Disability News Japan Podcast: The Shog-A.I. Shimbun #7: A No News Stormy/Sunny First Day of Spring!
March 20th 2024 was the Spring equinox and a national holiday in Japan, but it is was very windy. There is also very little news!
Category: Disability
Wheelchair User Denied Accessible Seating at Tokyo Cinema Raises Concern as Japan’s Barrier Free Laws Change in April
According to the woman who uses a wheelchair, a staff member who appeared to be the manager came to her and told her this: “As you can see, this theater is dangerous because of the steps, and the staff who can help you don’t have that much time.”
Disability News Japan Podcast: The Shog-A.I. Shimbun #6: The Spring Equinox Holiday Edition!
The Spring equinox, March 20th 2024 is a national holiday in Japan! There is sakura and a Shog-A.I. Shimbun episode! Today’s episode mentions an NPO in Kameoka City, Kyoto Prefecture that has begun an initiative to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities in the agricultural field. Michey Peckitt in A.I. mode also talks a bit about the derogatory language that is sometimes used in both LGBT+ and disability journalism.
Disability News Japan Podcast: The Shog-A.I. Shimbun #4: McDonalds App Fail A Barrier to News Stories!
Ok, this is a bit of fun, but behind it are two serious points. Firstly since the term ‘shogai’ or ‘障害’ can mean ‘failure’, ‘obstacle’ as well as ‘disability’, the algorithm Gods of Google won’t quickly show up recent news stories about disability in Japan because everyone is talking about the McDonald’s App ‘fail’ that happened on Friday.
Secondly, a reliance on technology to accomplish tasks like buying food is also a concern for me as a person with disabilities.
I’m not always lovin’ it.
Japan Society for Gender Dysphoria Renamed as “It’s not a disorder”
What was formerly the GID (Gender Identity Disorder) Society, which promotes research on transgender people whose minds and bodies do not match, officially announced at its general meeting held in Okinawa Prefecture on March 17th that it will change its name to the Japan GI (Gender Identity) Society. The name change was made in response to the growing belief that transgenderism is not a disorder and is no longer used as an international diagnostic name.
Japan’s Disability Welfare Service Businesses May Face Significant Reduction in Remuneration
The remuneration paid by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to “welfare service offices for persons with disabilities” will be revised in April, and at some businesses, the remuneration will be paid according to the amount of time users receive services. Some of the businesses that may see a significant decrease in remuneration have voiced their concerns that they will not be able to continue their business, and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is considering how to respond to this issue.
Hokkaido ranch operator in abuse suit admits to paying disabled workers in snacks, juice
A ranch operator in northern Japan’s Hokkaido admitted in court on March 12 that they had not paid intellectually disabled workers for decades, giving them only “snacks and juice.”
Three mentally disabled men in their 60s, all living in Hokkaido, have filed suit in the Sapporo District Court against the operators of the Endo ranch in Eniwa, Hokkaido, plus the municipal government there for some 94 million yen (about $635,000), alleging decades of abuse and poor working conditions.
Disability News Japan Podcast: The Shog-A.I. Shimbun #2: High Wages, Low Wages Japan for the Disabled
This is the second edition of The ‘Shog-A.I. Shimbun’, the AI narrated news report about disability issues in Japan. This episode covers news reports from March 11th – March 14th 2024.
Saitama Employment Support Business Closed Over Non-Payment of Wages to People with Disabilities
It has been discovered that a business that provides employment support for people with disabilities closed down because it did not pay wages to people with disabilities.
A woman who used the company’s office in Koshigaya City, Saitama spoke in an interview.
She said, “The hardest part is not being paid for the work I do. It’s frustrating. I feel like I have no choice but to give up.”
Wages at Tottori welfare service offices earned by people with disabilities exceeds 20,000 Yen for the first time
The average monthly wage at welfare service facilities for persons with disabilities in Tottori Prefecture exceeded 20,378 Yen for the first time last fiscal year, according to a prefectural government report.
Barrier Free Japan 