Author: Michael Gillan Peckitt

UK & CP born, living in Japan, blogging about disability
by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 29, 2025 Number of comments0
Birth Rate Japan

Births Hit New Record Low for Jan.-June in Japan

The number of babies born in January-June fell 3.1 pct from a year earlier to 339,280 in Japan, hitting a new record low for the first half, the health ministry said Friday.  According to data released in June, the number of Japanese babies born in Japan in 2024 fell below 700,000 for the first time on record, standing at 686,061. The number for the whole of 2025 may rewrite the record low if births in the second half decrease at the same pace as the first half.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 29, 2025 Number of comments0
Crime Japan

Japan Still Grappling with Problem of Groping

Voices have been raised in Japan demanding countermeasures for molestation, which shows no sign of disappearing. 
   In June, Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department arrested a man in his 30s on the spot on suspicion of groping a female high school student on a Tokyo Metro train running in the capital’s Koto Ward. The man had groped the student two or three times a week for some 10 months since August 2024. The number of molestation cases detected by the MPD reached 606 between January and June. Trains accounted for 70 pct of the crime scenes, while 30 pct of the victims were 10 to 19 years old.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 29, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Group Homes (GH) Japan Podcast Welfare

Only 10% of Municipalities Implement Caps on Disability Welfare Services, Japan’s Health Ministry Reports [Podcast Episode]

A Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry survey has found that only about 10% of local governments have implemented caps on disability welfare services to prevent oversupply, despite rising demand. Around 40% said they were considering adopting the measure, while 30% opposed it, citing the need to respond flexibly when demand exceeds projections. The cap currently applies to residential facilities, day activity services, and two types of employment support, but whether to add group homes, whose numbers have surged in recent years has become a key issue.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 28, 2025 1
Disability Group Homes (GH) Japan Welfare

Only 10% of Municipalities Implement Caps on Disability Welfare Services, Japan’s Health Ministry Reports

A Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry survey has found that only about 10% of local governments have implemented caps on disability welfare services to prevent oversupply, despite rising demand. Around 40% said they were considering adopting the measure, while 30% opposed it, citing the need to respond flexibly when demand exceeds projections. The cap currently applies to residential facilities, day activity services, and two types of employment support, but whether to add group homes, whose numbers have surged in recent years has become a key issue.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 28, 2025 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Disability Japan

Toto launches service to find available public toilets via smartphone

To find an available toilet, users scan a QR code at the entrance to the facility and other locations to access a website showing restroom locations and their congestion levels — “crowded,” “slightly crowded,” or “vacant.” The service features floor maps and information on whether a restroom has high chairs or is wheelchair accessible.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 27, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Health Japan Politics

Japan Health Ministry to Seek Record 34.7 T. Yen in FY 2026 Budget

Japan’s Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry announced Tuesday it will seek a record 34.79 trillion yen in the government’s fiscal 2026 general-account budget, a 1.4% increase from the previous year, largely driven by rising social welfare costs amid the nation’s aging population. The figure may climb further as allocations for key policies, including pay raises for medical and nursing care workers, have yet to be set. The draft budget includes 16.2 billion yen for digital transformation initiatives such as expanding e-prescriptions, and 80.6 billion yen to bolster medical services ahead of 2040, when the country’s demographic aging is expected to peak, with emphasis on addressing regional and specialty doctor shortages.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 27, 2025 Number of comments0
Abuse Care Disability Japan Podcast

Former Director Accused of Abuse at Kochi Disability Employment Support Facility [Podcast Episode]

It has come to light through interviews with the organization operating a disability employment support facility in Aki City that the former executive director was certified by a regional union as having committed abuse, such as kicking a chair used by a facility user. The organization in question is Kochi Kizuna Farm, a general incorporated association that operates employment support facilities for people with disabilities in Aki City and Ino Town. According to the organization, the regional union conducted interviews with staff and others after receiving information that abuse was taking place at the facility in Aki City. The investigation confirmed that the former executive director, a man in his 50s, had kicked a user’s chair and that a life support worker at the facility had also kicked a user. In addition, the facility was recognized for its role in preventing recidivism by accepting individuals with criminal records and was awarded a commendation by the Prime Minister last year.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 26, 2025 Number of comments0
Elderly Mobility Travel Wheelchair

Daihatsu Launches New Electric Wheelchair for Elderly People

Daihatsu Motor Co. put a new electric wheelchair for the elderly on sale on Monday.

The e-Sneaker has already been used on a trial basis at the ongoing World Exposition in the western Japan city of Osaka. The wheelchair runs at a maximum speed of 6 kilometers per hour and travels 12 kilometers on a single charge. No driver’s license is required to operate the vehicle.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 26, 2025 1
Abuse Care Disability Japan

Former Executive Director Accused of Abusing Users at a Disability Employment Support Facility in Aki City

It has come to light through interviews with the organization operating a disability employment support facility in Aki City that the former executive director was certified by a regional union as having committed abuse, such as kicking a chair used by a facility user. The organization in question is Kochi Kizuna Farm, a general incorporated association that operates employment support facilities for people with disabilities in Aki City and Ino Town. According to the organization, the regional union conducted interviews with staff and others after receiving information that abuse was taking place at the facility in Aki City. The investigation confirmed that the former executive director, a man in his 50s, had kicked a user’s chair and that a life support worker at the facility had also kicked a user.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 25, 2025 Number of comments0
Business Health Japan Transplantation

Japan’s Terumo to Buy British Firm for Organ Transplant Biz

Japanese medical equipment maker Terumo Corp. said Monday that it will fully acquire OrganOx Ltd., a British maker of equipment to preserve organs for transplantation, for 1.5 billion dollars. The acquisition will allow Terumo to make a full-fledged entry into the organ transplantation market, which is forecast to grow. Set up in 2008 as a spinoff from the University of Oxford, OrganOx developed medical equipment using normothermic machine perfusion, a technology to preserve organs by circulating fluids containing oxygen and nutrients through organs at near-body temperature.