National Topics

Sep 2, 2013

Police open website for tip-offs on slaying

The Mie Prefectural Police opened a special section on its website Monday seeking tips from the public about the murder of a 15-year-old girl. Hiromi Terawa, a third-year student at Asake Junior High School in the Mie city of Yokkaichi, was found dead on ...

Aug 27, 2013

Six more police forces to receive DNA-testing gear

The National Police Agency will deploy automated DNA-profiling equipment to six more prefectural departments by next March to speed up criminal investigations and the identification of bodies recovered from disasters, police sources said Tuesday. As a result, 11 prefectural forces will have the equipment, ...

Aug 27, 2013

Cambodia investment scams rising

The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan and related bodies are warning of a rise in fraudulent investment schemes involving real estate in Cambodia, where economic growth is boosting foreign investment. The center received 1,312 inquiries between October 2011 and early this month from ...

Aug 27, 2013

Girl-recruiting teacher in hot water

by Tomohiro Osaki

Police have handed prosecutors their case against a 59-year-old Iwate University professor who arranged for four foreign students to work as part-time nightclub hostesses. Masamichi Okazaki arranged job interviews between the owner of a bar in Morioka and the four girls, a Chinese and ...

Aug 26, 2013

Wife held in fatal fight with spouse

The wife of a Yokohama National University professor was arrested Sunday for allegedly beating her spouse to death with a ceramic mug at their home in Isehara, Kanagawa Prefecture. Emiko Hirose, 61, allegedly struck her husband, Yasuo, 70, in the head and face about ...

'Love of buses' trips up Osaka man

Aug 23, 2013

'Love of buses' trips up Osaka man

A 36-year-old self-proclaimed bus lover from Hirakata, Osaka Prefecture, was arrested Thursday for stealing bus destination sign rolls, police said. Police found about 1,000 destination signs and stacks of bus magazines at the home of Naoki Murata, an office worker who owned up to ...

Aug 20, 2013

Evacuees, residents to sue for ¥1 in neglected aid

Fukushima residents and evacuees plan to sue the government for ¥1 each over its failure to enforce a law to support those affected by the nuclear crisis sparked by the March 2011 natural disasters, their lawyer said Tuesday. Twelve evacuees who voluntarily left the ...

Aug 19, 2013

Corpse found in suitcase near road

The rotting corpse of an unidentified woman in her 60s or 70s was found in a suitcase along a wooded road Saturday in Saijo, Ehime Prefecture, police said. Alarmed by the stench, a 50-year-old man walking near Fukujoji Temple found the suitcase and called ...