Disability News Japan Michael Gillan Peckitt

Two recent court proceedings in Japan have involved claims about the accused’s mental health: an appeal of nurse with autism whom was found guilty of murdering three patients and the man charged with killing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Episode notes:

‘Former Japanese Nurse with Autism Gets Indefinite Term in Appeal Trial’:

https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/06/20/former-japanese-nurse-with-autism-gets-indefinite-term-in-appeal-trial/

‘Psychiatric exam finds ex-Japan PM Abe shooter mentally fit’:

https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/06/20/psychiatric-exam-finds-ex-japan-pm-abe-shooter-mentally-fit/

‘Linking mental illness to violence tarnishes an entire community’, By Michael Gillan Peckitt & Mark Bookman, The Japan Times, August 2nd 2019, (Behind Paywall):

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2019/08/02/voices/linking-mental-illness-violence-tarnishes-entire-community/

A woman in her 80s died after her neck became trapped under the handrail at the bottom of an escalator at a supermarket in Nishitokyo on Wednesday June 12th 2024.

The incident follows an incident in March at JR Mito Station, northeast of Tokyo, in which a man in his 70s died from suffocation after his suit jacket became ensnared in an escalator handrail.

Following the incident in Nishitokyo , it was reported in the The Asahi Shimbun that:

“[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.”

Episode Notes:

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

https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/06/15/japans-consumer-affairs-agency-reported-seven-fatal-accidents-involving-escalators-over-last-20-years-and-1550-accidents-between-2018-to-2019/

‘Elderly woman dies as neck caught under Tokyo store’s escalator rail’: 

https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/06/13/elderly-woman-dies-as-neck-caught-under-tokyo-stores-escalator-rail/

A woman in her 80s died on Wednesday 12th June after her neck became trapped under the handrail at the bottom of an escalator at a supermarket in Tokyo, police said, in the latest accident of its kind in recent months.

Security camera footage from the store in Nishitokyo, western Tokyo, shows the woman fell as she attempted to lift the walker she was using as she approached the bottom of the escalator. Her neck then became trapped between the underside of the handrail and the floor.

Episode notes:

‘Elderly woman dies as neck caught under Tokyo store’s escalator rail’:

https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/06/13/elderly-woman-dies-as-neck-caught-under-tokyo-stores-escalator-rail/

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has announced that it will allow disabled people to live with their children until they find a new home, in addition to its previous policy of "not expecting" disabled people to raise their children in group homes (GHs). The ministry has notified local governments nationwide in relation to the issue of disabled people undergoing sterilization procedures at GHs in Hokkaido.

Episode Notes:

‘Parents with Disabilities Living in ‘Group Homes’ May Live with Their Children Until New Home is Found, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Announces’:

https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/06/08/parents-with-disabilities-living-in-group-homes-may-live-with-their-children-until-new-home-is-found-japans-ministry-of-health-labor-and-welfare-announces/

Japan's parliament enacted on Wednesday an amended law stipulating government assistance for young people who provide daily care for family members. The revised law to promote support for child-nurturing and youth development was approved by a majority vote of the ruling bloc at a plenary meeting of the House of Councillors, the upper parliamentary chamber.

Episode Notes:

‘Japan Amends Law to Give National Support to Young Caregivers’:

https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/06/06/japan-amends-law-to-give-national-support-to-young-caregivers/

The film, “Chinmoku no 50-Nen” (50 years of silence), depicts the lives of Takaji Kobayashi, 92, a hearing-impaired man from Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture, and his wife. The film uses interviews and dramatic reenactments to depict the suffering of people who were deprived of the right to bear and raise children.

According to the police, at around 2:00 p.m. on the 27th of this month, a 69-year-old man with intellectual disabilities who was staying at the Andante Kashima facility for the disabled in Yodogawa Ward, Osaka, lost consciousness while undergoing treatment for a cavity. The man was taken to the hospital, but died about an hour later.

Police investigation revealed that the cause of death was acute respiratory failure due to pressure on the chest and abdomen.

Episode Notes:

‘New Film Depicts Suffering Of Forced Sterilization Victims; “Chinmoku No 50-Nen” Explores History Of Japan’s Eugenics Law’:

https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/05/30/new-film-depicts-suffering-of-forced-sterilization-victims-chinmoku-no-50-nen-explores-history-of-japans-eugenics-law/

‘Male Resident of Osaka Facility for Disabled Dies After Dental Treatment, Chest Compressions Investigated’:

https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/05/31/male-resident-of-osaka-facility-for-disabled-dies-after-dental-treatment-chest-compressions-investigated/