Category: Disability

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 24, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Health Infectious Diseases Japan

Japan begins pre-entry TB checks for foreigners staying over 3 months

Japan introduced mandatory pre-arrival tuberculosis screening on Monday for people planning to stay over three months, starting with those from the Philippines and Nepal, a government official said.

Vietnam is expected to be added to the list in September, with Indonesia, Myanmar and China to follow.

The number of foreign nationals diagnosed with the infectious disease while in Japan is on the rise, and they are comprised mostly of people from the six countries, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry. While tuberculosis is curable and preventable, it killed an estimated 1.25 million people in 2023 and has likely regained its status as the world’s deadliest infectious disease after being temporarily overtaken by COVID-19, according to the World Health Organization.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 23, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Employment Health Japan Work

Annual Economic Losses from Workers’ Health Issues Reach 7.6 T. Yen

Economic losses in Japan stemming from workers’ mental or physical disorders, including shoulder stiffness and sleeplessness, total around 7.6 trillion yen each year, a study by Japanese researchers has shown. The losses, linked to lower labor productivity, represent about 1 pct of the country’s nominal gross domestic product for 2024.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 23, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Disasters Earthquake Elderly Japan Podcast Typhoon

Barely more than 10% of municipalities in Japan have created evacuation plans for individual elderly and disabled persons [Podcast Episode]

Individual evacuation plans are plans that determine in advance where and how elderly and disabled people who have difficulty evacuating on their own will evacuate in the event of a disaster. It has been four years since municipalities became obligated to create individual evacuation plans, but a national summary has revealed that only just over 10% of municipalities have created plans for most of the residents who are eligible. It has been a legal obligation for all municipalities for the past four years.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 22, 2025 2
Disability Disasters Earthquake Elderly Japan Typhoon

Barely more than 10% of municipalities in Japan have created evacuation plans for individual elderly and disabled persons

Individual evacuation plans are plans that determine in advance where and how elderly and disabled people who have difficulty evacuating on their own will evacuate in the event of a disaster. It has been four years since municipalities became obligated to create individual evacuation plans, but a national summary has revealed that only just over 10% of municipalities have created plans for most of the residents who are eligible. It has been a legal obligation for all municipalities for the past four years.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 21, 2025 1
Assisted Living Disability Independent Living Japan

Izumisano Welfare Association in Osaka Runs Program for People with Disabilities and Their Parents to Learn “Jiritsu” (Independence)

The Izumisano Welfare Association, a social welfare corporation operating 28 disability welfare facilities in Osaka Prefecture (chaired by Hirofumi Muroi), has created a program titled “Parent-Child Mirai Work: A Guide to Everyone’s Path to Jiritsu (Independence) from a Lifewide Learning Perspective”, which helps both young people with disabilities and their parents learn about “jiritsu” (independence). The word “jiritsu” is written in hiragana to avoid making the concept seem overly complicated. The program summarizes the results of a two-year project supported by the Nippon Foundation.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 20, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Disasters Imperial Family Japan Nursing Care

Hiroshima A-Bomb Nursing Home Awaits Imperial Couple’s Visit

A nursing home for atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima is awaiting Friday’s visit by Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako during their trip to the western Japan prefecture as this year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The facility was opened in 2007 and currently accommodates about 100 residents whose average age exceeds 90. While supporting the residents’ daily lives, it also works to pass on experiences of the 1945 atomic bombing.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 17, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Nursing Care Politics

Japan Government Draft Policy Eyes Boost for Disability Welfare Sector

On June 6th, the Japanese government presented a draft of the “Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform” at a meeting of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy. The draft states that a clear shift will be made away from cost-cutting approaches in regard to wage increases and stable management in the fields of medical care, nursing care, and disability welfare. It also notes, “Appropriate measures will be taken to reliably lead to stable management and wage increases for a wide range of professionals working in the field.” Furthermore, it clearly states, “We will understand and verify the actual state of past treatment improvements and consider the matter so that a conclusion can be reached by the end of 2025.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 16, 2025 Number of comments0
Children Disability Health Japan

Japan team creates device to measure dizziness symptoms in children

Graduate school students in Japan have developed a device to easily measure symptoms of orthostatic dysregulation, a disorder common among children that causes them physical difficulty getting up in the morning and dizziness when standing.
The team at Nagoya University’s graduate school hopes the device will help sufferers communicate their symptoms clearly when they need to skip classes due to their condition.