Latest Posts

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 21, 2026 Number of comments0
Crime Disability Intellectual disabilities Japan

Criminal Psychologist Says Defendant in Assault Trial Has “mild intellectual disability”

Late on the night of October 25, 2024, a 20-year-old university student was assaulted by a group of people in a park in Ebetsu, Hokkaido, and lost his life. For approximately two hours, he was punched and kicked more than 100 times. He was stripped naked, and his hair was even set on fire. Most of the six men and women involved in the attack were teenagers. Moreover, many of them did not even know the victim. The alleged ringleader, defendant Yuto Kawaguchi, was 18 at the time of the crime. In court, testimony focused on his upbringing. A medical expert who assessed him testified that he had “an IQ of 58, indicating a mild intellectual disability, and mild hearing impairment.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 21, 2026 Number of comments0
Abuse Care Disability Japan Podcast Welfare

Kyoto Man with Disabilities Left Alone for 2½ Hours While Caregiver Played Pachinko [Podcast Episode]

It was learned on the 19th that, in February this year in Kyoto City, a male home-care worker who was assisting a man with severe physical and intellectual disabilities and who lived alone left the man’s home for about two and a half hours in order to play pachinko. In April, the city officially recognized the incident as abuse under the Act on the Prevention of Abuse of Persons with Disabilities. Calling it “an issue involving the man’s life and safety,” the city also ordered the home-care service provider employing the caregiver to take measures to prevent a recurrence and make other improvements.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 20, 2026 1
Abuse Disability Japan

Kyoto Man with Disabilities Left Alone for 2½ Hours While Caregiver Played Pachinko

It was learned on the 19th that, in February this year in Kyoto City, a male home-care worker who was assisting a man with severe physical and intellectual disabilities and who lived alone left the man’s home for about two and a half hours in order to play pachinko. In April, the city officially recognized the incident as abuse under the Act on the Prevention of Abuse of Persons with Disabilities. Calling it “an issue involving the man’s life and safety,” the city also ordered the home-care service provider employing the caregiver to take measures to prevent a recurrence and make other improvements.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 19, 2026 Number of comments0
Care Disability Japan Welfare

Mother Talks About Facing the ‘18-Year-Old Wall’ with a Child with Disabilities

The “18-Year-Old Wall” refers to a phenomenon where the governing legislation for receiving welfare services shifts at age 18 from the Child Welfare Act to the Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities Act. Because of this legal switch, individuals are often unable to access the same services they received prior to turning 18, creating significant disruption in daily life for both the individual and their family.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 19, 2026 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Discrimination Nagoya Barrier Free Podcast

Nagoya Castle Accessibility Debacle Continues [Podcast Episode]

Regarding the wooden reconstruction of the Nagoya Castle keep, Nagoya City is aiming to install a vertical lifting device, while disability organizations are calling for the installation of a large elevator. The two sides remain at odds, but Nagoya City says it hopes to present an overall plan for accessibility, including the lifting equipment, by February 2027.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 18, 2026 1
Disability Japan Discrimination Nagoya Barrier Free

Individual interviews with organizations representing people with disabilities regarding Nagoya Castle reconstruction begin

Regarding the wooden reconstruction of the Nagoya Castle keep, Nagoya City is aiming to install a vertical lifting device, while disability organizations are calling for the installation of a large elevator. The two sides remain at odds, but Nagoya City says it hopes to present an overall plan for accessibility, including the lifting equipment, by February 2027.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 17, 2026 Number of comments0
Abuse Disability Hyogo Japan Podcast Police

Complaint Filed Over Death of 16-Year-Old Hyogo Girl Following Arrest, Interrogation [Podcast Episode]

According to the complaint, Runa (a pseudonym), who was 16 at the time, was arrested in June last year on suspicion of assaulting a user at a disability welfare facility in Hyogo Prefecture. She was held in custody for 18 days. Runa was released and subsequently not prosecuted. However, her family says that she developed PTSD and an eating disorder due to the stress caused by the interrogation, during which investigators allegedly pressured her to confess, saying things such as, “Do you want to go to a juvenile detention center?” About five months later, she died in a state of severe malnutrition.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 15, 2026 1
Abuse Disability Hyogo Japan Police

Complaint Filed Over Death of 16-Year-Old Girl Following Arrest, Interrogation

A complaint has been accepted against police officers and a prosecutor in a case in which the bereaved family alleges that the death of a 16-year-old girl was caused by an unlawful arrest and interrogation. According to the complaint, Runa (a pseudonym), who was 16 at the time, was arrested in June last year on suspicion of assaulting a user at a disability welfare facility in Hyogo Prefecture. She was held in custody for 18 days. Runa was released and subsequently not prosecuted. However, her family says that she developed PTSD and an eating disorder due to the stress caused by the interrogation, during which investigators allegedly pressured her to confess, saying things such as, “Do you want to go to a juvenile detention center?” About five months later, she died in a state of severe malnutrition.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 14, 2026 Number of comments0
Abuse Care Crime Disability Hokkaido Japan

Prosecutors seek 18 months for ex Kushiro care worker accused of assaulting 4 residents

The defendant, 29-year-old Kai Takahashi, a former employee of the Kushiro disability support facility Tsurugaoka Gakuen, is accused of assaulting four residents by kicking them around the waist and face and slapping them in the face, among other acts, up until March 2026. One of the victims was a 58-year-old male resident at the time.