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April 03, 2025
 

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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 8, 2019
'Nagoya passing' no more? Aichi pins hopes on expo center to bring in big names and tourism
Avid fans of all-girl pop act AKB48 braved a persistent drizzle outside Aichi Sky Expo on a recent Saturday morning, forming a long queue as they waited for a "handshaking" session with the group's idols to kick off.
JAPAN
Nov 8, 2019
Japan school boards start to rethink 'black rules' on everything from underwear to protesting
Japan's teaching culture prizes conformity and docility, but the public is apparently getting fed up with the suffocating rules imposed to achieve that.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 16, 2019
Shinjiro Koizumi's 'sexy' fight against climate change is untranslatable, Japan's government says
The government was forced to make sense of Koizumi's recent vow to make Japan's fight against climate change “sexy” after an opposition lawmaker requested an official interpretation of his remarks.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 15, 2019
Wakayama curry killings revisited: Kin of convicted killer Masumi Hayashi break silence after 21 years
On a recent summer evening, tranquility reigned in this small neighborhood in Wakayama, where nothing but the occasional barking of dogs and chirring of grasshoppers broke the peaceful silence.
JAPAN
Oct 11, 2019
Massive Typhoon Hagibis bears down on central Japan
Railways and supermarkets in the danger zone plan to suspend or curtail operations for most of Saturday, when the unusually powerful storm is projected to hit.
JAPAN
Sep 24, 2019
Shinjiro Koizumi faces baptism of fire in Japan as criticisms of style over substance pile up
In the two weeks since joining the Cabinet, Koizumi has seen his populist rhetoric increasingly turn into a liability, earning him criticism and ridicule on social media.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Sep 21, 2019
Student succeeds at failing to start work on his summer homework
For elementary school children in Japan, their weeks-long summer vacation isn't entirely a time for leisure. Instead, it's overshadowed by a stack of homework that features, among other things, an assignment known as jiyū kenkyū (independent project).
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2019
Pressured by its struggling finances, Yokohama goes all in on casino bid
On a recent afternoon, Yamashita Park in Yokohama's waterfront was teeming with visitors — from lovey-dovey young couples to picnicking families and foreign tourists taking selfies in front of the ocean liner Hikawamaru, a museum ship permanently moored at the park.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2019
Tokyo pushes bill obliging cyclists to have liability insurance amid rise in accidents
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government submitted an amendment that would oblige cyclists to purchase liability insurance following a series of bicycle accidents in which pedestrians were severely injured.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2019
Japan's Shukan Post apologizes after being blasted for discrimination toward South Koreans
A weekly magazine's editorial department has apologized for what has been widely slammed as discriminatory coverage of South Koreans, with the magazine having branded them as pathologically quick-tempered and insisted that Tokyo cut ties with Seoul because the neighbor is "troublesome."
JAPAN
Aug 21, 2019
Japan earthquake task force to redesign hazard maps to aid people with color vision deficiencies
A government task force focused on earthquake research intends to redesign its hazard maps to make it easier for those with color vision deficiencies to identify risks, an official said Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Aug 18, 2019
Silent heroes: Sign language interpreters give voice to Japan's top government spokesman
Kohei Ehara sits quietly in the far corner of the spacious conference room in the Prime Minister's Office, largely unnoticed by a group of reporters waiting for Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga to start his daily briefing.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 16, 2019
As population ages, Japan's convenience stores find future in funerals
It might escape the notice of a passerby that Davius Living Yamato, a one-story building standing unassumingly on a street in Kanagawa Prefecture, is a funeral parlor.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 1, 2019
Opposition lawmakers with severe disabilities make Upper House debut after steps taken toward creating barrier-free Diet
A special five-day Diet session following the July 21 Upper House election kicked off Thursday, marking a momentous occasion for two opposition lawmakers with severe disabilities, who entered the Diet building for the first time.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 22, 2019
Abe vows to push forward constitutional change despite failure of pro-revision forces to win Upper House supermajority
In a post-election news conference, Abe said his longtime goal isn't out of reach and he will to try to compromise with those working against him.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 22, 2019
Abe's ruling coalition victorious, but pro-revision forces suffer electoral setback in drive to amend Constitution
To many voters, the election was a chance to endorse or repudiate the Abe administration's performance since he returned to power in December 2012.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 18, 2019
With pacifist Constitution at stake, apathy reigns in Japan ahead of Upper House election
Politically speaking, the upcoming Upper House election is a huge deal for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. After all, it's a vote that could determine the fate of his long-held ambition to amend the postwar pacifist Constitution.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 17, 2019
Candidates with disabilities hope to lay foundation for inclusive Diet in Upper House election
On a recent Wednesday morning, Rie Saito wasn't giving a lengthy, energetic speech about her campaign pledges through a loudspeaker, unlike most of her competitors on the stump.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 4, 2019
Campaign kicks off for Japan Upper House poll, a litmus test for constitutional reform and tax hike
The focus will be on whether the LDP and other forces in favor of constitutional amendment will be able to retain their current two-thirds supermajority.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 3, 2019
Abe squares off with opposition leaders ahead of Upper House election
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said during a debate with opposition leaders on Wednesday that he will go ahead with the planned sales tax hike in October but vehemently denied there will be further increases while he remains in power.
As ‘Buy Canadian’ grows, more U.S. firms say retailers turning away products
Empty shelves with "Buy Canadian Instead" signs are seen in the American Whiskey section of the BC Liquor in Vancouver, British Columbia, on March 10.
A Canadian made a weekend trip to Costco a Japanese pastime
Under the watchful eye of Ken Theriault, Costco representative director and Japan country manager, the American membership-model wholesaler has flourished in Japan.
Meiji says sayonara to bottled milk, a staple of Japan's bathhouses
Meiji bottled milk lined up in a fridge at Kosugiyu, a bathhouse in Tokyo. The sticker urges patrons to enjoy the milk one last time before it’s gone.
Japan, South Korea and China vow to strengthen trade ties amid looming U.S. tariffs
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoji Muto (left), South Korean Trade Industry and Energy Minister Ahn Duk-geun (center) and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao during a trilateral meeting in Seoul on Sunday
The U.S. says Japan has a 700% tariff on American rice. Is that the case?
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt holds up a piece of paper with information about tariff rates at the White House on Tuesday.
Meiji says sayonara to bottled milk, a staple of Japan's bathhouses
Meiji bottled milk lined up in a fridge at Kosugiyu, a bathhouse in Tokyo. The sticker urges patrons to enjoy the milk one last time before it’s gone.
A Canadian made a weekend trip to Costco a Japanese pastime
Under the watchful eye of Ken Theriault, Costco representative director and Japan country manager, the American membership-model wholesaler has flourished in Japan.
On defense, Japan may avoid Trump's worst impulses — for now
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth chat after reviewing an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Sunday.
No longer a 'bridesmaid': Yuki Tsunoda prepares for the Red Bull pressure cooker
All eyes will be on Yuki Tsunoda as he makes his Red Bull debut at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend.
Tokyo tech failures lean into misfortune, mistakes and missteps
Tsuyoshi Domoto in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on March 28. As an entrepreneur, Domoto experienced plenty of setbacks but maintains a positive attitude and continues to pursue his dreams.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan
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