Tag - courts

 
 

COURTS

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.
A Cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday
JAPAN / Society
Mar 8, 2024
Government OKs bill to introduce joint custody after divorce
The bill would permit either sole custody or joint custody. A family court will intervene if there is a dispute.
Motoki Taniguchi (left) and one of his clients, Maurice Shelton, hope their lawsuit can change alleged police practices involving stop-and-search.
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 8, 2024
A lawsuit puts alleged racial profiling by police on trial in Japan
Three residents with foreign roots have filed a lawsuit claiming Japanese police target visible minorities. We discuss what they hope to achieve.
Located in Ehime Prefecture at the base of the Cape Sada Peninsula, the Ikata Nuclear Power Plant lies about 45 kilometers from the town of Saganoseki within the city of Oita.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 7, 2024
Court rejects class action suit opposing nuclear plant in Ehime
Local residents in Oita, less than 50 kilometers from the facility, had called into question the safety of the plant during natural disasters.
Tokyo headquarters of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, more commonly known as the Unification Church
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 6, 2024
Japan panel OKs putting Unification Church under increased scrutiny
Once an organization is designated, it will be obliged to notify authorities of any disposal of its real estate assets at least one month in advance.
Judges at the Kyoto District Court hear a case involving Yoshikazu Okubo, a doctor accused of the consensual killing of a woman with a fatal neurological disease, on Jan. 11.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 6, 2024
Japanese doctor given 18 years for consensual killing of ALS patient
Admitting to charges of commissioned murder, Yoshikazu Okubo had said that he "did it to fulfill (the patient's) wish."
The Cabinet approved a bill on Tuesday to provide a better support for victims of sex crimes and the bereaved families of murder victims.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 5, 2024
Japan to boost legal aid for crime victims and bereaved families
A new bill is designed to reduce the mental and financial burdens of victims and bereaved families.
Construction work for the relocation of the U.S. Marines Air Station Futenma is undertaken in the Henoko are of Nago in Okinawa Prefecture in January.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 2, 2024
Top court nixes Okinawa governor's appeal against U.S. base landfill
The decision is likely to be seen as an endorsement for continued work at the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma relocation site in Nago.
Investigators at the site of the murder of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with a handmade gun in the city of Nara in July 2022
JAPAN
Mar 1, 2024
Japan bill would punish those who encourage unlawful gun ownership
The bill is also aimed at toughening requirements to qualify for possessing a so-called half-rifle hunting gun.
As people in the public gallery looked on at the Osaka High Court on Friday, lawyers for the appellant and respondent deliberated over evidence and confirmed the judgment date remotely.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 1, 2024
Osaka High Court pioneers remote legal proceedings
Lawyers representing parties in an appeal case joined the hearing via web conferencing to argue their cases.
Maurice Shelton (left) and his lawyer Motoki Taniguchi spoke about alleged racial bias on behalf of the police at a recent press conference.
COMMUNITY / Voices / Black Eye
Feb 29, 2024
Making Japanese history by being Black history
Three individuals have stepped up to try and make a difference in the country we live in. They should be applauded.
Romance scams are designed to exploit individuals emotionally, leading them to part with their money.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 27, 2024
Deceptive lawyer ads exploit victims of romance scams Japan
Some legal practitioners exaggerate their success records in recovering stolen funds and fail to follow through on the collection process.
The Tokyo High Court ruled that there was a causal relationship between Kazuo Ishibashi’s driving and the fatal crash that followed, upholding the Yokohama District Court’s findings and 18-year prison term.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 26, 2024
Tokyo court upholds 18-year prison term for driver over 2017 road rage
Kazuho Ishibashi had deliberately slowed down his vehicle in front of the victim’s car on an expressway, resulting in its rear-ending by a truck.
Nobuya Fukumoto, a lawyer for the Unification Church, speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 23, 2024
First court session held on disbanding of Unification Church in Japan
The head of the Unification Church's Japan branch told the session that the government's view of the organization is mistaken.
Hiroshima Chuo Police Station
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 18, 2024
Detained police officer kills himself amid rape accusations
The officer, who was on suicide watch, had been indicted for raping three women and accused by two others.
Under a proposed joint custody system, if parents cannot reach an agreement, a family court would make a decision based on the interests of the child and family relations.
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2024
Government panel proposes allowing joint child custody
Based on the report from the Legislative Council, the government plans to submit a related bill during the ongoing ordinary session of parliament.
The Osaka District Court handed a prison term to a man who appeared in a viral video engaging in unsanitary behavior at a Yoshinoya beef bowl diner.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 15, 2024
Man given prison term after food prank at beef bowl diner in Osaka
Ryu Shimazu was found guilty of obstructing business operations and causing property damage.
Kakizawa was serving his fifth term as a member of the House of Representatives until he stepped down as a lawmaker earlier this month following his indictment.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 14, 2024
Former LDP lawmaker pleads guilty to illegal campaign financing
Mito Kakizawa said he would not contest the charges, which relate to a Tokyo ward mayoral election last April that was won by a candidate he backed.
Yoshikazu Higashitani, who goes by the name GaaSyy, leaves the Tokyo Detention House on Sept. 21 after being released on bail.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 9, 2024
Four-year prison term sought for ex-lawmaker GaaSyy
GaaSyy, whose real name is Yoshikazu Higashitani, is accused of making threats against actor Go Ayano and others in online videos.
Tacaquito Usui (left) smiles at a news conference in Okayama after the Okayama Family Court's Tsuyama Branch recognized his petition to have his gender changed on his family register on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 8, 2024
Court approves gender change for nonsterilized trans man in Japan
Before the top court decision, Japan's law on gender dysphoria stipulated six conditions to register as a different sex.

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'