January 27th, 1970 is the day that Duskin founder Suzuki Seiichi decided to enter into a business partnership with Mister Donut of America. Mister Donut designated this day as its founding day, and every year it donates a portion of purchases from customers to the ‘Duskin Ai No Wa Fund’ to help people with disabilities become independent and participate in society.
January 27th, 1970 is the day that Duskin founder Suzuki Seiichi decided to enter into a business partnership with Mister Donut of America. Mister Donut designated this day as its founding day, and every year it donates a portion of purchases from customers to the ‘Duskin Ai No Wa Fund’ to help people with disabilities become independent and participate in society. Why not give back to society by buying a delicious donut on January 27th?
Agriculture-welfare partnerships, in which individuals with disabilities actively participate in farming activities, have been steadily gaining momentum in Japan following a government 2019 policy vision aimed at promoting such collaborations.
The number of such partnership initiatives launched by agricultural corporations and employment facilities has significantly grown, reaching about 7,100 by fiscal 2023, which ended in March last year. Such initiatives have not only welcomed disabled individuals, but also extended opportunities to former prison inmates and others in need of support.
As of June last year (2024), the employment rate of people with disabilities at companies in the prefecture was 2.78% on average, the highest ever, while 41% of the target companies did not meet the statutory employment rate set by the national government. The Wakayama Labor Bureau stated, “There are companies that do not fully understand or prepare for the system, and we would like to continue to support them.”
The court ordered the payment of about ¥43 million (around $227,000), equivalent to that of a nondisabled person, stating that there was “no reason to reduce the amount from the average of all workers” on lost earnings that the victim would have been able to earn in the future. The family had sought ¥61 million.
Barrier Free Japan is not a luddite, the only reason Barrier Free Japan does not own an Apple Watch is because Barrier Free Japan cannot afford one, but a lot of the can vending machines near their work place have been turned into ‘cashless’ machines, so basically, Barrier Free Japan cannot buy a soft drink!
On January 7th, it was announced on the official website that NHK Educational TV’s barrier-free variety show “Baribara” (broadcast on Thursdays 8pm) will end in March.
The production team of the show announced, “Baribara, which has been broadcast with the aim of eliminating ‘barriers’ for ‘all minorities who have difficulty living’, will end in March this year.”
On January 7th, it was announced on the official website that NHK Educational TV’s barrier-free variety show “Baribara” (broadcast Thursdays 8pm) will end in March.
As JR East promoted the employment of people with disabilities, they realized that many workplaces had no contact with the outside world. So, starting in the summer of 2023, JR East decided to have people with disabilities serve customers in a food truck. In December 2024, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare’s Tokyo Labor Bureau released the results of a survey on the employment status of people with disabilities. The number of people with disabilities employed by private companies reached a record high of 251,901 (a 5.3% increase from the previous year). Meanwhile, 17,369 companies in Tokyo have not met the legal employment rate, and of these, 9,785 companies do not employ any people with disabilities.
Japanese Princess Kako, the second daughter of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, turned 30 on Sunday. As an adult member of the Imperial Family, Princess Kako has performed various official duties at home and abroad this year, while working twice a week since April at the Japanese Federation of the Deaf, which she joined as a part-time employee in 2021.
Barrier Free Japan