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.
Japan’s Environment Ministry plans to boost support to secure and train local government employees dealing with bear incidents, following the recent string of bear sightings and bear-inflicted injuries. The ministry will seek 3.7 billion yen in its fiscal 2026 budget request to cover costs for measures to handle wildlife species designated for control, including bears.
Sanitary items are provided for free in some women’s restrooms in the 2025 World Exposition in the western Japan city of Osaka through a project led by the University of Osaka. Faculty and students from the university have installed self-developed cardboard dispensers to provide menstrual products, supplied by sponsoring companies, at nine restrooms at the Expo venue, including pavilion areas. The team aims to foster a society with restrooms where sanitary items for women are easily accessible. When they first installed a dispenser in a campus restroom in 2021, they received many positive opinions. One user said, “I felt like someone sympathized with the pain I feel during menstruation.”
The Agency for Cultural Affairs has begun considering reducing property taxes and other taxes for private movie theater owners who renovate their facilities to make them more accessible for people with disabilities. The aim is to create an environment where people with and without disabilities can enjoy cultural and artistic activities. The agency plans to include this in its request for tax reform in fiscal 2026, jointly with the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Recognition of reasonable accommodation remains stagnant: 60% of people with disabilities are unaware that it should become mandatory.
A disability rights group has submitted over 23,000 signatures to JR Kyushu, urging an investigation and stronger safety measures following the death of a visually impaired woman at Tsukumi Station in Ōita Prefecture three years ago. The woman was struck by a limited express train during unstaffed hours in December 2022. The group, comprising people with visual and physical disabilities, also delivered a written statement reflecting concerns from visually impaired passengers. During a meeting at JR Kyushu’s Ōita branch, members called for clear rescue protocols for falls from platforms. Co-representative lawyer Yasuyuki Tokuda urged JR to take the voices of disabled passengers seriously.
A lawsuit challenging JR Kyushu’s move to make stations in Oita Prefecture unstaffed has intensified after plaintiffs, including people with disabilities, criticized the company for failing to fully investigate the 2022 death of a visually impaired elderly woman hit by a train at Tsukumi Station. At a briefing on August 11, they argued that unstaffing compromises passenger safety, with supporters submitting a petition of more than 23,000 signatures calling for stronger safety measures. JR Kyushu maintains that operational decisions are influenced by profitability, but plaintiffs insist that preventing passenger deaths must remain the railway’s foremost priority.
Nagoya Mayor Hirosawa has apologized to disability groups for discriminatory comments made at a June 2023 public forum on barrier-free access in the planned wooden reconstruction of Nagoya Castle’s main keep. At the meeting, a wheelchair user’s request for an elevator was met with remarks such as “endure it” and “don’t confuse equality with selfishness,” along with a derogatory term, drawing applause from some attendees. Then-Mayor Kawamura and city officials present did not intervene, prompting public outrage. Following a review, the city pledged human rights training for staff, formal apologies, and measures to prevent a recurrence. Hirosawa said the city will work to balance historical authenticity with accessibility in the reconstruction plan.
Nagoya Mayor Hirosawa has apologized to disability groups for discriminatory comments made at a June 2023 public forum on barrier-free access in the planned wooden reconstruction of Nagoya Castle’s main keep. At the meeting, a wheelchair user’s request for an elevator was met with remarks such as “endure it” and “don’t confuse equality with selfishness,” along with a derogatory term, drawing applause from some attendees. Then-Mayor Kawamura and city officials present did not intervene, prompting public outrage. Following a review, the city pledged human rights training for staff, formal apologies, and measures to prevent a recurrence. Hirosawa said the city will work to balance historical authenticity with accessibility in the reconstruction plan.
Tactile paving for people with visual impairments in Japan has recently been enhanced with audio guidance, as the developers of the technology aim to improve the lives of people with partial sight and assist sighted tourists. The new braille blocks are marked with black stickers in special patterns. By scanning the coded blocks with a smartphone camera and app, users can listen to audio information about the location and its surroundings.
Japan has provided rehabilitation equipment to Ukraine to help support children with disabilities. More than 130 items are being delivered to the capital city of Kyiv through the Japan International Cooperation Agency. The gear includes electric wheelchairs, and robot suits, which help wearers move their lower limbs with less effort. A handover ceremony was held at the rehabilitation center for children with disabilities in Kyiv on Tuesday 22nd July. Some children tried out the devices.
Barrier Free Japan