Author: Michael Gillan Peckitt

UK & CP born, living in Japan, blogging about disability
by Michael Gillan Peckitt December 4, 2024 Number of comments0
Care Disability Japan Podcast

I Cannot Think of My Disabled Daughter as “Precious”; Children Without Disabilities are “Adorable” [Podcast Episode]

“Our older daughter, a junior high school student, has a severe intellectual disability. She is unable to take care of herself, so I have to help her with everything, including using the bathroom and bathing. She is very particular about things and often gets angry suddenly or screams nonstop for a long time. I don’t know when it happened, but I started not thinking about her as precious to me. I sometimes even wish she would go away. My son, who is in high school, and my younger daughter, an elementary school student, have no disabilities, and they’re so adorable.” [From Japan News, ‘Dear Troubleshooter’]

by Michael Gillan Peckitt December 3, 2024 Number of comments0
Blind Disability Japan Welfare

New Okinawa volunteer group established to support use of smartphones and apps by visually impaired

A new volunteer group has been established to support the use of smartphones and apps in an effort to eliminate the information gap caused by visual impairment. Izumi Yoshi, representative of the Prefectural Visually Impaired Support Center said: “We provide telephone support, but if you have any problems, please feel free to contact us.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt December 2, 2024 Number of comments0
Health Japan My Number

(Update) Japan Government Stops Issuing New Health Insurance Cards as of Monday 2nd December 2024

The Japanese government will stop issuing new health insurance cards on Dec. 2 as planned in a move to integrate them into “My Number” electronic personal identification cards.While the government will stop issuing new health insurance cards on Monday, most people will remain unaffected by the move in the short term as existing health insurance cards can still be used for another year. People without My Number cards can still use their existing health insurance cards for their visits to hospitals, dental clinics and pharmacies during the grace period — which ends on Dec. 1, 2025 — as long as they remain valid.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt December 1, 2024 1
Disability Intellectual disabilities Japan

I Cannot Think of my Handicapped Daughter as “Precious”; Son, Daughter Without Disabilities Are “Adorable” [Japan News, ‘Dear Troubleshooter’]

Our older daughter, a junior high school student, has a severe intellectual disability. She is unable to take care of herself, so I have to help her with everything, including using the bathroom and bathing. She is very particular about things and often gets angry suddenly or screams nonstop for a long time.

I don’t know when it happened, but I started not thinking about her as precious to me. I sometimes even wish she would go away. My son, who is in high school, and my younger daughter, an elementary school student, have no disabilities, and they’re so adorable.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt November 28, 2024 Number of comments0
developmental disabilities Disability Discrimination Employment Japan

45 Year-old Prefectural Office Worker with Developmental Disabilities Talks About Being Bullied at Work: “I was told it was my fault”

Yamamoto Takafumi (pseudonym, 45 years old), who has ASD (autism spectrum disorder). Yamamoto works at a prefectural office, but communication at work is not going well, and when he disclosed his ASD to his superiors, he began to suffer power harassment every day, and is currently on leave due to adjustment disorder.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt November 27, 2024 Number of comments0
Disability Human Rights Immigration Japan Korea

Korean Daily Newspaper ‘The Hankyoreh’ Reports on Disability Activist’s Deportation from Japan

The Korean daily newspaper ‘The Hankyoreh’ – ‘The Korean People’ – reported on November 25th about disability activist Park Kyung-Seok being deported from Japan at Narita Airport. Go Na-rin writing for the ‘Hankyoreh’, reported on the 25th that Park Kyung-seok, the leader of the Korean Disabled People’s Solidarity Against Discrimination (Jeonjangyeon) held a press conference in front of the Japanese Embassy in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Park displayed documents related to Japan’s “Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act,” which were cited by Japanese immigration officials when denying his entry. Park stated, “The immigration officer had all the materials about me, from composite sketches to the latest news articles.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt November 27, 2024 Number of comments0
Disability Human Rights Japan Korea Podcast

South Korean Disability Activist Park Kyung-Seok Deported at Narita [Podcast Episode]

On November 22nd, a Korean disability activist Park Kyung-Seok was deported from Japan after seven hours at Narita Airport, along with his two caregivers. The reason given for Park’s deportation was that in South Korea he has received a suspended sentence for violation of the Assemblies and Demonstrations Act in 2012 for attending an illegal demonstration in South Korea and that under Article 5, paragraph 1, paragraph 4 of the Japanese Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act Park could be deported. However, Park had been allowed to enter Japan in 2016 and in May of this year, at the invitation of Amnesty International, according to Daisaku Seto of the ‘Anti-Poverty Network’.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt November 26, 2024 1
Disability Human Rights Immigration Japan Korea

Reasons Emerge for Korean Disability Activist Park Kyung-Seok’s Deportation at Narita

On November 22nd, a Korean disability activist Park Kyung-Seok was deported from Japan after seven hours at Narita Airport, along with his two caregivers. The reason given for Park’s deportation was that in South Korea he has received a suspended sentence for violation of the Assemblies and Demonstrations Act in 2012 for attending an illegal demonstration in South Korea and that under Article 5, paragraph 1, paragraph 4 of the Japanese Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act Park could be deported. However, Park had been allowed to enter Japan in 2016 and in May of this year, at the invitation of Amnesty International, according to Daisaku Seto of the ‘Anti-Poverty Network’.