Category: Intellectual disabilities

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 31, 2024 1
Disability Health Intellectual disabilities Japan

Male Resident of Osaka Facility for Disabled Dies After Dental Treatment, Chest Compressions Investigated

A 69-year-old male resident of a facility for the disabled in Yodogawa Ward, Osaka, lost consciousness while undergoing treatment for a cavity and later died.

He is said to have suffered acute respiratory failure due to pressure on the chest and other areas. At the time, five staff members at the facility were holding the man down to prevent him from moving during treatment, and the police are currently investigating the details.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 30, 2024 2
Intellectual disabilities Japan Organ Donation

Japan’s organ network voided donor intentions of mentally disabled

Japan’s key organ transplant network has invalidated the organ donation wishes of all individuals officially recognized as being intellectually disabled, the health ministry said Wednesday.

According to the operational guidelines of Japan’s organ transplant law, if a mentally disabled individual aged 15 or older lacks the capacity to express valid intent, organ removal should not be carried out.

However, the guidelines also state that an individual’s attending physician should assess whether their disability prevents them from expressing meaningful intent.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 1, 2024 Number of comments0
Abuse Care Disability Intellectual disabilities Japan Tokyo

Executives and Staff at Tokyo Social Welfare Corporation “Tokiwa-kai” Found to Have Abused Mentally Disabled Patients, Over-claimed for Care Costs

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has found that the executives and other staff members of a social welfare corporation “Tokiwa-kai” in Kodaira City, Tokyo, had abused several mentally disabled patients, and that the corporation’s workshop and group home had received excessive compensation for welfare for the disabled even though they did not meet the personnel standards and other requirements. The corporation operates 13 facilities in Kodaira City. According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the overpayment of remuneration occurred at the “Asayake Workshop,” the main facility of the corporation, and one group home.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt March 16, 2024 Number of comments0
Abuse Hokkaido Hokkaido Farm Abuse Case Intellectual disabilities Japan Podcast

Disability News Japan Podcast: The Shog-A.I. Shimbun #3: Further Details on the ‘Hokkaido Farm Abuse Case’

Whilst reading about the ranch operator in northern Japan’s Hokkaido who admitted in court on March 12th that they had not paid intellectually disabled workers for decades, giving them only “snacks and juice,” Barrier Free Japan went back to their blog and re-read reports.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt March 14, 2024 3
Abuse Disability Employment Hokkaido Intellectual disabilities Japan

Hokkaido ranch operator in abuse suit admits to paying disabled workers in snacks, juice

A ranch operator in northern Japan’s Hokkaido admitted in court on March 12 that they had not paid intellectually disabled workers for decades, giving them only “snacks and juice.”

Three mentally disabled men in their 60s, all living in Hokkaido, have filed suit in the Sapporo District Court against the operators of the Endo ranch in Eniwa, Hokkaido, plus the municipal government there for some 94 million yen (about $635,000), alleging decades of abuse and poor working conditions.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt March 9, 2024 1
Birth Rate Children Disability Intellectual disabilities Japan

Fathers of babies in Japan who die of abuse on day of birth rarely identified

In Japan, 176 babies died on their day of birth due to abuse between 2003 and 2022, but even basic facts such as the ages of their fathers were rarely known, with the blame frequently pinned solely on mothers.

According to statistics from the Children and Families Agency, all 176 babies were born outside of a medical facility, and 161 had their bodies dumped. The place of abandonment was the mother’s home in 79 cases and other places in 82 cases.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 27, 2024 Number of comments0
2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake Disability Disasters Earthquake Intellectual disabilities Japan

Quake evacuees with mental disabilities have few places to go

Residents with mental and intellectual disabilities have faced difficulties finding and staying at evacuation centers in disaster-hit areas of Ishikawa Prefecture.

The shelters are not equipped to provide the special needs of these quake victims, and other evacuees have complained about their new disabled neighbors.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 21, 2024 1
Crime Disability Intellectual disabilities Japan Mental Health Sex

Disabled woman forced to sell body sentenced for killing client

A mentally disabled woman who was forced into prostitution was given a six-year prison term for fatally stabbing an elderly client she was trying to steal from at a Tokyo love hotel.

The Tokyo District Court on Feb. 20 convicted Haruka Fujii, 26, of injury resulting in the death of the 82-year-old customer in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district in 2022.

Prosecutors had sought a nine-year prison sentence, but the court took into account Fujii’s mental condition that made her vulnerable to exploitation and prone to involuntary criminal activity.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt November 29, 2023 1
Abuse Care Disability Intellectual disabilities Japan

Employees at Chiba facility for the mentally disabled put a photo of patient defecating on LINE, doctoring photo to make fun of the patient’s face

At a daily-life care facility for people with severe intellectual disabilities in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture, a staff member was found to have posted a photo of a user defecating on a LINE group used for business communication. The pictures of users’ faces had been doctored in a manner that could be interpreted as teasing. The city’s Disability Welfare Division is investigating the possibility of abuse.