Japan’s Environment Ministry plans to boost support to secure and train local government employees dealing with bear incidents, following the recent string of bear sightings and bear-inflicted injuries. The ministry will seek 3.7 billion yen in its fiscal 2026 budget request to cover costs for measures to handle wildlife species designated for control, including bears.
Sanitary items are provided for free in some women’s restrooms in the 2025 World Exposition in the western Japan city of Osaka through a project led by the University of Osaka. Faculty and students from the university have installed self-developed cardboard dispensers to provide menstrual products, supplied by sponsoring companies, at nine restrooms at the Expo venue, including pavilion areas. The team aims to foster a society with restrooms where sanitary items for women are easily accessible. When they first installed a dispenser in a campus restroom in 2021, they received many positive opinions. One user said, “I felt like someone sympathized with the pain I feel during menstruation.”
There are two types of ‘game’ for people with disabilities in Japan being played here. On the one hand, digital technology is set to play an exciting role at the Tokyo Deaflympics in November, with organizers aiming to create an immersive experience that engages athletes and spectators with hearing impairments; and on the hand, an after-school day service facility for children with disabilities in Hiroshima City has been penalized after staff, including the operator’s representative, were found to routinely use wrestling moves, shouting, and hitting as a supposed form of “communication” with children, behaviour described by a former employee as a daily occurrence and treated as “part of a game.” Hiroshima City has suspended the operator Watanohana for three months.
Typhoon Lingling, the 12th typhoon of the year, made landfall near the city of Hioki, Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, at around 5 p.m. Thursday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
The typhoon, which developed from a tropical depression at 9 a.m. the same day, had a central atmospheric pressure of 1,002 hectopascals as of 4 p.m. It is expected to move into neighboring Miyazaki Prefecture before weakening back into a tropical depression by Friday afternoon.
An after-school day service facility for children with disabilities in Hiroshima City has been penalized after staff, including the operator’s representative, were found to routinely use wrestling moves, shouting, and hitting as a supposed form of “communication” with children—behavior described by a former employee as a daily occurrence and treated as “part of a game.” Hiroshima City has suspended the operator Watanohana for three months.
A 73-year-old woman, a resident of a facility for the disabled in Kitaakita City, who was attacked by a bear late last month, passed away on the 20th. According to police, the cause of death was injuries to her head and face sustained during the attack and the deceased’s name was Hideko Miura (73). According to Akita Prefecture, this is the first time this year that someone has died in a bear attack in the prefecture.
The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition is tackling transportation challenges after a service suspension on Osaka Metro Co.’s Chuo Line stranded visitors at the site last week. On Monday, the association admitted that information sharing about the incident was insufficient, vowing to improve its handling of such cases.
In light of the recent spate of indoor heatstroke cases due to the record-breaking heatwave, it was learned on the 18th that Tokyo has decided to implement measures to reduce the financial burden on elderly and disabled households who purchase energy-efficient air conditioners. On the same day, four Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly factions each submitted requests to Governor Koike Yuriko as part of their heat countermeasures.
In Hiroshima City, at a support facility that takes care of children with disabilities, abuse such as hitting a child on the buttocks was found to have occurred. In addition, improper receipt of benefit payments was confirmed. As a result, the city has taken administrative action, including revoking the operator’s authorization.
In Hiroshima City, at a support facility that takes care of children with disabilities, abuse such as hitting a child on the buttocks was found to have occurred. In addition, improper receipt of benefit payments was confirmed. As a result, the city has taken administrative action, including revoking the operator’s authorization.
Barrier Free Japan