Michael Gillan Peckitt

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 20, 2025 0

Japan’s LDP, Nippon Ishin Agree to Form Coalition Government

The pact, inked by LDP President Sanae Takaichi and Nippon Ishin chief Hirofumi Yoshimura at a meeting in the Diet, or the country’s parliament, on Monday night, features a plan to reduce the number of seats in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, by 10 pct during an extraordinary Diet session that begins Tuesday. Nippon Ishin will not hold a ministerial post and will instead support the LDP from outside the cabinet.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 20, 2025 1

Autism Crime Japan

Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty for Autistic Defendant over Fatal Crossbow Attack in Japan

Japanese public prosecutors on Wednesday sought the death penalty for Hideaki Nozu, who has been charged with killing three members of his family with a crossbow at his home in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, in June 2020.The prosecution said that Nozu’s autism spectrum disorder did not significantly affect his motivation and that his acts were planned. The defendant maintained the capacity to control his actions and was fully competent, as he hesitated to carry out his plan, it said.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 20, 2025 0

Health Japan Podcast

Unicharm to Test Sanitary Pad Dispensers in Tokyo’s Shibuya [Podcast Episode]

Unicharm Corp. announced on Wednesday 15th October it will begin a trial installation of free sanitary pad dispensers at 22 public facilities in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward, in partnership with the local government. Running until Dec. 26, the initiative aims to support individuals who cannot afford menstrual products. While Unicharm provides the dispensers, Shibuya Ward will supply the sanitary napkins. The company, which has already introduced the dispensers in schools and businesses, expressed hopes of expanding the program through further cooperation with local governments.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 19, 2025 1

Health Japan

Unicharm to Test Sanitary Pad Dispensers in Tokyo’s Shibuya

Unicharm Corp. announced on Wednesday 15th October it will begin a trial installation of free sanitary pad dispensers at 22 public facilities in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward, in partnership with the local government. Running until Dec. 26, the initiative aims to support individuals who cannot afford menstrual products. While Unicharm provides the dispensers, Shibuya Ward will supply the sanitary napkins. The company, which has already introduced the dispensers in schools and businesses, expressed hopes of expanding the program through further cooperation with local governments.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 18, 2025 0

Barrier Free Disability Japan

Former Japanese PM Tomiichi Murayama, Who Advocated for a “Society for All Abilities”, Dies at 101

Former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, who led Japan from 1994 to 1996 and was known for his wartime apology and advocacy of an inclusive welfare society, died of old age Friday at a hospital in Oita Prefecture at 101, according to local reports. As the first socialist leader in nearly 50 years, Murayama urged in his 1994 Diet address the creation of “a society in which everyone, including the enfeebled and the disabled, can participate as an independent individual.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 18, 2025 0

Employment Health Japan

Fatigue causing increase in ‘workplace accidents due to falls’ incidents in Japan

Fatigue is emerging as a key factor behind the rise in workplace accidents caused by falls, according to Hideki Katano, author of Rest Science and Fatigue Science, and head of the Japan Recovery Association. In an interview reported by Toyo Keizai on Friday, October 17, Katano warned that widespread fatigue is not only a health concern but also a growing safety risk. The association’s latest 2025 survey found that 82% of working-age Japanese feel tired—an all-time high—translating to over 71 million people, up 300,000 from the previous year. With fatigue-related economic losses estimated at 15 trillion yen annually and the number of “frequently tired” individuals continuing to climb, Katano emphasizes the urgent need for nationwide fatigue management and prevention efforts.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 17, 2025 0

Japan Politics

Former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama dies at 101

Tomiichi Murayama, Japan’s prime minister from 1994 to 1996 and the first socialist to lead the country in nearly half a century, died of old age Friday at a hospital in southwestern Japan, his party’s local chapter said. He was 101. Murayama is best remembered for issuing the landmark 1995 statement apologizing for Japan’s wartime aggression and colonial rule, a declaration upheld by successive governments. Leading an unlikely coalition of his Social Democratic Party with the conservative Liberal Democratic Party, he faced major crises including the Great Hanshin Earthquake and the Tokyo subway sarin gas attack. His government also launched redress efforts for atomic bomb survivors and “comfort women” and sought solutions for Minamata disease victims. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba praised Murayama for confronting numerous challenges, while SDP leader Mizuho Fukushima mourned him as her “political father.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 17, 2025 0

Abuse Care Crime Disability Japan Podcast

A Tale of Two Care Home Crimes in Japan [Podcast Episode]

In two separate incidents in Japan, vulnerable residents of care facilities tragically lost their lives under disturbing circumstances. In Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, a 38-year-old woman with disabilities died in December 2022 after suffering severe burns from overly hot bathwater during staff-assisted bathing. Three employees of the Hitakami-en facility have been referred to prosecutors for professional negligence resulting in death, as the water temperature was found to be dangerously high. Meanwhile, in Tsurugashima, Saitama Prefecture, two elderly women were found dead on October 15, hours after being discovered bleeding and unconscious in their care facility.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 16, 2025 1

Care Crime Disability Japan

Three Care Workers Referred to Prosecutors Over Fatal Burn Incident at Miyagi Care Facility

In December 2022, a 38-year-old female resident of a support facility for people with disabilities in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, died after suffering severe burns during a bath assisted by staff. On October 15, police referred three employees of the “Hitakami-en” facility—a male supervisor and two female caregivers—to prosecutors on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death. According to the facility’s accident report, although the surface temperature of the bathwater was measured at 40°C, it had not been stirred, and the actual temperature is believed to have been around 50°C. The woman was in the bath for five minutes before being transported to a hospital, where she died three days later.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 15, 2025 1

Crime Disability Elderly Japan

(Update) 2 Women Found Bleeding at Saitama Elderly Care Facility Die, Former Employee Arrested

Two female residents of an elderly care facility in Tsurugashima in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, were confirmed dead Wednesday morning, hours after they were found bleeding and unconscious there. At around 4:55 a.m., an emergency call from the facility reported the two women lying injured. They were taken to a hospital, where they were pronounced dead. Investigating the case as a possible murder, the Saitama prefectural police department apprehended a former facility employee in his 20s on Wednesday morning.