Yoko Hani - The Japan Times

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Yoko Hani

For Yoko Hani's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

JAPAN

Jul 23, 1999

LDP may have to walk political tightrope

JAPAN

Jul 22, 1999

No national consensus on national symbols

JAPAN

May 18, 1999

New Komeito plays up role as fickle ally

JAPAN

May 10, 1999

Reform of Diet debate questioned

JAPAN

May 7, 1999

Public must mold info-disclosure system to needs

JAPAN

Apr 26, 1999

Analysis: Defense changes dodged public debate

JAPAN

Mar 29, 1999

Kakizawa's goals hinge on unaffiliated voters

JAPAN

Mar 29, 1999

Allure, image of governor posts growing on Diet

JAPAN

Dec 2, 1998

The Asahara Trial: 100th hearing just tip of iceberg

and TOMOKO OTAKEStaff writers

JAPAN

Oct 23, 1998

Death sentence 'a matter of course,' court says

Staff writerFriday's ruling that sentenced to death former Aum Shinrikyo senior figure Kazuaki Okazaki is widely viewed by legal experts as "a matter of course," considering the heinous nature of the crimes.Explaining the reasons for capital punishment, presiding Judge Megumi Yamamuro at the Tokyo District Court said Okazaki's criminal responsibility is "extremely grave" in light of the nature of the crime, the motive and the result of the killings, the sentiment of the victims' families and the social impact brought about by the case. These factors followed the premises for the death penalty in what is known as the Supreme Court's Nagayama landmark ruling in July 1983.The top court sentenced to death Norio Nagayama who was convicted of the serial killing of four people in the late 1960s. The Nagayama ruling said the death penalty can be handed down if the defendant's criminal responsibility is grave in terms of the premises cited in Friday's ruling.In defense of their client, Okazaki's lawyers have argued in the trial that his April 1995 confession should be regarded as tantamount to voluntary surrender. According to Article 42 of the Criminal Code, leniency can be granted to those who surrender to investigative authorities before the crime in question comes to light.As a result, the Okazaki trial has shared its focus with that of former cult doctor Ikuo Hayashi on whether the defendant's confession is regarded as tantamount to voluntary surrender.In the ruling for Hayashi, the district court judged his confession a voluntary surrender and exercised leniency for his involvement in the indiscriminate murder in the Tokyo subway gas attack, which killed 12 people and injured more than 3,000. Hayashi was sentenced to life imprisonment last May, despite the court saying that he deserves the death penalty due to the gravity of the crime.In Okazaki's ruling, the court said his action was regarded as a surrender but that he did not deserve leniency because his motive to confess -- an attempt to protect himself from Aum -- and the fact that he did not divulge all the facts initially.The most prominent difference between Okazaki's case and Hayashi's was the time before confession.

JAPAN

Oct 20, 1998

Standards urged for 'barrier-free' goods

Staff writerImagine an Othello game designed so that its black and white pieces can be distinguished by touch, enabling visually impaired people to play.This is one proposed "barrier-free" product, an item that facilitates the lives of people with disabilities.Beer cans with tiny protrusions on their lid -- designed to differentiate them from soft drinks -- as well as shampoo and conditioner bottles that can be distinguished by touch are among the available barrier-free products.These products, which are used both by people with disabilities and others, have been promoted mainly by the E&C (Enjoyment and Creation) Project, a nonprofit group in Japan.According to the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, about 2,000 products had been manufactured by the group as of last year.The shipment sales of such items as electrical equipment, toys and kitchen goods -- all designed for the visually impaired, the hearing impaired and senior citizens -- increased about 30 percent in 1997, according to the ministry.Recently, international attention has focused on promotion of these goods, and the first meeting on setting international standards for them was held in Tokyo on Monday and Tuesday.Under the leadership of MITI, which has urged the International Organization for Standardization to make guidelines for barrier-free products, an ISO working group formed a committee of members from six countries to discuss consumer policies."First, we hoped participants would share the idea and meaning of barrier-free products," said Masahiro Miyazaki, an official in the standards department of MITI's Agency of Industrial Science and Technology. "And we hoped to create a general framework for international guidelines for the products."Working group members hail from Britain, France, Canada and Sweden. Some come from government institutions and others are from organizations dealing with standardization of products, according to Yamazaki.These countries have started their own projects to design facilities and goods and offer social services that can be used by all consumers, including senior citizens and disabled people.In the two-day discussion, the members agreed to work on establishing a set of guidelines that will give authorities on design standards and buildings an idea of how to focus more on built-in accessibility for all kinds of users, Miyazaki said.

JAPAN

Oct 1, 1998

Endocrine disrupters causing alarm

Staff writerA team of scientists in Tokyo announced last weekend that it has found eggs in the spermaries of three out of 20 male flounder caught in the sea near the Kanto region.The scientists said the abnormality may have been caused by suspected endocrine disrupters, chemicals believed to disrupt the functions of reproductive hormones.The report on flatfish followed the discovery last year of a male carp with extremely small testes in Tokyo's Tama River. Other reports have shown that deformities in sex organs have been found in snails caught in the Sea of Japan.Scientists stress the need for further research to determine the causes of these deformities and the possible effect of endocrine disrupters on humans. These findings have caused fear in society, partly because the causes are unclear and partly because the problem relates to the reproductive function of animals and maintenance of species.In June, experts in several fields, chemists, doctors as well as scientists specializing in birds, fish and amphibia formed an academic society to research endocrine disrupters. "What is happening to fish, birds and snails may be different in terms of their mechanisms, but the change seen in these animals may be the same at the root," said Tsuguyoshi Suzuki, an expert on human ecology. "Tackling the issue of endocrine disrupters requires participation of experts from many related fields."Suzuki heads the new society, which also includes researchers from corporations. Membership has reached 600 in the three months since it was formed. "The aim of this academic society is to help ensure public health by bringing experts from a wide range of fields together to discuss and exchange information about the issue," said Suzuki, a professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo.The Environment Agency has listed 67 chemicals, including dioxin, dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) and polychlorobiphenyl (PCB), as suspected endocrine disrupters.Scientists must thoroughly study the characteristics of the chemicals, such as how they could affect the endocrine system, which produces hormones needed for reproduction and other bodily functions, Suzuki said.On the other hand, the scientists must monitor wildlife and research the effects on humans, he said.To meet this second goal, cooperation with the public is essential, he said, adding that to understand these developments in nature, researchers need to organize a network with people such as fishermen.For research on humans, a system is needed that supports long-term study focusing on the public, he said.Implying there may have been an effect on humans, a Danish team reported that for unknown reasons, the average number of human sperm in semen has decreased during the past 50 years.But experts have not studied the causes in an organized manner, Suzuki said."Researchers are having heated arguments on whether the number of human sperm is decreasing, and few have tried to find the cause under the assumption that it is decreasing," he said.Although it may be necessary to determine whether this is indeed happening, researchers should start investigating the cause of the possible decline in sperm counts, Suzuki said."It is a very serious situation if it is happening," he said. "And research (on the cause) will take about 20 years to complete."Suzuki was involved in research on mercury poisoning at an electrical manufacturing factory in the 1960s.While urging the factory to stop using mercury in its manufacturing process, he kept checking the health of workers for several years."In that case, it took 10 years to solve the problem," he said.Industries, for their part, must be willing to divulge information about the chemicals they emit, he said.Promotion of the Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers system, which obliges businesses to disclose the volume of their chemical-substance emissions, is important to understand and address issues involving endocrine disrupters, he said."We haven't known much about the suspected endocrine disrupters, and that is why both researchers and companies have to provide citizens with accurate information," he said, adding that hopefully, the academic community will promote further understanding of the matter.

JAPAN

May 26, 1998

Hayashi sentence sets precedent for cult trials

JAPAN

May 4, 1998

Fishermen still reeling from Nakhodka oil spill

JAPAN

Dec 30, 1997

The Asahara Trial: Prosecutors face lifetime task

JAPAN

Nov 5, 1997

Serving the aged has a silver lining

As Japan's society continues to age at an unprecedented rate, companies from a variety of fields are looking into the area of welfare for new business opportunities.

JAPAN

Aug 25, 1997

The Asahara Trial: Attorney fights for fairness

Last of three parts

JAPAN

Aug 22, 1997

The Asahara Trial: Most charged found guilty

JAPAN

Aug 21, 1997

Asahara trial like an ongoing soap

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

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.

The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability

Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability

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