Category: Podcast

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 23, 2024 Number of comments0
Disability Eugenics Forced Sterilization Japan Podcast

Japanese Government Presents Draft Agreement for Lawsuits Over Forced Sterilization [Podcast Episode]

In lawsuits still ongoing across the country over people who were forced to undergo sterilization under the old Eugenic Protection Law, the government has presented the defense team with a basic settlement proposal that includes paying 15 million yen in compensation to each plaintiff. The government and the defense team are making final adjustments and are expected to reach a formal basic agreement soon.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 16, 2024 Number of comments0
Disability Employment Japan Podcast Shog.A.I. Shimbun Welfare

The Shog-A.I. Shimbun Podcast #52: ‘Unprecedented’ 5,000 People with Disabilities Quit or Fired from Workplaces in Japan

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.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 13, 2024 Number of comments0
Deaf Disability Disasters Earthquake Hearing Impaired Japan Podcast Typhoon

[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.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 10, 2024 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Podcast Sexual abuse Shog.A.I. Shimbun

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.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 5, 2024 Number of comments0
Disability Forced Sterilization Japan Podcast Shog.A.I. Shimbun

The Shog-A.I. Shimbun Podcast #50: 1st Plaintiff, Sumiko Nishi, Reaches Settlement in Forced Sterilization Lawsuits in Japan

The settlement in the suit filed by Sumiko Nishi, 77, of Hino, Tokyo, was finalized in Tokyo District Court. Nishi, who has cerebral palsy, was subjected to sterilization without consent at around 14 years old. Nishi’s legal team says the government agreed to pay more than 16 million yen, or about 106,000 dollars, for the compensation, legal fees and other costs. She filed a lawsuit against the government in September 2022 for damages of 30 million yen, citing severe mental anguish from the surgery.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 1, 2024 Number of comments0
Disability Eugenics Forced Sterilization Headquarters for the Promotion of Measures toward the Realization of a Coexisting Society Free from Prejudice and Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities Japan Podcast

The Shog-A.I. Shimbun Podcast #49: Japan’s PM Kishida Vows to “eradicate prejudice and discrimination against people with disabilities”

On July 29th, Prime Minister Kishida held the first meeting of the Headquarters for the Promotion of Measures toward the Realization of a Coexisting Society Free from Prejudice and Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities at the Prime Minister’s Official Residence.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt July 29, 2024 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Podcast Sagamihara Shog.A.I. Shimbun

The Shog-A.I. Shimbun Podcast #48: Despite Sympathy for People with Disabilities ‘Post-Sagamihara’, Group Homes for Disabled Often Opposed

In response to the ‘Sagamihara Stabbings’, Kanagawa Prefecture has set a goal of “realizing a society where we can live together,” placing emphasis on a shift away from welfare policies that require people with disabilities to spend their entire lives in facilities, and promoting a shift to community living. However, in reality, there are many cases where attempts to open group homes (GHs) have been met with opposition from residents and forced to abandon plans.

“We won’t let them do it unless everyone agrees.” At an information session for a GH for people with disabilities scheduled to open in Kanazawa Ward, Yokohama, residents repeatedly voiced their opposition.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt July 26, 2024 1
Assisted Living Disability Group Homes (GH) Japan Podcast Sagamihara

Eight Years Pass Since ‘Sagamihara Stabbings’ at Care Home for People with Disabilities in Japan, Group Homes for Disabled Still Often Opposed

In the early hours of July 26, 2016, a former employee of the Tsukui Yamayuri-en care home in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, broke in and killed 19 residents between the ages of 19 and 70 with a knife, injuring 26 others. In response to the incident, Kanagawa Prefecture has set a goal of “realizing a society where we can live together,” placing emphasis on a shift away from welfare policies that require people with disabilities to spend their entire lives in facilities, and promoting a shift to community living. However, in reality, there are many cases where attempts to open group homes (GHs) have been met with opposition from residents and forced to abandon plans.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt July 25, 2024 Number of comments0
Disability Eugenics Forced Sterilization Japan Podcast Shog.A.I. Shimbun

The Shog-A.I. Shimbun Podcast #46: Japan Government to Establish Cabinet Council to Eradicate Discrimination Against People with Disabilities

Following the Supreme Court ruling that the former Eugenic Protection Law, which forced sterilization on the grounds of disability, was unconstitutional, the government has decided to create a new council with all cabinet members as members to eradicate discrimination against people with disabilities.