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by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 19, 2025 Number of comments0
Japan Para Sports Paralympics Sports

Japan names 5-time Paralympic gold medalist Kawai to head sports agency

Retired visually impaired swimmer Junichi Kawai was named the next commissioner of the Japan Sports Agency on Friday and will become the first Paralympian to assume the post when his appointment takes effect Oct. 1. Kawai expressed his determination to fulfill his role, saying at a press conference in Tokyo, “My goal is to build a society where citizens recognize the value and appeal of sports.” As it is rare for a government body to be led by someone who is totally visually impaired, he added, “The fact that someone like me has been appointed to this position shows that times have changed, and I hope this means a lot to many people.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 18, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Health Hospitals Japan

Hyōgo man dies after collapse; emergency call delay linked to NTT outage

On the afternoon of the 16th, a man in his 50s was found collapsed in Itami City, Hyōgo Prefecture, and was transported to a hospital, where he was later confirmed dead. According to police, at the time there was a communication outage affecting NTT West, and it is believed that the emergency call was delayed. However, it is not known whether this was directly related to the man’s death.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 17, 2025 Number of comments0
ALS Disability Japan Podcast Politics Reiwa Shinsengumi

Ex-lawmaker in Japan with ALS calls on politicians to ensure right to live [Podcast Episode]

Yasuhiko Funago, a former House of Councilors lawmaker with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, called on politicians to guarantee the right to “live until the end,” in a recent written interview. The retired lawmaker of Reiwa Shinsengumi, an opposition party, served one six-year term in the Upper House before deciding not to seek re-election in this July’s election.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 16, 2025 1
Assisted Dying Assisted Living Disability Japan Politics Reiwa Shinsengumi

Ex-lawmaker with ALS calls on politicians to ensure right to live

Yasuhiko Funago, a former House of Councilors lawmaker with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, called on politicians to guarantee the right to “live until the end,” in a recent written interview.
The retired lawmaker of Reiwa Shinsengumi, an opposition party, served one six-year term in the Upper House before deciding not to seek re-election in this July’s election.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 15, 2025 Number of comments0
Birth Rate Elderly Japan

Japan’s Elderly Population Down at 36.19 Million

The estimated number of people aged 65 or older in Japan stands at 36.19 million as of Monday, falling by 50,000 from a year before, the internal affairs ministry said Sunday. The estimate, released ahead of Respect for the Aged Day on Monday, a national holiday, decreased for the first time in two years but accounted for record 29.4 pct of the country’s total population, up by 0.1 percentage point. According to the ministry, the decrease of the elderly population is attributed to factors such as the number of deaths among those aged 65 or over exceeding the number of people newly reaching 65.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 15, 2025 1
Barrier Free Disability Japan Podcast

Akutagawa Prize Winning Author with Disabilities, Saou Ichikawa, Offers View on ‘Co-existence’ in Japan [Podcast Episode]

Saou Ichikawa was born in 1979. Diagnosed in childhood with congenital myopathy, a rare disease that causes muscle weakness, and has used a ventilator since age 14. Graduated in March 2023 from Waseda University’s School of Human Sciences correspondence program. Her thesis “The Reciprocal Influence Between the Representation of Disabled People and Real Society” won the Ono Azusa Memorial Academic Prize. Her debut novel “Hunchback” won the 169th Akutagawa Prize in July 2023. Her most recent book, to be published in September 2025 is “A Girl’s Spine”.