The number of suicides in Japan decreased by 1,517 from the previous year to 20,320 in 2024, the second-lowest level on record, the health ministry said Friday.The tally by the ministry, however, was revised up by 52 from the preliminary data released in January. The ministry’s data are based on statistics taken by the National Police Agency.
Shareholders of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. on Friday approved the company’s proposed slate of 10 board nominees, including executive officer Norikazu Toyoda, who is set to become new president and CEO of the scandal-tainted Japanese company.
Some parents have noted that “few places offer inclusive education for children with autism,” amid growing unease about the institution’s future: “Will the safety of children and the quality of education be maintained as before with so many teachers quitting? Many of my friends have already transferred to other schools. I’m just anxious about the new school year.”
Musashino Higashi Gakuen, chaired by businessman Kenzo Matsumura, operates an elementary school, junior high school and vocational high school in the city of Musashino. The pledge included a clause stating parents would be subject to claims for damages if they violated its terms, prompting some to voice strong concerns, describing the measure as “suppression of free speech.”
A school operator in the Tokyo suburbs required parents of newly enrolled students to submit a written pledge promising not to leak internal school information to outside parties, sources have told the Mainichi Shimbun. Musashino Higashi Gakuen is known for its inclusive education model, in which children with and without autism study together. Some parents have noted that “few places offer inclusive education for children with autism,” amid growing unease about the institution’s future.
An organization made up of parents of severely physically and mentally disabled children receiving medical care at home has requested Sendai City to expand hospital beds and day care services. The organization visited Aoba Ward Office in Sendai City on March 24th and handed in a request letter calling for an increase in short-term hospital beds for severely physically and mentally disabled children and adults who play an important role when their family members are unwell, and an expansion of day care services that they use on a daily basis.
An organization made up of parents of severely physically and mentally disabled children receiving medical care at home has requested Sendai City to expand hospital beds and day care services. The organization visited Aoba Ward Office in Sendai City on March 24th and handed in a request letter calling for an increase in short-term hospital beds for severely physically and mentally disabled children and adults who play an important role when their family members are unwell, and an expansion of day care services that they use on a daily basis.
A preview ceremony was held Sunday for the “Osaka Healthcare Pavilion” to be run by the prefecture and city of Osaka at the 2025 World Exposition, which begins next month in the western Japan city. Inside the pavilion, a myocardial cell sheet using induced pluripotent stem, or iPS, cell technology and an experience-based area where avatars are generated based on visitors’ health data were shown to the press.
Yasuhiko Funago (67), a member of the House of Councillors of the Reiwa Shinsengumi, who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and is severely disabled, attracted a great deal of attention when he was elected for the first time in 2019. About five and a half years have passed since then, and Funago says he feels that the reasonable accommodations being promoted in the Diet for people with disabilities are being mistakenly interpreted as “giving charity from above.”
In the podcast is an extract from the interview, rendered using text-to-speech software.
As the number of “disabled casts” in which people with disabilities play roles is on the rise in Japan, screenwriter and director Kiyomi Fujii and others have created a guide to help both production and performers feel at ease during filming.
Barrier Free Japan