Welfare – Page 11 – Barrier Free Japan

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 6, 2025 0

Bear attacks woman outside home for people with disabilities in Akita [Podcast Episode]

A woman was sent to hospital unconscious after an apparent bear attack outside a facility for people with disabilities, police said on Friday. More and more wild bears have been spotted in residential areas in Japan in recent years, resulting in a rising number of attacks and deaths. “A 73-year-old woman was found lying down with head injuries at the facility entrance on Thursday night,” a local police spokesman in Akita Prefecture said. Emergency doctors told police they believed it was a bear attack based on the injuries the woman suffered, the spokesman said.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 5, 2025 1

Care Disability Elderly Japan Welfare

Japan to Launch Public Support System for Elderly Living Alone; Hospitalization, Nursing Homes, Funeral Arrangements Covered

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry is considering creating a new framework to support elderly people who live alone and have no relatives they can depend on. The framework would cover hospital admission, entry into nursing homes and post-mortem procedures such as funerals. The ministry aims to launch the program in fiscal 2027 with an eye toward revising the Social Welfare Law next year.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 5, 2025 2

Animals Disability Japan Welfare

Bear attacks woman outside disabled home in Akita

A woman was sent to hospital unconscious after an apparent bear attack outside a facility for people with disabilities, police said on Friday.
More and more wild bears have been spotted in residential areas in Japan in recent years, resulting in a rising number of attacks and deaths. “A 73-year-old woman was found lying down with head injuries at the facility entrance on Thursday night,” a local police spokesman in Akita Prefecture said. Emergency doctors told police they believed it was a bear attack based on the injuries the woman suffered, the spokesman said.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 4, 2025 0

Disability Elderly Health Japan Welfare

Help Mark: Symbol’s Use is a Step toward Building a Supportive Society [The Japan News Editorial]

In a survey conducted by the Cabinet Office, half of the respondents said they knew about the ‘Help Mark’. However, this percentage shrank as respondents’ age increased, with only 30% of people age 70 or older recognizing it. These days, defamatory content on social media has become a societal problem. There is no end to cases of people participating in fraud and robbery that target senior citizens, as if they were doing ordinary part-time jobs. It is regrettable if there is a growing lack of consideration for others.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt July 14, 2025 0

Disability Japan Podcast Welfare

The Japan Federation of Bar Associations Calls for Review of Disability Certification Standards [Podcast Episode]

In a statement, the Japan Federation of Bar Associations pointed out that “one of the fundamental factors behind the occurrence of what is suspected to be arbitrary non-payment of benefits this time is the disability certification standards based on a medical model and far removed from the actual living conditions of people with disabilities.” They called for “immediate improvement to the current situation in which the rights of those who are entitled to benefits are unfairly violated.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt July 12, 2025 1

Disability Japan Welfare

“Standards far removed from the real life of people with disabilities”: Japan’s Lawyers Call for Review of Disability Certification Standards

In a statement, the Japan Federation of Bar Associations pointed out that “one of the fundamental factors behind the occurrence of what is suspected to be arbitrary non-payment of benefits this time is the disability certification standards based on a medical model and far removed from the actual living conditions of people with disabilities.” They called for “immediate improvement to the current situation in which the rights of those who are entitled to benefits are unfairly violated.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt July 8, 2025 0

Disability Health Immigration Japan Welfare

Foreigners May Have to Pay Lump Sum for Health Insurance in Some Parts of Japan

Foreign residents may soon have to pay their national health insurance premiums up front in some areas, according to a plan by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry. The move is meant to keep foreign residents from dodging medical fees. As of the end of 2024, foreigners were only paying their insurance premiums 63% of the time, well below the 93% figure for all residents of Japan, both Japanese and foreign nationals, according to a survey by the ministry of 150 municipalities.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt July 7, 2025 0

Children Japan Welfare

80 Percent of Struggling Families in Tougher Situation

Around 80 percent of struggling families with children in Japan said that their household finances are much worse than last year, a survey by nonprofit group Kidsdoor has shown. The survey was conducted online from late May to early June, covering 3,227 households including single-parent families and others registered for a Kidsdoor aid project. Valid responses came from 2,033 households, or 63 percent.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 28, 2025 0

Japan Welfare

Japan Top Court Finds Welfare Benefit Cuts Unlawful

Japan’s Supreme Court ruled Friday that the government’s cuts to welfare benefits in 2013-2015 were unlawful, marking a significant victory for welfare recipients about a decade after lawsuits were filed over the matter. Ruling on appeals against decisions by Osaka and Nagoya high courts, the top court’s Third Petty Bench, presided over by Justice Katsuya Uga, revoked the welfare cuts but dismissed plaintiffs’ damages claims. 

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 25, 2025 0

Disability Japan Podcast Welfare

Learning “Jiritsu”: Izumisano Welfare Association in Osaka Runs Program for People with Disabilities and Their Parents About Independence [Podcast Episode]

The Izumisano Welfare Association, a social welfare corporation operating 28 disability welfare facilities in Osaka Prefecture (chaired by Hirofumi Muroi), has created a program titled “Parent-Child Mirai Work: A Guide to Everyone’s Path to Jiritsu (Independence) from a Lifewide Learning Perspective”, which helps both young people with disabilities and their parents learn about “jiritsu” (independence). The word “jiritsu” is written in hiragana to avoid making the concept seem overly complicated. The program summarizes the results of a two-year project supported by the Nippon Foundation.