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April 28, 2025
 

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Tomohiro Osaki

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Tomohiro Osaki
Tomohiro Osaki is a staff writer in the Domestic News Division. A graduate of Sophia University in Tokyo, he likes to explore under-reported realities of Japanese youth, with a tendency toward the taboo.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2015
City withdraws controversial 'ama' divers mascot
The city of Shima in Mie Prefecture has scrapped its endorsement of a controversial mascot slammed by some locals as overly sexual and demeaning to local ama divers.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 2, 2015
Justice Ministry panel begins first comprehensive review of sex crime laws in over a century
A Justice Ministry panel on Monday began reviewing what critics call Japan's lax criminal penalties against rapists and other sex offenders, in the nation's first comprehensive effort in more than a century to overhaul laws on sex crimes.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 28, 2015
Anti-war student organization to close shop after Upper House poll
SEALDs, the group behind youth protests against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's security legislation, announces it will disband after next year's Upper House election.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 26, 2015
Custody case a test for Japan, says U.S. father seeking access to girl held by grandmother
A U.S. man seeking access to his daughter said Monday that the case is an opportunity for Japan to prove to the world it no longer tolerates parental child abduction.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Oct 26, 2015
U.N. rapporteur urges crackdown on impunity for child sex offenders
Japan must stamp out the impunity granted to people who sexually exploit children, including light sentences and the reluctance to prosecute, to overcome the nation's "institutional" tolerance for such crimes, a U.N. expert said Monday in Tokyo.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / CABINET INTERVIEW
Oct 24, 2015
New justice minister pledges tighter immigration control at airports amid an increase in tourists
Amid a surge in foreign tourists, newly appointed Justice Minister Mitsuhide Iwaki said Friday that tightening immigration control at airports is one of the ministry's most urgent priorities.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 23, 2015
Japan's so-called visa overstayers tell of life in legal limbo
Eight children petition the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau for clemency to allow their families to stay in the country so they can continue their lives.
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2015
Groups criticize Japan's tolerance of child pornography, call for stricter laws
Dismayed at entrenched child pornography in Japan, organizations petition the welfare minister to crack down on the sexual abuse of minors.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 15, 2015
Couple sue over Japan's six-month ban on remarriage for divorced women
The Shizuoka couple in their 20s filed a lawsuit Thursday over the rule for newly divorced women, calling it unconstitutional. They are seeking ¥3 million damages.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 14, 2015
Tokyo ranked fourth — again — in Global Power City Index
Despite a surge in foreign tourists, Tokyo stayed fourth out of 40 major global cities in the annual Global Power City Index (GPCI) ranking unveiled Wednesday, trailing London, New York and Paris.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 13, 2015
Japan may empower courts to handle more cross-border divorce suits
After 18 months of deliberations, the Legislative Council of the Justice Ministry has drawn up an outline for legal revisions aimed at resolving a problem many failed marriages face: whether the Japan-based spouse can file for divorce here rather than overseas.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Oct 8, 2015
Manga artist removes illustration mocking Syrian refugee
A manga artist behind a Facebook illustration labeling a refugee from Syria a selfish freeloader has taken it down at the request of a photographer who criticized her for distorting his work.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Oct 3, 2015
Demonstrators protest My Number at rally in Shibuya
With the distribution of the controversial My Number identification code only a few weeks away, hundreds of protesters marched through Tokyo's Shibuya district Saturday in a last-ditch effort to stop a program they say invades people's privacy.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 2, 2015
'Racist' illustration of refugee girl sparks ire among Japan's netizens
An online furor has broken out over a controversial illustration that depicts a refugee girl from Syria as a selfish freeloader, with some labeling the work, drawn by a conservative manga artist, as racist.
JAPAN
Sep 30, 2015
Overseas online purchases to be taxed in bid to protect domestic industries
Consumers in Japan will pay sales tax on overseas online purchases from Thursday in a policy change to eliminate the price advantage of foreign firms over domestic rivals.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 30, 2015
Landmark ruling in favor of victimized porn actress paves way for others to quit, lawyers say
A recent landmark court ruling in favor of a porn actress desperate to quit the industry paves the way for others to cut ties with the world of commercial sex without fear of penalties, lawyers said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 28, 2015
Several groups urge Abe to pledge to accept Syrian refugees
Private organizations supporting refugees on Monday urged Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to express during his upcoming speech at the annual U.N. General Assembly session Japan's pledge to accept Syrian asylum seekers.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 25, 2015
Court ruling sparks online outcry after teen idol told to pay damages for dating
A recent Tokyo court ruling ordering a teen idol to pay damages for violating a "no dating" clause in her contract has spurred an online outcry, reigniting debate over an industry many say is rife with male-chauvinist views.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 25, 2015
Supporters demand security bill protesters be released following 'unjust arrests'
Supporters of protesters who were arrested for obstruction of justice during a rally against the government's security legislation demanded Friday that they be released immediately and decried their "unjust arrest."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2015
Chilean woman lives her dream, works in Akihabara maid cafe for a day
"Okaerinasaimase goshujin-sama!" ("Welcome home, my lords!")
Japan to resist Trump efforts to form trade bloc against China
As Japan gears up for the trade talks, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is also seeking to cushion the blow that the U.S. tariffs may have on the domestic economy.
Japan doubles down on stimulus to counter effects of Trump tariffs
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks about U.S. tariffs in Tokyo last week.
Tokyo court fines Amazon Japan ¥35 million over counterfeit products
Takahiro Fujii (center), the president of Try and E, and his lawyers speak during a news conference on Friday in Tokyo after a ruling was handed down in a case against Amazon Japan.
Francis laid to rest as 400,000 mourn pope 'with open heart'
Pallbearers carry the coffin of Pope Francis at the end of the funeral ceremony in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican on Saturday.
Built in a flash, Osaka Expo pavilions wrestle with sustainability
Kengo Kuma & Associates oversaw the construction of the Malaysia pavilion, which is encased in interwoven rows of bamboo that appear to ripple.
Amid uncertain tariffs, is now the time to buy a new iPhone?
An Apple store in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward in September. Prices for the newest iPhone models start at around ¥100,000 ($700) in Japan.
Built in a flash, Osaka Expo pavilions wrestle with sustainability
Kengo Kuma & Associates oversaw the construction of the Malaysia pavilion, which is encased in interwoven rows of bamboo that appear to ripple.
Japan weighs using U.S. rice imports as tariff negotiation tool with Trump
A restaurant owner pours California-grown Calrose rice into a rice cooker at his restaurant in Tokyo
Is Japan’s parliament ready to welcome more youth to its ranks?
Lower House lawmaker Kai Odake in his Tokyo office on Wednesday
Crow meat, goat tartare: Mauvaise Herbe raises its game
Crow meat, shaped into a ball and attached to a foot of the bird, is one of the peculiar offerings of game at Mauvaise Herbe.

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