Gold medal hopefuls in snowboarding and wheelchair curling will be Japan’s flagbearers at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Paralympics. The country’s Paralympic Committee named Aki Ogawa, one half of Japan’s mixed doubles wheelchair curling team, and para snowboarder Junta Kosuda as the flagbearers while announcing the first 40 members of its delegation on Friday.
The South China Morning Post reported on January 13th that Grok-generated deepfake images of Japan’s Princess Kako, the niece of Emperor Naruhito, in a bikini circulating online have renewed scrutiny on Elon Musk’s X chatbot. Princess Kako has performed various official duties at home and abroad, while working twice a week since April 2024 at the Japanese Federation of the Deaf, which she joined as a part-time employee in 2021.
The South China Morning Post reported on January 13th that Grok-generated deepfake images of Japan’s Princess Kako, the niece of Emperor Naruhito, in a bikini circulating online have renewed scrutiny on Elon Musk’s X chatbot. Princess Kako has performed various official duties at home and abroad, while working twice a week since April 2024 at the Japanese Federation of the Deaf, which she joined as a part-time employee in 2021.
Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has decided to make an extraordinary revision to disability welfare service fees in June 2026, cutting basic fees for newly established providers of four services, including Continuous Employment Support (Type B), for fiscal 2026 only, while leaving fees for existing providers unchanged. The ministry says the move is intended to curb rising disability welfare expenditures, but concerns have been raised that it could discourage new entrants and worsen service shortages, particularly in underserved areas. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has opposed the plan, formally requesting that the health ministry and the Children and Families Agency reconsider the nationwide reduction, warning that changing fee policy during its 2024–2026 service development plan could disrupt service provision and limit access for people with disabilities.
On December 23 last year, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government submitted a request to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Children and Families Agency regarding the June 2026 interim revision of disability welfare service fees, calling on them not to implement a nationwide reduction in basic compensation for newly established providers of certain services.
Yokohama Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka was accused Thursday of abusive remarks and inappropriate behavior toward city officials and assembly members. The mayor allegedly made derogatory remarks about the city assembly speaker, the deputy mayor and others, such as “fat,” “die” and “human scum.” These allegations were reported in the online edition of the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine Sunday.
On January 13th, the Yokohama District Court held the sentencing hearing for a 31-year-old male defendant, a resident of Yamato City, charged with violating the Cannabis Control Law and other offenses for cultivating cannabis plants at the support facility for children with disabilities in Fujisawa City where he was employed.
A pair of Japanese veterans are aiming to make history at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games in March by ending their country’s Paralympic curling medal drought with victory in the inaugural mixed doubles wheelchair competition.Aki Ogawa, 50, and Yoji Nakajima, 61, have been part of Japan’s curling scene since the sport went through a boom in the country in 2003.
On the 13th, the Yokohama District Court held the sentencing hearing for a 31-year-old male defendant, a resident of Yamato City, charged with violating the Cannabis Control Law and other offenses for cultivating cannabis plants at the support facility for children with disabilities in Fujisawa City where he was employed.
Barrier Free Japan went to see ‘Black Box Diaries’ directed by Shiori Ito on January 13th, which had its theatrical release in cinemas in Japan a few months ago. I appreciate that it’s been divisive in some communities over source protection issues and maybe because it’s an emotional thing to watch, but I recommend it & consider it necessary to watch. I’ve seen in it different forms a couple of times as it started life out as a BBC ‘Storyville’ documentary.
Barrier Free Japan