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Disability News Japan is back in japan just in time for a typhoon to pass by!

Up in the air and back to the Land of the Rising Sun soon! Here’s hoping typhoon 26 doesn’t make our landing a bit difficult!

Typhoon 26 ‘Surigae’ on its way to Japan and likely to be around Okinawa on September 27/28. Still getting used to having to pay cashless which I physically can’t do and philosophically have problems with.

II is odd learning about typhoon 25 or ‘Dujuan’ from Hull in the UK via the BBC rather than in Japan via NHK. Thanks for your concern to those whom thought I might have been in Japan and I hope my currently residing in Japan friends are ok.

According to the prefecture, the abuse occurred on the afternoon of Aug. 21. The resident had accidentally soiled himself and taken a temporary shower before completing his regular bath. He subsequently returned to the changing room twice more and attempted to remove his clothes. The staff member slapped him while trying to stop him. Episode notes: ‘Staff member at ‘Sagamihara Stabbings’ facility slaps intellectually disabled resident’: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2026/09/15/staff-member-at-sagamihara-stabbings-facility-slaps-intellectually-disabled-resident/

Visiting blighty!

A former 31-year-old employee of a disability support facility in Kushiro, Hokkaido, was sentenced to one year and two months in prison, suspended for three years, after being convicted of assaulting residents at the facility. The court said Abe’s actions were “vile and malicious” and had undermined trust in care workers, but noted that he had expressed an intention to apologize and was showing remorse. Episode notes: ‘Ex-care worker gets suspended sentence for assaulting residents at Hokkaido facility’: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2026/09/14/ex-care-worker-gets-suspended-sentence-for-assaulting-residents-at-hokkaido-facility/

More than 30 percent of unmarried people aged 18 to 34 in Japan do not wish to have children, the highest percentage since comparable data became available in 2002, a government survey showed Friday, raising concerns that the country’s already low birthrate could decline further. Episode notes: ‘Over 30% of unmarried people in Japan do not want children’: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2026/09/12/over-30-of-unmarried-people-in-japan-do-not-want-children/

Hyogo Prefecture will distribute leaflets to about 450,000 households in 12 municipalities from November to raise awareness of compensation available to victims of forced sterilization under Japan’s former Eugenic Protection Law. Episode notes: ‘Hyogo to distribute leaflets on compensation for forced sterilization victims’: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2026/09/07/hyogo-to-distribute-leaflets-on-compensation-for-forced-sterilization-victims/

Hana, a woman in her 30s who provides home-visit care to people with disabilities (@kgw206012793791), has another side to her work. She is also the owner of ‘Love Suketto’, a dispatch-style adult service exclusively for people with disabilities. After witnessing the deeply impersonal way sexual needs were addressed for some people with severe disabilities, care worker Hana became determined to challenge the stigma surrounding disability and sexuality. In 2021, after gaining firsthand experience in Japan’s adult-services industry, she launched a mobile service specifically for people with disabilities. Her story offers a rare look at the practical, emotional and social barriers faced by disabled people seeking intimacy, while also raising difficult questions about dignity, choice, consent and access to sexual services. Episode notes: ‘A Care Worker’s Mission to Address Sexuality and Disability in Japan’: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2026/09/06/a-care-workers-mission-to-address-sexuality-and-disability/ Hana’s ‘Love Suketto' website: https://love-sket72.com/top.php

Japan has entered the influenza season, the health ministry said on Friday 28th August, marking the second earliest start since 1999, when the infectious disease control law went into force. In the week to Sunday, the number of flu patients reported by some 3,000 designated medical institutions across the country stood at 1.11 per institution. A reading of 1 or higher suggests that flu season has begun. The earliest start of flu season was recorded in 2009, about a week earlier than the ongoing season, excluding 2023, when the outbreak continued yearlong. Episode notes: ‘Japan Enters Flu Season, Marking 2nd Earliest Start’: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2026/09/01/japan-enters-flu-season-marking-2nd-earliest-start/

In the aftermath of the Kumamoto Earthquake, a new support center is working to reach people with disabilities who have been left without assistance and are unable to speak up for themselves. With many still isolated in their homes and surrounded by the destruction, local and national support organizations are joining forces to identify those in need and deliver help where government support has yet to reach. For inquiries, contact the Kumamoto Earthquake Disaster-Affected Persons with Disabilities Support Center at 070-5475-1100. Episode notes: ‘Support Center Launched to Help People with Disabilities Affected by the Kumamoto Earthquake Unable to Speak Up’: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2026/09/03/support-center-launched-to-help-people-with-disabilities-affected-by-the-kumamoto-earthquake-unable-to-speak-up/

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced on the 31st that it plans to introduce regulations, including mandatory notification requirements, for businesses that provide workplaces for people with disabilities to be employed by companies. The move comes after reports of inappropriate practices, including businesses effectively leaving the management of disabled employees entirely to outside operator. Episode notes: "Disability Employment Businesses” in Japan to Face Regulation Following Inappropriate Practices; Health Ministry to Require Registration’: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2026/09/01/disability-employment-businesses-in-japan-to-face-regulation-following-inappropriate-practices-health-ministry-to-require-registration/

The Supreme Court’s Third Petty Bench, presided over by Justice Masami Okino, has rejected an appeal by a visually impaired couple who sued Kanagawa Prefecture for damages, arguing that police officers who responded to an emergency call unlawfully entered their home without their consent. The decision was dated the 26th. The ruling by the Tokyo High Court, which had rejected the couple’s claim, is now final. The High Court found that the couple had consented to the officers entering their home and overturned a March 2024 ruling by the Yokohama District Court, which had ordered the prefecture to pay the couple ¥275,000 in damages. Episode notes: ‘Japan’s Supreme Court refuses damages to visually impaired couple over police entry’: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2026/08/29/japans-supreme-court-refuses-damages-to-visually-impaired-couple-over-police-entry/

Two typhoons are out there, 22 and 23, but unlikely to get near Japan. They are relatively weak, although it’s early in the season to have already reached the 23rd typhoon.