Abuse Found at Ehime Disability Facility; Manager Dismissed

By Barrier Free Japan

January 31 2026

Tōon City, Ehime Pref – The Ehime prefectural government said January 29th it has ordered a one-year suspension on the acceptance of new users at a designated disability welfare facility in Tōon City after confirming that the facility’s then-manager repeatedly abused a user. The sanction, imposed under the Act on Comprehensive Support for Persons with Disabilities, took effect January 28th and applies to the group home support facility “Disability Facility Tōon” in the Shitsukawa district. The manager has been dismissed.

According to the prefecture, inspections found that from November 2024 for about one year, the manager intermittently subjected one user to physical, sexual and psychological abuse. The case came to light after a user consulted a local municipality in November last year, prompting a prefectural investigation. The prefecture also found that multiple staff members witnessed the abuse but failed to report it, in violation of operational standards. The genders and ages of the victim and former manager have not been disclosed to protect privacy.