Attached to glasses and connected to a computer by a cable, the device, called “Jins Assist,” enables users to click and move the cursor with their heads, helping people with hand or arm disabilities to use computers.
The Japan Branch of the NPO Disabled People’ International (DPI), located in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, will hold an online rally on the theme of “Prisoners with disabilities and their right to use wheelchairs” on Saturday, April 5, 2025. The rally is being held in response to a ruling was handed down in a lawsuit seeking ‘reasonable accommodation’ in Gifu, a lawsuit concerning an alleged human rights violation in which an inmate with walking difficulties was denied wheelchair access at Gifu Prison for over 10 years. On October 30, 2024, the Gifu District Court did not recognize the denial of wheelchair access as illegal and ruled against the plaintiff.
On February 19th, the Niigata District Court handed down a sentence of 14 years in prison to a former employee of an organization, who was charged with crimes including sexually assaulting and injuring a woman with a disability while transporting her in Sanjo City. The court ruled that “he repeatedly committed the crime, taking advantage of the fact that the victim could not resist, which is despicable.”
The business is to introduce users to welfare service offices for a fee, but the operating standards based on the Comprehensive Support for Persons with Disabilities Act prohibits the offices from giving money or goods in exchange for the introduction of users. This is because welfare for the disabled is largely financed by public funds, and taxpayers’ money is used for other purposes. The Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW) has stated that “there is no law or regulation that regulates the referral business itself, but the business office that pays the money or goods is in violation of the standards,” and that it will “consider how to deal with the situation.
Tokyo police arrested a 17-year-old boy on suspicion of attempted murder after another 17-year-old was stabbed to death on a street in the Japanese capital’s Adachi Ward early Monday 24th February.
Takuya Hosokai (44), a former employee of an NPO that supports people with disabilities, was charged with sexually assaulting and filming women with disabilities while transporting them between 2019 and the year before last. Among these incidents, he was specifically charged for sexually assaulting and injuring a woman in a parking lot in Sanjo City in December 2023.
It just does often seem like social care for people with disabilities and the elderly in Sagamihara City and Kanagawa Prefecture as a whole, seems to suck.
Japan is increasingly adopting information technology to help those in need of assistance in times of disasters, such as the elderly and people with disabilities. Major electronics maker NEC Corp. and disaster management advisory firm Tokio Marine Resilience Co. conducted a test with the western Tokyo city of Tama late last month of a system to confirm the safety of those in need of support during disasters. Under the system, those who provide evacuation support receive requests on their smartphones for safety checks when local governments issue evacuation-related information.
The “Kyoto Abilympics,” an event which enables people with disabilities in Kyoto Prefecture to demonstrate their vocational skills, was recently held at Kyoto prefectural technical college and Kyoto technical college for the disabled in Fushimi Ward. Approximately 70 participants, ranging from students at special needs schools to working adults, showcased their abilities in 12 different categories, highlighting their dedication and daily practice.
Japanese journalist Shiori Ito, who directed an Academy Award-nominated documentary about her own sexual assault case, said Thursday that she will reedit part of the film to address allegations that the film includes unauthorized content. The documentary, “Black Box Diaries,” has been screened in over 50 overseas countries and regions since its world premiere at a film festival in January last year but not yet in Japan due to legal concerns.
Barrier Free Japan