Japanese Environment Minister Shintaro Ito on Wednesday apologized for ministry staff switching off the microphone for two speakers from groups of Minamata disease sufferers abruptly at a meeting earlier this month.
The president of National Hospital Organization Omuta National Hospital apologized on May 2 after confirming that male employees sexually abused patients who have severe mental and physical disabilities. The hospital has not taken any administrative action against the five employees who are suspected of abuse. The employees abused patients by stimulating their pubic areas while they were sleeping or being assisted in the bath, and touching female patients’ breasts.
Japan is forecast to have 5,866,000 elderly dementia patients in 2050, up over 1.4 million from 2022, an estimate showed said on Wednesday 8th May.
In line with the COVID-19 downgrade in May 2023, Japan stopped counting all COVID-19 cases nationwide and began receiving COVID-19 case reports from about 5,000 designated medical institutions.
According to the health ministry, the number of COVID-19 cases reported in the week through April 21 declined for the 11th consecutive week.
In response to an increase in the number of consultations with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s office on developmental disabilities, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s support center will begin offering on-site consultations in the Tama region this month. This month, there are 17 days for those under 18 and 31 days for those 18 and older, and up to three groups per day can be consulted if reservations are made by phone or e-mail by 3:00 p.m. on the day before the on-site consultation is scheduled.
In response to the issue of a group home in Esashi Town in southern Hokkaido where a mentally disabled resident was suggested to undergo sterilization procedures, the Hokkaido government plans to strengthen support measures for people with disabilities who wish to get married and raise children.
The president of National Hospital Organization Omuta National Hospital apologized on May 2 after confirming that male employees sexually abused patients who have severe mental and physical disabilities.
The hospital has not taken any administrative action against the five employees who are suspected of abuse.
The employees abused patients by stimulating their pubic areas while they were sleeping or being assisted in the bath, and touching female patients’ breasts.
“The work was far from professional agriculture, and most of the time was spent on breaks. If there was a harvest, I would do it, but there were days when I just watered the crop. In those cases, it only took about 30 minutes, and I had five or six hours of free time. Some people were on their cell phones or listening to music, and had a lot of free time. They told me that ‘coming to the farm is your job.’”
“The work was far from professional agriculture, and most of the time was spent on breaks. If there was a harvest, I would do it, but there were days when I just watered the crop. In those cases, it only took about 30 minutes, and I had five or six hours of free time. Some people were on their cell phones or listening to music, and had a lot of free time. They told me that ‘coming to the farm is your job.'”
A ceremony to mark the 68th anniversary of the official recognition of Minamata disease, a neurological disorder caused by polluted industrial wastewater, was held on Wednesday in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan. “Many people are still suffering from symptoms without relief,” Toshio Kawabata, 73, said in a speech. He became eligible for support provided under the special law for the Minamata disease relief program that was enacted in 2009.
Barrier Free Japan