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December 22, 2024
 

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Masami Ito

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Masami Ito
Masami is a staff writer for the Life and Culture Division at The Japan Times. She is in charge of the weekly Sunday Timeout, covering various issues related to Japan, from alcohol/drug addiction and juvenile crime to female sushi chefs and kendama. Over her 15-year career, she has written extensively on Japanese politics, foreign policy and social issues.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2005
Stalker-killer's life term upheld
The Tokyo High Court on Tuesday upheld a life sentence for a man who stalked and played a part in the slaying of a 21-year-old woman who had broken off a relationship with his brother.
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2005
Suit over taxi smoke rejected
The Tokyo District Court on Tuesday rejected a 13.6 million yen lawsuit filed by taxi drivers and customers who accused the government of damaging their health by failing to curb passive smoking in cabs.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2005
Man denies confining, attacking four women
A 25-year-old man denied Monday on the first day of his Tokyo District Court trial that he confined and assaulted four women on various occasions over a year's period from December 2003.
JAPAN
Dec 10, 2005
High court reversal convicts peace activists of SDF trespass
, Sachimi Takada (center) and Toshiyuki Obora face reporters Friday in Tokyo after the high court ruled their antiwar-leaflet distribution constituted trespassing.
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2005
3.25 billion yen awarded in Yokota base noise suit
The Tokyo High Court ordered the government Wednesday to pay a record 3.25 billion yen in noise pollution damages to an estimated 6,000 residents living near the U.S. Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo.
Japan Times
Features / WEEK 3
Nov 20, 2005
Busted for drugs in the name of love
Tall, blond and blue-eyed, Alex was Prince Charming to Tomomi Arimura. In her eyes, he was perfect -- good-looking, attentive and gentlemanly. Through expensive and thoughtful gifts, affection and words of love, Alex completely stole her heart.
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2005
Ministry petitioned on fate of despairing asylum-seeker
A petition urging the Justice Ministry not to appeal a court ruling recognizing an Afghan asylum-seeker as a refugee was presented to the ministry Friday.
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2005
2,252 suits filed against usurious consumer lenders
are crying because they cannot pay the money," he said. "But I want people to know there are interest charges they don't need to pay, and there is a way to get that money back. . . . I hope these lawsuits will help (borrowers) rebuild their lives." Attorney Kenji Utsunomiya told the media the suits...
JAPAN
Nov 18, 2005
'Loan shark king' faces payback
The Tokyo High Court on Thursday overruled a lower court ruling and ordered "loan shark king" Susumu Kajiyama to pay 5.1 billion yen in forfeiture in a case of laundering money amassed in a massive usury network, but reduced his prison sentence by six months to 6 1/2 years.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2005
Afghan detainee qualifies for refugee status: court
The Tokyo District Court on Friday revoked a Justice Ministry decision to deny a well-known Afghan man refugee status.
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2005
Teen admits in court to slaying parents, arson
A 16-year old boy pleaded guilty in court Wednesday to murdering his parents and blowing up their apartment in June with an explosive device.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CABINET INTERVIEW
Nov 4, 2005
New justice minister still not sold on death penalty
In private life, new Justice Minister Seiken Sugiura is unequivocal in his condemnation of the death penalty: Under no circumstances should one person be allowed to kill another, he says.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2005
Legal revision to speed hand of justice
Japan has long been notorious for extremely drawn out trials that seem to take forever to reach a verdict.
JAPAN
Oct 28, 2005
Briton has sentence for drug-smuggling reduced to 11 years
court," she said, adding that she was especially disappointed over how the judge ruled that a person qualified as a tour-guide interpreter was skilled enough to act as a courtroom interpreter. "This is a man's life," she said. "If that is the standard of an interpreter in a court today, I feel sorry...
JAPAN
Oct 27, 2005
Refugees need more aid: UNHCR
Japan should not stop at being a financial donor to United Nations refugee assistance programs but also become a strategic partner in protecting the vulnerable group, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Oct 26, 2005
Court splits on Hansen's compensation
Judges were split Tuesday on two lawsuits filed by former Hansen's disease patients from South Korea and Taiwan -- the South Korean patients were denied compensation while the Taiwanese were awarded it.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2005
Interpretation mistakes marring justice in Japan's courts
In June 2003, British national Nicholas Baker was sentenced to a 14-year prison sentence for drug smuggling.
JAPAN
Oct 20, 2005
Takefuji suit only trying to shut up critics: court
The Tokyo High Court on Wednesday upheld a lower court ruling that a lawsuit filed by Takefuji Corp. was aimed at suppressing freedom of expression and ordered the firm to pay 4.8 million yen in damages to a group of lawyers and a publisher.
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2005
Plaintiffs fume over Ishihara's French slur
A French teacher suing Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara over his disparaging remarks about the French language said in court Friday he would like the outspoken politician to explain why he believes French is an intellectually defective language.
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2005
Execs avoid prison over Roppongi Hills fatality
The Tokyo District Court found three former company executives guilty Friday of professional negligence resulting in the death of a 6-year old boy who was crushed in an automatic door at the Roppongi Hills complex in March 2004.
Freed anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson arrives in France
U.S.-Canadian anti-whaling environmental activist Paul Watson, who was released from prison in Greenland's capital Nuuk after five months in detention, arrives with Lamya Essemlali, president of Sea Shepherd France, at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Roissy-en-France, near Paris, on Friday.
Nippon Steel alleges undue White House influence on doomed deal review
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Dec. 10.
Record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, government survey finds
The public opinion survey on people's lives, conducted by the Cabinet Office, found that 28.1% of respondents think that their standard of living is at a lower-middle level among the general public — the highest percentage to give that response in 35 years.
Police raided suspect's home to arrest him after fatal Kitakyushu stabbing
Broken window glass is seen at Masanori Hirabaru's house in Kitakyushu's Kokuraminami Ward.
Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bills that would 'damage democracy'
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party and opposition party Kuomintang brawl in parliament in Taipei on Friday.
Casual workouts, cool living, ‘complete’ food: Japan’s health trends of 2024
In 2024, efficiency trumped effort among Japan's fitness-focused aspirants.
The mighty Mekong River's growing plastic problem
A group of elephant keepers in Chiang Saen, Thailand, remove plastic waste from the Ruak River, a tributary of the Mekong River, as a pair of Asian elephants bathe behind them.
Japanese officials inspect Yokota Air Base over PFAS concerns
The Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo in September 2019. An inspection of the base by Japanese government officials on Friday came amid public pressure to investigate suspected links between the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam by the U.S. base and contamination of soil and groundwater in western Tokyo.
Crime numbers rise in Japan for second straight year
A police officer stands in front of the residence of a man alleged to have stabbed two junior high school students in Kitakyushu.
A year of Oscar wins and a quiet push for diversity
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” released in Japanese theaters in April, sharply dramatizes the clash between rural and urban values. The film won five awards at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, including the second-place Silver Lion prize.

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