NEWSWORTHY
French court tells doctors to resume life support for paralyzed patient
A French appeals court on Monday ordered doctors to resume giving food and water to a French quadriplegic, lawyers said, some 12 hours after medics switched off the man's life support against his parents' will. The fate of Vincent Lambert has renewed a fierce debate ...
Speak your mind: Brain implant translates thought into speech
People unable to communicate due to injury or brain damage may one day speak again, after scientists on Thursday unveiled a revolutionary implant that decodes words directly from a person's thoughts. Several neurological conditions can ruin a patient's ability to articulate, and many patients currently ...
Diet passes bill to pay ¥3.2 million each to victims forcibly sterilized under Japan's eugenics law
The Diet enacted legislation to apologize and pay ¥3.2 million in compensation to each person who underwent forced sterilization under the nation’s now-defunct eugenics law.
Over half of guide dog users say Tokyo's preparations for 2020 Games not yet adequate, survey shows
More than half of guide dog users in Japan said Tokyo is not adequately prepared to welcome visitors from overseas who rely on guide dogs when it hosts the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020, a survey finds. The largest segment of the respondents, 50.6 ...
Number of people with disabilities working at Japanese firms tops 500,000 for first time
The number of people with disabilities working at private-sector companies in Japan as of June 1 last year topped 500,000 for the first time, a survey by the labor ministry has showed. The number of workers with disabilities increased 7.9 percent from the previous year ...
Japan to put robotics prowess on show during 2020 Olympics by helping staff and visitors alike
Acting on its aim to make the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics "the most innovative in history," organizers on Friday unveiled robots that will be deployed to assist spectators and staff during the games. The robots shown to reporters are to be used as part ...
Victims sterilized under Japan's eugenics law to get ¥3.2 million each under state redress plan
Ruling and opposition party lawmakers on Thursday decided on a bill to provide ¥3.2 million ($28,700) in state redress to every surviving victim of a state sterilization program that was conducted under a now-defunct 1948 eugenics law. The bill marks progress toward offering relief to ...
Creating opportunities for 'inclusive dance' with Stopgap Dance Company
"I believe people with almost any kind of physique can do contemporary dance. Yet though there are many courses for able-bodied people, there is almost nothing for people with disabilities," says Sho Shibata, executive producer of U.K.-based Stopgap Dance Company. Stopgap's debut Japan tour with ...
Joint bill finalized to compensate those forcibly sterilized under Japan's defunct eugenics law
The bill, backed by the ruling and opposition camps, offers an apology and a lump-sum payment of at least ¥3 million to each victim.
Universal tourism, or tourism accessible to all people regardless of age, nationality, disability and other factors that may discourage leisurely travel, is starting to gain wider recognition in graying Japan. SPI (Japan) Inc. arranges universal tours conducted by so-called travel helpers, or people who have ...
Doorway width mandated by Tokyo accessibility ordinance will leave many wheelchair users out in cold
A group representing disabled people in Japan has said the doorway width stipulated in an amendment proposed for Tokyo's barrier-free ordinance for hotels is unlikely to be wide enough for many wheelchairs. The amendment, which the Tokyo Metropolitan Government aims to put into effect in ...
Japanese director Hikari's '37 Seconds' wins prizes at Berlin Film Festival
Japanese director Hikari's "37 Seconds" won the Audience Award in the Panorama section at the Berlin Film Festival on Saturday. The film, featuring amateur actress Mei Kayama, who has cerebral palsy, also won the International Confederation of Art Cinemas' Art Cinema Award in the Panorama ...
