“Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to issue a statement offering a state apology to victims of forced sterilization under a now-defunct eugenics law after a redress bill clears parliament, government sources said Tuesday.”
“The organizing committee for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games on Saturday 13th April unveiled the official sport pictograms for the Paralympics.”
“The nationwide survey, conducted between late March and early April, found that only 67 forced sterilization victims had requested disclosure of their surgery and other related records between January 2018 and March 2019.”
“Deeming that penalties are necessary to prevent abuse of the controversial procedure, Japan’s Cabinet Office is expected to propose the legislation at a bioethics panel’s meeting on April 22. The science and health ministries will discuss the specifics before making a decision in the fall, the sources said.”
“Saturday April 13th 2019 marks 500 days until the opening ceremony of the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games at Japan’s new national stadium in Tokyo.”
“The Osaka District Court on April 11 ordered the government to reinstate basic disability pensions for nine type-1 diabetes patients, which it had severed without a detailed explanation.”
“Victims of a eugenics program are unsatisfied with a relief bill to compensate thousands of people forcibly sterilized under a 1948 law designed to “prevent births of inferior children.” A proposal to provide lump-sum payments of 3.2 million yen ($28,800) for each victim was approved by the Lower House Committee on Health, Labor and Welfare on April 10. [L]awyers cited three main problems with the bill: The state does not directly apologize in the bill; the lump-sum payment is too small; and victims’ spouses and relatives are not eligible to receive relief.
“Jiji Press conducted a telephone interview with Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), about the current situation, challenges, and significance of the event.”
“The number of workers with disabilities increased 7.9& from the previous year to 534,769.5, accounting for a record 2.05% of the total workforce, up 0.08 percentage point and the first reading above 2.0%
But only 45.9% of all companies met the legal standard, down 4.1%”
“The Tokyo 2020 Paralympics Marathon event will feature a total of five classes, including a class for men and women with visual impairments (T12), male amputees (T46), and men and women’s wheelchair users (T54). Athletes with visual impairment will be allowed to be accompanied by a guide runner. The players must hold the elbows of the guide runners or hold on the ropes and run, as they must not be separated by more than 50 cm.”
Barrier Free Japan