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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

Apr 4, 2014

Foreign trainee program given OK for expansion

Japan decides to expand the abuse-tainted foreign trainee program in light of a labor shortage threatening construction projects for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

JAPAN

Apr 4, 2014

Child abduction agreement too late for many parents

To some parents, Japan's official entry Tuesday into the Hague convention on cross-border child abductions doesn't represent the light at the end of the tunnel, but the arrival of more obstacles in the prolonged effort to retrieve their children, experts say.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Apr 2, 2014

'The People by Kishin'

Photographer Kishin Shinoyama's perceptive insight and virtual disregard of social norms have made him both an admirable pursuer of avant-gardism and a target of conservative criticism.

BUSINESS

Apr 1, 2014

Shoppers start coping with higher sales tax

Tuesday's hike of the consumption tax to 8 percent saw mixed reactions in Tokyo and Osaka. While consumers in both cities seemed resigned to the increase, there was concern about the additional transportation and food costs.

JAPAN

Mar 30, 2014

Airports eager to cater to Muslims' needs

Motivated by a surge in Islamic visitors, Japan's major airports are falling over themselves to capitalize on the trend by installing prayer rooms and offering halal meals.

JAPAN

Mar 28, 2014

Down Syndrome exhibit underway

Almost a year since the introduction of a controversial prenatal screening test, a photo exhibition is underway in Tokyo to dispel misunderstandings about children with Down Syndrome.

JAPAN

Mar 27, 2014

Amnesty: Let 'tragedy' be a lesson to Japan's courts

Prosecutors must swiftly accept Thursday's Shizuoka District Court decision to reopen a high-profile 1966 murder case and get to the truth behind the conviction of former professional boxer Iwao Hakamada, the Japan branch of Amnesty International said after the ruling.

JAPAN

Mar 21, 2014

Break 'passive' English effort: expert

Efforts to foster a generation of more globally competitive talent will not bear fruit unless Japan breaks away from its traditional penchant for "passive" written English exams, Perry Akins, a well-known expert in the field of English-language education, said Friday in Tokyo.

JAPAN

Mar 20, 2014

Only six asylum seekers accepted by Japan in 2013

Just six asylum seekers were granted refugee status by the government last year, the lowest number in 15 years, the Justice Ministry say Thursday.

JAPAN / Society

Mar 20, 2014

Aum cultists inspire a new generation of admirers

Swayed by a mixture of dark fascination with the outlaw life and dissatisfaction with their own lot, a small but passionate group of young people are bound by their professed admiration for the criminal members of the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult. They call themselves Aumers.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Mar 19, 2014

Officials faulted in death of Ghanaian

In a landmark verdict, the Tokyo District Court on Wednesday ruled that immigration officials were responsible for the death of a Ghanaian man they were forcibly deporting in 2010.

JAPAN

Mar 14, 2014

Olympic credibility under threat in wake of soccer fans' xenophobic banner

The recent controversy over the 'Japanese only' banner put up by Urawa Reds soccer fans is yet further testimony to the nation's entrenched insensitivity to racism and threatens Tokyo's credibility as host of the 2020 Olympics, experts say.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Mar 13, 2014

Man asserts death wish in 'Basuke' threats

A man accused of making hostile threats linked to a popular basketball manga admits full guilt, demands severe punishment and says he wants to kill himself.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Mar 7, 2014

Hirata gets nine years for role in Aum kidnapping of notary

Former Aum Shinrikyo fugitive Makoto Hirata is sentenced to nine years in prison for his role in the 1995 kidnapping and confinement of Tokyo notary Kiyoshi Kariya and two other crimes.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Mar 7, 2014

Hirata sentence based on lay judges' too harsh judgment: journalist

Friday's sentencing of former Aum Shinrikyo fugitive Makoto Hirata to nine years in prison was surprisingly harsh, possibly a result of amateurish anger felt by lay judges at the social injustice, a well-known expert said after the ruling.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Mar 7, 2014

Aum victim Kariya's son not seeking vengeance for death

He says he isn't seeking vengeance on those who tortured and killed his father. Nor does he intend to hate them forever. The only thing Minoru Kariya wants is the simple truth about how exactly his father, Kiyoshi, died nearly 20 years ago.

JAPAN

Feb 27, 2014

Prosecutors seek 12 years for Aum ex-fugitive Hirata over kidnapping

Prosecutors ask for a 12-year prison term for ex-Aum Shinrikyo fugitive Makoto Hiu00adrau00adta, saying that despite his denials, he knew what he was doing when he took part in the “malicious” 1995 kidnapping and confinement of a notary.

JAPAN

Feb 26, 2014

Defacing of Anne Frank diaries stirs public

The news that hundreds of copies of Anne Frank's “A Diary of a Young Girl” and books about her had been vandalized in libraries across Tokyo still spur swidespread concern, with people scrambling to help with generous donations.

JAPAN / EXPLAINER

Feb 24, 2014

Should young criminals face harsher penalties?

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet approved a bill this month to bolster punishments issued under the juvenile law. This is partly in response to growing calls by people victimized by juvenile offenders to reduce their apparent impunity.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Feb 21, 2014

Notary's son confronts cultist in court, asks why Aum abducted him

Minoru Kariya, whose father was believed tortured to death by Aum Shinrikyo in 1995, asks ex-cult fugitive Makoto Hirata why his father had to die and whether the defendant is prepared to atone for the role he played in his death.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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

By Johan Brooks

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