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by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 7, 2021 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Sexual abuse

Osaka man receives three years prison sentence, suspended for five years for indecent assault against woman with intellectual disabilities

It took more than four hours for the woman to verbally testify about the damage she suffered, which was a decisive factor in the indictment of Kanta Ogura, 40, a former company employee in Sakai City, Osaka, for indecent assault.

Ogura was sentenced to three years in prison suspended for five years with probation, as he had demonstrated an attitude of remorse.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 6, 2021 Number of comments0
Care Disability Japan Sagamihara

Kanagawa Governor Kuroiwa inspects facilities for persons with intellectual disabilities

Nakai Yamayurien, a prefectural facility for the mentally disabled located in Nakai Town, was found to have locked two residents in their rooms for more than 8 hours on multiple occasions in February of this year, which was recognized as abuse as it was more physical restraint than necessary. It was also found that there was a case where a child was confined to a private room for more than 20 hours, although it was not recognized as abuse.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 30, 2021 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Paralympics

China requests support from Japan for Beijing 2022 Games, International Paralympic Committee welcomes decision to restrict spectators to residents of China

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) welcomed the decision to allow for the sale of tickets to spectators residing in China’s mainland and will be sold exclusively to spectators residing in China’s mainland, who meet the requirements of the COVID-19 countermeasures, namely that “all athletes and Games participants who are fully vaccinated will enter the closed-loop management system upon arrival. Games participants who are not fully vaccinated will have to serve a 21-day quarantine upon arrival in Beijing.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 25, 2021 1
Barrier Free Japan Travel Unmanned Stations

Drivers and conductors to assist wheelchair users at Japan’s ‘unmanned stations’, draft report suggests

On the 24th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism compiled a draft barrier-free measure to enable people with disabilities to get on and off smoothly at unmanned stations. If it is not possible to assign a staff member to assist wheelchair users in advance, the main suggestion is for drivers and conductors to get off the train and assist. Specific guidelines are to be established within the year.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 24, 2021 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Disability Japan

After the Paralympics, is Japan aiming to be ‘Barrier Free’ or simply ‘Contact Free’?

Japan just finished hosting the Paralympic Games, making a big show of it, and some say quite successfully given the conditions that a pandemic allows, of at least attempting to demonstrate that Japan could be a ‘barrier free society.’

However, it was reported by Jiji Press recently that the Japanese convenience store chain ‘Family Mart’ plans to open approximately 1,000 outlets with unmanned checkout counters by the end of the 2024 fiscal year.