelchair or an electric wheelchair are asked to refrain from tasting wine.” ”
“Following a surge in the number of fatal accidents involving electric wheelchairs getting stuck at rail crossings, the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE) has started an investigation.”
“The ‘ENEOS’ service station, recently started a campaign called ‘ENERGY for ALL’, a campaign that includes a song by The Japanese pop idol band ‘DREAMS COME TRUE’.
The advertising posters for ENEOS found in train stations feature disabled people, and specifically wheelchair users:”
“The nationwide study, carried out early last year at 3,446 hospitals and receiving valid responses from 937, found that among 23,539 patients with or suspected of having dementia, 10,480 or 45 percent were physically restrained during their stay.”
“After concluding successful careers in both dance and disability work, Price developed a dance-inspired program designed to encourage isolated people to relax and open up to physical contact through movement and praise.”
“The capital’s Shibuya Ward has announced a plan to install new public toilets friendly to all users including transgender people and people with disabilities, at its new or renovated buildings.”
“The call will go out for ministries and agencies to consider measures by the end of March to make it easier for disabled officials to use telecommuting programs, mainly by reviewing current rules, the sources said Monday.”
“The northernmost prefecture plans to have the facilities ready for prospective residents before the end of this year, they said. Hokkaido has devised the plan so that these people displaced by the quake can stay together and maintain their communities. It is hoped that the arrangement can prevent their health from worsening due to sudden changes in their living conditions caused by the quake disaster. The project is the first of its kind in Japan, according to experts.”
“Tomoka Igari, member of a popular indie idol group who was crushed by a falling billboard in April, leaving her in a wheelchair, has found a connection with para-sports while maintaining her career as an entertainer.”
“A visit to Tokyo for work-related reasons in August 2018 left me with some free time, and I decided to visit the ‘Tokyo 2020 Store’ at BIC Camera store in Shinjuku. I am really not a naysayer about Tokyo 2020 and wanted my piece of it.”
“”It is my wish to have an environment that allows people with disabilities like me to work”
“Two months after an earthquake in Hokkaido, many visually impaired people continue to suffer. Even those who have not been destroyed at home, they can not clean up the interior where household goods have scattered.”
“Refusing to hire an applicant because of their use of a wheelchair or an artificial respirator is prohibited for private employers as “undue, discriminatory treatment” under the revised Act on Employment Promotion etc. of Persons with Disabilities implemented in April 2016.”
“ “”I am sorry as a head of an administration for a problem that had been neglected for nearly 20 years,”Abe said”
“The working team does not plan to notify each victim individually. The team cited reasons including, “Some people do not want others to know they underwent this surgery.” Instead, the relief program will be publicized and the people will be urged to apply for redress.”
“Japan’s Disability Shame: Soon after the end of the Second World War, the Japanese government began a program of forced sterilisation of its disabled population in an attempt to manage the country’s repopulation efforts. From there, a longstanding and pernicious stigma endured to the present day, where the disabled are openly shunned in society, and treated as a shameful taboo.”
“More than 40 percent of Japan’s major publishing companies do not provide the electronic data for their books and magazines, which would make it easier to convert into Braille or audio for readers with visual impairments, a Mainichi Shimbun survey has found.”
