Disability News Japan
Channel Details
Disability News Japan
Hosted by Michael Gillan Peckitt, who resides in Kobe, Japan, the Disability News Japan Podcast is News website 'Barrier Free Japan's podcast, a weekly digest of some of the news about disability in Japan in audio form. New episodes will usually be available every Friday at 6am Japan Time.
Recent Episodes
703 episodes
76% Don’t Disclose Disabilities or Diagnoses During Job Hunting, Nippon Foundation Survey Finds
A Nippon Foundation survey found on August 23rd that 76.5% of people diagnosed with developmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or...
An Earthquakey August 23rd - August 24th
On August 23rd there was a sizable quake at 2AM in the Kanto region and at 22:45 on August 23rd, a sizable earthquake in Hokkaido. Aftershocks are dyi...
Japan’s Princess Aiko Visits Shiga Welfare Facility
Japan’s Princess Aiko on Friday 21st August, interacted with people at a medical and welfare facility in the city of Maibara in the western prefecture...
Earthquake off the coast of Hokkaido, 6.0M, Shindo 4
An earthquake occurred off the coast of Hokkaido on Aug. 23 2026 at 22:45. The magnitude was 6.0, Shindo 4. No tsunami warning was issued.
Kyoto Man with Disabilities Left Alone for 2½ Hours While Caregiver Played Pachinko
It was learned on the 19th that, in February this year in Kyoto City, a male home-care worker who was assisting a man with severe physical and intelle...
Nagoya Castle Accessibility Debacle Continues
Regarding the wooden reconstruction of the Nagoya Castle keep, Nagoya City is aiming to install a vertical lifting device, while disability organizati...
Complaint Filed Over Death of 16-Year-Old Hyogo Girl Following Arrest, Interrogation
According to the complaint, Runa (a pseudonym), who was 16 at the time, was arrested in June last year on suspicion of assaulting a user at a disabili...
On Chiba Floods
At least eight people are dead after unprecedented downpours in Chiba Prefecture east of Tokyo. Local officials say many homes have been damaged, Rain...
Written Warning Issued to ‘Hanshin Bus’ After Electric Wheelchair User Refused Boarding
According to the bureau, at around 4:30 p.m. on May 19, a woman using an electric wheelchair attempted to board a bus at the Higashinada Ward Office b...
A Typhoon-y and Aftershock Wednesday
Its all a bit 'typhoon-y'. Plus, a rather large aftershock affected Kyushu. on August 12 at 13:05. Shindo 4, Magnitude 4.9.
Children with Disabilities Offered Places to Feel at Ease in Quake-Hit Kumamoto
Efforts are underway in Kumamoto Prefecture to provide children with developmental and intellectual disabilities with places to stay during the day an...
A Quakey and Typhoon-y Monday
Shindo 3 and M.4.4 earthquake in the early hour of August 10. All seems to be well in the main.
Aftershock Sunday
*Due to my bad eyesight I misread the information about the earthquake. It occurred on August 9 at around 8:02AM and was Shindo 4 and M4.2 in intensit...
Typhoon Saturday
Typhoon 13 'Dolphin' - passing through Okinawa on August 8th through the 9th, then on to China.
Japan health ministry teams up with film to promote understanding of developmental disabilities
Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) announced in a press release on August 5 that it has partnered with the upcoming film ‘Parallel...
Another Kumamoto Earthquake Update, It’s Hot and We have a (Typhoon) Dolphin!
From NHK World:
"A powerful typhoon is expected to approach the Okinawa and Amami regions in southern Japan. The Japan Meteorological Age...
More than 20,000 People with Disabilities in Japan Waiting for Care Facilities Across 30 Prefectures, Kumamoto Quake Update
At least 20,000 people with disabilities across 30 prefectures are waiting to enter residential care facilities or group homes (GHs) despite wishing t...
Update One Week After Kumamoto Earthquake
As of Monday 3rd August, 38 people have died, 278 disability care homes were ‘affected’ and some ‘disaster-related deaths’ have sadly occurred. A tota...
Sakai District Court Rules Dismissal of Whistleblower Nurse at Disability Facility Invalid
A nurse who worked at a disability support facility in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, filed a lawsuit claiming it was unlawful for the facility to dismiss t...
278 disability care facilities affected by Kumamoto earthquake
A total of 278 disability care facilities in Kumamoto Prefecture have been affected by the powerful earthquake that struck the region earlier this wee...
Kumamoto quake update three
Searches for those still missing after Tuesday's major earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, continued in extreme heat Friday even af...
Kumamoto quake update
The earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.1 occurred at around 4:27 p.m. on Tuesday 28th July, registering a seismic intensity of 7, the highest...
On Earthquakes and Sagamihara Survivor Kazuya Ono
“Through these experiences and the many people he has met along the way, Kazuya seems to be steadily expanding his world and broadening his horizons,”...
Okazaki City Sanctions Disability Facility Over Abuse; Facility Ran by Successor Company to “Megumi”
The facility is operated by Innovel Healthcare (Midori Ward, Nagoya City), which took over the operations in March 2025 from “Megumi”, a major group h...
Ten Year Anniversary of the Sagamihara Stabbings, Extract of an E-mail from the Primary Carer of Survivor, Kazuya Ono
"My name is Yasuki Otsubo, and I am Kazuya Ono’s lead caregiver. Kazuya himself finds it difficult to write emails or communicate verbally, so I am wr...
Former Unification Church’s Assets at Time of Dissolution Exceeded 83.4 Billion Yen, Liquidator Announces
On July 22nd, the liquidator carrying out the liquidation process for the former Unification Church - officially known as the Family Federation for Wo...
As awareness increases, more than 800,000 students in Japan may have developmental disabilities
More than 800,000 students attending public elementary and junior high schools across Japan are estimated to have developmental disabilities, accordin...
Yokohama Considers Administrative Sanctions After Alleged Improper Use of Restraints is Discovered at Disability Facility
According to the city, when physical restraints are used, facilities are required to obtain the consent of the resident’s family and document the reas...
Suspected Abuse at Yokohama Disability Support Facility, Residents Called “Scum”, Locked in Rooms
According to those familiar with the situation, in late June a staff member verbally abused a male resident who was using the toilet, shouting remarks...
‘Abilympics’ Held in Fukuoka
The Abilympics Fukuoka 2026, a competition in which people with disabilities demonstrate and compete in vocational skills they have developed through...
Osaka High Court upholds dismissal of bullying lawsuit by schoolgirl with developmental disability
According to the complaint and a report by a third-party committee established by the city, the young woman, now a high school student, attended a mun...
Weekend Typhoon Woes & Kanazawa Employment Support Agency Files for Bankruptcy
Not a happy weekend with a typhoon near Okinawa and I do wish more attention could be paid to Employment Support Agency fraud.
Tokyo girl with disabilities allegedly held captive; another brother arrested over confinement in closet
In the case involving a teenage girl with an intellectual disability who was allegedly confined in a closet at her family’s home in Machida, in which...
Hokkaido Disability Facility Operator Drafts Improvement Plan Following Assault of Resident
Following an incident where two former male staff members were arrested on suspicion of assault for physically abusing a resident at the “Tsurugaoka G...
Boy, 10, dies after disappearing from Ishikawa special needs school
A tragic accident has raised questions after a 10-year-old boy attending a special needs school in Komatsu City went missing during class and was late...
Japan’s Health Ministry Produces Manual to Strengthen Guidance and Oversight of Disability Welfare Following Fraud Cases
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has compiled manuals on group guidance, operational inspections, and audits conducted by prefectural govern...
Woman arrested for 19 million Yen fraud targeting parent of child with suspected developmental disorder
A 57-year-old company employee has been arrested on suspicion of defrauding the parents of a child suspected of having a developmental disorder out of...
Mie Prefecture Says Nurse Abused Hospitalized Disabled Child
According to the prefectural government, a male nurse in his 40s working at the Prefectural Child Development Medical Center grabbed the wrist of an e...