Category: Japan

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 30, 2024 1
Disability Forced Sterilization Japan

New Film Depicts Suffering Of Forced Sterilization Victims; “Chinmoku No 50-Nen” Explores History Of Japan’s Eugenics Law

Japan’s defunct Eugenic Protection Law, which allowed for the forced sterilization of people with disabilities, is at the heart of a recently completed film.

The film, “Chinmoku no 50-Nen” (50 years of silence), depicts the lives of Takaji Kobayashi, 92, a hearing-impaired man from Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture, and his wife. The film uses interviews and dramatic reenactments to depict the suffering of people who were deprived of the right to bear and raise children.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 30, 2024 Number of comments0
Coronavirus COVID-19 Japan Travel

Japan Fair Trade Commission Issues Cease-And-Desist Order To Travel Agencies Over Transporting COVID-19 Patients

The Japan Fair Trade Commission on Thursday issued cease-and-desist orders to JTB Corp. and three other travel agencies in a bid-rigging case over a municipal project to transport COVID-19 patients. 

It is the first time the antitrust watchdog has issued such an order over a project related to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the watchdog and other sources, the project to transport COVID-19 patients from their homes to accommodation facilities was ordered by the northeastern city of Aomori. The five companies colluded to decide in advance which of them would win five related tenders between April 2022 and March 2023, while agreeing that the winner would outsource some operations to the others.

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 May 29, 2024 Number of comments0
Disability Forced Sterilization Japan Podcast

As Japan’s Supreme Court Hears Appeal Over Forced Sterilization, the Victims Speak

The Japanese Supreme Court’s Grand Bench held an appeal hearing Wednesday on five damages lawsuits filed against the government over forced sterilization under the now-defunct eugenic protection law, in which victims sought a decision giving them relief.

“Please write a judgment that gives relief to the lives of the victims,” an 81-year-old male plaintiff from Tokyo using the pseudonym Saburo Kita, who was forced to undergo sterilization at the age of 14, said at the hearing.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 28, 2024 Number of comments0
Health Japan Medical

Tohoku University Researchers Find Trigger for Epileptic Seizures

Tohoku University researchers have identified a potential trigger for epileptic seizures, or bursts of brain cell hyperactivity, linked to the activity of glial cells that support neurons in the brain.

The findings suggest that new epilepsy treatments could be developed if it becomes possible to control glial cells. The research was published in an international journal last month.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 26, 2024 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Disability Japan Kobe World Para Athletics Championships Podcast Shog.A.I. Shimbun

The Shog-A.I. Shimbun Podcast #29: Kobe Para Sports, Journalism in Japan & ‘Wheelchair-bound’ versus ‘Wheelchair User’

“But another Kobe resident in her 50s said that the city was “divided in some parts,” while also lamenting that attendance could have been better. She came to see the tournament with her husband and daughter, who has cerebral palsy and is wheelchair-bound.”

Some people with disabilities who use wheelchairs find ‘wheelchair-bound’ to be offensive and prefer the term ‘wheelchair user’. Barrier Free Japan sometimes gets comments and posts on social media about this issue.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 24, 2024 Number of comments0
Crime Disability Japan Mental Health

Nagano Murder Hearings Not in Sight 1 Year after Incident

Despite Saturday marking a full year since a fatal stabbing and shooting incident in Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, it remains uncertain when hearings will begin in the trial. According to his lawyer, Aoki has accepted visits but has shown little interest in most things, remaining silent about the incident, in which four people were killed. He is being held at a facility in Nagano, after he was indicted last November following three months of detention for psychiatric evaluation.