Okazaki City Sanctions Disability Facility Over Abuse; Facility Ran by Successor Company to “Megumi”

From The Asahi Shimbun

July 24 2026

Okazaki city, Aichi Pref – The city of Okazaki in Aichi Prefecture announced on the 23rd that it has issued an administrative penalty under the Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities Act to “Group Home Innovel Ida” (located in Ida-cho, Okazaki City) following acts of abuse against residents. The home will be prohibited from accepting new residents, and its service payments from the city will be reduced by 30%. The penalty will run for three months starting August 1.

The facility is operated by Innovel Healthcare (Midori Ward, Nagoya City), which took over the operations in March 2025 from “Megumi” – a major group home operator whose license was revoked in 2024 due to issues such as overcharging for food expenses.

According to the city, staff members engaged in physical violence against residents, including kicking them, and made threatening statements such as “Do it properly.” The city determined these actions constituted physical and psychological abuse.

Earlier this year, two staff members at the facility were arrested and indicted on suspicion of assaulting a male resident (aged 17 at the time).

When contacted for comment, Innovel Healthcare stated, “The person in charge is currently out, so we cannot answer.”