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Yumi Wijers-Hasegawa
For Yumi Wijers-Hasegawa's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2004
Guilt-by-association to keep Kumagai off ballot
The Tokyo High Court on Wednesday barred Hiroshi Kumagai, former leader of the now-defunct New Conservative Party, from running for a House of Representatives seat from his Shizuoka No. 7 constituency for five years because an aide was found guilty of buying votes in the November general election.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2004
Rightist admits harassing Chongryun
An ultra-rightist pleaded guilty Monday to being involved in six acts of intimidation targeting North Korea-related organizations and other entities in 2002 and 2003.
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2004
Bribes get Suzuki aide suspended term
A former aide to former lawmaker Muneo Suzuki received a suspended two-year prison term Friday for conspiring to accept 1.1 million yen in bribes and concealing 100 million yen in income from Liberal Democratic Party-related ticket sales and donations in 1997 and 1998.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2004
College gang-rape trio get up to 32 months
Three members of a now-defunct social club made up of students from elite universities received prison terms of up to 32 months Thursday for gang-raping a coed last April, allegedly along with 10 other male accomplices.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2004
Japan coming up short on child rights
Ten years after it adopted a United Nations convention on children's rights, Japan still has a long way to go in terms of protecting these rights, according to participants at a Tokyo symposium this week.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2004
NHK off hook for sex-slave trial editing
A TV production company was handed a court order Wednesday to pay 1 million yen in damages to a Tokyo-based citizens' group for misleading its members about the content of a program on the "comfort women" issue.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2004
Surgeon gets suspended term for coverup
The Tokyo District Court sentenced a heart surgeon Monday to a suspended one-year prison term for destroying evidence related to the malpractice death of a 12-year-old girl in 2001.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2004
Mobster denies involvement in massive loan-sharking network
A former mob boss said Thursday his organization was not involved in a massive loan-sharking scam suspected of funneling billions into the pockets of the nation's largest crime syndicate.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2004
Blood centers get creative to lure donors
Mitsuko Kobayashi often gave blood at local Red Cross centers as a young girl, because her mother said she should try to help people. But after giving birth two years ago, she found such trips difficult with a child in tow.
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2004
Ex-governor's daughter handed suspended term
The Tokyo District Court handed a suspended prison term Wednesday to the daughter of a former Saitama governor for violating the Political Funds Control Law.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2004
Researcher states case against extradition
A Japanese researcher charged with industrial espionage in the United States said in court Wednesday that his actions did not constitute spying and that he should not be extradited to the U.S.
JAPAN
Mar 3, 2004
Discriminatory registry of child upheld
The Tokyo District Court said Tuesday that the way the daughter of an unmarried couple has been registered in their family registry infringed on their privacy because it clearly shows she was born out of wedlock.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2004
Asahara is sentenced to hang
Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara was sentenced to death Friday for ordering a series of crimes carried out by his disciples, including the March 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack.
JAPAN
Feb 26, 2004
Government defends sacking Japan Highway chief
Government lawyers argued Wednesday that the dismissal of Haruho Fujii as president of Japan Highway Corp. was permissible under rules of the semigovernmental highway construction body.
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2004
Saving best for last, guru verdict done deal?
Friday is verdict day in the eight-year trial of Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara, who if the state has its way will hang for masterminding or ordering 13 heinous crimes that resulted in 27 slayings at the hands of his disciples.
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2004
Mind control may have been a factor but not a mitigating one
Mind control at the hands of Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara was a key defense argument for many of the 11 cultists sentenced to death and the six others handed life prison terms for carrying out Aum's heinous crimes -- an argument that had little if any effect.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 13, 2004
SDP's Tsujimoto handed suspended term
The Tokyo District Court on Thursday sentenced Kiyomi Tsujimoto, former policy chief of the Social Democratic Party, to a suspended two-year prison term for defrauding the state out of 18.7 million yen.
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2004
Aum chemist sentenced to hang
The Tokyo District Court on Friday sentenced a senior Aum Shinrikyo disciple to death for his role in the production of sarin that was used in two deadly nerve gas attacks
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 30, 2004
Koyama's 22-month term upheld
The Tokyo High Court on Thursday upheld a 22-month prison term for former Diet lawmaker Takao Koyama for receiving bribes from KSD, an organization that provides mutual aid to small and midsize businesses.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004
Cash-strapped video artist soldiers on
Video artist Michael Goldberg counts himself lucky to have been able to work on projects that inspired him: those focusing on cross-cultural communication between Japan and the world.

Longform

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