Category: Podcast

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 16, 2026 Number of comments0
Abuse Care Hokkaido Japan Podcast

Ex-care worker gets suspended sentence for assaulting residents at Hokkaido facility [Podcast Episode]

A former 31-year-old employee of a disability support facility in Kushiro, Hokkaido, was sentenced to one year and two months in prison, suspended for three years, after being convicted of assaulting residents at the facility. The court said Abe’s actions were “vile and malicious” and had undermined trust in care workers, but noted that he had expressed an intention to apologize and was showing remorse.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 9, 2026 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Podcast Sex

A Care Worker’s Mission to Address Sexuality and Disability in Japan [Podcast Episode]

Hana, a woman in her 30s who provides home-visit care to people with disabilities (@kgw206012793791), has another side to her work. She is also the owner of ‘Love Suketto’, a dispatch-style adult service exclusively for people with disabilities. After witnessing the deeply impersonal way sexual needs were addressed for some people with severe disabilities, care worker Hana became determined to challenge the stigma surrounding disability and sexuality. In 2021, after gaining firsthand experience in Japan’s adult-services industry, she launched a mobile service specifically for people with disabilities. Her story offers a rare look at the practical, emotional and social barriers faced by disabled people seeking intimacy, while also raising difficult questions about dignity, choice, consent and access to sexual services.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 7, 2026 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Podcast Infectious Diseases Influenza

A podcast of early flu seasons and weak typhoons [Podcast Episode]

Japan has entered the influenza season, the health ministry said on Friday 28th August, marking the second earliest start since 1999, when the infectious disease control law went into force. In the week to Sunday, the number of flu patients reported by some 3,000 designated medical institutions across the country stood at 1.11 per institution. A reading of 1 or higher suggests that flu season has begun. The earliest start of flu season was recorded in 2009, about a week earlier than the ongoing season, excluding 2023, when the outbreak continued yearlong.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 4, 2026 Number of comments0
Disability Disasters Earthquake Elderly Japan Podcast

Support Center Launched to Help People with Disabilities Affected by the Kumamoto Earthquake Unable to Speak Up [Podcast Episode]

In the aftermath of the Kumamoto Earthquake, a new support center is working to reach people with disabilities who have been left without assistance and are unable to speak up for themselves. With many still isolated in their homes and surrounded by the destruction, local and national support organizations are joining forces to identify those in need and deliver help where government support has yet to reach.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 2, 2026 Number of comments0
Disability Employment Japan Podcast

“Disability Employment Businesses” in Japan to Face Regulation Following Inappropriate Practices; Health Ministry to Require Registration [Podcast Episode]

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced on August 31st that it plans to introduce regulations, including mandatory notification requirements, for businesses that provide workplaces for people with disabilities to be employed by companies. The move comes after reports of inappropriate practices, including businesses effectively leaving the management of disabled employees entirely to outside operator.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 31, 2026 Number of comments0
Blind Disability Discrimination Human Rights Japan Podcast

Japan’s Supreme Court refuses damages to visually impaired couple over police entry [Podcast Episode]

The Supreme Court’s Third Petty Bench, presided over by Justice Masami Okino, has rejected an appeal by a visually impaired couple who sued Kanagawa Prefecture for damages, arguing that police officers who responded to an emergency call unlawfully entered their home without their consent. The decision was dated the 26th. The ruling by the Tokyo High Court, which had rejected the couple’s claim, is now final. The High Court found that the couple had consented to the officers entering their home and overturned a March 2024 ruling by the Yokohama District Court, which had ordered the prefecture to pay the couple ¥275,000 in damages.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 28, 2026 Number of comments0
Disability Disasters Earthquake Elderly Japan Kumamoto Podcast

People with Disabilities Face Challenges after Kumamoto Quake [Podcast Episode]

Evacuee life poses various challenges for those with disabilities, the elderly and other vulnerable people following last month’s massive earthquake that struck the southwestern Japan prefecture of Kumamoto. Keisuke Wakiyama, a 49-year-old evacuee with hearing loss living at an evacuation center in the city of Kumamoto, said he initially went without food because he was unaware that disaster relief goods were being handed out.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 26, 2026 Number of comments0
Disability Discrimination Employment Japan Podcast

76% Don’t Disclose Disabilities or Diagnoses During Job Hunting, Nippon Foundation Survey Finds [Podcast Episode]

A Nippon Foundation survey found on August 23rd that 76.5% of people diagnosed with developmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or with mental illnesses, said they had never disclosed their diagnosis during their job search. The main reason was concern that doing so would put them at a disadvantage, such as being rejected for a job. The survey targeted people who did not have a disability certificate and had sought employment through standard recruitment channels.