Sao Ichikawa, the winner of the Akutagawa Prize, is a 43-year-old resident of Kanagawa Prefecture.
She was diagnosed with congenital myopathy, a muscle disease, one of the most intractable diseases, when she was 10 years old, began using a ventilator at the age of 14, uses an electric wheelchair for transportation, and writes using a tablet device.
The woman’s face was lifeless and she had brown bruises. She got up from her wheelchair and tried to step forward, but collapsed to her knees after two or three steps.
In the last week a lot of stories have been reported that concerns people with disabilities in Japan.
By Barrier Free Japan June 23 2023 JAPAN – The audio in this podcast is a short extract from ‘TheContinue Reading
At a public debate held on June 3rd regarding barrier-free measures when restoring the wooden castle tower of Nagoya Castle, some participants said that an elevator that can go up to the top floor, which groups for the disabled and others are calling for, is unnecessary. Some were claiming that this was a discriminatory remark that made fun of people with disabilities.
On May 17th the magazine ‘Newsweek Japan’ commented on the Hiroshima Mazda disability TikTok Video’ controversy saying it served as a reminder of how far Japanese corporate society is separated from global standards.
A spokesperson for Hiroshima Mazda said, “We recognize that the thoroughness of our employee training up to now has not been sufficient. Although we did not intend to do so, we have made thorough efforts to understand how the other side will perceive us, both when we joined the company and during subsequent training. I think we have to go forward,” he said.
A Korean disability rights advocacy group on Thursday 20th April staged a surprise “subway-riding” protest at one of Seoul’s busiest subway stations to mark the 43rd Day of Persons with Disabilities, causing train delays for about 15 minutes.
A female staff member of the Japan Ski Federation for the Disabled (JSFD), in her 20s has told Nippon TV that she was sexually assaulted by the head coach of the Japan Ski Federation for the Disabled in January of this year, specifically that she was raped by the Italian head coach during a trip to the World Championships in Spain.
Before he died, Mark was working on a new project; a charity that would help organisations such as governments & businesses include people with disabilities. The charity is called ‘GLIDE’ or ‘Global Leaders in International Disability Education’.
Barrier Free Japan