Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is set to win a majority in the House of Representatives in Sunday’s election, according to Kyodo News exit polls.
A meeting of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s “Study Group on the Future of the Employment Promotion System for Persons with Disabilities” (chaired by Ryuichi Yamakawa, professor at Meiji University) was held on January 30, where a draft report was compiled. To improve the quality of employment for persons with disabilities, elements that the government should prioritize will be compiled into guidelines and stipulated in laws and regulations. Guidelines will also be formulated for the rapidly increasing disability employment business sector, and user companies will be required to submit certain reports so that authorities can provide guidance and supervision.
With less than a month to go until the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games open on March 6, Japan is stepping up final preparations for a campaign that will feature broad representation across the six-sport program, including the return of its para ice hockey team.
Ahead of the House of Representatives election to be held and counted on the 8th, the Japan Disability Forum, comprising 59 disability organizations and related groups, submitted a written request to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on January 20 concerning voting by people with disabilities. Pointing out that there are still disparities in how municipal election management committees respond, the group called for wider dissemination of the ministry’s guide, “Examples of Polling Station Responses for Persons with Disabilities,” and for thorough implementation of reasonable accommodations in voting.
With less than a month to go until the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games open on March 6, Japan is stepping up final preparations for a campaign that will feature broad representation across the six-sport program, including the return of its para ice hockey team.
The Japan Innovation Party and Sanseito have called for setting a cap on the percentage of foreign nationals in Japan’s population in their promises to voters for Sunday’s House of Representatives election. By contrast, the Liberal Democratic Party, the JIP’s ally in the ruling camp, makes no mention of such a cap in its election platform. The Centrist Reform Alliance, a new opposition party created by Lower House lawmakers from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito, considers such a cap a premature measure.
The Tokyo High Court will decide on March 4 whether to back a lower court’s order for the Unification Church to disband itself, informed sources said Wednesday. If the high court upholds the dissolution order, it will take effect regardless of whether the religious group appeals to the Supreme Court, and liquidation procedures will begin. The group could continue its activities as a voluntary organization, but it would lose its status as a religious corporation and would no longer be eligible for tax benefits.
A meeting held in Kobe on January 24th 2026 drew disability rights advocates and community organizers calling for an end to institutionalization following recent reports of violence at residential care facilities in Hyogo Prefecture. The gathering, organized by independent living groups, highlighted concerns that segregated living environments heighten the risk of abuse and isolate people with disabilities from society.
According to the arrest allegations, between approximately 8:17 p.m. and 8:43 p.m. on October 12, 2025, at the disability group home in Sekiyama 1-chome, Hasuda City where he worked, the man allegedly assaulted a 21-year-old female resident by punching her in the face and causing injuries, including a subconjunctival hemorrhage in her right eye. The man denies the charges, stating, “I did not use violence. I cannot accept the arrest.”
The Tokyo High Court will decide on March 4 whether to back a lower court’s order for the Unification Church to disband itself, informed sources said Wednesday. If the high court upholds the dissolution order, it will take effect regardless of whether the religious group appeals to the Supreme Court, and liquidation procedures will begin. The group could continue its activities as a voluntary organization, but it would lose its status as a religious corporation and would no longer be eligible for tax benefits.
Barrier Free Japan