Employees at Chiba facility for the mentally disabled put a photo of patient defecating on LINE, doctoring photo to make fun of the patient’s face

From The Yomiuri Shimbun

November 28 2023

CHIBA – At a daily-life care facility for people with severe intellectual disabilities in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture, a staff member was found to have posted a photo of a user defecating on a LINE group used for business communication. The pictures of users’ faces had been doctored in a manner that could be interpreted as teasing. The city’s Disability Welfare Division is investigating the possibility of abuse. The social welfare corporation that operates the facility is also conducting an internal investigation. The social welfare corporation that operates the facility also conducted an internal investigation, and has indicated that it will take measures to prevent recurrence of such abuse, claiming that it constitutes “psychological abuse and sexual abuse.”

The person who posted the inappropriate photo was an employee of Yutaka Fukushien, which is run by Sazanka-kai, a social welfare corporation in Funabashi City. This was revealed through interviews with multiple people involved, including a female colleague in her 40s.

According to officials, Yutaka Fukushien is a day-time facility for people with severe intellectual disabilities over the age of 18, and is currently used by about 70 people. Approximately 35 people work there. There are five groups, each consisting of a leader, a chief, and three or four staff members, who take care of all aspects of daily life, such as feeding, helping with toileting, and taking walks.

According to testimony and other sources, around summer last year, the then-chief of one group posted a total of seven photos on a business communication line group. The photos included one showing a male user sitting on a toilet with his pants and underwear pulled down, and another photo with the user’s face altered to look like a red mask with droopy eyes.

One colleague said indignantly, “As soon as I saw the photo, I thought it was bad because it was making fun of the user.We should respect the privacy of the users, but the photo of excrement is especially bad.” This line group was originally used for business communications such as staff absences. However, as more of the chief’s personal information was published, it became less commonly used.

The city’s Disability Welfare Division began investigating the photo in September of this year. “Information has been provided to us and we are confirming the facts. If there are any problems, we will provide guidance.”

In early October, a document was posted inside the facility stating that “a lack of respect for individuality and human rights must be recognized as abuse,” as photos that violated the privacy of users were being viewed. The name of the document is said to be Sazanka-kai Chairman Takaharu Miyashiro.