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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
Apr 23, 2015
Discovery of drone on roof of prime minister's office highlights legal shortcomings: expert
The discovery of a hobbyist-style drone on the roof of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's office on Wednesday has revealed a blind spot in Japan's counterterrorism policies and underlined the need for greater regulation of the increasingly popular aerial devices, experts said Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Apr 19, 2015
Caregiver trainee program coming up short, but options on table also daunting
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 17, 2015
Sony moves to allow young workers to study abroad
As part of efforts to give its younger workers an incentive to acquire skills that will benefit their future careers at the company, Sony Corp. said Friday it will allow its junior employees to study abroad for two years.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2015
Japanese ballerina leaps into principal role at Australian Ballet
A 24-year-old Japanese ballerina has been appointed principal artist with the prestigious Australian Ballet, the company has announced.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 15, 2015
Vagina artist pleads not guilty to obscenity charge
Taking the stand on the first day of her trial, Megumi Igarashi said she is fighting the charge to challenge the widely held belief in Japanese society that female genitals are “shameful.”
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Apr 9, 2015
No-foreigners landlord case shows Japan 'utterly unprepared' to fight discrimination: expert
A decision by the Justice Ministry's Kyoto bureau not to pursue a complaint against a landlord's no-foreigners policy shows Japan is “utterly unprepared” to move on discrimination cases, an expert says.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 3, 2015
Tokyo considers rewards for administering first aid
In what is expected to be a first in Japan, the Metropolitan Fire Department may offer financial aid to people who administer first aid to accident and disaster victims, an official said Friday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 31, 2015
Life sought for Aum member over role in Tokyo subway gas attack
Prosecutors on Tuesday sought life imprisonment for a former member of the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult for playing a major role in the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system that left 13 people dead and thousands injured.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 30, 2015
Ex-bureaucrat blasts Abe on news program
A surprise show of protest by a former bureaucrat against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a live news program Friday night is drawing flak from both the government and broadcaster TV Asahi.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2015
Tourism agency to tout historic venues for international conferences
The Japan Tourism Agency is going to publish a list of 85 historic buildings suitable for use as conference venues in the hopes of luring more foreign professionals who might then become tourists, officials said Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 23, 2015
Shibuya mayor defiant on certificates for same-sex couples despite LDP opposition
The mayor of Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, has reaffirmed his municipality's determination to recognize same-sex partnerships despite opposition by conservatives. The move would be the first of its kind in Japan.
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2015
Deadly sarin attack on Tokyo subway system recalled 20 years on
The 20th anniversary of a spooky cult's deadly sarin attack on the Tokyo subway system is remembered with a moment of silence, vows and a bouquet from the prime minister.
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2015
Visa overstaying cases show first uptick since '93
The number of people in Japan overstaying their visas climbs for the first time in more than two decades as visitors from Thailand and Vietnam spike.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 18, 2015
Rights groups stage racism summit for embassy staff
Ethnic minorities and other socially vulnerable members of Japanese society gathered Wednesday to relate their stories of racial discrimination to embassy representatives in an effort to raise global awareness of their plight and fight racism.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 17, 2015
Syrian asylum seekers sue for refugee status
Four asylum seekers from strife-riven Syria sued the central government at the Tokyo District Court on Tuesday, demanding that they be recognized as refugees.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 15, 2015
Aum foes review '95 sarin attack ahead of 20th anniversary
As Japan readies for the 20th anniversary this week of the deadly terrorist attack perpetrated by doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo on Tokyo's subway system, a number of those who fought the cult in its heyday gathered Saturday to reflect on their missteps in handling the crisis — and renew their vow to...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Mar 12, 2015
Conservatives lash out at Shibuya Ward initiative to recognize same-sex relationships
Conservatives are protesting a proposed initiative by Tokyo's Shibuya Ward to acknowledge same-sex partnerships as equivalent to marriage, claiming it would upset traditional family values and hurt the nation's birthrate.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2015
Asylum seekers in Japan soared to record level in 2014
The number of people seeking asylum in Japan jumped 53 percent in 2014 to a record 5,000, but only 11 were officially recognized.
JAPAN / 3/11 STILL BEING FELT
Mar 10, 2015
Survivors speak of grief, guilt and life after the tsunami
Every afternoon, elderly residents at a temporary housing complex in the city of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, sit around a table for a few hours of lighthearted chitchat. They update each other on how they feel, talk about TV shows they saw the night before and laugh at each other's jokes.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 9, 2015
Four Syrian asylum seekers to sue for refugee status
Four asylum seekers from conflict-ridden Syria will soon initiate a lawsuit against the central government to seek official refugee status, the first from their nation to do so.

Longform

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