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 Tomohiro Osaki

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Tomohiro Osaki
Tomohiro Osaki is a staff writer in the Domestic News Division. A graduate of Sophia University in Tokyo, he likes to explore under-reported realities of Japanese youth, with a tendency toward the taboo.
JAPAN
Nov 20, 2013
Top court balks at voiding 2012 poll
The Supreme Court declares that the 2012 Lower House general election was “in a state of unconstitutionality” due to the large disparity in vote value among constituencies, but declines to nullify its outcome.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2013
U.N. event hits lack of toilets in 39% of the world
Three toilet stalls were at the center of attention Tuesday in a park in Tachikawa, west Tokyo, as the United Nations tries to raise awareness of the lack of basic sanitation infrastructure in many parts of the world.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 15, 2013
90% of foreigners arrested last year were legal residents
Of the 5,423 foreigners arrested last year for committing crimes, more than 90 percent of them were living in the country legally, while illegal immigrants accounted for just 5.9 percent of the cases, unlike in the past, a report says.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2013
Magazine seeks to counter bias toward poor
Many Japanese may regard people on welfare as not merely unfortunate have-nots, viewing them instead as contemptible slackers who don't seek work because they prefer to stay "comfortably poor."
JAPAN
Nov 11, 2013
Deluge of harassing emails angers anti-nuclear groups
Anti-nuclear activists express outrage over attacks involving a torrent of harassing emails that have nearly crippled their online activities.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 8, 2013
Government unpins Google Maps for top design prize
The government will not give the Good Design Grand Award to Google Maps even though it got the most votes, prompting speculation that it was snubbed because the maps include rivals' names for disputed islets claimed by Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Nov 2, 2013
System 'failing asylum seekers'
The death of a Myanmar asylum seeker in Tokyo underlines the inadequate medical treatment immigration detainees face nationwide from chronic staff shortages.
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2013
McDonald's store pulls, apologizes for homeless sign
The McDonald's fast-food chain apologizes for a sign at one of its outlets in western Tokyo barring homeless people from entering.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2013
Kodansha manga to get same-day global release
Starting Wednesday, major publishing firm Kodansha Ltd. will make new manga installments digitally available in English worldwide on the same day they're released in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2013
Hotelier lays food scam to staff ignorant of law
Hankyu Hanshin Hotels Co. has been misrepresenting items on its menus for seven years at eateries in at least four prefectures, possibly scamming some 79,000 patrons in the process, and management is blaming the misdeeds on employees ignorant about the law.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2013
Frenchman missing five days in Yamanashi mountains
A Frenchman has been missing since Monday in Yamanashi Prefecture near the country's second-highest mountain, and his friends are now desperate to raise funds to kick off a private search for him, it was learned Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 23, 2013
Big typhoons may collide off Honshu
Less than a week after being hit by the largest typhoon in a decade, Tokyo is bracing for another strong storm, and it may get merged with an even stronger approaching tempest.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2013
All-English science contest gives young researchers way to connect
When University of Tokyo student Mugiko Komatsuda appeared on stage at a science contest in Tokyo last week, she dazzled the crowd with her self-confidence, resonant voice and radiant smile.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 17, 2013
Exchange student who gave life hailed
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-hye praised exchange student Lee Su-hyon, who died 12 years ago Thursday attempting to save a Japanese man who had fallen off a Tokyo train platform onto the tracks.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 17, 2013
Emergency service hops language barrier
An emergency call for an ambulance could easily result in an unnecessary tragedy if the caller doesn't speak Japanese fluently.
JAPAN
Oct 15, 2013
Ban lifted on 'nikkei' who got axed, airfare
The government lifts its ban on the return of Japanese-Brazilians who received financial help in 2009 to fly home when they were thrown out of work during the global financial crisis.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 10, 2013
Diplomats bag 'cool' photo prizes
Ciaran Chestnutt, first secretary of the Australian Embassy, on Thursday won the Prince Takamado Memorial Prize while Mayssa Hamada from the Egyptian Embassy received the Grand Prize in this year's photo contest featuring the works of diplomats posted in Japan.
JAPAN
Oct 3, 2013
Smash-hit drama about banker draws interest from overseas markets
A smash-hit drama series starring a maverick Japanese banker, "Hanzawa Naoki," will be aired overseas soon, including in Taiwan and Hong Kong, with English-speaking nations possibly following suit, Tokyo Broadcasting System Television Inc. said Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 28, 2013
Exhibit highlights plight of death-row inmates
A two-day exhibition showcasing an array of paintings by death-row inmates kicked off Saturday in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2013
Ex-con on mission to tame recidivism rate
Hiroshi Igarashi remembers feeling like a dinosaur when he was released from prison in 2011 after nine years behind bars. He had no idea how to use IC cards and phones as train tickets. Even the self-serve "drink bar" system in restaurants struck him as an utter enigma.

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