author

 
 
 Tomohiro Osaki

Meta

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
Mar 9, 2015
Fuji TV removes blackface segment after outcry
Anti-racist campaigners are celebrating a decision by Fuji TV to remove from a weekly music show a segment that purportedly showed performers sporting blackface makeup.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 9, 2015
Tohoku pins rebound hopes to atom smasher
As the disaster-hit Tohoku region struggles to recover from the deadly tsunami four years ago, many residents have hopes for what is considered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to galvanize the area's resurrection.
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2015
Foreign nurses, caregivers to get special visa status
The Cabinet approves the creation of a new visa category for foreign nurses and caregivers to help reduce the labor shortage in the industry.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 27, 2015
Most Tokyo wards less keen on recognizing same-sex unions
Most of Tokyo's wards are hesitant to propose or consider certificates that would declare same-sex unions as equivalent to marriage, The Japan Times finds.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 22, 2015
Nonprofit's manga raises awareness of teen sexual exploitation in Japan
A Tokyo-based nonprofit organization is publishing manga booklets Monday that aim to safeguard juveniles from what it calls the increasingly serious reality of teen sexual exploitation in Japan.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2015
Outrage grows over Sono 'apartheid' column
Public outrage over what is widely seen as a pro-apartheid column penned by conservative author Ayako Sono shows no sign of abating more than a week after its publication.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2015
Discount chain Don Quijote to accept payment in foreign currencies
The service represents the retailer's latest attempt to cater to foreign tourists, which it says are becoming an increasingly important part of its customer base.
JAPAN
Feb 16, 2015
Second Tokyo ward speaks of action on same-sex unions
The mayor of Setagaya has suggested his ward may seek to recognize same-sex unions, days after neighboring Shibuya district announced it would vote on the issue.
Japan Times
JAPAN / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Feb 15, 2015
Mainstream Japanese society slowly working to accommodate sexual minorities
When she was in her teens, Yumiko Higuchi was suicidal.
JAPAN
Feb 13, 2015
'No Game' campaign misfires in Hokkaido
A 'No Game' campaign led by educators in Hokkaido backfires after being taken as an attempt to label video games as harmful.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2015
Author Sono calls for racial segregation in op-ed piece
A prominent author and former government adviser calls for Japan to adopt a system to force immigrants to live separately from Japanese in zones based on race.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2015
Shibuya Ward plans vote on same-sex marriage
One of the capital's 23 wards proposes issuing certificates that would declare same-sex relationships 'equivalent to marriage.'
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 6, 2015
Immigration detention centers like prisons, U.K. inspectors say
When British incarceration inspection expert Hindpal Singh Bhui last month paid his first visit to a Japanese immigration detention center, his overriding initial impression was that it looked like a prison.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 5, 2015
Film festival gives a lesson on the world of night school
The world of night school in Japan is so detached from mainstream society that many people are clueless as to the role it plays.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 4, 2015
Hacker who framed computer users with cyberthreats jailed for eight years
Yusuke Katayama, a former information technology professional, used his expertise to make online threats 'while dodging arrest himself,' the presiding judge said.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 2, 2015
Death sentence upheld for Akihabara rampage killer
The Supreme Court finalizes the death penalty of Tomohiro Kato for the vehicular homicide and stabbing spree that left seven people dead and 10 injured on the streets of Tokyo's Akihabara neighborhood in 2008.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2015
Conflict-zone scribes fear fallout from intrepid journalist's death
The tragic death of Kenji Goto highlights a dilemma that the journalism community in Japan has long struggled with: how much of a risk reporters should take on when working in dangerous conflict zones.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2015
Islamic State hostage Kenji Goto mourned by family and friends
A video posted online early Sunday morning that shows what appears to be the beheaded corpse of Islamic State group hostage Kenji Goto has left his family and friends speechless and in anguish.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2015
Goto's mother pins hopes on Abe
The mother of hostage Kenji Goto said Thursday she is pinning all her hopes on the government of Shinzo Abe, as she believes he can bring her son home alive.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2015
As deadline looms, Goto friends, family call for his release
Associates of Islamic State hostage Kenji Goto called for his release Wednesday, as another apparent deadline in the crisis loomed.

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