Category: Care

by Michael Gillan Peckitt January 1, 2026 1
Abuse Care Crime Disability Hyogo Japan

Hyogo Disability Rights Groups to Rally in Kobe Following Facility Violence Reports

People with disabilities in Hyogo Prefecture will hold an emergency rally in Kobe on January 24th to protest violence at residential care facilities and to call for the early realization of deinstitutionalization. The gathering was prompted by reports that a resident with intellectual and physical disabilities died after being assaulted by staff at a facility in Sanda City. Organized by the Independent Living Center ‘Ring Ring’ and co-hosted by ‘Remember 7.26 Kobe Action’, the event will feature speakers from ‘Hyogo People First’ and will focus on disability rights and the need for community-based living.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt December 12, 2025 Number of comments0
Care Disability Discrimination Japan Podcast Tokyo

Half of the People with Disabilities Living in Facilities Sent to “out-of-Tokyo facilities” [Podcast Episode]

Aikawa Shinseien, a remote facility in Akita Prefecture housing nearly 90 intellectually disabled people sent from Tokyo, illustrates the long-standing practice of placing disabled residents far from their home communities due to Tokyo’s high land prices and neighborhood resistance to disability facilities, with some locals claiming such facilities would “damage the image” of the area. Many residents have lived there for decades, seldom see their families, and feel trapped, one 65-year-old man, who has lived there since the facility opened, says poignantly, “I don’t want to end my life here.” As parents age and die and “out-of-Tokyo facilities” continue to fill in replacements, some question what a truly inclusive living environment for disabled people should look like.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt November 18, 2025 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Care Children Disability Group Homes (GH) Japan

90% of Families of People with Disabilities in Japan “Worried” About Life After Parents’ Death

A recent survey by a private organization has revealed widespread anxiety among families of adults with disabilities in Japan, with 90.2% expressing worry about their loved one’s life after the parents pass away, and 58.2% reporting they are reaching the limits of providing care.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt November 12, 2025 Number of comments0
Care Disability Japan Nursing Care

Fiscal Panel Calls for Ability-Based Fees for Care Services

A panel under Japan’s Fiscal System Council, which advises the finance minister, proposed Tuesday that nursing care service fees be charged to users based on their ability to pay, as part of reform on the country’s nursing care insurance program. The proposal comes as nursing care costs are estimated to total 14.3 trillion yen in fiscal 2025, about four times the level in 2000, when the program was established.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt November 12, 2025 Number of comments0
Abuse Care Crime Disability Japan Podcast

Shiga care worker for disabled arrested with knife will not be prosecuted [Podcast Episode]

The Hikone branch of the Otsu District Public Prosecutors Office announced on the 10th that it has decided not to indict a 70-year-old male care worker from Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture. The man had been arrested on suspicion of preparation for murder and violation of the Firearms and Swords Control Act after allegedly hiding a kitchen knife at the welfare facility for people with disabilities in Higashiomi City, Shiga Prefecture, where he worked, with the intent to kill a 44-year-old resident. The prosecutors did not disclose the reason for their decision.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt November 11, 2025 1
Abuse Care Crime Disability

Attempted murder of a resident at Shiga care facility for people with disabilities; care worker arrested with knife will not be prosecuted

The Hikone branch of the Otsu District Public Prosecutors Office announced on the 10th that it has decided not to indict a 70-year-old male care worker from Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture. The man had been arrested on suspicion of preparation for murder and violation of the Firearms and Swords Control Act after allegedly hiding a kitchen knife at the welfare facility for people with disabilities in Higashiomi City, Shiga Prefecture, where he worked, with the intent to kill a 44-year-old resident. The prosecutors did not disclose the reason for their decision.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt November 5, 2025 Number of comments0
Abuse Care Disability Japan Podcast

Shiga Care Facility Worker Suspected of Abusing Disabled Residents, 15 Possible Victims, Says He “Couldn’t Control His Frustration” [Podcast Episode]

A 43-year-old care worker at a facility for people with disabilities in Higashiomi, Shiga Prefecture, has been arrested for indecent assault and is suspected of abusing 15 residents in total, the facility’s operator said Thursday. According to the social welfare corporation Gamounokai, which runs the Akane support facility, the worker admitted to acts including pinching, headbutting, and hiding stuffed toys from residents between April last year and August this year, saying he “couldn’t control [his] irritation.” All additional victims were men with disabilities, though no injuries were reported. The corporation has apologized to residents and families, and pledged measures such as stricter staff supervision and the installation of monitoring cameras to prevent further abuse.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt November 4, 2025 Number of comments0
Abuse Care Crime Disability Intellectual disabilities Japan

Fukuoka Court Hands Suspended Sentence to 60-Year-Old Care Worker For Indecent Acts Against Intellectually Disabled Resident

A Fukuoka court has sentenced a 60-year-old former group home worker to two years in prison, suspended for four years, for committing an indecent act against a 38-year-old woman with a severe intellectual disability. According to the ruling, Kenji Takada kissed the woman on the lips three times at the facility’s office in April, taking advantage of her inability to form an intention not to consent. In delivering the verdict on October 27, Judge Yasuhiro Okamoto of the Fukuoka District Court said the defendant had abused his position in a “malicious” crime and that his criminal responsibility was “not light.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt November 1, 2025 1
Abuse Care Disability Japan

Care Facility Worker Suspected of Abusing Disabled Residents, 15 Possible Victims, Says He “Couldn’t Control His Frustration”

A 43-year-old care worker at a facility for people with disabilities in Higashiomi, Shiga Prefecture, has been arrested for indecent assault and is suspected of abusing 15 residents in total, the facility’s operator said Thursday. According to the social welfare corporation Gamounokai, which runs the Akane support facility, the worker admitted to acts including pinching, headbutting, and hiding stuffed toys from residents between April last year and August this year, saying he “couldn’t control [his] irritation.” All additional victims were men with disabilities, though no injuries were reported. The corporation has apologized to residents and families, and pledged measures such as stricter staff supervision and the installation of monitoring cameras to prevent further abuse.