Category: Podcast

Barrier Free Disability Japan Podcast Shog.A.I. Shimbun

The Shog-A.I. Shimbun Podcast #34: Escalator Death and Injury Incident Statistics in Japan

“[A]ccording to a survey conducted by the Consumer Affairs Agency and others, fatal accidents involving escalators were recorded at least seven times from June 2004 through March 2024.The Japan Elevator Association reported the number of accidents involving escalators was 1,550 during the two years from 2018 to 2019, which is two times higher than the number 15 years ago.”

Care Children Disability Forced Sterilization Japan Podcast Shog.A.I. Shimbun

The Shog-A.I. Shimbun Podcast #32: Japan Government to “allow” Disabled Parents to Live with Their Children

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has announced that it will allow disabled people to live with their children until they find a new home, in addition to its previous policy of “not expecting” disabled people to raise their children in group homes (GHs). The ministry has notified local governments nationwide in relation to the issue of disabled people undergoing sterilization procedures at GHs in Hokkaido.

Care Children Japan Podcast Shog.A.I. Shimbun

The Shog-A.I. Shimbun Podcast #31: Japan Amends Law to Give National Support to Young Caregivers

Japan’s parliament enacted on Wednesday an amended law stipulating government assistance for young people who provide daily care for family members. The revised law to promote support for child-nurturing and youth development was approved by a majority vote of the ruling bloc at a plenary meeting of the House of Councillors, the upper parliamentary chamber.

Care Crime Disability Forced Sterilization Japan Podcast Shog.A.I. Shimbun

The Shog-A.I. Shimbun Podcast #30: Suspicious Death of Disabled Man After Dental Surgery and a Film about Forced Sterilization

The film, “Chinmoku no 50-Nen” (50 years of silence), depicts the lives of Takaji Kobayashi, 92, a hearing-impaired man from Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture, and his wife. The film uses interviews and dramatic reenactments to depict the suffering of people who were deprived of the right to bear and raise children.

According to the police, at around 2:00 p.m. on the 27th of this month, a 69-year-old man with intellectual disabilities who was staying at the Andante Kashima facility for the disabled in Yodogawa Ward, Osaka, lost consciousness while undergoing treatment for a cavity. The man was taken to the hospital, but died about an hour later.

Police investigation revealed that the cause of death was acute respiratory failure due to pressure on the chest and abdomen.

Disability Forced Sterilization Japan Podcast

As Japan’s Supreme Court Hears Appeal Over Forced Sterilization, the Victims Speak

The Japanese Supreme Court’s Grand Bench held an appeal hearing Wednesday on five damages lawsuits filed against the government over forced sterilization under the now-defunct eugenic protection law, in which victims sought a decision giving them relief.

“Please write a judgment that gives relief to the lives of the victims,” an 81-year-old male plaintiff from Tokyo using the pseudonym Saburo Kita, who was forced to undergo sterilization at the age of 14, said at the hearing.

Barrier Free Disability Japan Kobe World Para Athletics Championships Podcast Shog.A.I. Shimbun

The Shog-A.I. Shimbun Podcast #29: Kobe Para Sports, Journalism in Japan & ‘Wheelchair-bound’ versus ‘Wheelchair User’

“But another Kobe resident in her 50s said that the city was “divided in some parts,” while also lamenting that attendance could have been better. She came to see the tournament with her husband and daughter, who has cerebral palsy and is wheelchair-bound.”

Some people with disabilities who use wheelchairs find ‘wheelchair-bound’ to be offensive and prefer the term ‘wheelchair user’. Barrier Free Japan sometimes gets comments and posts on social media about this issue.