July 26th 2021 marks the five year anniversary of what is now often referred to as the ‘Sagamihara Stabbings’, when in the early hours of July 26th 2016, Satoshi Uematsu, a former employee of the ‘Tsukui Yamayuri En’ or ‘Tsukui Lily Garden’ care home for people with disabilities, killed 19 residents with disabilities and injured at least 26 others. Uematsu, who talked about how people with disabilities could cause ‘only misery’. was later sentenced to death by the Yokohama District Court.

Disability News Japan

Five Year Anniversary of the Sagamihara Stabbings

Barrier Free Japan: Keigo ‘Cornelius’ Oyamada, who confessed and apologized for forcing his classmates who had disabilities to eat their own faeces and masturbate in public, will play on the ‘Green stage’ on Saturday 21st August at the popular music festival. Oyamada, who was in charge of composing some of the music for the opening ceremony of the Olympics, had apologized for assaulting disabled classmates in the past but continued to stir an outcry on social media with growing calls for him to step down. He has since resigned for his role with the Olympics and his contribution, a four minute long composition, will reportedly be cut from the opening ceremony on Friday 23rd July. https://barrierfreejapan.com/2021/07/21/fuji-rock-festival-gives-high-billing-to-musician-who-confessed-to-assaulting-disabled-children/

'Fuji Rock' gives high billing to musician who resigned from Tokyo 2020 for assaulting disabled

Oyamada, who was in charge of composing some of the music for the opening ceremony of the Olympics, apologized for bullying disabled classmates in the past but continued to stir an outcry on social media with growing calls for him to step down. The well-known rock musician admitted last week that interviews published in the January 1994 edition of magazine “Rockin’ On Japan” and in the August 1995 edition of magazine “Quick Japan” had quoted him correctly when he spoke about bullying childhood classmates with disabilities “without any regrets.” Barrier Free Japan: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2021/07/19/composer-for-tokyo-2020-opening-and-closing-ceremony-who-assaulted-disabled-people-informed-officials-of-his-intention-to-resign/ Japan Subculture Research Center: http://www.japansubculture.com/japans-olympic-composer-tortured-disabled-children-and-the-olympic-committee-says-to-the-world-eat-shit-no-problem/?fbclid=IwAR3N2vVZLgP6yWcOu7qGZYMcVnoJWwfGSM804TpibORGbVp-yeN8CcGKS4g

Composer For The Tokyo 2020 Games Opening Ceremony Who Assaulted Disabled People Resigns

“Oyamada confessed to two magazines that he bullied during his school days. In the January 1994 issue of the Japanese music magazine "Rocking On Japan," he wrote, "I would make him naked, wrap a string around him, and make him masturbate.” https://barrierfreejapan.com/2021/07/17/composer-for-the-tokyo-2020-olympics-for-the-opening-and-closing-ceremonies-apologizes-for-bullying-confessions-regarding-disabled-people/ Japan Subculture Research Center: http://www.japansubculture.com/japans-olympic-composer-tortured-disabled-children-and-the-olympic-committee-says-to-the-world-eat-shit-no-problem/?fbclid=IwAR2ado8PcnhtKvCzw6P2eYo1O2XMQGWCR7yHip5ZA4jeBWbLxaiNydgGGCQ

Composer For The Tokyo 2020 Games Apologizes For Assaulting Disabled People

“It would be nice to have at least some spectators” when the Paralympics are held from Aug. 24 to Sept. 5, Japan’s PM Suga said, adding the decision will be made among organizers including his government, the Japanese organizing committee and the International Paralympic Committee. https://barrierfreejapan.com/2021/07/17/japans-pm-suga-thinks-it-would-be-nice-to-have-at-least-some-spectators-at-paralympic-games/

Japan’s PM Suga thinks “It would be nice to have at least some spectators” at the Paralympic Games

With the opening of the Olympic & Paralympic Games looming amid renewed fears of the spread of a new coronavirus, a group consisting of women with disabilities have issued a statement calling for the Tokyo Games to be cancelled, claiming that holding the Games would endanger their lives. https://barrierfreejapan.com/2021/07/14/tokyo-olympics-should-be-cancelled-say-women-with-disabilities-in-japan/

Women With Disabilities In Japan Want The Tokyo 2020 Games To Be Cancelled

Disability News Japan’s vaccine appointment in Kobe has been cancelled due to lack of supply of the vaccine: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2021/07/08/barrier-free-japans-vaccine-appointment-has-been-cancelled-due-to-lack-of-supply/ Mudslides in Japan deprive disabled people of a place to work’: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2021/07/10/mudslides-in-japan-deprive-disabled-people-of-a-place-to-work/

Vaccinations Postponed in Japan, Mudslides deprive disabled people of a workplace

Your favorite maker of podcasts about disability in Japan will be vaccinated in July!

Disability News Japan Will Be Vaccinated!

The trial in a murder case in which an elderly mother, who lived alone with her daughter who had a severe intellectual disability, will begin at the Tsu District Court on June 7th. https://barrierfreejapan.com/2021/06/06/tsu-district-court-to-hear-case-of-killing-of-daughter-with-a-disability-by-72-year-mother-with-an-illness/

Tsu District Court to hear case of killing disabled daughter by 72 year mother with an illness

On March 26, during a session on the budget, Japanese lawmakers with disabilities were able to cast a vote in person owing to a ramp that had been built in the House of Councillors in January. This was the first time in history a lawmaker with a disability could vote in person, before it had to be done via a House of Councillors staff member. Japanese disabled lawmakers vote in person for first time due to ramp installation: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2021/03/27/japanese-disabled-lawmakers-vote-in-person-for-first-time-due-to-ramp-installation/

Japanese Wheelchair User Votes In Diet For First Time In History

Deck the halls with boughs of vaccine! So much of 2020 has been about the coronavirus – which does of course affect people with disabilities – but sometimes does make for a boring podcast, so I haven’t been making many recordings. However, I have mentioned a case of COVID-19 infection at a care home for people with disabilities in the link below: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2020/12/23/coronavirus-cluster-found-at-gifu-welfare-facility-for-people-with-disabilities/

Wishing you a Merry ‘Clustery’ Christmas from Japan

The number of “unmanned stations” without station staff all day long has risen to more than 4,500 stations, which is close to half of the stations nationwide, and is still increasing. Article link: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2020/11/09/unmanned-train-stations-continues-to-pose-problems-for-people-with-disabilities-in-japan/

Almost Half of Japan’s Railway Stations are “Unmanned”, posing problems for disabled in Japan

On the day of Nippon Television's "24-hour TV" that will broadcast on the 22nd to 23rd, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department main office said on the 21st that the suspect posted on Twitter phrases such as "Sprinkle Sarin." The suspect also stated that: "On the day of 24-hour TV, I will release sarin at the Budokan and kill a lot of people with disabilities." Article link: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2020/08/21/on-the-day-of-24-hour-tv-i-will-release-sarin-at-the-budokan-and-kill-a-lot-of-people-with-disabilities/

“I will release Sarin at the Budokan and kill a lot of people with disabilities.”

Arrested doctors knew Kyoto based woman with ALS seeking to end her life through SNS: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2020/07/23/arrested-doctors-knew-kyoto-based-woman-with-als-seeking-to-end-her-life-through-sns/ According to the Kyoto prefectural police department, the two suspects were not the woman's attending doctors and were unacquainted with her. They apparently got to know each other through social media.

Two physicians arrested for murder after Kyoto woman requested help to die via SNS

I have not had Coronavirus, but my lack of podcasting is kind of ‘COVID-19 related.’ Barrier Free Japan: https://barrierfreejapan.com

Coronavirus-related Podcasting Ennui

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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Disability News Japan

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