Latest Posts

Barrier Free Disability Japan Media NHK

NHK’s Disability TV Show “Baribara” to End in March after 15 years on Air [Podcast Episode]

On January 7th, it was announced on the official website that NHK Educational TV’s barrier-free variety show “Baribara” (broadcast on Thursdays 8pm) will end in March.
The production team of the show announced, “Baribara, which has been broadcast with the aim of eliminating ‘barriers’ for ‘all minorities who have difficulty living’, will end in March this year.”

Children Crime Japan

Arrested man faces murder charge over Japan McDonald’s stabbings

A 43-year-old man arrested over the stabbing of a boy at a McDonald’s restaurant in southwestern Japan last month was newly charged on Thursday 9th January with the murder of a 15-year-old girl who was also a victim of the attack, police said. The arrested man told the police he targeted the pair for a specific reason, and the attacks were not random, adding that the victims are “not at fault.”

2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake Care Disability Earthquake Elderly Japan

Ishikawa Prefecture Investigates Deaths of Elderly from “indirect causes” One Year After Noto Earthquake [Podcast Episode]

Concerns have been raised about the deaths of elderly people who died of “indirect causes” after they were evacuated, dying at care facilities. Jiji Press reported that as of Wednesday 25th December 2024 that “22 of 176 elderly evacuees from Ishikawa had died at elderly care facilities or elsewhere in Toyama, according to the Toyama Prefectural Government. In Aichi, 16 of 68 such evacuees died at care facilities or hospitals.

developmental disabilities Education Japan

Number of children and students with developmental disabilities in Nagano Prefecture reaches record high of over 10,700

Among the children and students attending public elementary and junior high schools in Nagano prefecture, there are over 10,700 children with developmental disabilities, the highest number since statistics began being collected in 2003. The Prefectural Board of Education intends to improve support to meet the needs of each individual. In September of last year, the Prefectural Board of Education conducted a survey of public elementary and junior high schools regarding children and students with developmental disabilities. According to the survey, the total number of children with developmental disabilities was 10,786, including 6,789 elementary school students and 3,997 junior high school students, the highest number since statistics began being collected in 2003.

2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake Disability Disasters Earthquake Elderly Japan

Ishikawa Prefecture Investigates Deaths of Elderly from “indirect causes” One Year After Noto Earthquake

Concerns have been raised about the deaths of elderly people who died of “indirect causes” after they were evacuated, dying at care facilities. Jiji Press reported that as of Wednesday 25th December 2024 that “22 of 176 elderly evacuees from Ishikawa had died at elderly care facilities or elsewhere in Toyama, according to the Toyama Prefectural Government. In Aichi, 16 of 68 such evacuees died at care facilities or hospitals.”

Barrier Free Disability Employment Japan Railway Company

As Employment of Disabled Reaches Record High in Japan, JR Subsidiary Seeks to Ensure Disabled have Contact with Customers

As JR East promoted the employment of people with disabilities, they realized that many workplaces had no contact with the outside world. So, starting in the summer of 2023, JR East decided to have people with disabilities serve customers in a food truck. In December 2024, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare’s Tokyo Labor Bureau released the results of a survey on the employment status of people with disabilities. The number of people with disabilities employed by private companies reached a record high of 251,901 (a 5.3% increase from the previous year). Meanwhile, 17,369 companies in Tokyo have not met the legal employment rate, and of these, 9,785 companies do not employ any people with disabilities.