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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 / Crime & Legal

Jan 15, 2019

Japanese Olympic Committee head Tsunekazu Takeda denies accusation of corruption linked to 2020 bid

Takeda's denial followed reports last week that French prosecutors have brought a preliminary charge against him for alleged corruption over bidding for the 2020 Games.

JAPAN

Jan 10, 2019

Taro Aso's blaming of sexual harassment victim is voted 2018's most sexist remark by a Japanese politician

Finance Minister Taro Aso's apparent justification of sexual harassment committed by a former prominent bureaucrat topped a list of the most egregious sexist and discriminatory remarks made by Japanese politicians in 2018, according to a recent online survey.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Politics / 2019 Outlook

Jan 2, 2019

Japan already in for politically hectic 2019, but may see 'double election'

Japan's 2019 political calendar is shaping up to be a busy year with Emperor Akihito's historic abdication at the end of April and elections in mid-April and over the summer.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Society

Dec 30, 2018

Tokyo 'bus cafe,' a safe haven from sexual exploitation for troubled young girls

Unmistakable for its exterior splashed with illustrations of colorful flowers, a bright pink bus glows at a Shibuya park one December evening, its dazzling design standing out as the darkness of the night sets in.

JAPAN

Dec 28, 2018

Japan discloses footage of radar lock-on by South Korean warship

Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya says the footage proves that a South Korean military destroyer locked fire-control radar on an MSDF aircraft on Dec. 20.

JAPAN

Dec 26, 2018

Japan formally announces IWC withdrawal to resume commercial whaling

After the pullout, Japan plans to hunt whales in nearby waters and within its exclusive economic zone beginning in July.

JAPAN / EXPLAINER

Dec 17, 2018

With water privatization, Japan faces crossroads in battling its aging pipes

Japanese water is clean and readily available, as evidenced by drinkable tap water and a nearly 100 percent penetration rate.

JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS

Dec 10, 2018

With debate on constitutional reform sidelined, has immigration law been a pyrrhic victory for Abe?

As the extraordinary Diet session wrapped up, Abe found himself no closer to fulfilling his longtime ambition of amending the nation's postwar Constitution.

JAPAN / Politics

Dec 7, 2018

Japan passes controversial immigration bill paving way for foreign worker influx

The bill has elicited a fierce backlash from opposition lawmakers, who say it is void of key specifics.

JAPAN / Politics

Nov 27, 2018

Immigration bill clears Lower House despite opposition filibuster and no-confidence motion

Deliberations on the bill, which is predicted to bring in 340,000 blue-collar foreign workers, only started Nov. 21, leading opposition parties to call for more discussion.

JAPAN / Politics

Nov 27, 2018

Constitutional referendum would unleash TV blitz never before seen in Japan

If Japan ever calls a referendum on whether to revise the postwar Constitution, it could spark a heated TV advertising war, akin to what the U.S. goes through for its presidential election campaigns.

JAPAN / Politics

Nov 26, 2018

Opposition ramps up criticism of new immigration law ahead of Lower House passage

They slammed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's interpretation of immigrants as out of line with “global standards.”

JAPAN / FOCUS

Nov 19, 2018

Wrangling over planned shake-up of Japan's immigration control law intensifies after government admits to data errors

A ruckus in the Diet over erroneous statistics leaves the government's Dec. 10 deadline for passage of new legislation in doubt.

JAPAN / Politics

Nov 14, 2018

Abe says government will set 'cap' on number of foreign workers under new visa types

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday that the government will soon reveal estimates of worker shortages that will effectively function as a cap on the number of foreign workers to be admitted under a new visa system currently being deliberated by the Diet.

Japan Times

WORLD / Politics

Nov 8, 2018

In case you missed it: Trump's awkward response to a Japanese reporter

A reporter, whose question Trump brusquely dismissed as incomprehensible, prompted an array of reactions from those watching the scene unfold.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Politics

Nov 7, 2018

With GOP's loss of House, should Japan anticipate a more hard-line Trump?

Tokyo may see President Donald Trump accelerate his war on what he considers “unfair” trade, as he seeks ways to fire up his political base.

JAPAN

Nov 2, 2018

Japan's Cabinet approves bill to introduce new visa categories for foreign workers, to address shrinking workforce

The bill marks a departure from previous policy in allowing foreign individuals to work in blue collar industries for a potentially indefinite amount of time.

JAPAN / Politics

Oct 29, 2018

Abe grilled at Diet on new visa statuses and upcoming tax hike

The prime minister was also questioned about moves to amend the postwar Constitution.

JAPAN / CABINET INTERVIEW 2018

Oct 26, 2018

Tasked with bringing North Korea abduction issue to a close, Suga vows to do all in his power

As the government's new point man on the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korean agents, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said he will do all in his power to bring the issue to a close and secure the safe return of all who were kidnapped.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Politics / CABINET INTERVIEW 2018

Oct 25, 2018

Okinawa minister says the government needs better messaging on Futenma transfer to assuage local concerns

The newly installed minister of state for Okinawa affairs says the prefecture's residents deserve a full breakdown of the government's rationale for relocating a contentious U.S. military base from the crowded city of Ginowan to the coastal district of Henoko in Nago.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.

Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.

By Tomoko Otake

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

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