Author: Michael Gillan Peckitt

UK & CP born, living in Japan, blogging about disability
Cults Japan Podcast

Warning about cult groups solicitation activities on university campuses in Japan [Podcast Episode]

These groups cleverly approach university students, both on and off campus, using topics that interest them (social contribution, job hunting, international exchange, etc.), and subtly manipulate them through mind control, drawing them into their activities. Students may be forced to purchase expensive goods, separated from their families and friends, and have their student lives ruined.

Disability Discrimination Housing Human Rights Japan

Tokyo couple denied housing after disabilities revealed

A couple in Tokyo were all set to move into a new home when a real estate agent abruptly relayed a message from the apartment management company. “We regret to inform you that we cannot proceed with the contract.”They repeatedly tried to get an explanation from the company but could not gain access.
The couple then realized the company’s decision to reject their application came soon after the property owner learned about their mental disabilities.

Assassination of Shinzo Abe Crime Japan

Japan Lawmaker Sato Testifies at Abe Shooter Trial

Japanese lawmaker Kei Sato, who was at the scene of the shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the western Japan city of Nara in 2022, appeared in the trial of the suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, as a witness Wednesday, expressing his resentment and grief over the fatal attack. “At that time, I was there with mixed feelings of anger and sadness, while crying,” Sato, 46, a member of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, said during the second hearing of the trial at Nara District Court.

Assassination of Shinzo Abe Crime Disability Japan Mental Health

(Update) Abe Shooter Yamagami Pleads Guilty to Murder

Tetsuya Yamagami, who is charged with murdering former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the western Japan city of Nara about three years ago, pleaded guilty at the first hearing of his trial at Nara District Court on Tuesday. The 45-year-old defendant said that the charges against him were “all true.” Meanwhile, the defense contested the charge of firing a weapon in violation of the firearms and swords control law, arguing that the homemade gun he used in the attack was not covered by the law.

Barrier Free Gaming Japan Podcast Technology

Japanese Gaming Industry Moves to Improve Accessibility [Podcast Episode]

The Japanese gaming industry is working to improve video game accessibility by developing equipment and systems that allow people with disabilities affecting their hands to play by using other parts of their body, such as their cheeks, feet and eyes. There were people playing games without using their hands at an area dedicated to accessibility at the Tokyo Game Show in the city of Chiba in September. Such an area was set up at the show for the first time.

Abuse Elderly Japan Nursing Care

Amid abuse claims, 120,000 are forcibly institutionalized in Japan

Around 6:30 a.m. on Dec. 12, 2018, Minoru Eguchi and his wife Tomiko were busy preparing breakfast for residents of the nursing facility they were running in the city of Toyama in central Japan when four men suddenly entered. They placed Minoru in a wrestling hold and began dragging him outside. He screamed for his wife to call police. The men forced Minoru, who was in his late 70s, into a private ambulance and drove off. To his horror, Minoru was being forcibly institutionalized, a procedure applied to tens of thousands of Japanese in a complex system that critics say is rife with abuse and lacking independent oversight.

Assassination of Shinzo Abe Crime Japan Mental Health

Shinzo Abe’s Shooter Expected to Plead Guilty in Court on Tuesday

Tetsuya Yamagami is expected to plead guilty to murdering former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the first hearing of his trial at Nara District Court on Tuesday, more than three years after the fatal shooting in the western city of Nara in July 2022. The defense plans to claim that the damage Yamagami suffered from the controversial Unification Church religious group was behind the crime. On the other hand, the prosecution is expected to argue that the influence of the group on the incident should not be exaggerated and that the viciousness of the crime itself should be emphasized.

Barrier Free Disability E-Sports Gaming Japan

Japanese Gaming Industry Moves to Improve Accessibility

The Japanese gaming industry is working to improve video game accessibility by developing equipment and systems that allow people with disabilities affecting their hands to play by using other parts of their body, such as their cheeks, feet and eyes. There were people playing games without using their hands at an area dedicated to accessibility at the Tokyo Game Show in the city of Chiba in September. Such an area was set up at the show for the first time.

Children Disability Japan Mental Health Podcast

Japan student suicides hit record high in 2024 despite overall decline [Podcast Episode]

Japan’s overall suicides fell to 20,320 in 2024, the second-lowest figure on record, but the number of schoolchildren who took their own lives rose to a record 529, government data showed. Suicides among junior high school students reached their highest level since statistics began in 1980, with school-related problems cited as the leading cause. The 2025 White Paper on Suicide Prevention noted that overdoses, including those involving over-the-counter drugs, were a major factor among young people, prompting plans to tighten restrictions on drug sales to minors. Despite the nationwide decline, experts warn the record student suicides reflect deepening mental health and social issues among Japan’s youth.

Disability Imperial Family Japan Sports

Japan Crown Prince, Crown Princess Attend Disabled Sports Festival

Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko attended the opening ceremony of this year’s national sports festival for people with disabilities, held in the city of Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, western Japan. In an address, the Crown Prince encouraged athletes who gathered from all over Japan, volunteers and local residents to deepen exchanges, create a lot of memories and develop good relations.