Overview
- Japan’s health ministry reported 3,770 disability abuse cases in fiscal 2024, the most on record, with 4,528 victims and three deaths tied to family abuse; officials said higher reporting drove the rise, with physical abuse accounting for 66.1% and family cases totaling 2,503.
- The government held the first vice-ministerial meeting on sex‑difference preventive healthcare at the prime minister’s office to improve access to specialists for conditions such as menstruation and menopause, citing an estimated 3.4 trillion yen annual economic loss.
- Tokyo announced a new Disaster Management Agency to be set up in 2026, prioritizing headquarters first and planning at least two regional hubs in Hokkaido and the Tohoku area to address megaquake risks along the Japan and Kuril Trenches.
- Japan Post Bank will raise ordinary savings rates to 0.3% from February 9, roughly 1.5 times the current level and about a 30‑year high, following the Bank of Japan’s additional rate hike.
- In South Korea, prosecutors asked a court in Seoul to sentence former president Yoon Suk Yeol to 10 years in prison over alleged obstruction of an investigation related to a martial‑law declaration.