The city of Izumisano in the western Japan prefecture of Osaka has decided to introduce a baby hatch system in cooperation with a local medical institution. The city government aims to start operating the system in fiscal 2026 to allow parents to drop off their babies anonymously if they have difficulties raising them.
A team of Kyoto University and other researchers has developed a method of predicting with high accuracy the risk of developing esophageal cancer by analyzing cells collected from inside a person’s cheeks.The team’s findings were published in an online international medical journal in April. Its study covered 222 people aged 40-94, all with a history of smoking and drinking habits who were either esophageal cancer patients or did not have such cancer.
Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito coalition and Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party) agreed Thursday to remove up to 110,000 redundant hospital beds across the country, in an effort to reduce social security costs. The three parties will formalize the agreement soon, aiming to include the reduction in the government’s upcoming economic and fiscal policy guidelines, which will be adopted in June. Nippon Ishin estimates that reducing 110,000 hospital beds would save around 1 trillion yen in medical costs. “The three parties share the same recognition (about the effect of reducing hospital beds),” Ryohei Iwatani, secretary-general of the party, told reporters after meeting with officials from the LDP and Komeito earlier on the day.
NHK reported on May 28th that the city of Higashiosaka announced that it has decided to revoke the designation of two offices operated by a nonprofit organization (NPO) providing employment support for people with disabilities, after determining that they fraudulently received over 120 million yen in subsidies by falsifying service provision records. The city is also demanding repayment of the funds. One of the offices responded to inquiries by stating that it plans to contest the decision in court and will seek a reassessment of the penalties.
While efforts are being made to allow people with disabilities to live in the areas of their choice, a national review committee has begun, consisting of experts and people with disabilities, to discuss the functions and roles of large-scale “residential facilities” where people with severe intellectual disabilities live. Regarding housing for people with disabilities, there has been a shift from residential facilities where dozens of people live together to “group homes” using ordinary houses, and the number of people entering facilities has decreased by more than 6,500 in five years. The study group is scheduled to compile a report by the end of the fiscal year on the future vision for residential facilities.
NHK has reported that the city of Higashiosaka announced that it has decided to revoke the designation of two offices operated by a nonprofit organization (NPO) providing employment support for people with disabilities, after determining that they fraudulently received over 120 million yen in subsidies by falsifying service provision records. The city is also demanding repayment of the funds. One of the offices responded to inquiries by stating that it plans to contest the decision in court and will seek a reassessment of the penalties.
It was learned on the 25th through interviews with involved parties that the Japan Pension Service (JPS) secretly re-evaluated over a thousand cases that had previously been denied disability pension benefits in fiscal 2024, as part of an internal review following media reports. Normally, such cases are not re-evaluated, making this an unusual move.
Eating fast without chewing much would result in obesity among elementary school students, a Japanese research team has found.
It has already been known that fast-eating adults with poor chewing performance are prone to obesity. But little known was a relation between eating habits and masticatory performance among children.
For families who want to see hospitalized loved ones, Japan appears to be stuck in time. Hospital websites continue to post “COVID-19” bulletins about visitations such as requiring masks and temperature checks, setting time limits and restricting the number of visitors. Now a group of physicians and social workers is demanding the restrictions be abolished or curbed, calling them a violation of human rights. “It’s unthinkable to me that they’re still this strict,” said a doctor in his 30s from the Tokyo metropolitan area on condition of anonymity, expressing a mixture of surprise and disgust at the continued COVID policies.
It was learned on the 25th through interviews with involved parties that the Japan Pension Service (JPS) secretly re-evaluated over a thousand cases that had previously been denied disability pension benefits in fiscal 2024, as part of an internal review following media reports. Normally, such cases are not re-evaluated, making this an unusual move.
Barrier Free Japan