Category: Disability

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.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 11, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Hospitals Human Rights Immigration Japan Medical

Japan to Tighten Immigration Rules Over Unpaid Medical and Insurance Bills

The Japanese government plans to introduce a “rigorous screening” system by June 2027 that will deny visa renewals to mid- and long-term foreign residents who have failed to pay medical expenses, taxes, or social insurance premiums. The move comes as the Cabinet prepares to approve policies aimed at creating “an orderly and harmonious society with foreign nationals.” A 2024 health ministry survey found that 65.3% of medical institutions accepting foreign patients had unpaid bills, with foreign nationals accounting for 29.3% of debtors but just 1.4% of the total amount owed. Despite these concerns, officials acknowledge there is no nationwide data on insurance payment compliance by foreign residents.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 11, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Forced Sterilization Japan

Japanese man tells U.N. forced sterilization at 14 ruined his life

A child victim of forced sterilization under Japan’s now-defunct eugenics protection law said the surgery ruined his life, as he described his experiences at a U.N. event on disability rights Tuesday in New York. “Because of the surgery, my life was thrown completely off course,” the 82-year-old man, who uses the pseudonym Saburo Kita, said at the event linked to a United Nations conference on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.