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May 17, 2024
 

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Setsuko Kamiya

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Setsuko Kamiya
Setsuko Kamiya is a staff writer and editor covering local news, including legal issues, and has been following the ongoing judicial reform. A 2005 Fulbright journalist grantee, she studied the American jury system in California.
For Setsuko Kamiya's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2009
Asylum-seekers facing destitution
Laurent Kirobi came to Japan from a west African country and is seeking political asylum. Exactly a year has passed since he applied to the Immigration Bureau, but he still hasn't been called for an interview to determine whether he is eligible.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2009
All lay judges quiz accused killer
At the first trial under the new lay judge system, all six citizens sitting on the bench posed questions Wednesday to 72-year-old defendant Katsuyoshi Fujii, who is charged with murdering 66-year-old neighbor Mun Chun Ja.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 5, 2009
Scholar interns at old bookstore
Students of literature often find themselves among old books in the dark reaches of a library. But Harvard University student Peter Bernard has taken another tack, spending most days for the past two months combing the antiquated works at a 106-year-old bookstore in Tokyo's Kanda Jinbocho district.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 5, 2009
Historic first: Lay judge quizzes witness
Day two of the first lay judge trial saw another historic first when one of the six citizens on the bench posed questions to a murder victim's son as he took the stand at the Tokyo District Court.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 4, 2009
First lay judge trial kicks off in Tokyo
The first trial involving lay judges kicked off Monday in the Tokyo District Court with Katsuyoshi Fujii, 72, pleading guilty to murdering his neighbor, Mun Chun Ja, 66, in May.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2009
Confessed killer's lawyers fight claim
A 49-year-old man pleaded guilty Thursday to murdering, dismembering and dumping the bodies of two Filipino bar hostesses in 1999 and 2008, but his attorneys, contradicting him, said they will fight to prove his innocence in the 1999 slaying even though he did time for chopping up the victim.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2009
Kunisawa is handed suspended sentence
A former president of Nishimatsu Construction Co. was handed a suspended 16-month prison sentence Friday for his part in making illegal donations to Diet members and bringing slush funds into Japan without reporting the money to customs.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2009
Chongryon swindler gets suspended term
A former intelligence agency chief was sentenced to a suspended 34-month prison term Thursday for his role in a 2007 investment scam aimed at swindling the pro-Pyongyang group Chongryon out of ownership of its Tokyo headquarters.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2009
More guilty pleas over Nishimatsu slush fund
A former official of Nishimatsu Construction Co. pleaded guilty Wednesday to embezzling roughly ¥45 million from a slush fund allegedly amassed through the firm's projects in Southeast Asia.
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2009
Nishimatsu boss tells court he paid Nikai
Nishimatsu Construction Co.'s former president, Mikio Kunisawa, pleaded guilty Tuesday to purchasing fundraising party tickets for a Liberal Democratic Party faction led by Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Toshihiro Nikai.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jun 30, 2009
Japan a low-key player in space race
Japan has launched Earth observation, communications and weather satellites as well as other space vehicles since it began its space program in the late 1960s.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 24, 2009
High court OKs Sugaya retrial
The Tokyo High Court said Tuesday a retrial will be held for Toshikazu Sugaya, who was released from prison earlier this month after new DNA evidence contradicted initial tests that led to his conviction in the 1990 murder of a 4-year-old girl in Tochigi Prefecture.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2009
Nishimatsu ex-chief admits Ozawa funds
Former Nishimatsu Construction Co. President Mikio Kunisawa pleaded guilty Friday to charges in connection with a political funding scandal that cost Democratic Party of Japan chief Ichiro Ozawa his job last month.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 18, 2009
Refugee treatment under spotlight
Nongovernmental organizations in the Asia-Pacific region supporting asylum seekers say they are watching with great interest how Japan will handle the resettlement of people from Myanmar starting next year, because it will influence their nations.
JAPAN
Jun 17, 2009
Legal pros expecting a lot from lay judges
Videotaping interrogations of criminal suspects could have prevented a man recently effectively exonerated by a DNA test from being convicted of murder, but the result of his trial might not have been any different if lay judges had been on the bench, legal professionals said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2009
Laws, legal terms get official translation
Japanese businesses might operate on a global scale, but foreign firms often run into a wall — the language barrier — when trying to understand the ins and outs of this nation's legal system.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2009
Did media go too far on swine flu?
The swine flu scare seems to be over, at least in Japan and at least for now.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2009
Yokohama holds gala to mark its 150th year
YOKOHAMA — More than 3,400 people gathered Sunday for a ceremony marking the 150th anniversary of the opening of Yokoyama port and its role as Japan's gateway to the West.
Japan Times
JAPAN / YOKOHAMA AT 150
May 27, 2009
Newspapers opened eyes in Yokohama
Second in a series
JAPAN / CITIZEN JUSTICE
May 13, 2009
Preparation for quicker criminal trials enhances focus
Second in a series
Japanese stripper bids to have her porn movies taken off internet
Plaintiff Miyuki Ariga (left) speaks at a news conference along with her lawyer, Yoshitomo Morohashi, after filing a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court on Monday.
Kishida defends planned rule to revoke foreigners' residency
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a meeting of the Lower House Judicial Affairs Committee on Wednesday.
Human bone-like objects found at Nippon Steel plant’s molten iron pot, with one worker missing
Police believe it’s highly possible that human bones found in a molten iron pot at Nippon Steel's Oita factory belong to a missing male employee.
Was Onosato's defeat of Terunofuji an era-defining bout?
Onosato (right) defeats Terunofuji at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on May 12. While nothing in sumo is guaranteed, it seems almost inevitable that Onosato is destined for the top of the sport's pyramid.
Man suspected of using smart glasses to cheat on Waseda University exams
The Waseda University campus in Tokyo. An 18-year-old male test-taker is suspected of using smart glasses to cheat during the university's entrance exam.
Japanese rap creates its mecca in Pop Yours
Tokyo-based artist Jumadiba says he forgoes the label of simply “rap” for his music because the Japanese rap scene isn’t confined to a particular sound.
Who’s toughest on China? Biden’s tariff tactic ups ante as election looms.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about new actions to protect American workers and businesses from China's "unfair" trade practices, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on Tuesday.
Was Onosato's defeat of Terunofuji an era-defining bout?
Onosato (right) defeats Terunofuji at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on May 12. While nothing in sumo is guaranteed, it seems almost inevitable that Onosato is destined for the top of the sport's pyramid.
Ishin struggles to set itself apart from other parties
Nippon Ishin no Kai Secretary-General Fumitake Fujita (right) speaks beside Yui Kanazawa, the party's candidate in the Tokyo 15th district by-election on April 28. Nippon Ishin lost in this by-election as well as another in Nagasaki held on the same day.
In Japan, 68,000 people over 65 projected to die alone at home this year
As Japan grapples with its population's rapid aging, supporting people who live and age alone is looming larger on the policy agenda.

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