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Karin Kaneko
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 13, 2023
Woman killed in Chiba was repeatedly hit with blunt object
The suspects — one male about 180 cm tall who was wearing a jacket and a cap, and another man described as fairly thin — remain at large.
Au Pay offers points for each transaction up to ¥250,000, with users receiving reward points.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 10, 2023
Six arrested in ¥171 million au Pay points scam
The store owner is believed to have been recruiting people on social media to cooperate with him on the fake transactions.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 8, 2023
Japanese fraud suspects extradited from Cambodia
Investigators say the suspects made fraudulent phone calls from Cambodia posing as nursing home staff and lawyers, aiming to scam victims in Japan.
Plumes of smoke rise from a new isle after a recent volcano on Iwo Jima on Nov. 3.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 7, 2023
New isle emerges after underwater volcano erupts south of Tokyo
A recent undersea volcanic eruption has led to the formation of a new isle off the coast of Iwo Jima, about 1,200 kilometers south of Tokyo.
The civil case centers on whether a foreign national in a same-sex partnership with a Japanese citizen should be granted “long-term resident status,” which allows residency for up to five years in Japan.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 2, 2023
Tokyo High Court rejects same-sex couple's residence status lawsuit
The civil case centers on whether a foreign national in a same-sex partnership with a Japanese citizen should be granted “long-term resident status.”
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 1, 2023
Elderly Saitama hostage-taker had 'grudge' against post office
The 86-year-old man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of shooting into a hospital in Saitama Prefecture and taking hostages at a post office.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 30, 2023
Police prep crowd control plans in case Tigers win Japan Series
The Tigers are facing off against the Orix Buffaloes in the series, which kicked off on Saturday.
Lawyers Kazuyuki Minami (left) and Masafumi Yoshida (right) representing a transgender woman show off signs that say "unconstitutional" and "sent back" to a lower court, during a news conference Wednesday in Tokyo after a Supreme Court decision.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 25, 2023
Supreme Court hands down landmark decision on transgender rights
A law requiring sterilization surgery to change a person's legal gender has been declared “unconstitutional."
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 20, 2023
Kabuki actor Ichikawa Ennosuke pleads guilty to assisting parents' suicides
“The feelings of regret, remorse and gratitude (to my supporters) are something I will carry for the rest of my life,” Ennosuke said.
The health ministry found that, following the reported death of a TV personality in May 2022, the number of excess suicides in Japan spiked for two or three weeks.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 20, 2023
Copycat suicides spiked in Japan after celebrity's 2022 death
A government report is calling for the media to ensure that coverage is in line with the World Health Organization’s suicide reporting guidelines.
JAPAN
Oct 18, 2023
Bullet train lines to nix smoking rooms as health consciousness grows
As of next spring, the smoking rooms will be replaced with areas to store drinking water to be distributed in times of emergency.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Oct 17, 2023
With new name for Johnny's, focus shifts to victim compensation
The talent agency will face challenges in identifying those eligible for compensation due to the sheer number of victims of abuse by Johnny Kitagawa.
Police are looking for a suspect in his 40s to 50s following an assault and robbery in Hachioji, western Tokyo, on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 12, 2023
Police hunting for suspect after assault and robbery in Tokyo house
The suspect is described as a man in his 40s to 50s wearing a gray jacket and pants and standing 180 centimeters tall.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 11, 2023
Johnny's denies that it was involved in reporter blacklisting
The agency responded to the backlash that arose over a journalist blacklist for a news conference addressing sexual abuse allegations by its late founder.
JAPAN
Oct 10, 2023
Johnny’s founder accused of sexually abusing teen in NHK bathroom
The man, who was a high school student at the time, said that he was assaulted in the fall of 2002 when he attended a dance lesson.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Oct 6, 2023
Cram school teacher arrests ignite child safety debate
Two cram school teachers in Tokyo were arrested for allegedly taking photos of a female student's underwear and sharing them on a group chat.
A reporter raises their hand during a Johnny & Associates news conference on Monday. Journalists were limited to a “one question per company” at the event.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 4, 2023
Johnny’s news conference had journalist ‘blacklist,' reports say
Johnny & Associates has said it never made a request that specific journalists be passed over for questions.
JAPAN / Explainer
Oct 3, 2023
Unpacking the latest Johnny & Associates news conference
The flood of information released during the agency's latest news conference may have been difficult to grasp. Here's what you need to know.
Johnny & Associates president Noriyuki Higashiyama (second from right), flanked by Johnnys' Island President Yoshihiko Inohara (second from left), unveils the company name Smile-Up during a news conference in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 2, 2023
Johnny's to form new company in wake of sexual abuse by founder
The move comes after the agency acknowledged abuse and apologized to victims in a news conference last month.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 28, 2023
Japan politician Super Crazy-kun indicted on sexual assault charges
Makoto Nishimoto was charged on the grounds of nonconsensual sexual intercourse resulting in injury. The victim was a female acquaintance in her 30s.

Longform

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers