On January 7th 2025, it was announced on the official website that NHK Educational TV’s barrier-free variety show “Baribara” will end in March. The production team of the show announced, “Baribara, which has been broadcast with the aim of eliminating ‘barriers’ for ‘all minorities who have difficulty living’, will end in March this year.”

Episode Notes:

‘NHK’s Disability TV Show “Baribara” to end in March after 15 years on Air’:

https://barrierfreejapan.com/2025/01/07/nhks-disability-tv-show-baribara-to-end-in-march-after-15-years-on-air/

NHK 'バリバラ' (Barrier Free Variety Show) Official Website:

https://www.nhk.jp/p/baribara/ts/8Q416M6Q79/

NHK’s Disability TV Show “Baribara” to End in March after 15 Years on Air

The Association of Parents Who Work While Raising Children with Disabilities and Children with Medical Care held a press conference at the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare on December 17, 2024. When children turn 18 and graduate from special-needs schools, they can no longer receive after-school day care services, which are available until around 6 pm. The majority of these services end around 3:00 p.m., forcing parents to leave their jobs to watch over and care for their children. Some parents refer to this the “18-year-old barrier”.

Episode Notes:

‘Parents of children with disabilities in Japan face “18-year-old wall”, forced to quit jobs to care for children’:

https://barrierfreejapan.com/2025/01/11/parents-of-children-with-disabilities-in-japan-face-18-year-old-wall-forced-to-quit-jobs-to-care-for-children/

Japan’s parents of children with disabilities face “18-year-old wall”, forced to quit jobs

Barrier Free Japan is not a luddite, the only reason Barrier Free Japan does not own an Apple Watch is because Barrier Free Japan cannot afford one, but a lot of the can vending machines near their work place have been turned into ‘cashless’ machines, so basically, Barrier Free Japan cannot buy a soft drink! 

Barrier Free Japan's body spasms because of their physical disability so sometimes they cannot hold a ‘smart device’ or IC card still long enough to ‘scan’. No more drinks for Barrier Free Japan!

'Cashless' Vending Machines in Japan Can Create Inaccessibility

In a lawsuit concerning the death of Ayuka Ide (then aged 11), who was born with a hearing impairment, and who was hit by a piece of heavy machinery seven years ago, the Osaka High Court changed the ruling of the first trial and allowed the payment of the same amount as a healthy person in the appeal trial judgment on the calculation of ‘lost earnings’ that could have been earned in the future. Although the lost earnings of disabled children have been reduced to a certain extent, it is unusual for a judicial decision to recognise the same amount. The high court judgement determined that Ayuka Ide ‘was able to work in the same workplace as able-bodied people’.

The high court changed the ruling of the Osaka District Court, which reduced the compensation amount awarded to the parents of Ayuka to 85 percent of the average lifetime pay because her salary would likely have been smaller because of her disability.
Haruna Kubo, a lawyer representing the family who has a severe hearing loss, said during the closing argument, “If reasonable accommodation had been provided, Ayuka could have worked on an equal footing with people who can hear. There is no rationale for reducing the amount below the average, and this is nothing but discrimination by the court.”

Episode Notes: 

‘In Unusual Legal Ruling in Japan, After Death of Hearing Impaired Girl, Osaka High Court Finds “Lost Earnings” of Disabled Girl Equal to that of a “Healthy Person” ’:

https://barrierfreejapan.com/2025/01/21/in-unusual-legal-ruling-in-japan-after-death-of-hearing-impaired-girl-osaka-high-court-finds-lost-earnings-of-disabled-girl-equal-to-that-of-a-healthy-person/


Osaka High Court Rules ‘Lost Earnings’ After Death of Eleven Year Old Hearing-Impaired Girl Should be Same as Able-Bodied Person

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has stressed the government’s resolve to steadily pay compensation to victims of forced sterilization conducted under the country’s now-defunct eugenics law. 

He made the promise during a meeting with those including victims who sued the government over the matter at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo on Friday, when a law on compensation to forced sterilization victims took effect.

“The government’s responsibility is extremely grave, and I sincerely reflect on it and apologize again to you from the bottom of my heart,” he said.

“We must not repeat human rights violations that destroy the dignity of individuals,” Ishiba said.

Episode Notes:

‘Ishiba Pledges Steady Compensation to Forced Sterilization Victims’:

https://barrierfreejapan.com/2025/01/18/ishiba-pledges-steady-compensation-to-forced-sterilization-victims/

Japan PM Ishiba on Forced Sterilization: “We must not repeat human rights violations that destroy the dignity of individuals”

As influenza and COVID-19 infections spread, facilities for people with disabilities are also struggling to respond. Facilities for people with severe intellectual disabilities have found it difficult to take precautions, and there have been cases of infections spreading among users and staff.

At a residential facility for people with disabilities in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, is home to 40 people, including those with severe intellectual disabilities.

The Director of the Saitama facility, Takahashi Minoru said: “We took sufficient precautions, but the infection spread so quickly that we’ve come to realize how contagious it is. Some of our users have epilepsy, and a high fever can lead to severe seizures. we would be grateful for any support.”

Episode notes: ‘As weekly influenza cases average at alert level in 40 prefectures in Japan, facilities for people with disabilities struggle’:

https://barrierfreejapan.com/2025/01/19/as-weekly-influenza-cases-average-at-alert-level-in-40-prefectures-in-japan-facilities-for-people-with-disabilities-struggle/

As Influenza Cases Increase in Japan, Facilities for People with Intellectual Disabilities Struggle

January 27th, 1970 is the day that Duskin founder Suzuki Seiichi decided to enter into a business partnership with Mister Donut of America. Mister Donut designated this day as its founding day, and every year it donates a portion of purchases from customers to the ‘Duskin Ai No Wa Fund’ to help people with disabilities become independent and participate in society.

Episode Notes:

'Mister Donut in Japan’s ‘Founder’s Day’ on January 27 Supporting People with Disabilities':

https://barrierfreejapan.com/2025/01/26/mister-donut-in-japans-founders-day-on-january-27-supporting-people-with-disabilities/

Support People with Disabilities by Going to Mister Donut in Japan on January 27th!

A record number of public school educators took leave due to mental disorders in fiscal 2023, the third straight year of increase, according to a ministry survey. A record 7,119 educators, or 0.77 percent of the total, temporarily stepped away from their positions under the official leave system for mental illnesses in fiscal 2023, up 580 individuals, or 0.06 percentage point, from the previous year.

Episode Notes: ‘Record Number of Teachers in Japan Took Leave for Mental Illness in Fiscal Year 2023’:

https://barrierfreejapan.com/2025/01/28/record-number-of-teachers-in-japan-took-leave-for-mental-illness-in-fiscal-year-2023/

Record Number of Teachers in Japan Took Leave for Mental Illness in Fiscal Year 2023

A lawsuit filed by a man in his 30s from Chiba Prefecture against his former civil engineering company in Abiko City, Chiba Prefecture for damages, alleging that he was discriminated against and forced to resign from the civil engineering company where he was employed as a disabled person through Hello Work because the company did not take his developmental disability into consideration, has been settled in the Chiba District Court. The former employer will pay the man approximately 300,000 yen in settlement money. According to the man’s attorney, the settlement was reached in October last year. The settlement terms stated that the former employer apologized to the man for not fully understanding the characteristics of his developmental disability and would pay him the settlement money. 

Episode Notes: ‘Chiba civil engineering company pays former employee settlement over “insufficient understanding of developmental disorders” ’:

https://barrierfreejapan.com/2025/02/01/chiba-civil-engineering-company-pays-former-employee-settlement-over-insufficient-understanding-of-developmental-disorders/

Chiba civil engineering company settles lawsuit over “insufficient understanding" of disability

It has been revealed that in October last year, a male student with a disability attending a special needs school in Mie Prefecture was filmed in a school toilet by two high school students and posted on social media, causing him to miss school for an extended period of time, and the school has determined that this constitutes a serious case of bullying. 

According to the Mie Prefectural Board of Education, in October last year, a male student with an intellectual disability (then 17) attending a special needs school, which is attached to a prefectural high school in the prefecture, was filmed in a shared toilet stall by two male high school students and posted on the social media site Instagram.

Episode notes:

‘Disabled student filmed in school toilet, serious bullying incident in Mie’:

https://barrierfreejapan.com/2025/02/02/disabled-student-filmed-in-school-toilet-serious-bullying-incident-in-mie/

Disabled student filmed in school toilet, serious bullying incident in Mie Prefecture

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 available every Friday at 6am Japan Time.

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