Category: Welfare

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 30, 2026 1
Disability Employment Japan Welfare

Japan expands disability employment support amid impartiality concerns

A new welfare service designed to help disabled people find jobs suited to their abilities is spreading across Japan, but concerns remain that providers may steer users toward affiliated workplaces rather than make impartial recommendations. While supporters say the program can help people find more suitable career paths, critics warn that operators involved in assessing users may have a financial incentive to direct them to their own facilities.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 24, 2026 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Mental Health Welfare

Japan’s Health Ministry Proposes One-Year Grace Period for People with Mental Disabilities Even if Disability Certificate Is Not Renewed

At a meeting of the Labour Policy Council on the 22nd, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare indicated that it plans to allow workers with mental disabilities to continue being counted toward a company’s disability employment quota for about one year even if their Mental Disability Health and Welfare Handbook (certificate) is not renewed. The measure is intended to prevent situations in which companies suddenly become unable to meet the legally mandated employment rate because an employee forgot to complete the renewal procedure or chose not to renew the certificate due to an improvement in their condition. On the other hand, disability advocates have raised concerns that the measure could reduce new employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 19, 2026 Number of comments0
Children Crime Disability Japan Podcast Welfare

Former Employee of Facility for Disabled Re-arrested for Fourth Time Over Sexual Assault of 9-Year-Old Girl [Podcast Episode]

Goto is suspected of sexually assaulting a girl who attended the facility (then aged 9) in February of the year before last at a restroom in a shopping mall in Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture, knowing that she was under the age of 13. He is also suspected of filming the assault. Goto had previously been arrested and indicted for allegedly committing indecent acts against a five-year-old girl who also attended the same disability support facility and filming those acts. This latest case marks his fourth arrest.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 18, 2026 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Welfare

Japan Bar Association Group Calls Out Failure to Explain Disability Service Denial

The Japan Federation of Bar Associations said via a press release on June 16th that Tachikawa City’s failure to provide written reasons when partially denying disability welfare services to a woman violated Article 8 of the Administrative Procedure Act and risked infringing her right to fair administrative procedures derived from the principles embodied in Article 31 of the Constitution.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 17, 2026 Number of comments0
Crime Disability Japan Podcast Welfare

Yao City Hall Employee Stopped by Station Staff at Ticket Gate; Forged Disability Certificate Found in Bag [Podcast Episode]

On the 12th, the city of Yao, Osaka Prefecture, announced that it had imposed a six-month suspension as a disciplinary measure on a 60-year-old assistant section chief in the Environmental Department for attempting to ride the railway without paying the proper fare and for forging a physical disability certificate. The employee reportedly submitted his resignation on the same day, which was accepted.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 15, 2026 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Kumamoto Podcast Welfare

Kumamoto City Investigates Disability Allowance Re-certification Procedures After “bedridden” Resident Had Welfare Payments Stopped [Podcast Episode]

According to the Kumamoto Ombudsman, the recipient was bedridden and unable to visit a medical institution for an examination, yet the city suspended the allowance on the grounds that the required medical certificate had not been submitted. The Ombudsman pointed out that the recipient’s relatives had consulted the city about alternative means of completing the procedure, but the city had not accepted those requests.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 14, 2026 Number of comments0
Disability Group Homes (GH) Japan Welfare

Japan’s Welfare Ministry to Introduce New Qualification Requirements for Disability Group Home Managers

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has announced its intention to introduce new qualification requirements for managers of disability group homes and to make training mandatory for staff members. The proposal was presented on the 5th at a meeting of the Social Security Council’s Subcommittee on Persons with Disabilities (chaired by Professor Kohei Komamura of Keio University). The move aims to improve the quality of services in response to a growing number of cases in recent years involving inappropriate practices by operators that prioritize profit over proper care.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 13, 2026 Number of comments0
Disability Intellectual disabilities Japan Welfare

Fukuoka City Considers Expanding Disposable Diaper Subsidies for People with Severe Disabilities, Keeping Intellectual Disabilities in Mind

According to the city’s Welfare Division for the Disabled Living at Home, the city’s Daily Life Equipment Benefit Project—which supports individuals with disabilities—currently provides a monthly subsidy of 12,000 yen for disposable diapers. This benefit is restricted to specific groups, such as individuals unable to use a stoma (artificial anus/bladder) or those with severe physical disabilities resulting from cerebral palsy developed before roughly 3 years of age. Conversely, individuals with severe intellectual disabilities, or those who acquired severe physical disabilities later in life due to traffic accidents or other causes, are currently excluded from the subsidy.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 11, 2026 1
Barrier Free Disability Japan Kumamoto Welfare

Kumamoto City Investigates Disability Allowance Re-certification Procedures After “bedridden” Resident Had Welfare Payments Stopped

According to the Kumamoto Ombudsman, the recipient was bedridden and unable to visit a medical institution for an examination, yet the city suspended the allowance on the grounds that the required medical certificate had not been submitted. The Ombudsman pointed out that the recipient’s relatives had consulted the city about alternative means of completing the procedure, but the city had not accepted those requests.