Category: Japan

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 29, 2024 Number of comments0
Crime Disability Japan Mental Health Police

Ex-Police Chief Inspector Charged over Death in Custody of Man with Schizophrenia and Diabetes

A former chief inspector at the Aichi prefectural police received a summary indictment Wednesday over the death of a man in police custody in the central Japan prefecture.

The former chief inspector allegedly left the victim unattended while knowing that he was unable to eat or drink by himself and had difficulties communicating with others.

The police arrested the victim on suspicion of obstructing official duties and put him into the observation cell handcuffed and bound with rope after he acted violently at the police station. The victim had schizophrenia and diabetes.

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 25, 2024 Number of comments0
Coronavirus COVID-19 Japan

COVID-19, Flu Cases Remain High in Japan

Both novel coronavirus and influenza cases remain high in Japan, prompting experts to urge people to continue taking basic countermeasures such as the use of face masks, hand-washing and ventilation.

According to the data, new COVID-19 cases reported in the week to Feb. 11 stood at 13.75 per institution. By prefecture, Ishikawa in central Japan had the largest number, at 21.91, followed by Aichi, also central Japan, at 20.06.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 23, 2024 Number of comments0
Disability E-Sports Elderly Japan

Esports Gain Traction at Welfare Facilities in Japan

Esports is being employed with the aim of preserving cognitive functions in elderly individuals and serving as a means of social exchange for those with disabilities. In the current fiscal year to March, the Tokyo metropolitan government has started a project to provide game lending services to facilities for disabled individuals in the Japanese capital.

Currently, about 120 nursing care facilities and facilities for the disabled across the nation have adopted the association’s esports system through monthly contracts. The system accommodates up to four players engaged in simultaneous gameplay, and a monthly competition fosters online interaction among participants.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 23, 2024 1
Children Disability Japan

New families sought for children with disabilities via adoption in Japan

Each year in Japan there are over 200,000 abortions. Every two weeks, a newborn infant dies of abandonment. And each year, more than 50 children lose their lives to physical abuse at the hands of their parents.
This is according to the nonprofit Migiwa, based in Nara Prefecture, western Japan.
Migiwa’s mission is to protect unwanted babies, acting as a mediator to help place them with new families through plenary adoption. Such cases often involve birth mothers choosing to give up their right to raise their child with a disability such as Down syndrome.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 22, 2024 Number of comments0
Care Crime Disability Japan Welfare

Gunma Support Facility Operator for Children with Disabilities has Designation Revoked Over Fraudulent Claims

In Kiryu City, a business operator that operates a support facility for children with disabilities fraudulently lost over 2.5 million yen in benefits from the city and other organizations by pretending that the manager was working full-time. The prefecture’s designation was revoked as a result of an administrative penalty for receiving the benefits.

The prefecture will cancel the designation of this business operator on April 1st, meaning that the business operator will not be able to provide support for children with disabilities for five years thereafter.