Category: Podcast

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 26, 2025 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Blind Disability Japan Podcast Technology

“We are being left behind”: Visually Impaired People in Japan Struggle with Digitalization [Podcast Episode]

Toyoharu Yoshiizumi (67), head of the information department at the Japan Federation of Organizations of the Visually Impaired (and himself visually impaired), pointed out, “As digitalization progresses, we are being left behind.” He said the increase in unmanned stores is also a concern, saying, “Without store clerks, reasonable consideration cannot be given. I think it is difficult for businesses, but I would like them to improve the environment so that visually impaired people can use the facilities.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 23, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Podcast Welfare

As Denial of Disability Pensions in Japan Double, Health Ministry Will “investigate the actual situation and make it public” [Podcast Episode]

Japan’s Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Takamaro Fukuoka announced that he will investigate the actual situation and make the results public in one month. The incident began with a Kyodo News report dated April 28th. The report stated that the number of people who were denied disability pensions in fiscal 2024 is more than double the number in fiscal 2023, reaching about 30,000. It has also been mentioned that the requirements have become stricter since the director of the Japan Pension Service Disability Pension Center was replaced in October 2023, and that centre staff may be inducing doctors to deny pensions.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 21, 2025 Number of comments0
Intellectual disabilities Japan Podcast

Japanese Rapper with Intellectual Disabilities ‘Sapporo Gag Man’ Talks About “the sadness of living as a disabled person” [Podcast Episode]

“Your intelligence stopped at the third grade of elementary school” — the rapper and comedian from ‘Sapporo’s Gag Man’ from Sapporo, (28), was told these shocking words by a teacher in the summer of his first year of junior high school. He was diagnosed with intellectual disability and panic disorder. How did his life change after his disability was discovered? Here is an excerpt from his new book, “Not Normal: Why I’m a Rapper, Even though My Intelligence Stopped in Third Grade.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 19, 2025 Number of comments0
Blind Crime Disability Japan Podcast Relationships

Japan’s Disability Dating App Scammers: Man with Visual Impairment Speaks Out [Podcast Episode] 

In the wake of three employees being arrested by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police for luring a man they met through a matching app to a restaurant in Shibuya, Tokyo, forcing him to pay 1.1 million yen in cash and other charges in a scam; a man in his 20s who was a victim of the “rip-off” scam by the recently arrested group spoke to NHK. The man has a level two visual impairment and usually uses a white cane when walking outside.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 16, 2025 Number of comments0
Children Japan Mental Health Podcast

Japanese kids’ mental health ranks poorly among rich nations [Podcast Episode]

Children in Japan continue to suffer poor mental health, with the country ranking 32nd among 43 developed and emerging nations due to high suicide rates and other factors, a UNICEF report released Wednesday showed. The country improved from 37th in 2020 when the ranking was last published, although this time the suicide rate among Japanese youth was the fourth highest among wealthy states surveyed, worsening from 12th.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 14, 2025 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Disability Elderly Japan Podcast

Elderly and Disabled Woman in Mie Prefecture Banned from Using Car for “overuse” [Podcast Episode]

A woman, aged in her 80s, lives in the city of Suzuka in western Japan’s Mie Prefecture. She has an artificial bladder due to cancer and so is unable to work. Her son, with whom she lived before he passed away, suffered from an intractable disease and required canes to walk. Both had disability certificates. The woman had been receiving welfare since August 2019, but in September 2022, the payments abruptly stopped. Subsequent district and high court rulings accepted the mother and son’s claims, and ordered the city to rescind its decision, although the city appealed the ruling

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 7, 2025 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Entertainment Mental Health Podcast

‘Departures’ Actress Ryōko Hirosue Diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, Suspends “all entertainment activities” [Podcast Episode]

Actress Ryoko Hirosue has announced a suspension of all entertainment activities after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and hyperthyroidism, following hospitalization in Tokyo. The announcement comes after an incident in April where she was involved in a car accident and allegedly kicked a nurse, leading to her arrest and an ongoing police investigation. Her agency confirmed that she will continue outpatient treatment and focus on her recovery, while also cooperating fully with authorities, stating they do not attribute her actions solely to her illness and are committed to responding sincerely.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 6, 2025 Number of comments0
Birth Rate Children Holidays Japan Podcast

Golden Week ‘Shogai Podcast Shorts’ 4: Greenery Day Observed [Podcast Episode]

The estimated number of children under 15 in Japan as of April 1 fell by 350,000 from a year before to 13.66 million, down for the 44th consecutive year, the internal affairs ministry said Sunday. The country’s child population hit the lowest level since comparable data became available in 1950. The ministry released the data a day before Children’s Day.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 5, 2025 Number of comments0
Abuse Children Japan Podcast Welfare

Golden Week ‘Shogai Podcast Shorts’ 3: Children’s Day [Podcast Episode]

The legislation for revisions to child welfare and other laws in Japan is designed to make it easier to restrict meetings of parents with their children under the protection of child consultation centers. Following the revisions, it will be possible to place such restrictions on parents and other guardians in cases in which abuse is suspected but not yet officially recognized. This will help prevent centers from falling into trouble with parents.