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by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 6, 2025 Number of comments0
Health Japan Medical

Kyoto University Team Develops Pain Reliever Comparable to Morphine

 According to the team, the newly developed drug, Adriana, is a groundbreaking painkiller, which works on a completely different mechanism to morphine and other existing synthetic opioids. The drug has the potential to revolutionize pain control in the medical field, the team said. The team also expects that the drug will help resolve the so-called opioid epidemic, in which a large number of deaths occur mainly due to overdoses of opioids.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 6, 2025 Number of comments0
Animals Care Disability Japan Podcast Welfare

Bear attacks woman outside home for people with disabilities in Akita [Podcast Episode]

A woman was sent to hospital unconscious after an apparent bear attack outside a facility for people with disabilities, police said on Friday. More and more wild bears have been spotted in residential areas in Japan in recent years, resulting in a rising number of attacks and deaths. “A 73-year-old woman was found lying down with head injuries at the facility entrance on Thursday night,” a local police spokesman in Akita Prefecture said. Emergency doctors told police they believed it was a bear attack based on the injuries the woman suffered, the spokesman said.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 5, 2025 1
Care Disability Elderly Japan Welfare

Japan to Launch Public Support System for Elderly Living Alone; Hospitalization, Nursing Homes, Funeral Arrangements Covered

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry is considering creating a new framework to support elderly people who live alone and have no relatives they can depend on. The framework would cover hospital admission, entry into nursing homes and post-mortem procedures such as funerals. The ministry aims to launch the program in fiscal 2027 with an eye toward revising the Social Welfare Law next year.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 5, 2025 2
Animals Disability Japan Welfare

Bear attacks woman outside disabled home in Akita  

A woman was sent to hospital unconscious after an apparent bear attack outside a facility for people with disabilities, police said on Friday.
More and more wild bears have been spotted in residential areas in Japan in recent years, resulting in a rising number of attacks and deaths. “A 73-year-old woman was found lying down with head injuries at the facility entrance on Thursday night,” a local police spokesman in Akita Prefecture said. Emergency doctors told police they believed it was a bear attack based on the injuries the woman suffered, the spokesman said.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 4, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Elderly Health Japan Welfare

Help Mark: Symbol’s Use is a Step toward Building a Supportive Society [The Japan News Editorial]

In a survey conducted by the Cabinet Office, half of the respondents said they knew about the ‘Help Mark’. However, this percentage shrank as respondents’ age increased, with only 30% of people age 70 or older recognizing it. These days, defamatory content on social media has become a societal problem. There is no end to cases of people participating in fraud and robbery that target senior citizens, as if they were doing ordinary part-time jobs. It is regrettable if there is a growing lack of consideration for others.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 4, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Health Japan Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co.

Kobayashi Pharm Chm. Vows Corporate Culture Reform

A major problem the drug and supplement maker must address is the “strong tendency to depend on top management,” seen among its employees, Ota said in a recent interview. In March 2024 it was discovered that Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Cos supplement containing ‘beni koji’ – red fermented rice – had led to several deaths from kidney failure.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 4, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Disasters Elderly Japan Podcast Tsunami Tsunamis Observed in Japan after Kamchatka Quake

Elderly and Disabled Struggled to Evacuate Amid Japan Tsunami Warnings [Podcast Episode]

When tsunami warnings were issued across parts of Japan on July 30, tens of thousands of residents were urged to evacuate coastal areas. However for some elderly and disabled people, evacuation proved either extremely difficult or impossible. An 80-year-old woman in Iwaki, caring for her 86-year-old husband who uses a wheelchair, explained her dilemma: “It’s physically impossible for me to push his wheelchair to the local elementary and junior high schools designated as evacuation centers. And there’s no way I’ll go and leave my husband behind.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 3, 2025 Number of comments0
Deaf Deaflympics Disability Japan Para Sports Sports

273 Japanese Athletes to Compete in Deaflympics in November; Event to Be Held in Japan for 1st Time

A record number of Japanese athletes will participate in the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics in November, it was announced on Thursday. A record 273 athletes — 160 male and 113 female — will compete in all 21 sports during the Deaflympics, an international event for athletes that have hearing impairments. This is the first time for Japan to host the event. Japan aims to surpass the previous record of 30 medals that the nation won during the previous Deaflympics.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 2, 2025 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Blind Braille Disability Japan Tourism Travel

“Speaking” tactile sidewalks enrich lives of visually impaired

Tactile paving for people with visual impairments in Japan has recently been enhanced with audio guidance, as the developers of the technology aim to improve the lives of people with partial sight and assist sighted tourists. The new braille blocks are marked with black stickers in special patterns. By scanning the coded blocks with a smartphone camera and app, users can listen to audio information about the location and its surroundings.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 2, 2025 1
Disability Disasters Elderly Japan Tsunami Tsunamis Observed in Japan after Kamchatka Quake

Elderly and Disabled Struggled to Evacuate Amid Japan Tsunami Warnings

When tsunami warnings were issued across parts of Japan on July 30, tens of thousands of residents were urged to evacuate coastal areas. However for some elderly and disabled people, evacuation proved either extremely difficult or impossible. An 80-year-old woman in Iwaki, caring for her 86-year-old husband who uses a wheelchair, explained her dilemma: “It’s physically impossible for me to push his wheelchair to the local elementary and junior high schools designated as evacuation centers. And there’s no way I’ll go and leave my husband behind.”