Category: Disability

by Michael Gillan Peckitt July 26, 2025 1
Disability Japan Sagamihara

Memorials and ‘Silent Action’ by Disability Rights Groups Mark Ninth Anniversary of Sagamihara Stabbings

A memorial ceremony commemorating the victims of the 2016 mass stabbing at Tsukui Yamayuri-en, a care facility for people with disabilities, was held on Saturday, July 26, marking nine years since the tragedy. The ceremony was organized by the Kanagawa Prefectural Government, Sagamihara City, and the facility’s managing welfare organization. Some political action groups also marked the day as a way to highlight injustices against people with disabilities and minority groups in general.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt July 25, 2025 Number of comments0
Abuse Care Disability Japan Podcast

14 Staff Members Abused Residents at Gifu Disability Support Facility [Podcast Episode]

Fourteen staff members at the Gifu Prefectural Hana-no-Kien disability support facility in Toki City have been found to have committed 40 instances of abuse against 18 residents, including forcefully hitting their heads and kicking them during medication administration. The abuse, which occurred between July and October 2024, came to light after one employee was arrested for assaulting a male resident. In response, the Gifu Prefectural Government has suspended the facility’s intake of new residents for three months starting in September 2025 and is considering further disciplinary action against 12 of the involved staff.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt July 24, 2025 1
Abuse Care Disability Japan

14 Staff Members Abused Residents at Gifu Disability Support Facility, Intake Suspended for Three Months

Fourteen staff members at the Gifu Prefectural Hana-no-Kien disability support facility in Toki City have been found to have committed 40 instances of abuse against 18 residents, including forcefully hitting their heads and kicking them during medication administration. The abuse, which occurred between July and October 2024, came to light after one employee was arrested for assaulting a male resident. In response, the Gifu Prefectural Government has suspended the facility’s intake of new residents for three months starting in September 2025 and is considering further disciplinary action against 12 of the involved staff.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt July 24, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Election Japan Podcast Politics Sanseito

Post Japan Election Analysis: Sanseito Leader Kamiya Claimed Developmental Disabilities “do not exist” in 2022 Pamphlet [Podcast Episode]

Sohei Kamiya, founder and prominent figure of the right-wing political party Sanseito, faced criticism from disability rights groups and medical experts in the lead up to the election after remarks made in a party-published booklet that denied the existence of developmental disabilities resurfaced.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt July 22, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Election Japan

Record 42 Women Elected to Japan’s Upper House

Forty-two women were elected to the House of Councillors in Sunday’s election, hitting a record high for the upper chamber of Japan’s parliament. The number of female candidates reached 152, the second highest on record. Of them, 27.6 pct were elected, surpassing the success rate of 22.4 for male candidates. Women made up 33.6 pct of all elected candidates, exceeding 30 pct for the first time.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt July 21, 2025 1
Deaflympics Disability Japan Para Sports

Japan to promote sign language with new law ahead of Deaflympics

Japan’s central and local governments are required under a new law to take steps to promote the use of sign language, aiming to build momentum ahead of hosting the Deaflympics in November. The law took effect on June 25 following the approval in parliament of legislation drafted by cross-party lawmakers. It marks the first time Japan has enacted a law specifically on sign language, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry. Calling the legislation “historic,” the Japanese Federation of the Deaf said in a statement it is “deeply moved” when thinking of the predecessors who worked tirelessly to raise awareness of sign language.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt July 21, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability North Korea Podcast

North Korean Defector: Disabled “simply cannot survive in society” under Kim Regime [Podcast Episode]

Hyoshim Maeng, a North Korean defector now living in South Korea, is drawing attention to the treatment of people with disabilities under the Kim regime. Her mother, who contracted polio as a child, lived without state support in North Korea. The family fled the country in 2018. Hyoshim Maeng now advocates for disability rights, describing widespread stigma, minimal access to education, and limited mobility. Her account highlights the gap between official narratives and lived realities for disabled people in North Korea.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt July 19, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Election Intellectual disabilities Japan

People with intellectual disabilities create election dictionary

A group of people with intellectual disabilities in Japan has created and published an online dictionary for teaching others about election-related terms and the steps to vote. With Sunday’s election for the House of Councilors — the upper chamber of the Diet, the country’s parliament — drawing closer, in-person and online study sessions have been held using the dictionary. The 236-page “Senkyo no Kotoba” (terms of election) dictionary contains about 170 election-related terms, such as “the right to vote,” “candidate” and “democracy,” and the voting procedure is explained in hiragana letters in principle. The group of about 30 people, mostly users of Soshien, a social welfare organization for people with intellectual disabilities in the city of Higashiosaka in Osaka Prefecture, spent a year making the dictionary from April 2024.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt July 18, 2025 1
Disability North Korea

North Korean Defector: Disabled “simply cannot survive in society” under Kim Regime

Hyoshim Maeng, a North Korean defector now living in South Korea, is drawing attention to the treatment of people with disabilities under the Kim regime. Her mother, who contracted polio as a child, lived without state support in North Korea. The family fled the country in 2018. Hyoshim Maeng now advocates for disability rights, describing widespread stigma, minimal access to education, and limited mobility. Her account highlights the gap between official narratives and lived realities for disabled people in North Korea.