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Disability Expo 2025 Health Japan Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co.

Kobayashi Pharma Cancels Participation in 2025 Osaka Expo

Following a health scandal involving its “beni koji” dietary supplement products, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. said on Friday that it will withdraw from the 2025 World Expo in Osaka. The company had been preparing to sponsor a healthcare pavilion to be run by the prefecture and city of Osaka and others and also planning to run its own booth.

Barrier Free Disability Elderly Japan Welfare

‘Welfare Nail Services’ for Elderly and Disabled Growing in Japan

Japan is seeing a spread of so-called welfare nail services, or nail stylists dispatched to welfare and other facilities giving manicures to elderly or disabled people.

The number of certified providers of such services, known as “welfare nailists,” has grown 3.5-fold over years, according to a training organization.

Autism Crime Disability Japan

Former Japanese Nurse with Autism Gets Indefinite Term in Appeal Trial

Tokyo High Court upheld a lower court ruling on Wednesday that sentenced a 37-year-old former nurse to an indefinite prison term for murdering three patients at a hospital in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, in 2016. 

Presiding Judge Toru Miura, noting that the defendant, Ayumi Kuboki, had autistic spectrum disorder at the time, said, “The anxiety and fear she felt during nursing work were so great that she felt physically unwell.”

Assassination of Shinzo Abe Crime Japan Mental Health

Psychiatric exam finds ex-Japan PM Abe shooter mentally fit

A psychiatric evaluation of the man accused of fatally shooting former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has determined him mentally fit to be held criminally responsible for his actions, sources close to the matter said Wednesday.

The defense for Tetsuya Yamagami did not contest the results of the evaluation, which had been conducted at the request of prosecutors, and effectively deferred a request for another evaluation, the sources said.

Children COVID-19 Disability Eating Disorders Japan

Study Indicates Obesity Increased among Japan Children during Pandemic

Obesity increased among junior high school students in Japan in fiscal 2020 to 2022, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a study by the National Center for Child Health and Development has shown.
The study analyzed the health checkup data of about 186,000 people who graduated from junior high school between fiscal 2020 and 2022 and compared the results with predicated figures based on such data of about 210,000 people who graduated in fiscal 2019 or earlier, before the pandemic.

Barrier Free Disability Japan Podcast Shog.A.I. Shimbun

The Shog-A.I. Shimbun Podcast #34: Escalator Death and Injury Incident Statistics in Japan

“[A]ccording to a survey conducted by the Consumer Affairs Agency and others, fatal accidents involving escalators were recorded at least seven times from June 2004 through March 2024.The Japan Elevator Association reported the number of accidents involving escalators was 1,550 during the two years from 2018 to 2019, which is two times higher than the number 15 years ago.”

Barrier Free Disability Imperial Family Japan

Japan’s Princess Kako Attends Dance Event for People with Disabilities

Japanese Princess Kako watched a dance event for people with disabilities held at Tokyo Gymnasium on Sunday. At the beginning of the event, the princess, the second daughter of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, waved to performers with a smile, with pompoms in her hands, to the music of “Matsuken Samba II,” and applauded after the song ended.

Barrier Free Disability Elderly Japan

Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency Reported Seven Fatal Accidents Involving Escalators Over Last 20 Years and 1,550 Accidents Between 2018 to 2019

“According to a survey conducted by the Consumer Affairs Agency and others, fatal accidents involving escalators were recorded at least seven times from June 2004 through March 2024.The Japan Elevator Association reported the number of accidents involving escalators was 1,550 during the two years from 2018 to 2019, which is two times higher than the number 15 years ago.”