Category: Wheelchair

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 27, 2025 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Disability Japan Travel Wheelchair

From October 1, JR East to Begin Crew-Assisted Ramp Service on the Jōetsu, Shin’etsu, and Agatsuma Lines

Crew-assisted ramp services have been in place since 2022 at certain stations operated by JR Kyushu, JR East, JR Central, JR West, and JR Shikoku. Within JR East, they are already available at selected stations on the Ōme Line, Sōbu Main Line, Narita Line, Sotobō Line, Uchibō Line, Kururi Line, Sagami Line, Ryōmō Line, and Echigo Line. DPI Japan encourages wheelchair users living along these lines to try the service and share your feedback.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 26, 2025 Number of comments0
Elderly Mobility Travel Wheelchair

Daihatsu Launches New Electric Wheelchair for Elderly People

Daihatsu Motor Co. put a new electric wheelchair for the elderly on sale on Monday.

The e-Sneaker has already been used on a trial basis at the ongoing World Exposition in the western Japan city of Osaka. The wheelchair runs at a maximum speed of 6 kilometers per hour and travels 12 kilometers on a single charge. No driver’s license is required to operate the vehicle.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 9, 2025 Number of comments0
Mobility Osaka Kansai Expo 2025 Wheelchair

Futuristic Mobility Scooter for Elderly Demonstrated at Osaka Expo; Automated Operation Eyed

An electric mobility scooter was demonstrated at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo in Osaka on Tuesday 29th July. The Waku Mobi is about 1.7 meters long and about 60 centimeters wide and has a top speed of 20 kph. Reporters were shown the vehicle being remotely controlled in a designated outdoor space at the Expo. It moved slowly for about 50 meters, then navigated an uneven surface and made a smooth turn using its automated control function. The demonstration was part of an exhibition themed on a future in which robots and humans coexist. The vehicle was developed by glafit inc., a startup based in Wakayama.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt July 13, 2025 Number of comments0
Japan Sports Sumo Wheelchair

Sumo wrestler-sized wheelchair deployed ahead of Nagoya tournament

With the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament set to open Sunday, a medical center near the competition venue has taken possession of a heavy-duty wheelchair built to transport the sport’s heftiest wrestlers. The chair, designed to accommodate patients weighing up to 300 kilograms, was presented Friday to the medical center affiliated with Nagoya City University Medical School. The facility is located a short distance from the newly built IG Arena, where the 15-day tournament will run through July 27. It will also be on hand for use at next year’s Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and Asian Para Games.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 7, 2025 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Disability Japan Mobility Technology Wheelchair

Japan startup to sell stair-climbing electric wheelchair in 2026

A Japanese startup will introduce an all-terrain electric wheelchair in 2026 that allows users to climb and descend stairs, and board trains and buses without assistance, with plans to develop a model that can navigate escalators. The wheelchair developed by Lifehub Inc., which normally drives on four wheels on flat surfaces, has caterpillar tracks to negotiate stairs, slopes and uneven ground.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt November 10, 2024 1
Barrier Free Disability Japan Kyoto Wheelchair

(Update) JR Kyoto’s Seemingly Permanently ‘Out of Order’ ‘Accessible Toilet’ – There is Hope!

Back in December 2023, Barrier Free Japan wrote about they often leave Kyoto by JR Kyoto Station and noted that one of JR Kyoto Station’s ‘accessible toilets’ had been ‘out of order’ or ‘unavailable for use’ for weeks. Barrier Free Japan reported on October 31st 2024 that almost over one year later, it remained ‘out of order’. On Friday 8th November 2024, Barrier Free Japan observed an ‘accessible toilet’ which was ‘un-taped off!’

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 28, 2024 Number of comments0
2024 Paris Summer Paralympics Disability Japan Para Sports Paralympics Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games Wheelchair

Gold-winning Paris Paralympian Tennis Player Tokito Oda Triumphs in First Match Since Games

18-year-old Tokito Oda, who won the gold medal in the men’s singles at the Paris Paralympics, showed his skills by winning his first match after the Games in Tokyo in straight sets 2-0. Oda won a gold medal in men’s singles and a silver medal in men’s doubles at his first Paralympic Games in Paris. Oda, ranked No. 1 in the world, played his first match after the Paralympics in the first round of the men’s wheelchair singles tournament held in Koto-ku, Tokyo, against a Chinese player ranked No. 55 in the world.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 14, 2024 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Japan Wheelchair

Suitcases and Wheelchairs in Japan: Together in Electric Dreams?

In March 2024, a Chinese student in Fukushima Ward in Osaka City was stopped by the police for using an ‘electric suitcase’ on the sidewalk. Since the woman’s suitcase could reach a maximum speed of 13 kph, the police classified the luggage as a motorized bicycle after noting that it has all the traits of a vehicle, therefore using such an ‘electric suitcase’ would be a potential violation of the Road Traffic Law and the Prefectural police referred the woman to prosecutors on suspicion of violating that law. This is the first time such a case has been sent to the prosecutors. However, if ‘electric suitcases’ “do not meet public safety standards” perhaps electric wheelchairs do not either, and denying electric wheelchairs on the sidewalk would deny many elderly and people with disabilities access to the world outside their home.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 15, 2024 1
Disability Japan Travel Wheelchair

Electric Wheelchair User Denied Boarding on Japan LCC ‘Peach’ Due to ‘Visible Battery’ Problem

On April 5th, a Taiwanese national with a physical disability attempted to board a Taiwan-bound flight of low-cost carrier (LCC) Peach Aviation (headquartered in Osaka Prefecture) at Naha Airport in Okinawa, but was denied boarding because the battery in their electric wheelchair was not visible from the outside. They complained that this was a discriminatory response, as airlines differ in their response to the issue of visual confirmation of batteries.