Hiroshi Matsubara - The Japan Times

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Hiroshi Matsubara

For Hiroshi Matsubara's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

JAPAN

Oct 25, 2003

Surrogate case hampered by legal barriers: ministry

The Justice Ministry cannot grant citizenship to a Japanese couple's twins born to a U.S. surrogate mother under the existing legal framework, but is making efforts to resolve the issue as swiftly as possible, Justice Minister Daizo Nozawa said Friday.

JAPAN

Oct 23, 2003

Nepalese man's lawyers preparing bid for retrial

Lawyers for a 37-year-old Nepalese man whose life sentence for murder was upheld this week by the Supreme Court are preparing to file for a retrial, it was learned Wednesday.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Oct 22, 2003

Former smokers denied in health compensation claim

A group of sick and dying former smokers seeking compensation from Japan Tobacco Inc. and the government had their case thrown out of the Tokyo District Court on Tuesday because the judge ruled they had taken up smoking of their own free will.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Oct 22, 2003

Outside watchdog needed to monitor prisons: U.N. expert

An independent entity comprising nongovernmental organizations and experts is needed to monitor human rights conditions in prisons, according to Dr. Ole Rasmussen of the United Nations Committee Against Torture.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Oct 22, 2003

Japan slowly pulls head out of sand on smoking ills

During the five years since a landmark suit against tobacco manufacturers and the government was filed, slight but steady progress has been made in regulating cigarette sales and advertising.

JAPAN

Oct 21, 2003

Inmates claim assaults common

More than one-third of Japan's prison population has been assaulted, intimidated or bullied by prison guards, the Justice Ministry's first extensive nationwide survey of inmates showed Monday.

JAPAN

Oct 18, 2003

Cops to sniff out illegal foreigners in Tokyo

Immigration authorities, police and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said Friday they will take joint action to halve the number of foreigners without visas in the capital within five years.

JAPAN

Oct 11, 2003

War-displaced struggle to live in Japan

After serving as president of a public athletics college in China for decades, Bunji Tanaka resettled in Japan in 1988 at age 47 and found work at a liquor wholesale warehouse in Yokohama.

JAPAN

Oct 4, 2003

Ward marks antismoking anniversary

A pair of middle-aged men in bright yellow uniforms patrol a business district near JR Tokyo Station in Chiyoda Ward, watching every pedestrian like hawks. They spot a salaryman carrying a lighted cigarette and spring into action.

JAPAN

Oct 2, 2003

Abused by prison guards, ex-con still haunted by trauma

A 31-year-old former Nagoya Prison inmate who was allegedly abused by guards last year during his incarceration says he still suffers physical aftereffects as well as trauma from the violence.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Sep 28, 2003

Justice minister pledges to make Japan 'safe again,' tighten border controls

Daizo Nozawa says Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has ordered him in his new job as justice minister to make Japan the "safest country in the world" again.

JAPAN

Sep 12, 2003

Some embassies just don't cooperate

Japan may be trying to crack down on foreigners who don't have a visa, but some embassies aren't all that cooperative when it comes to deportation procedures.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Sep 12, 2003

Myanmarese dying to get out of Japan

On July 28, a 39-year-old man from Myanmar died alone in the International Medical Center of Japan in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.

JAPAN

Sep 10, 2003

Detention of acquitted prompts legal cross fire

The Tokyo High Court has recently ordered the detention of a 23-year-old Chilean man acquitted of robbing a jewelry shop and stealing a car.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Jul 22, 2003

Net sidesteps ban on leaking personal info

After police took a junior high school student into custody earlier this month in the July 1 slaying of a 4-year-old boy in Nagasaki, a raft of information appeared on the Internet about the 12-year-old suspect -- in the face of a general ban on the media divulging data on minors involved in crimes.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Jul 15, 2003

Security cameras aid in crime fight, but at a cost

The key clue that led to the apprehension of a 12-year-old Nagasaki junior high school student for the July 1 murder of a 4-year-old boy was the image captured by a shopping arcade security camera of the youth walking with the victim near the scene of the slaying.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Jul 10, 2003

Homeless shelters' presence, profits irk neighbors

After learning that about 20 homeless people had moved into a dormlike shelter in their neighborhood, a large group of residents in the Higashi-Nippori district of Tokyo's Arakawa Ward demanded that the local assembly close the facility and relocate its occupants.

JAPAN

Jul 9, 2003

Lawyers' group to propose its own prison reforms

The Japan Federation of Bar Associations is ready to call for improved medical services and living conditions at the nation's prisons, it was learned Tuesday.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Jul 3, 2003

Homeless group works to show its worth

YOKOHAMA -- Every morning at JR Yokohama Station, people show up armed with brooms and dustpans to clean up litter on nearby streets left by the previous night's carousing throngs.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Jul 2, 2003

Boxer dances for reunification of Koreas

Champion boxer Masamori Tokuyama says his dream is to use his status as a well-known Korean resident of Japan to contribute to the reunification of the Korean Peninsula.

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.

Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree

By Alex K.T. Martin

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