Former employees allege abuse in ‘punishment room’ at Aichi ‘Megumi’ disability care facility

By Barrier Free Japsn

October 26 2026

AICHI – Former employees of Megumi, a Japanese operator of group homes for people with disabilities, have alleged that a facility director repeatedly assaulted and verbally abused residents in a space known as a “punishment room,” according to an investigative report published Monday.

According to the report, former employees said that a Megumi day-care facility home in Kasugai, Aichi Prefecture had a space adjacent to the facility referred to as an “otoshioki-beya,” or “punishment room”, where a female facility director frequently assaulted and verbally abused service users.

The allegations were reported by Shueisha Online, on October 26, in an investigation by journalist Toru Ichikawa into the operator’s treatment of residents and its management of disability welfare services.

The allegations form part of a broader investigation into Megumi, which operated group homes in several Japanese prefectures. The company received an administrative order revoking its designation as a disability welfare service provider in 2024, according to the report. The allegations concerning the punishment room were based on accounts from former employees cited by Shueisha Online.