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Karin Kaneko

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.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Apr 25, 2025

Tokyo court fines Amazon Japan ¥35 million over counterfeit products

Presiding Judge Yuko Shintani deemed Amazon’s response to the issue to be “indicative of willful misconduct, or at the very least, gross negligence.”

Under new rules, those who use smartphones while riding a bicycle would be subject to the maximum fine of ¥12,000.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Apr 24, 2025

Japan set to fine cyclists on the spot for rule violations from 2026

Until now, police have usually responded to cycling violations by issuing verbal warnings or handing out red tickets that can lead to prosecution.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Apr 22, 2025

Jetstar Japan fined for failing to provide adequate cabin crew breaks

This is the first time a ruling has been handed down in Japan regarding flight attendants' rest time, according to the plaintiffs.

Plaintiff Satoshi Egura, 67, stands near the former site of the now-defunct Sumida Maternity Hospital in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on April 16. A mix-up at the hospital in 1958 led to Egura being raised by a couple who are not his biological parents.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Apr 21, 2025

Tokyo government ordered to find man's birth parents 67 years after mix-up

The mix-up in 1958 at the now-defunct Sumida Maternity Hospital led to plaintiff Satoshi Egura being raised by another couple.

Foreign tourists gather on a platform at Kyoto Station on Wednesday.

JAPAN / Society

Apr 17, 2025

Tokyo hotel operators face possible warnings over suspected price cartel

It is believed that information sharing among the hotels, such as occupancy rates and average room prices, may have influenced pricing.

Under the Economic Security Promotion Act, the government implements a range of measures to secure vital supply chains, from providing subsidies and low-interest loans to coordinating regulations, stockpiling essential goods and protecting advanced technologies.

BUSINESS / Economy

Apr 16, 2025

METI may list undersea cables and satellites as critical for economic security

The move comes amid an increasingly uncertain geo-economic climate, with global powers becoming more protectionist.

An 80-year-old man was arrested at the Osaka Expo on Monday after he allegedly told a security guard he had a bomb in his backpack.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Apr 15, 2025

Man arrested over bomb threat at Osaka Expo

Suspect Jun Noguchi, 80, allegedly told a security guard he had explosives in his backpack, which led to the evacuation of about 200 people.

Japan’s population has been falling year on year since 2011 after peaking in 2008.

JAPAN / Society

Apr 14, 2025

Japan’s population shrinks for the 14th consecutive year

Japan’s population has been falling year on year since 2011 after peaking in 2008.

The skyline during sunset in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Japan's new underground criminal groups operate under a highly organized and brutal system.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Apr 10, 2025

How police are cracking down on 'scout' sex broker groups

Major scout groups are under scrutiny, as authorities uncover a far more systematized and sinister network than previously imagined.

Foreign residents who fail to renew their residential statuses before their expiry may find that they won’t be able to withdraw cash from their bank accounts.

JAPAN / Society

Apr 9, 2025

Banks freeze withdrawals for foreign nationals upon expiration of visas

The move is part of a government initiative to combat scams and fraud, the Financial Services Agency says.

A medical helicopter pilot and other survivors are rescued after the aircraft crashed off the coast of Tsushima Island, Nagasaki Prefecture, on Sunday.

JAPAN

Apr 7, 2025

Three dead after medical helicopter crashes in waters off Nagasaki

An 86-year-old female patient, her 68-year-old son and a 34-year-old doctor died in the crash.

New Japanese passports will be printed using laser technology based on banknote printing techniques, making forgery more difficult.

JAPAN

Mar 24, 2025

Applications for forgery-proof passports start in Japan

Passports issued for applications submitted from Monday onward will feature a new design.

The Susukino district in Sapporo in 2020. The father of a woman suspected of killing and beheading a man in the entertainment district in 2023 was sentenced on Wednesday to one year and 4 months in prison, suspended for four years, for helping her move the body to their home.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Mar 12, 2025

Father of woman accused of 2023 Sapporo murder given suspended sentence

The key issue of the trial was whether he was aware of his daughter's plan to murder the victim in advance.

Following the Nagoya High Court ruling on the same-sex marriage lawsuit, lawyers and others raise banners and boards that read "unconstitutional" and similar statements on Friday in Naka Ward, Nagoya.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Mar 7, 2025

Nagoya High Court rules not recognizing same-sex marriage unconstitutional

It is the fourth high court ruling in Japan on same-sex marriage, following decisions in Sapporo, Tokyo and Fukuoka.

A sign shows directions to a public toilet. Saitama police have arrested a nursery school director for urinating in a student’s water bottle.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Mar 6, 2025

Saitama nursery school staff arrested for urinating in student's water bottle

School director Toshifumi Miura, 24, said he was “trying to scare the boy into obeying” him.

Taishi Fuwa (left), the general manager at World Woman Pro-wrestling Diana, and his lawyer Kazuhito Ozawa at a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Feb 27, 2025

Settlement reached in female pro-wrestler sexual harassment case

The lawsuit was filed "to raise awareness and prevent similar incidents from happening," said the general manager of the pro-wrestling agency involved.

Lawyers advising in a racial profiling case speak during a news conference on Wednesday in Tokyo.

JAPAN / Society

Feb 26, 2025

About 70% of foreign nationals questioned by police on the streets: survey

The survey was believed to be the first conducted comparing police questioning between foreign nationals and Japanese on the issue.

A car stuck in the snow in Obihiro, Hokkaido, on Tuesday.

JAPAN

Feb 5, 2025

Heavy snow in Japan to persist through Sunday, disrupting travel

The weather agency warned of blizzards, high waves and hazardous road conditions through the weekend, urging residents to avoid nonessential travel.

A packed Fuji TV news conference on Monday in Tokyo

JAPAN / Media

Jan 29, 2025

Shukan Bunshun corrects article on scandal over former Fuji TV host

According to the correction, Masahiro Nakai was the one who invited the woman to the gathering, not the Fuji TV official.

Fuji TV President Koichi Minato (left) and Chairman Shuji Kanoh, also chairman of the broadcaster's parent company Fuji Media Holdings, bow during a news conference in Tokyo on Monday. The two have announced their resignations.

JAPAN / Society

Jan 28, 2025

Fuji TV president resigns over handling of Masahiro Nakai scandal

Koichi Minato has been the target of criticism following the revelation that he became aware of the incident involving Nakai right after it occurred in June 2023.

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

Fujitsu crafts sustainable innovation for itself, society

Fujitsu crafts sustainable innovation for itself, society

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