Latest Posts

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 13, 2025 Number of comments0
Crime Disability Elderly Japan

Chiba Boy Arrested for Alleged Murder of Elderly Woman

Police in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, arrested a 15-year-old junior high school boy in the city of Chiba, the prefecture’s capital, on Monday on suspicion of murdering an 84-year-old woman. The boy allegedly stabbed Yayoi Takahashi in the back with a knife-like object on a street in the city’s Wakaba Ward around 5 p.m. Sunday. He is admitting the allegation, investigative sources said. Police are investigating the possibility that the boy randomly attacked the woman as they did not know each other, according to the sources.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 12, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Human Rights North Korea

Defector Talks About Stigma People with Disabilities Experience in North Korea [Podcast Episode]

Maeng Hyo-shim was born and raised in North Korea before she and her family defected in 2018. She graduated from high school in South Korea and is currently attending Seoul Women’s University. She works to raise awareness within the international community about the human rights situation in North Korea and was recently interviewed by NHK on the situation people with disabilities face in North Korea.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 11, 2025 1
Barrier Free Disability Elderly Japan Welfare

Elderly and Disabled Woman in Mie Banned from Using Car for “overuse”

A woman, aged in her 80s, lives in the city of Suzuka in western Japan’s Mie Prefecture. She has an artificial bladder due to cancer and so is unable to work. Her son, with whom she lived before he passed away, suffered from an intractable disease and required canes to walk. Both had disability certificates. The woman had been receiving welfare since August 2019, but in September 2022, the payments abruptly stopped. Subsequent district and high court rulings accepted the mother and son’s claims, and ordered the city to rescind its decision, although the city appealed the ruling.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 10, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability North Korea

Defector Talks About Stigma People with Disabilities Experience in North Korea

Maeng Hyo-shim was born and raised in North Korea before she and her family defected in 2018. She graduated from high school in South Korea and is currently attending Seoul Women’s University. She works to raise awareness within the international community about the human rights situation in North Korea and was recently interviewed by NHK on the situation people with disabilities face in North Korea.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 10, 2025 Number of comments0
Alzheimer’s Dementia Japan Medical

Loss of Immune-Regulating Protein Eases Alzheimer’s Disease, Research By Kyoto University Finds

The loss of a certain immune-regulating protein in the brain leads to a decrease in the levels of amyloid beta, which causes Alzheimer’s disease, and improves cognitive function, a group of researchers including from Kyoto University has found. The group confirmed that the TIM-3 protein, which exists in microglia, a type of immune cell in the brain, increases as the brain ages. When it removed the protein from a mouse with Alzheimer’s disease by genetic modification, the accumulation of amyloid beta decreased by 50 to 60 pct, and the mouse showed an improvement in cognitive function.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 7, 2025 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Entertainment Mental Health Podcast

‘Departures’ Actress Ryōko Hirosue Diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, Suspends “all entertainment activities” [Podcast Episode]

Actress Ryoko Hirosue has announced a suspension of all entertainment activities after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and hyperthyroidism, following hospitalization in Tokyo. The announcement comes after an incident in April where she was involved in a car accident and allegedly kicked a nurse, leading to her arrest and an ongoing police investigation. Her agency confirmed that she will continue outpatient treatment and focus on her recovery, while also cooperating fully with authorities, stating they do not attribute her actions solely to her illness and are committed to responding sincerely.