Category: Podcast

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 27, 2026 Number of comments0
Abuse Care Disability Japan Podcast Sexual abuse

Ibaraki Care Worker Who Reported Abuse Warns Legal Battle May Deter Future Whistleblowers [Podcast Episode]

A care worker who reported the sexual abuse of a female resident at a disability group home in Ibaraki Prefecture has warned that the toll of his subsequent court battle could discourage others from coming forward. Yusuke Okanemasa, 47, reported the alleged abuse in 2021, which prefectural authorities later confirmed, but he became embroiled in a dispute with his employer and eventually resigned after a pay cut. Okanemasa said the lawsuit cost him about 1.5 million yen and required “an enormous amount of mental and emotional energy, as well as time,” warning that if such consequences follow abuse reports, “people will think it’s better to keep their mouths shut,” leaving victims unprotected and underscoring the need for stricter official action.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 26, 2026 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Disability Discrimination Japan Nagoya Podcast

Almost Three Years After Ableist Remarks, Nagoya Aims to Finalize Barrier-Free Policy for Castle Keep [Podcast Episode] 

Nagoya City held a meeting with disability groups and others regarding the wooden reconstruction of the main keep of Nagoya Castle. On February 11th the city held its first public briefing session since discriminatory remarks were made at a citizens’ debate in 2023. At the session, it reaffirmed its policy of proceeding with the wooden reconstruction plan by installing a small-scale lifting device. Nineteen groups, including disability organizations, took part in the meeting held on the 20th, where the city explained the basic principles of the plan.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 25, 2026 Number of comments0
Abuse Care Crime Disability Japan Podcast Sexual abuse

Fired After Reporting Abuse, Tokyo Care Worker Awarded 4.8 Million Yen [Podcast Episode]

A former support staff member at a disability workshop in Kodaira, Tokyo, who was dismissed after reporting alleged abuse by colleagues and a senior executive, reached a court-mediated settlement in 2024 with the operating social welfare corporation. The staff member had filed suit at the Tokyo District Court, arguing the dismissal was retaliation for whistleblowing in violation of the Whistleblower Protection Act. Under the settlement, the corporation retracted the dismissal and paid 4.8 million yen. Municipal authorities later recognized abuse by around 10 staff members, and the Tokyo metropolitan government issued administrative guidance to the corporation over excessive welfare payments.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 24, 2026 Number of comments0
Abuse Care Crime Disability Intellectual disabilities Japan Podcast Sexual abuse

Tokyo Disability Facility Worker Says They Were Fired After Reporting Abuse [Podcast Episode]

A Tokyo care worker who worked as a support staff member at a workshop for people with disabilities said she witnessed repeated physical and verbal abuse of service users by colleagues shortly after starting her job in 2019. The alleged misconduct extended beyond frontline staff to a male executive of the operating social welfare corporation, who she said repeatedly grabbed the groins of male users with intellectual disabilities when they did not comply with instructions, Identified by a pseudonym as Yoshimi Kurita, said they reported the abuse multiple times to the corporation’s executives, but the corporation“turned a blind eye.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 23, 2026 Number of comments0
Genetics Japan Medical Podcast

Regenerative Medicine Clinic in Tokyo Gets Business Improvement Order [Podcast Episode]

Japan’s health ministry ordered a clinic in Tokyo to improve its operations on Friday 20th February over its violations of the law on safety in regenerative medicine. An on-site inspection of Ginza Phoenix Clinic found violations, including administrations of cultured cells using stem cells and dendritic cells by five doctors not listed in 10 regenerative medicine plans submitted by its director, Hisashi Nagai, to the ministry. Medical institutions face penalties for false or missing entries in mandatory regenerative medicine treatment plans.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 22, 2026 Number of comments0
Care Crime Disability Japan Podcast

Two Arrested Over Alleged Assault of 17-Year-Old at Aichi Disability Home [Podcast Episode]

Two male staff members in their 20s have been arrested for allegedly assaulting a 17-year-old male resident at a facility for people with disabilities in Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture, including kicking him in the face. Both suspects have admitted to the allegations, and police are investigating the circumstances and motives that led to the incident.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 21, 2026 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Podcast Welfare

Japan Federation of Bar Associations calls Welfare Ministry’s Disability Pension report “clearly unreasonable”[Podcast Episode]

The Fukushi Shimbun reported on February 19th that the Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA) said Jan. 30 it had submitted a statement to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry calling for fair disability pension certifications, criticizing a ministry probe that found no improper handling in cases where initial certification reports were rewritten, discarded and reassessed. Regarding the ministry’s Jan. 16 report, the JFBA said it was “clearly unreasonable” to describe the rewriting of certification reports as merely correcting deficiencies.

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

Japan Top Court Rules Work-Bar Provision Unconstitutional [Podcast Episode]

Japan’s Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday 18th February that a provision in the now-scrapped security services law that disqualified adult guardianship system users from employment violated the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of occupation and equality under law. The ruling, backed by 10 of the 15 justices, marked the 14th time since the end of World War II that the Supreme Court has declared a law or ordinance unconstitutional, and the first time since the Grand Bench ruling in July 2024 on the now-defunct eugenic protection law. 

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 19, 2026 Number of comments0
Care Disability Japan Podcast

Japan’s Children and Families Agency Considers “Children’s Homes” [Podcast Episode]

Japan’s Children and Families Agency has begun considering the creation of small-scale residential facilities tentatively called “Children’s Homes” for children with disabilities, aiming to enable them to live closer to the communities where they were born and raised. A draft proposal presented at an expert panel on the future of institutional care highlighted concerns that many children are currently placed in large, distant facilities, limiting contact with their families. The envisioned Children’s Homes would provide a more home-like, small-group environment while maintaining family ties, with trained staff assigned to support children with severe behavioural disorders or medical care needs and access to external services such as visiting nursing care, as the government looks ahead to possible legal revisions.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 18, 2026 Number of comments0
Abuse Disability Japan Podcast

Mother Ordered to Pay 30 Million Yen in Abuse Damages Causing Mental Disorders [Podcast Episode]

A lawsuit in which a 36-year-old man from Kanagawa Prefecture sought damages from his mother, claiming that abuse he suffered as a child caused him to develop mental disorders that left him unable to work, resulted in the Yokohama District Court recognizing the causal link between the abuse and his inability to maintain employment and ordering the mother to pay approximately ¥35.45 million in compensation, it was learned on the 16th. The ruling was dated January 27th.