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Karin Kaneko
Police officers conduct a special inspection of Shinjuku Ward's Kabukicho in Tokyo in December.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 4, 2024
Japan's police crack down on host clubs
More than 200 administrative penalties have been issued against such establishments nationwide for various violations, National Police Agency says.
Plaintiffs in a suit against the government over a law that requires married spouses to have the same surname arrive at the Tokyo District Court in Tokyo on March 8.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 1, 2024
By 2531, everyone in Japan could have the surname 'Sato'
The forecast is based on the premise that the current practice of requiring married couples to share the same surname continues.
Noriyuki Higashiyama (second from right), unveils Smile-Up as a new company name to replace Johnny's & Associates during a news conference in Tokyo in October.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 29, 2024
Smile-Up says two ex-Johnny's staffers were also sexual predators
The statement from Smile-Up, which is responsible for compensating victims, came after the BBC published an interview with its president.
Hitoshi Matsumoto
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 28, 2024
Comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto's defamation trial kicks off
Identities of two women accusing the comedian of forcing them into having sex, as reported by Shukan Bunshun, becomes the focus on Day 1.
Among those who experienced physical abuse from their spouses or partners, 12.6% said they felt that their lives were in danger, according to the government survey conducted late last year.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 27, 2024
Record 1 in 5 in Japan report partner abuse, government survey shows
Among married couples, the rate is even higher at 1 in 4.
Plaintiffs and their lawyers on survivors benefits for same-sex partners smile after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of them on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 26, 2024
Same-sex partners should get spousal survivor benefits, Supreme Court rules
It is the first time the Supreme Court has reached a judgment on survivors benefits for crime victims who have same-sex partners.
Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara watches the season opener against the Padres next to the Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani in Seoul on Wednesday. Concerns have emerged over how the scandal might affect Ohtani's future in the MLB.
BASEBALL / MLB / EXPLAINER
Mar 25, 2024
Ohtani’s former interpreter’s gambling scandal: What we know so far
Here is a breakdown of events leading to the interpreter’s firing ahead of the baseball superstar's plan to speak to the media about the scandal.
Shizuo Aishima's son speaks to reporters next to a photo of his father in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 21, 2024
Ohkawara execs to file criminal complaint against Tokyo police
The complainant's lawyer said that the execs hope to kick-start an internal investigation into the department’s misconduct.
Masaaki Okawara (center) and other plaintiffs celebrate in December after the Tokyo District Court ruled that police and prosecutors had falsely accused them of illegally exporting spray dryers. But the civil suit continues as both sides have appealed the ruling.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Mar 19, 2024
Japan's 'hostage justice system' faces renewed scrutiny
The long-criticized system has come under the spotlight as executives wrongly accused of a crime continue their legal battle.
A woman takes pictures with Kawazu cherry blossom trees, one of the earliest to bloom in Japan, in Tokyo's Sumida district on Monday.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 15, 2024
Economic impact of hanami expected to double this year
Higher tourist numbers and prices, along with a depreciation of the Japanese currency, are among factors contributing to the larger economic impact.
Plaintiffs of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a ban on same-sex marriage and their supporters hold a banner calling for authorities to allow such unions in front of the Tokyo District Court on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 14, 2024
Ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, Sapporo High Court rules
This is the first such ruling by a high court in Japan in favor of plaintiffs challenging the ban.
Yusuke Yamazaki, former president of Nishiyama Farm, arrives at Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 13, 2024
Ex-Nishiyama Farm president arrested after deportation from Indonesia
Yusuke Yamazaki had been on the international wanted list for his alleged involvement in investment fraud involving overseas fruit sales.
Plaintiffs who have filed a lawsuit over Japan's separate surname rule head into the Tokyo District Court on Friday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 8, 2024
Group files lawsuit over Japan law that mandates couples share a surname
Similar lawsuits have been filed before, but public opinion appears to be shifting in favor of allowing couples to have separate surnames.
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura said an expert panel will finalize details of the proposed fee for foreign tourists in April.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 7, 2024
Osaka weighs 'entry fee' for foreign tourists in bid to combat overtourism
The proposed fee is separate from the lodging tax already in place for all tourists.
Nikolai Nozdrev, who arrived in Tokyo on Sunday, succeeds Mikhail Galuzin as Russia's ambassador to Japan.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 4, 2024
Russia’s new ambassador arrives in Japan after more than yearlong absence
Moscow had left the post unfilled for over a year amid strained ties with Tokyo.
Film director Hideo Sakaki leaves the Akasaka Police Station in Tokyo on Wednesday as police take him to prosecutors.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 21, 2024
Film director Hideo Sakaki held on suspicion of sexual assault
While allegations of sexual abuse were made against Sakaki as far back as March 2022, this is the first time that the director has been taken into custody.
Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto votes at a polling station during the general election in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 14, 2024
Prabowo on track to win Indonesia’s presidential election
This is Prabowo’s third time to run for the country’s top job, after losing in 2014 and 2019 to incumbent Joko "Jokowo" Widodo.
Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto speaks during a campaign rally in Jakarta on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 11, 2024
Indonesian election candidates make their case as election day looms
With young people accounting for almost 60% of the electorate, the candidates have needed to factor in their demands and preferences.
Shoko Kawata stumps in the city of Yawata, Kyoto Prefecture, last year.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 6, 2024
Japan's youngest female city mayor is focused on women's empowerment
The election of Shoko Kawata, 33, was unexpected — but was a welcome change for some.
Zain Syed (left), a Pakistan-born Japanese citizen; Maurice, a U.S. citizen with permanent residency in Japan; and Matthew, a Pacific Islander with permanent residency, outside the Tokyo District Court in Tokyo on Monday
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 29, 2024
Lawsuit filed in Tokyo over alleged racial profiling by police
The plaintiffs are seeking around ¥3 million in damages each from central and local governments in the case, which is the first of its kind.

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’