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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 / Society
Dec 1, 2014
Sri Lankan man dies at Shinagawa detention center
A Sri Lankan man recently died while held by the Shinagawa Immigration Bureau after his repeated complaints of chest pain were ignored, supporters say.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 26, 2014
Supreme Court assails vote disparity in 2013 election but doesn't nullify results
The Upper House election in the summer of 2013 was borderline unconstitutional due to an “outrageous” disparity in the weight of votes between districts, the Supreme Court said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 25, 2014
Abe not laughing after online stunt pokes fun at snap election call
An online stunt by a student activist who made light of the Abe administration's surprise decision to call an election has drawn sharp criticism from the prime minister.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 25, 2014
'Washi' paper-making village hopes UNESCO designation will bring tailwind
Villagers in Higashi-Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, are riding high.
JAPAN
Nov 17, 2014
Kagoshima school offers cash handouts for pupils accepted to top universites
Desperate to keep enrollment from declining further at its only academically competitive high school, a small city in Kagoshima Prefecture is trying to cajole 15-year-olds into attending, promising cash handouts of up to ¥1 million if they study hard enough to be accepted by a prestigious university....
JAPAN / Society
Nov 13, 2014
MOS Burger employee posts hateful message about Chinese former co-worker outside restaurant
Fast-food giant MOS Burger has come under fire after a Japanese employee wrote a hateful message about a former Chinese co-worker on a chalk-board sign outside one of the company's Tokyo restaurants.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2014
Head of anti-foreigner group Zaitokukai to step down
The longtime chairman of ultranationalist Zaiu00adtou00adkuu00adkai says he will step down and give up his membership in the group, claiming the move will bolster the organization's influence.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 11, 2014
Fearing 'extinction,' Tokyo's Toshima Ward aims to attract more women
Fast-forward decades into the future, and Toshima Ward in Tokyo may no longer exist.
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2014
Renowned architect condemns Olympic stadium design
A revised design for the main Tokyo Olympic stadium is nothing more than a "white elephant" that's been stripped of its original designer's artistic talent and will forever burden the capital if built, internationally renowned architect Arata Isozaki said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2014
New justice minister against outlawing hate speech
The newly appointed justice minister on Thursday gave clues as to her priorities in office, restating the ministry's intention to clean up a discredited foreign trainees program but saying she is disinclined to outlaw hate speech.
JAPAN
Nov 4, 2014
U.S. 'death with dignity' case stokes Japanese supporters and opponents alike
Both supporters and opponents of “death with dignity” are emboldened by an American woman who committed physician-assisted suicide, believing it may ignite a shift in Japan's long-standing tendency to avoid the topic.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Nov 4, 2014
Notorious 'JK' business exploits troubled high school girls for sex
Seventeen-year-old Momo shrugs and says she was aware of the dangers when she decided to join other girls in Tokyo's Akihabara district handing out racy fliers to male passers-by and flashing them coquettish smiles.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2014
Invite foreign interns to settle in Japan, think tank says
The government should replace its controversial foreigners' trainee program with a system that invites interns from abroad to settle in Japan, a Tokyo think tank says.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 28, 2014
Musical points to sinister nuclear implications
A recent court-themed musical staged in Tokyo was, to say the least, an audacious dig at the contentious state secrets law scheduled to take effect in December.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 28, 2014
Young protesters rap state secrets law as movement gains rhythm
"Don't give up the fight! Stand up for your right!"
JAPAN / Society
Oct 23, 2014
Hospital worker scores big legal win over 'maternity harassment'
In its first ruling on “maternity harassment,” the Supreme Court nullifies a lower court's decision to reject a therapist's claim that she was unjustly demoted for being pregnant.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 21, 2014
Female civil servant sues over 'institutional sexism' in her ministry
In what may be a legal first, a female civil servant sues the government over what she calls institutional sexism at the ministry she works for, citing almost two decades of blocked promotions and pay raises.
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2014
New ministers pledge no interruption to nuclear policy, female empowerment
On his first day in his new job, industry minister Yoichi Miyazawa said Tuesday he will soon be ready to visit communities near nuclear power plants, apparently pledging to maintain the momentum for reactor restarts.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 20, 2014
Hometown 'tax' donations system catching on
Japanese may not be known as the most charity-minded people but if there is one charitable activity that has proved a hit in this country, it's the 'furusato nozei' (hometown tax).
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Oct 16, 2014
Naturalize or get out, party tells jobless foreigners
Foreigners could lose long-term access to social support if the conservative Jisedai no To (Party for Future Generations) has its way.

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