Category: Shog.A.I. Shimbun

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 11, 2024 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Podcast Shog.A.I. Shimbun

The Shog-A.I. Shimbun #18: Disabled Author Hirotada Ototake to Run in Lower House Tokyo By-Election

Author of ‘No One’s Perfect’, Hirotada Ototake said on Monday April 8th that he will run as an independent in the April 28 House of Representatives by-election in the Tokyo No. 15 constituency with the backing of Tomin First no Kai or ‘Tokyoites First Party’, a political organization closely linked to Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike that he serves as deputy leader. Ototake said that as one who has congenital tetra-amelia syndrome, he wants to “help people in need through the power of politics.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 7, 2024 Number of comments0
COVID-19 Disability Elderly Japan Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. Podcast Shog.A.I. Shimbun

The Shog-A.I. Shimbun #17: Prejudice Against Ex-Leprosy Patients in Japan & Other New Fiscal Year News

A disability news-related digest from the first few days of April 2024 in Japan, the beginning of the fiscal year. Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. says that water leaked “into ‘beni-koji’ production tank in past.” Japan’s Health Ministry conducted a poll that revealed 35% of people are prejudiced against ex-leprosy patients and 2024 brings changes regarding policies about health and for people with disabilities in Japan.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 4, 2024 Number of comments0
Health Japan Podcast Shog.A.I. Shimbun

The Shog-A.I. Shimbun #16: Japan Saw Record Ambulance Dispatches in 2023

There were 7,637,967 ambulance dispatches in Japan in 2023, the highest figure since comparable data became available in 1963, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said in a preliminary report. From the previous year, ambulance dispatches increased 5.6 pct. The agency also said a record 6,639,959 people, up 6.8 pct, were transported by ambulance.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 1, 2024 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Japan Podcast Shog.A.I. Shimbun

The Shog-A.I. Shimbun #15: Japan raises legally required ratio of employees with disabilities to 2.5% in private sector

The Japanese government has raised the legally required ratio of employees with disabilities in the private sector to 2.5 percent or higher starting on April 1. The labor and welfare ministry says the number of people with disabilities working at private firms has been on an upward trend. It estimates the figure to be more than 1.1 million as of June 2023.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt March 31, 2024 Number of comments0
Children Day Care Service Disability Japan Kumamoto Podcast Shog.A.I. Shimbun

The Shog-A.I. Shimbun #14: Kumamoto Day Care Service for Children with Disabilities Sanctioned for Falsifying Care Plans

An office that provides after-school day care services for children with disabilities has been subject to administrative sanctions for falsifying support plans for the children. According to Kumamoto City, ‘Banana Land’ had falsified dates and other information about the support plan, using the parent’s seal or stamp without permission.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt March 28, 2024 Number of comments0
Health Japan Podcast Shog.A.I. Shimbun

Disability News Japan Podcast: The Shog-A.I. Shimbun #13: Two Consumers of Kobayashi ‘beni koji’ Health Supplement Die

Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. said Friday 22nd March it will voluntarily recall some 300,000 packs of five supplement products in Japan after reports of health damage suffered by users.

Two people who used the ‘beni koji’ health supplement have died, one of died of a kidney disease.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt March 27, 2024 Number of comments0
Disability Elderly Japan Podcast QR Code Shog.A.I. Shimbun Technology

Disability News Japan Podcast: The Shog-A.I. Shimbun #12: You’ll be Elderly in Japan, Use QR Codes and You’ll be Happy

In a country notorious for its reliance on cash, municipalities across Japan have been staging electronic payment uptake drives to stimulate digitalized consumption by granting shopping points for transactions using QR codes.

Some remain reluctant, especially elderly people and others who find digital devices difficult to operate, and who continue to view cash as the be-all and end-all for making purchases.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt March 26, 2024 1
Barrier Free Japan NHK Podcast Shog.A.I. Shimbun

Sho Kawai, Japanese Philosopher with Cerebral Palsy to Ask ‘Questions, Questions’ on New NHK Program

Japan’s NHK has produced a new program that explores “questions” through dialogue with a wide variety of people, including doctors who understand the language of birds, philosophers, businessmen, people with drug addictions and intellectual disabilities, and designers! How would you answer?

鳥の言葉がわかる博士、哲学者、ビジネスマン、薬物依存症や知的障害のある人、デザイナーなど…多様な人たちとの対話で「問い」を探求する新番組！あなたならどう答える？

by Michael Gillan Peckitt March 24, 2024 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Disability Entertainment Japan Podcast Shog.A.I. Shimbun Wheelchair

Disability News Japan Podcast: The Shog-A.I. Shimbun #10: Aeon Cinema Chain Apologizes Over Access Debacle

The day after Ryoko Nakajima made the post, Aeon Entertainment, which operates the cinema chain, issued an apology:

“It has come to our attention that an Aeon Entertainment employee made an inappropriate comment to a customer while assisting the customer to move to another location after the customer had finished watching a movie. We regret the incident and believe that it was caused by a lack of guidance to our employees.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt March 23, 2024 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Disability Entertainment Podcast Shog.A.I. Shimbun Wheelchair

Disability News Japan Podcast: The Shog-A.I. Shimbun #9: Social Media Responds to Wheelchair User’s Post about Cinema Access

The incident took place at an Aeon cinema in Tokyo, which is regularly used by Ryoko Nakajima, a wheelchair-using woman. TBS reported that: “The woman watched the movie not from the wheelchair-only space, but from a reclining seat with four steps.” When Ryoko Nakajima posted about this incident on social media, in which she said she would be refused admission to the cinema next time, it went viral. People on social media, or Social Network System (SNS) had a variety of opinions, here are some examples with the ‘poster’s’ name removed.