Disability News Japan Podcast:”My Name Is Junko Iizuka, I Was Forced To Undergo Eugenics Surgery”
By Barrier Free Japan June 23 2023 JAPAN – The audio in this podcast is a short extract from ‘TheContinue Reading
Category: Disability
Disabled Resident of Hokkaido Care Facility “felt coerced” into being Sterilized
On June 21, an interview with the Hokkaido prefectural government revealed that a person with a mental disability who wished to get married or live together at a group home run by Asunaro Fukushikai, a social welfare corporation in Esashi, Hokkaido (Hidetoshi Higuchi, president), stated that he “felt as if he was forced to do so” when asked by the prefectural government about the sterilization procedures being performed on him.
“Take our sufferings seriously soon,” Says Victim of Japan’s Forced Sterilization Program after Government Report is Submitted to Diet
Referring to findings in the Diet report, an 80-year-old victim of forced sterilization at age 14, said it showed the government “had been doing terrible things by deceiving children.”
“I would like the state not to shroud the issue in the darkness but take our sufferings seriously soon,” the victim, who goes by the pseudonym of Saburo Kita, said at a news conference.
62 ‘My Number’ Disability Certificate Linkage Mistakes Found in Japan’s Social Security System
Sixty-two cases in which My Number personal identification numbers were mistakenly linked with certificates for people with disabilities have been confirmed in the central Japan prefecture of Shizuoka, it was learned Tuesday.
On Tuesday, the health ministry asked local governments across the country to report by July 20 on how procedures for linking My Numbers with certificates for people with physical disabilities, for people with intellectual disabilities and for people with mental disorders are carried out and report by Sept. 29 whether there are any linkage errors.
Japan’s Social Security System ‘My Number’ Mistakenly Linked to Disability Certificate Holders in Shizuoka
Dozens of cases in which My Number personal identification numbers were mistakenly linked with certificates for people with disabilities have been confirmed in the central Japan prefecture of Shizuoka, the health ministry said Tuesday.
They are the first linkage mistakes involving disability certificate information that came to light in the country.
Report on Forced Sterilization in Japan Submitted to Parliament
A report on forced sterilizations of people with disabilities carried out under the now-defunct eugenic protection law was submitted to the chiefs of both chambers of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, on Monday.
According to the report, there were cases in which sterilization operations were carried out under false pretenses, as well as those conducted without the holding of necessary screening panel meetings.
Report sheds light on forced sterilization under Japan’s now-defunct law
Japanese authorities have drawn up a draft investigative report shedding light on how thousands of people were forcibly sterilized under the now-defunct Eugenic Protection Law.
National statistics show that roughly 25,000 people underwent sterilization under the eugenics law, including those who did give their consent for the surgery. The law had authorized surgery without consent on people with mental or genetic disabilities to prevent the birth of what the law called “inferior descendants”. It was scrapped in 1996.
Report to Mention Forced Sterilization of 9-Yr-Olds under Former Law in Japan
A report to be submitted to the speakers of both chambers of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, as early as Monday will reveal that 9-year-old children were among the disabled people forced to undergo sterilization under the now-defunct eugenic protection law, a draft of the report showed Saturday.
According to the draft, the 1,400-page report will note that sterilization under the law peaked in 1955, and that a total of about 25,000 people are believed to have had sterilization surgery, with 66 pct of them sterilized without their consent.
Japan Team Identifies Mutations Linked to Brain Aneurysms
A Japanese research team has identified gene mutations involved in the development of brain aneurysms, a discovery that raises hopes for pharmaceutical treatment of the condition.
About 5 pct of Japanese people are said to have brain aneurysms that have not ruptured. But the only treatment available is surgical procedures such as those using vascular catheters and craniotomy, in which part of the skull is temporarily removed.
Wheelchair User Told to “Be Patient” at Public Meeting about ‘Barrier Free’ Access to Nagoya Castle
At the citizens’ debate on June 3rd, where the theme was barrier-free access, a man in a wheelchair expressed his opinion, calling for the installation of an elevator (EV) to the top floor of the castle tower. In response, other participants who were in favor of not requiring EVs used discriminatory expressions that insulted the physically disabled, and countered with comments such as “Be patient” and “You are being too impudent.” This comment was followed by applause from some in the audience.
Barrier Free Japan 