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 Daisuke Kikuchi

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Daisuke Kikuchi
For Daisuke Kikuchi's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / CABINET INTERVIEW 2017
Aug 10, 2017
New justice minister has no plans to boost Japan's refugee intake
Newly appointed Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa says she has no specific plan to increase Japan's intake of refugees despite the number of applicants hitting a record high last year.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2017
Online retailers in Japan not doing enough to stop illegal ivory trade: report
A conservation group concluded that operators of e-commerce websites are not doing enough to crack down on illegal sales of items made from elephant tusks.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 7, 2017
Japan working hard to douse fire ant invasion
Fire ants, a venomous, highly invasive nonnative pest, have been spotted over the past few months in various parts of Japan, prompting the Environment Ministry to both warn the public to seek immediate treatment for stings and take measures to prevent further infestation.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 4, 2017
Pressured by Tokyo 'JK' ordinance, Kanagawa mulls crackdown on firms that dispatch underage teens
The Kanagawa Prefectural Government is considering strengthening its regulations on dating services that hire teenagers, by restricting businesses that dispatch underage staff to customers.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jul 28, 2017
Panel urges Justice Ministry check asylum requests more thoroughly
A panel urged the Justice Ministry Friday to conduct more in-depth background checks on those applying for refugee status, and not just rush them through the system if they don't at first appear to meet the requirements for approval.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 26, 2017
Japan's prisons set to upgrade foreign-language translation system for inmates
Non-Japanese prison inmates nationwide will soon have greater access to translation services with the launch in November of a system that uses video phones and smart tablets.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2017
Japanese firms give telecommuting a try on designated day to ease rush hour congestion
It's Monday morning. You roll out of bed, grab a coffee, sit on the couch and you're already at work. Sound good? Well, that's how the government wants you to work.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 19, 2017
First-time writer Shinsuke Numata wins prestigious Akutagawa Prize
A 38-year-old first-time writer is the winner of the 157th Akutagawa Prize for his story "Eiri," the awards selection committee announced Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 6, 2017
Tokyo plans new effort to ease commuter hell on rush-hour trains
Riding packed commuter trains pressed against strangers may be one of the worst parts of living in Tokyo, made worse by groping and long delays from people who commit suicide by jumping onto the tracks.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 4, 2017
Ministry unveils plan for facial recognition to speed up airport entry/exit process
The Justice Ministry expects the plan, which doesn't require advance registration, to work better than a fingerprint-based system launched in 2007
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 2, 2017
Despite vague platform, Tomin First outshining status quo in Tokyo
Many voters queried about the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election Sunday said they cast ballots for Tomin First no Kai (Tokyoites First), the upstart party led by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, because they did not want the scandal-plagued Liberal Democratic Party to take control of the legislature.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 30, 2017
Ex-Tepco execs plead innocent as 3/11 nuclear negligence trial kicks off
Three former Tokyo Electric execs go on trial over the triple core meltdown in Fukushima, claiming they could not foresee that giant tsunami would overwhelm the plant.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 28, 2017
Vanilla Air makes wheelchair user pull himself up stairs to airplane
A subsidiary of All Nippon Airways Co. apologized to a paralyzed man after it forced him to climb stairs on his own using only his arms to board a plane.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 27, 2017
Classic Mini: Super Famicom — Nintendo wows gamers with surprise blast from the past
Nintendo Co. has finally unveiled its long-rumored Nintendo Classic Mini: Super Famicom gaming console — to be released in Japan on Oct. 5 — in a surprise announcement that thrilled gamers across the nation.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jun 21, 2017
New magazine offers convicts hope of escaping from a life of crime
To prevent those with criminal convictions from committing further offenses after leaving correctional facilities, a job magazine for people with a history of crime or delinquency will be distributed at prisons and juvenile training schools nationwide starting mid-July.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jun 20, 2017
Top U.N. official suggests even limited progress on refugees would be step in right direction for Japan
Suggesting that even limited progress would be amenable, the head of the Tokyo office of the top U.N. body on refugees asked the Japanese public Tuesday for progress toward a better understanding of what accepting more refugees and displaced people would mean.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jun 19, 2017
Three former SMAP singers to leave talent agency in September
Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi and Shingo Katori, three former members of the ultrapopular boy band SMAP, will leave their management company, Johnny & Associates, in September, the agency said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jun 16, 2017
Japan's corporations make strides to foster inclusive LGBT work environment
In May 2015, Hiroki Inaba, vice president of Goldman Sachs Japan Co.'s legal department, came out as gay, after almost 13 years with the company and 10 years since the company established its LGBT Network, which was formed by staff to promote understanding of sexual minorities.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2017
Britons in Japan welcome U.K. election result
British residents of Japan with Japanese spouses breathed a sigh of relief Friday after British Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative Party failed to win an overall majority in the general election, leaving its hard-line policy on immigration up in the air.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jun 5, 2017
Japan copyright body courts anger by casting a wider net
The Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC) sparked a public uproar in February when it announced it will start demanding that private music schools pay copyright fees.

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