Continence Care Market on Rise in Aging Japan
Sales of continence care products in the country grew from 78.3 billion yen in 2019 to 98 billion yen in 2023 and are on track to top 100 billion yen this year, according to research company Intage Inc.
Category: Japan
‘Unprecedented’ 5,000 People with Disabilities Quit or Fired from Workplaces in Japan, 329 Workplaces Closed Due to Cuts in Compensation Payments
A nationwide survey of local governments by Kyodo News on the 13th revealed that 329 workplaces where disabled people could gain skills and knowledge while working were closed nationwide between March and July of this year, resulting in at least 5,000 disabled people who worked there being fired or quitting. The highest number of disabled people ever fired in a year was about 4,000. Although this includes retirees, this is an unprecedented number in just five months.
Kobayashi Pharma Fails to Report 11 More Suspected Deaths
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. said Tuesday it has newly found 11 more fatalities that should have been reported to Japan’s health ministry over possible links to supplement products containing its “beni koji” red fermented rice.
Suitcases and Wheelchairs in Japan: Together in Electric Dreams?
In March 2024, a Chinese student in Fukushima Ward in Osaka City was stopped by the police for using an ‘electric suitcase’ on the sidewalk. Since the woman’s suitcase could reach a maximum speed of 13 kph, the police classified the luggage as a motorized bicycle after noting that it has all the traits of a vehicle, therefore using such an ‘electric suitcase’ would be a potential violation of the Road Traffic Law and the Prefectural police referred the woman to prosecutors on suspicion of violating that law. This is the first time such a case has been sent to the prosecutors. However, if ‘electric suitcases’ “do not meet public safety standards” perhaps electric wheelchairs do not either, and denying electric wheelchairs on the sidewalk would deny many elderly and people with disabilities access to the world outside their home.
[Emergency Broadcast] Typhoons, Earthquakes & Survey of Deaf Peoples Needs in Disasters
On the 10th, three staff members from the Prefectural Center for the Hearing Impaired drove around the homes of hearing-impaired people living in the city, where a seismic intensity of 6-low was observed in the earthquake on the 8th. The staff members used sign language to ask about damage caused by the earthquake and their concerns. Mitsuhira Kazuo, director of the Prefectural Center for the Deaf, who conducted the survey, said, “We don’t know when the next big earthquake will occur, so we went there to listen in detail. We would like to hear the honest feelings of disabled people in other areas of the prefecture as well.”
Miyazaki Prefecture City Conducts Survey on Nankai Trough Earthquake Information to Support Deaf People
On the 10th, three staff members from the Prefectural Center for the Hearing Impaired drove around the homes of hearing-impaired people living in the city, where a seismic intensity of 6-low was observed in the earthquake on the 8th.
The staff members used sign language to ask about damage caused by the earthquake and their concerns. Mitsuhira Kazuo, director of the Prefectural Center for the Deaf, who conducted the survey, said, “We don’t know when the next big earthquake will occur, so we went there to listen in detail. We would like to hear the honest feelings of disabled people in other areas of the prefecture as well.”
Japan report to show mental health concerns tripled since 2004
The white paper will mention that the number of outpatients with mental illnesses such as depression, adjustment disorder and eating disorder totaled about 5.86 million in 2020, while noting that stressors are diversifying, ranging from online abuse, work, child rearing and caregiving.
The Shog-A.I. Shimbun Podcast #51: 60% of Teachers at Japan’s Schools for Intellectually Disabled Have Dealt with Issues Related to Sex On SNS
A survey conducted by Satoko Tsuda, associate professor at Chubu University, and her colleagues found that more than 60% of teachers in charge of student guidance at special-needs schools for children with intellectual disabilities have dealt with problems related to sex on social networking sites (SNS). Only about 30% of the respondents answered that they had provided literacy education on risks and other issues.
Kobayashi Pharma to Withdraw from “Beni Koji” Biz
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. said Thursday that it has decided to pull out of its business related to “beni koji” red fermented rice, following widespread health problems blamed on its supplement products containing the substance.
[Emergency Broadcast] 7.1M Quake Hits Miyazaki Prefecture, 1st Nankai Trough Megaquake Warning Issued
The Japan Meteorological Agency on Thursday issued its first-ever alert warning about a possible megaquake around the Nankai Trough, following a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck Miyazaki Prefecture off the coast of Kyushu at 4:43PM.
Barrier Free Japan 