Japan's health and welfare ministry says the number of people with disabilities who were abused by staff of care facilities, family members and others reached a record high of 3,482 in the last fiscal year ending March 2023.

The ministry says local governments received 12,754 notifications on abuse against people with disabilities during the 2022 fiscal year.

Among them, local governments determined 3,079 cases were by abuse, with 3,482 victims.

The numbers of cases and victims were both the highest since record-keeping began in fiscal 2012.

The ministry reported three deaths from abuse. Two men with intellectual disabilities were abused by care facility staff while a woman with a mental disorder was abused by her husband.

People with intellectual disabilities accounted for nearly half of the abuse victims, at 1,939.

Ministry officials say the record high numbers appear to be partly due to the rise in notifications as awareness of abuse prevention is spreading. They say they will continue to promote anti-abuse measures.