The Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced on December 1st that it will hold its annual ‘Disability Week’ from December 3rd to 9th. The aim of ‘Disability Week’ is to deepen public interest and understanding of disability welfare and to encourage people with disabilities to actively participate in all areas of social, economic, and cultural activities.
Yohei Sasakawa, honorary chair of the Nippon Foundation and WHO goodwill ambassador for leprosy elimination, visited a leprosy colony in New Delhi where up to 250 residents live, urging about 30 accompanying Japanese business representatives to support efforts against the disease. India accounts for roughly 60 percent of the world’s new leprosy cases, and the Sasakawa Health Foundation organized the visit to raise awareness among Japanese residents in the country. Although effective treatments exist, people affected by leprosy in India still face deep-rooted social exclusion and often form or join isolated colonies—some of the roughly 800 believed to exist nationwide—to escape discrimination tied to the caste system
The number of university students with developmental disabilities in Japan is on the rise, with their conditions often identified at a late stage through challenges in their social lives. According to a survey by the Japan Student Services Organization, 14,666 students with developmental disabilities were enrolled in universities, junior colleges and technical colleges in the 2024 academic year, approximately five times the number from 10 years ago.
The number of university students with developmental disabilities in Japan is on the rise, with their conditions often identified at a late stage through challenges in their social lives. According to a survey by the Japan Student Services Organization, 14,666 students with developmental disabilities were enrolled in universities, junior colleges and technical colleges in the 2024 academic year, approximately five times the number from 10 years ago.
A Japanese government subcommittee on public health insurance on Thursday basically agreed to ask patients for additional payment for prescription medicines whose ingredients and effects are similar to over-the-counter drugs while maintaining insurance coverage for them.
The organizers of the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics have revealed that the number of people who visited the event’s venues totaled about 280,000 — far more than their target of 100,000.
A ceremony was held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in the capital to formally close the 12-day international sporting event for the deaf and hard of hearing, which Japan hosted for the first time in the games’ history. The Japanese delegation, comprising around 270 athletes, was represented in every event for the first time.
The profit margin at general hospitals in Japan, excluding psychiatric institutions, stood at minus 7.3 pct on average in fiscal 2024, which ended in March, a health ministry survey showed Wednesday. The profit margin at clinics run by medical corporations came to plus 4.8 pct, falling by 3.5 points.
The Japanese women’s basketball and volleyball teams won gold medals at the Tokyo Deaflympics on Tuesday. Japan narrowly beat the United States 65-64 in the women’s basketball final, and trumped Turkey to win their first women’s volleyball gold in two Deaflympics.
Japan’s medal count at the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics rose to a record 31 on Sunday, surpassing the country’s previous best from 2022, after athletes secured new medals in karate, swimming and athletics. Crown Princess Kiko and Prince Hisahito visited Izu Oshima to watch the men’s orienteering relay, with the prince encouraging athletes in sign language, and later toured a local farm products shop.
Barrier Free Japan