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April 04, 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 Times
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2018
North Korea expels detained Japanese tourist as neighbors' hot-and-cold relationship continues
Man who allegedly broke the law during a recent tour of the country was freed on humanitarian grounds, according the North's official Korean Central News Agency.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 21, 2018
Contest between Abe and Ishiba, to lead Japan and ruling LDP, set for Sept. 20
Poll predicted to give Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a historic third term as LDP president, effectively extending his hold on power by up to another three years.
WORLD
Aug 17, 2018
Fox News presenter Ainsley Earhardt makes 'communist Japan' gaffe
Fox News presenter Ainsley Earhardt on Thursday mistakenly stated that the U.S. defeated "communist Japan" in an impassioned criticism of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who had said America "was never that great."
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2018
Emperor repeats phrase 'deep remorse' in his last official war-end anniversary speech
In his last official appearance at the annual ceremony commemorating the end of World War II, Emperor Akihito repeated his expression of “deep remorse” over the conflict.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 13, 2018
Olympic heat wave fears: What steps can Tokyo take?
Japan has become well-known for its omotenashi (hospitality), with the concept being part of Tokyo's pitch when it bid to host the 2020 Olympics.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 6, 2018
Bid to challenge Abe for LDP presidency faces 'thorny path,' Seiko Noda says
The internal affairs minister admitted Monday that she is concerned about her candidacy because her eligibility is still in doubt, describing it as “a tough situation.”
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2018
Japanese journalist missing in Syria likely man in IS-style video: government
The government says the man in a video released by apparent militants is likely Japanese journalist Jumpei Yasuda, who is believed to have been kidnapped in Syria in 2015.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jul 27, 2018
Thousands rally to protest LDP lawmaker Mio Sugita's remark calling LGBT people 'unproductive'
Thousands of angry protesters rallied on Friday night in front of the headquarters of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, calling for the resignation of junior lawmaker Mio Sugita, who had earlier branded the nation's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community "unproductive."
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 27, 2018
Untangling Japan's curious support for Cambodia's 'undemocratic' election
As democracies across the globe distance themselves from Cambodia's general election, widely slammed as a sham, Japan has conspicuously gone out of its way to recognize it. Its apparent motive: win back the heart of Prime Minister Hun Sen as the Cambodian leader cozies up to China.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 26, 2018
Aum executions reignite debate over Japan's death penalty
Thursday's executions of six Aum Shinrikyo cultists — the second set of hangings this month following the executions of seven on July 6 — have reignited debate over the nation's death penalty system, marked by its opacity and the absence of prior notice to the public, while some continue to back...
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 24, 2018
LDP lawmaker Mio Sugita faces backlash after describing LGBT people as 'unproductive'
A ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker has drawn a fierce backlash after labeling the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community "unproductive" in terms of childbirth, and warning that a society that accepts same-sex relationships risks "increasing unhappy people."
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 20, 2018
As Diet wraps up, Abe re-emerges as front-runner for LDP election
As recently as spring, the Abe administration was in disarray, weakened by what appeared to be an unstoppable flow of scandals and missteps.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 18, 2018
Japan's watered-down smoking ban clears Diet
Lighting up in public facilities prohibited for the first time as the nation scrambles to combat secondhand smoke in the lead-up to the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2018
Casinos in Japan: Tourist attractions or hotbeds of gambling addiction?
As the year's ordinary Diet session nears a climax this week, debate is heating up over a bill Prime Minister Shinzo Abe characterizes as key to his growth strategy: the so-called casino implementation legislation.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 11, 2018
Debate over LDP's plan to reform electoral system for Upper House heats up
Brushing off opposition anger, the ruling bloc on Wednesday rammed through a Diet panel a contentious bill that will likely make the arcane electoral system even more complicated.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2018
'Life or death': Tokyo pub owners fear impact of tougher smoking laws
Hiroshi Yoshida is facing a dilemma.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 6, 2018
Aum victims and bereaved express sense of closure, disappointment and confusion over executions
The execution of Aum Shinrikyo leader Shoko Asahara and six others from the doomsday cult leaves some feeling empty, gives others a sense of closure.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 29, 2018
Diet enacts key labor reform that opposition slams as 'karōshi promotion' bill
The bill ushers in a legally binding overtime cap and exempts skilled white-collar employees from work-time regulations.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2018
Tokyo lawmakers approve anti-smoking ordinance as capital gears up for 2020 Olympics
The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly passed an anti-smoking ordinance that is stricter than the national version currently under consideration, in a move intended to rein in secondhand smoke.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 22, 2018
Seeking higher office: Marijuana found growing near lawmakers' building in central Tokyo
In a nation governed by one of the world's most draconian anti-cannabis laws, it's rare enough to stumble upon marijuana plants thriving on the side of a road.
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.
U.S. tourist arrested after bringing a handgun into Japan
Hyogo police believe the handgun a U.S. tourist inadvertently brought into Japan slipped through security procedures at Kansai International Airport in Osaka Prefecture.
Trump unveils 10% global tariff, with Japan levy set at 24%
Trump tosses a MAGA hat to the crowd during an event in which he unveiled new tariffs in the White House on Wednesday.
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 promises 'bold and speedy' response to Trump’s surprise 24% tariffs
U.S. President Donald Trump unveils new U.S. tariffs at the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
Haruki Murakami TV adaptation revisits 30 years of watershed moments
Though Haruki Murakami's trademark whiff of offbeat existentialism is threaded throughout NHK's "After the Quake," the final episode — conceived as a sequel to the story "Super-Frog Saves Tokyo" — is the most stylized, featuring an anthropomorphic talking frog (voiced by Non) and his erstwhile associate Katagiri (Koichi Sato).
A new human trafficking trend emerges from Myanmar scam centers
Victims of scam centers who were tricked or trafficked into working in Myanmar gather at a compound inside KK Park, a fraud center on the country's border with Thailand, after a multinational crackdown in February.
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.

Podcast

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

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan
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