Category: Japan

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 20, 2025 Number of comments0
ALS Japan Podcast Politics Reiwa Shinsengumi

Election Time is Upon the Upper House in Japan, Lawmaker with ALS, Yasuhiko Funago Retires from Politics [Podcast Episode]

House of Councillors lawmaker Yasuhiko Funago, who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, held a press conference on Tuesday and announced his intention not to seek another term in this summer’s Upper House election and to retire from politics. At the press conference in the Diet building, a statement prepared by Funago, 67, also deputy leader of the opposition Reiwa Shinsengumi party, was read using the automatic speech function of a personal computer, as he is unable to use his own voice.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 19, 2025 Number of comments0
Children Education Japan Sexual abuse

Japanese Government to Seek Students’ Opinions for Sexual Abuse Prevention

Japan’s Children and Families Agency will hold an in-person session next month to hear the opinions of junior high and high school students on a planned system for checking whether teachers have sexual crime records.  Over the so-called Japanese version of Britain’s Disclosure and Barring Service, the government set up a panel of experts in April to discuss its details, and plans to draw up related ordinances and guidelines later this year and implement them on Dec. 25, 2026. Around 12 students will be selected by lottery from volunteers to participate in the upcoming hearing session at the agency.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 17, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Nursing Care Politics

Japan Government Draft Policy Eyes Boost for Disability Welfare Sector

On June 6th, the Japanese government presented a draft of the “Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform” at a meeting of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy. The draft states that a clear shift will be made away from cost-cutting approaches in regard to wage increases and stable management in the fields of medical care, nursing care, and disability welfare. It also notes, “Appropriate measures will be taken to reliably lead to stable management and wage increases for a wide range of professionals working in the field.” Furthermore, it clearly states, “We will understand and verify the actual state of past treatment improvements and consider the matter so that a conclusion can be reached by the end of 2025.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 16, 2025 Number of comments0
Children Disability Health Japan

Japan team creates device to measure dizziness symptoms in children

Graduate school students in Japan have developed a device to easily measure symptoms of orthostatic dysregulation, a disorder common among children that causes them physical difficulty getting up in the morning and dizziness when standing.
The team at Nagoya University’s graduate school hopes the device will help sufferers communicate their symptoms clearly when they need to skip classes due to their condition.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 16, 2025 Number of comments0
ALS Assisted Dying Euthanasia Japan Podcast Yuri Hayashi

Top court rejects appeal by doctor over euthanasia of ALS patient [Podcast Episode]

Japan’s top court rejected an appeal on Thursday 12th June by a doctor convicted of consensually killing a woman, Yuri Hayashi, 51, who had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a rare neurological disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, in 2019 in Kyoto, western Japan, finalizing his 18-year prison sentence. The Supreme Court’s Second Petty Bench rejected arguments that found Yoshikazu Okubo, 47, guilty of aiding another’s suicide would violate the constitutional right to self-determination.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 14, 2025 Number of comments0
Dementia Health Japan

Middle- to Old-Age Depression Likely Tied to Dementia

Abnormal tau protein causing dementia accumulates in the brains of middle- to old-age patients with mood disorders, such as depression, at a higher rate than in their healthy counterparts, a study has found. The study, led by Japan’s National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, or QST, is expected to lead to early detection and treatments based on objective diagnoses of dementia, because the cognitive functions of participating patients were normal at the time of analysis.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 14, 2025 Number of comments0
Assassination of Shinzo Abe Japan

Trial of Ex-PM Abe’s Assassin Set to begin on October 28

The first court hearing of the lay judge trial of Tetsuya Yamagami, who was indicted for the fatal shooting of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022, will be held from 2 p.m. on Oct. 28, Nara District Court said Friday. 
   Yamagami, 44, has been charged with murdering Abe and violating the firearms and swords control law. He is expected to admit that he had an intention to kill Abe, according to informed sources.