Category: Japan

Abuse Crime developmental disabilities Disability Japan Sexual Assault

Former Instructor Arrested For Indecent Acts Against Woman with Developmental Disability: “I did it to satisfy my sexual desires”

A former instructor at a support organization has been arrested on suspicion of committing indecent acts against a woman with a developmental disability during a class. He partially denies the allegations, but reportedly said, “I did it to satisfy my sexual desires.”

Disability Employment Japan Podcast Welfare

Okinawa Company Denies Hiring People with Disabilities and Prohibiting Contact with Employer [Podcast Episode]

Employees with disabilities were referred to as “talents,” and “connections between talents via chat tools, social media, etc., are prohibited,” forbidding contact with other employees with disabilities, such as colleagues. The reason given for this was that it would “lead to trouble.”

Disability Health Infectious Diseases Japan Medical

Risk of Hantavirus Spread in Japan Low: Health Ministry

The risk of hantavirus spreading in Japan through person-to-person transmission is low, even if infected passengers from a cruise ship linked to a recent outbreak enter the country, the health ministry said Wednesday. The ministry called on the public to remain calm, after three people died in a suspected hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean. A Japanese national is among passengers on the ship.

Disability Discrimination Employment Japan Welfare

Disabled workers in Japan left “with no work assigned and abandoned”, companies outsource employment management to contractors

It has been learned that there have been repeated cases in which disabled people directly employed by companies through intermediaries operating disability employment businesses were given virtually no actual work while working remotely, and were effectively left abandoned, doing little more than exchanging simple chat messages with the intermediary company. The cases reveal a structure in which companies seeking to meet the legally mandated employment quota for disabled workers (currently 2.5% of employees) hired disabled people only in form while paying salaries, then completely outsourced employment management to outside contractors.

Disability Employment Japan Podcast Welfare

Japan’s Labour Ministry Suspects Abuse of Remote Work Systems for People with Disabilities as Use Triples [Podcast Episode]

According to Health, Labour, and Welfare Ministry data released on the 4th, the number of vocational training centres for the disabled where “more than half of users work from home” has surged 3.2 times over the four-year period ending in 2025. Because remote support reduces overhead costs, such as personnel expenses for on-site staff, the Ministry suspects that some profit-driven operators are abusing the system. Consequently, the Ministry issued a notice to local governments nationwide this April, calling for stricter oversight.

Disability Employment Japan Welfare

Japan’s Welfare Ministry Begins Discussions on 2027 Disability Compensation Revision; Focus on Addressing Rising Costs

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s “Review Team on Revisions to Remuneration for Disability Welfare Services” met on April 28, marking the start of discussions toward the fiscal 2027 revision. In opening remarks, Masayuki Kamiya, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare and head of the team, stated: “While the budget for disability welfare services has increased more than fourfold since the enforcement of the Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities Act, there are cases of service providers calculating add-on payments that do not align with the intent of the system, raising concerns about a decline in service quality. We aim to advance disability welfare policies steadily through discussions that incorporate the expertise of the team’s advisors and opinions from the field.”