Elderly visitors are struggling to look for pavilions on digital maps and make reservations online at the ongoing World Exposition in the western Japan city of Osaka. This has drawn complaints such as “I don’t know how to make reservations for pavilions,” and “I can’t get to places I want to go.”
A new book by the counselor Yuko Kanda that categorizes people suffering from conditions such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, depression, and trauma disorders as animals — and portrays them as “troublesome people in the workplace” — is drawing strong backlash for promoting discriminatory views. The book claims to be packed with “techniques for winning without fighting.”
On April 15th, Musashino Higashi Gakuen, an educational corporation based in Tokyo renowned for its inclusive educational model, filed a lawsuit seeking 725.72 million yen in damages. The lawsuit names several defendants, including individuals affiliated with an association purporting to protect the school, parents and guardians of graduates from its advanced vocational school, along with a reporter from the ‘Weekly Bunshun.’
Transreport is a UK-based accessibility technology company specializing in solutions that enhance travel experiences for disabled and older individuals. Their flagship product, the Passenger Assistance app, allows users to book assistance, communicate access needs, and provide feedback on public transport journeys.
A Japanese startup will introduce an all-terrain electric wheelchair in 2026 that allows users to climb and descend stairs, and board trains and buses without assistance, with plans to develop a model that can navigate escalators. The wheelchair developed by Lifehub Inc., which normally drives on four wheels on flat surfaces, has caterpillar tracks to negotiate stairs, slopes and uneven ground.
he Japan Branch of Disabled Peoples’ International (DPI) has announced that Shoji Nakanishi, a former Chair and long‑serving Standing Committee member of DPI Japan, died on March 26, 2025. Nakanishi founded Japan’s first ‘Independent Living Centre’ in 1986.
Efforts to improve women’s rights are facing a backlash globally after decades of progress, Hiroko Hashimoto, head of the UN Women Japan National Committee, said in a recent interview. This concern was highlighted on the 50th anniversary of International Women’s Day on March 8, when members of 13 national committees around the world that support the UN Women, including in Japan, marched backwards, Hashimoto said.
The Japan Branch of Disabled Peoples’ International (DPI) has announced that Shoji Nakanishi, a former Chair and long‑serving Standing Committee member of DPI Japan, died on March 26, 2025. Nakanishi founded Japan’s first ‘Independent Living Centre’ in 1986.
Barrier Free Japan has learned further details of the situation surrounding the female student expelled from Musashino Higashi Gakuen, specifically that the female student forced to write an apology was expelled when she was just about to graduate.
On the 2nd, an event to deepen understanding of autism and developmental disorders was held in front of Hakata Station in Fukuoka City.
Barrier Free Japan