Japanese companies are tackling the difficult task of hiring more disabled people as the statutory minimum employment rate for the disabled will be lifted to 2.7 pct next July from 2.5 pct at present. While the labor market is favorable for job seekers, companies are required to follow a thorough selection process that takes into account traits of each candidate.
A 38-year-old woman with disabilities died after suffering severe burns while bathing at the Hitakami-en facility in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, police revealed. Kana Abe developed extensive skin damage following staff-assisted bathing in 2022, and later died in hospital from respiratory failure caused by burns covering 60 percent of her body. A facility report suggested the bathwater temperature was about 50 degrees Celsius. Police are investigating the incident on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death after Abe’s family sued the facility in February 2025 and the police are investigating two people who were in charge at the time, along with the person responsible for the site.
The number of children who died from abuse totaled 65 in Japan in fiscal 2023, down by seven from the preceding year, an expert panel of the Children and Families Agency said Thursday. Excluding family suicide cases, the figure came to 48. Of them, 33 died before reaching 1 year old, including 16, who passed away within 24 hours after birth, up by seven. Most of their mothers were not given maternal and child health handbooks, and local governments were therefore unaware of their pregnancies, according to the government agency.
It was learned on the 9th that an accident occurred in December 2022 at Hitakami-en, a support facility for people with disabilities in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, in which resident Kana Abe (then 38) suffered severe burns and died while receiving bathing assistance. The water temperature was likely around 50 degrees Celsius. According to the facility’s accident report, at around 10:00 a.m. on December 30, 2022, Abe, who has intellectual and physical disabilities, was helped by two female staff members into a bathtub equipped with a lift, suffering burns including peeling skin from her right thigh. Staff members called 119 and she was taken to hospital, but she died on January 2, 2023.
When asked, “I work in nursing care, why don’t wages go up?” Hiroyuki responded bluntly: “They don’t go up because it’s a job paid from taxes.” He added, “I understand that nursing care work is very tough. Let’s set that aside. The reality is that nursing care is work that even people without prior experience can do. Of course, there are skills involved, but fundamentally, it’s a job that can be done by people without experience.”
A 38-year-old woman with disabilities died after suffering severe burns while bathing at the Hitakami-en facility in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, police revealed. Kana Abe developed extensive skin damage following staff-assisted bathing in 2022, and later died in hospital from respiratory failure caused by burns covering 60 percent of her body. A facility report suggested the bathwater temperature was about 50 degrees Celsius. Police are investigating the incident on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death.
Tokito Oda, 19, became the youngest player to achieve the feat of winning all of the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open and Paralympic titles.
Japan’s Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry reported a slight decline in the number of disabled workers found to be abused by employers in fiscal 2024, even as reports of suspected cases increased. A total of 1,827 workers were the subject of abuse reports, down 1.5% from the previous year, while confirmed cases involved 652 people across 434 workplaces, a 14.3% drop. Most cases involved economic exploitation, such as unfair pay, with part-time and temporary workers most affected. Intellectual disabilities were the most common among victims. Labor bureaus responded mainly with guidance under labor laws, including the Minimum Wage Act.
On September 3rd, Hiroyuki Nishimura (48), founder and former administrator of the online forum “2channel,” shared his personal views on why wages in the nursing care industry do not rise, during his podcast Hiroyuki’s Killing Time Radio.
A former employee of a disability support facility in Nagasaki has been indicted for assaulting three residents with intellectual and physical disabilities, with prosecutors seeking an eight-month prison sentence at the Nagasaki District Court. The 49-year-old defendant admitted to striking the residents in the head and face, telling the court he became “irritated” when they did not listen to him. Prosecutors presented security footage showing the assaults and argued the violence had become habitual, while the defense sought a suspended sentence. A verdict is scheduled for October 1.
Barrier Free Japan