Today's Close-Up S2025E53 - Inside the 'Black Box' Hospital: Hidden Crisis in Japan's Psychiatric Care

The former director of Michinoku Kinen Hospital in Aomori Prefecture and his doctor brother were arrested for trying to cover up a killing inside the facility in February. The hospital takes in many patients who other hospitals wouldn't accept. The case exposed a string of irregularities, such as death certificates that were signed by doctors reportedly impaired by dementia. Against the backdrop of an aging society, we look into why the hospital found itself in a situation where family wishes were disregarded, and patients' human rights were routinely ignored.

Guest:
Takagi Shunsuke (Psychiatrist)