Latest Posts

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 22, 2025 Number of comments0
Autism Crime Japan Podcast

Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty for Autistic Defendant over Fatal Crossbow Attack in Japan [Podcast Episode]

Japanese public prosecutors on Wednesday 15th October sought the death penalty for Hideaki Nozu, who has been charged with killing three members of his family with a crossbow at his home in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, in June 2020.The prosecution said that Nozu’s autism spectrum disorder did not significantly affect his motivation and that his acts were planned. The defendant maintained the capacity to control his actions and was fully competent, as he hesitated to carry out his plan, it said.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 21, 2025 Number of comments0
Crime Health Japan Prison

Japan Government Ordered to Pay Damages for Verbal Abuse of Inmate

A Japanese court on Monday ordered the government to pay some 300,000 yen in damages over verbal abuse and other illegal acts by prison guards against an inmate in Aichi Prefecture. Presiding Judge Akira Chino denied the causal relationship between his death and medical treatment provided by Nagoya Prison in the Aichi city of Miyoshi. he man was sent to a hospital for a possible heart attack on Feb. 22, 2022, when he was serving his sentence for an assault. He died of multiple organ failure on March 1 that year at the age of 71 after coming back to the prison. The ruling by Tokyo District Court came after the bereaved family of the inmate sued the government for some 40 million yen, accusing it of failing to offer proper medical treatment to him.


by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 20, 2025 Number of comments0
Japan Politics Sanae Takaichi

Japan’s LDP, Nippon Ishin Agree to Form Coalition Government

The pact, inked by LDP President Sanae Takaichi and Nippon Ishin chief Hirofumi Yoshimura at a meeting in the Diet, or the country’s parliament, on Monday night, features a plan to reduce the number of seats in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, by 10 pct during an extraordinary Diet session that begins Tuesday. Nippon Ishin will not hold a ministerial post and will instead support the LDP from outside the cabinet.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 20, 2025 1
Autism Crime Japan

Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty for Autistic Defendant over Fatal Crossbow Attack in Japan

Japanese public prosecutors on Wednesday sought the death penalty for Hideaki Nozu, who has been charged with killing three members of his family with a crossbow at his home in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, in June 2020.The prosecution said that Nozu’s autism spectrum disorder did not significantly affect his motivation and that his acts were planned. The defendant maintained the capacity to control his actions and was fully competent, as he hesitated to carry out his plan, it said.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 20, 2025 Number of comments0
Health Japan Podcast

Unicharm to Test Sanitary Pad Dispensers in Tokyo’s Shibuya [Podcast Episode]

Unicharm Corp. announced on Wednesday 15th October it will begin a trial installation of free sanitary pad dispensers at 22 public facilities in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward, in partnership with the local government. Running until Dec. 26, the initiative aims to support individuals who cannot afford menstrual products. While Unicharm provides the dispensers, Shibuya Ward will supply the sanitary napkins. The company, which has already introduced the dispensers in schools and businesses, expressed hopes of expanding the program through further cooperation with local governments.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 19, 2025 1
Health Japan

Unicharm to Test Sanitary Pad Dispensers in Tokyo’s Shibuya

Unicharm Corp. announced on Wednesday 15th October it will begin a trial installation of free sanitary pad dispensers at 22 public facilities in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward, in partnership with the local government. Running until Dec. 26, the initiative aims to support individuals who cannot afford menstrual products. While Unicharm provides the dispensers, Shibuya Ward will supply the sanitary napkins. The company, which has already introduced the dispensers in schools and businesses, expressed hopes of expanding the program through further cooperation with local governments.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 18, 2025 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Disability Japan

Former Japanese PM Tomiichi Murayama, Who Advocated for a “Society for All Abilities”, Dies at 101

Former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, who led Japan from 1994 to 1996 and was known for his wartime apology and advocacy of an inclusive welfare society, died of old age Friday at a hospital in Oita Prefecture at 101, according to local reports. As the first socialist leader in nearly 50 years, Murayama urged in his 1994 Diet address the creation of “a society in which everyone, including the enfeebled and the disabled, can participate as an independent individual.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 18, 2025 Number of comments0
Employment Health Japan

Fatigue causing increase in ‘workplace accidents due to falls’ incidents in Japan

Fatigue is emerging as a key factor behind the rise in workplace accidents caused by falls, according to Hideki Katano, author of Rest Science and Fatigue Science, and head of the Japan Recovery Association. In an interview reported by Toyo Keizai on Friday, October 17, Katano warned that widespread fatigue is not only a health concern but also a growing safety risk. The association’s latest 2025 survey found that 82% of working-age Japanese feel tired—an all-time high—translating to over 71 million people, up 300,000 from the previous year. With fatigue-related economic losses estimated at 15 trillion yen annually and the number of “frequently tired” individuals continuing to climb, Katano emphasizes the urgent need for nationwide fatigue management and prevention efforts.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 17, 2025 Number of comments0
Japan Politics

Former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama dies at 101

Tomiichi Murayama, Japan’s prime minister from 1994 to 1996 and the first socialist to lead the country in nearly half a century, died of old age Friday at a hospital in southwestern Japan, his party’s local chapter said. He was 101. Murayama is best remembered for issuing the landmark 1995 statement apologizing for Japan’s wartime aggression and colonial rule, a declaration upheld by successive governments. Leading an unlikely coalition of his Social Democratic Party with the conservative Liberal Democratic Party, he faced major crises including the Great Hanshin Earthquake and the Tokyo subway sarin gas attack. His government also launched redress efforts for atomic bomb survivors and “comfort women” and sought solutions for Minamata disease victims. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba praised Murayama for confronting numerous challenges, while SDP leader Mizuho Fukushima mourned him as her “political father.”