Author: Michael Gillan Peckitt

UK & CP born, living in Japan, blogging about disability
by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 3, 2025 Number of comments0
Aichi Children Crime Japan

Body of Dead High School Girl Shows Many Stab Wounds

Stab wounds are concentrated on the upper body of 16 year old Tokyo high school girl, Waka Kato, who was found dead in a house in Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture, two days ago, police sources said Wednesday. According to the police, an autopsy found that Kato died of hemorrhagic shock on Sunday or so. Many stab wounds and slashes on the back of her upper body, notably above the shoulders, suggest the possibility that she was attacked from behind, people familiar with the autopsy results said.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 2, 2025 Number of comments0
ADHD Autism Disability Education Japan Musashino Higashi Gakuen

「インクルーシブ」武蔵野東学園が危機に 松村理事長の経営方針に保護者ら懸念

武蔵野東学園では、松村謙三氏が理事長に就任して以来、教員の大量辞職や不透明な運営方針が続き、保護者の間で不安が広がっている。2025年には、生徒が松村氏への批判を理由に退学処分を受けるも、その後撤回された。また、新入生の保護者に対し、違反時に損害賠償を求める可能性がある誓約書の提出が求められたことも波紋を呼んでいる。保護者らは、Change.orgで請願活動を行い、「学校が深刻な危機に陥っている」と訴えており、記事執筆時点で2,241人が署名している。

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 2, 2025 1
ADHD Autism Education Japan Musashino Higashi Gakuen Podcast

Musashino Higashi Gakuen: Parents of Neurodivergent Students Worried Early About “safe haven for our children” [Podcast Episode]

Parents of students attending Musashino Higashi Gakuen raised concerned about the appointment of Kenzo Matsumura as early as February 2024. In their change.org petition, parents express their concerns that the school as a “safe haven for our children is in a deep state of crisis, and with an ever growing concern about the future of our school”.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 1, 2025 Number of comments0
Birth Rate Children Health Japan

Half of Needy Households in Japan Unable to Buy Diapers

As many as 49.2 pct of needy households with infants have experienced an inability to buy disposable diapers due to economic reasons, according to a survey by international nongovernmental organization Save the Children Japan. 
   An inability to buy baby formula has been experienced by 39.6 pct.
   According to the survey, conducted online between June and August last year, 74.6 pct of respondents said they changed diapers less often when they couldn’t buy diapers, while an inability to buy powdered milk led 41.1 pct to feed babies with diluted formula and 27.9 pct to use less of it.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt March 31, 2025 1
Abuse ADHD Autism Disability Education Japan Musashino Higashi Gakuen

Parents Raised Concerns Early About Appointment of Chairman at ‘Inclusive’ Tokyo School, Alleging Harassment and Threats by Chairman

Parents of students attending Musashino Higashi Gakuen raised concerned about the appointment of Kenzo Matsumura as early as February 2024. In their change.org petition, parents express their concerns that the school as a “safe haven for our children is in a deep state of crisis, and with an ever growing concern about the future of our school”.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt March 31, 2025 Number of comments0
ADHD Autism Disability Education Japan Musashino Higashi Gakuen Podcast

Musashino Higashi Gakuen: “Remaining teachers have no choice but to do what they can” [Podcast Episode]

Musashino Higashi Gakuen is an educational corporation that has two kindergartens, an elementary school, a junior high school, and a higher vocational school under its umbrella and is known for its inclusive education model, in which children with and without autism study together. A teacher at Musashino Higashi Gakuen says this with a grim resolve: “For the sake of the students and parents who remain, even though the school has had so many problems since the president was replaced, all the remaining teachers have no choice but to do what they can.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt March 30, 2025 Number of comments0
Children Health Japan Pregnancy

Secondhand Smoke More Than Doubles Placental Abruption Risk Tohoku University Study Indicates

Exposure to secondhand smoke during pregnancy increases by about 2.3 times the risk of placental abruption, a condition in which part of the placenta separates from the uterine wall before childbirth, according to a study conducted by a team from Japan’s Tohoku University.  It found that pregnant women exposed to secondhand smoke for four to seven days a week and at least an hour a day had 2.34 times the risk of suffering placental abruption compared with those who were not. The risk was 2.21 times higher among pregnant women who smoked at least 11 cigarettes per day compared with nonsmokers.