Category: Japan

Crime Disability Elderly Japan

Elderly Taxi Driver Found Guilty over Fatal Hit-and-Run in Tokyo

“It was irresponsible to leave and run away when he could have predicted the risk of collision with the following car,” Judge Yuko Ito of Tokyo District Court said. “The degree of accusation is high considering that he was a professional driver.” Ito added that the accused fault was not serious because he had turned the steering wheel after seeing the victim about 30 meters before the collision.

Disability Disasters Earthquake Elderly Japan Podcast

Support Center Launched to Help People with Disabilities Affected by the Kumamoto Earthquake Unable to Speak Up [Podcast Episode]

In the aftermath of the Kumamoto Earthquake, a new support center is working to reach people with disabilities who have been left without assistance and are unable to speak up for themselves. With many still isolated in their homes and surrounded by the destruction, local and national support organizations are joining forces to identify those in need and deliver help where government support has yet to reach.

Disability Disasters Earthquake Japan Kumamoto

Support Center Launched to Help People with Disabilities Affected by the Kumamoto Earthquake Unable to Speak Up

In the aftermath of the Kumamoto Earthquake, a new support center is working to reach people with disabilities who have been left without assistance and are unable to speak up for themselves. With many still isolated in their homes and surrounded by the destruction, local and national support organizations are joining forces to identify those in need and deliver help where government support has yet to reach.

Disability Employment Japan Podcast

“Disability Employment Businesses” in Japan to Face Regulation Following Inappropriate Practices; Health Ministry to Require Registration [Podcast Episode]

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced on August 31st that it plans to introduce regulations, including mandatory notification requirements, for businesses that provide workplaces for people with disabilities to be employed by companies. The move comes after reports of inappropriate practices, including businesses effectively leaving the management of disabled employees entirely to outside operator.

Disability Employment Japan

“Disability Employment Businesses” in Japan to Face Regulation Following Inappropriate Practices; Health Ministry to Require Registration

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced on the 31st that it plans to introduce regulations, including mandatory notification requirements, for businesses that provide workplaces for people with disabilities to be employed by companies. The move comes after reports of inappropriate practices, including businesses effectively leaving the management of disabled employees entirely to outside operators.

Infectious Diseases Influenza Japan Medical

Japan Enters Flu Season, Marking 2nd Earliest Start

Japan has entered the influenza season, the health ministry said on Friday 28th August, marking the second earliest start since 1999, when the infectious disease control law went into force. 
   In the week to Sunday, the number of flu patients reported by some 3,000 designated medical institutions across the country stood at 1.11 per institution. A reading of 1 or higher suggests that flu season has begun.
 The earliest start of flu season was recorded in 2009, about a week earlier than the ongoing season, excluding 2023, when the outbreak continued yearlong.

Blind Disability Discrimination Human Rights Japan Podcast

Japan’s Supreme Court refuses damages to visually impaired couple over police entry [Podcast Episode]

The Supreme Court’s Third Petty Bench, presided over by Justice Masami Okino, has rejected an appeal by a visually impaired couple who sued Kanagawa Prefecture for damages, arguing that police officers who responded to an emergency call unlawfully entered their home without their consent. The decision was dated the 26th. The ruling by the Tokyo High Court, which had rejected the couple’s claim, is now final. The High Court found that the couple had consented to the officers entering their home and overturned a March 2024 ruling by the Yokohama District Court, which had ordered the prefecture to pay the couple ¥275,000 in damages.

Care Disability Elderly Independent Living Japan

Number of People with Disabilities in Residential Care in Hokkaido Declines Due to ‘Community Transition’ Policy

The number of residents in facilities for people with disabilities across Hokkaido is on a declining trend, reaching a record low of 9,026 in fiscal year 2024 according to the latest statistics, an investigation by the prefecture and other sources revealed. However, the pace of this transition falls far short of government targets, prompting experts to point out that “the national government must outline a concrete roadmap.”