Category: Podcast

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 1, 2026 Number of comments0
Disability Disasters Japan Podcast Typhoon

Tropical Storm ‘Jangmi’ set to lash wide area of Japan [Podcast Episode]

Tropical Storm ‘Jangmi’, known in Japan as typhoon No. 6, is expected to bring heavy rain and strong winds across a swath of the country from Tuesday to Wednesday. The storm is forecast to come closest to Okinawa on Monday night and to the Amami region by Tuesday morning, before moving northeast and approaching the Kyushu, Shikoku, Kinki, Tokai and Kanto-Koshin regions through Wednesday, according to the Meteorological Agency.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 29, 2026 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Podcast Welfare

Japan’s Disability Pension Review Questioned; Staff Say “No One Will Tell the Truth in Internal Probe” [Podcast Episode]

An internal document acknowledged
the risk that reviews could be repeated until staff were satisfied, suggesting potential arbitrariness, but the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare concluded it could not confirm such behaviour and attributed most cases to errors or scheduling constraints under a strict three-month processing
deadline. However, some staff remain skeptical of the ministry’s findings, arguing that internal investigations cannot uncover the truth and that reassessments were sometimes influenced by expectations about how particular doctors would rule, raising concerns about transparency and
fairness in the system.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 27, 2026 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Disability Japan Podcast Sagamihara

Sagamihara City staff attend disability awareness training course [Podcast Episode]

During the roughly 45-minute session, the employees watched videos created in collaboration with organizations for people with disabilities to learn about the specific challenges faced by individuals with visual, hearing, and other impairments. In group workshops, they discussed what kind of assistance they could provide in daily life.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 20, 2026 Number of comments0
Disability Employment Japan Podcast Welfare

Ibaraki Prefecture Announces Revocation of Welfare Facility’s License Over 7 Million Yen Fraudulent Benefit Claims [Podcast Episode]

The fraudulent claims amounted to approximately 7 million yen in total, disbursed across 17 municipalities in four prefectures: Ibaraki, Chiba, Saitama, and Tokyo. The respective local governments will demand the return of approximately 9.8 million yen, which includes surcharge penalties. This marks the fifth time since July 2025 that Ibaraki prefecture has revoked a facility’s designation due to fraudulent benefit claims and document forgery.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 11, 2026 Number of comments0
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.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 8, 2026 Number of comments0
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.