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Karin Kaneko
For Karin Kaneko's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Runa Tamura is taken from the Hokkaido Prefectural Police headquarters in the city to be referred to prosecutors on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 16, 2023
Woman and parents sent to prosecutors over Sapporo hotel murder
Authorities believe that Runa Tamura was the only one present at the crime scene, while her parents are suspected of being accomplices.
Officials of the Meteorological Agency ask people to be vigilant about Typhoon Lan, during a news conference at the agency in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN
Aug 14, 2023
Japan braces for another typhoon as trains and flights canceled
Typhoon Lan is poised to make landfall in central Japan on Tuesday, with the storm set to bring a month’s worth of rain in just a few days.
The streets of Kagoshima city on Wednesday amid strong winds from Typhoon Khanun.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 9, 2023
Japan prefectures drift away from posting disaster warnings on X
A growing number of prefectures have stopped posting disaster warnings on the platform due to limits on the number of free posts allowed.
Two members of the five-member U.N. Working Group on Business and Human Rights speak with reporters Friday in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 4, 2023
U.N. experts criticize Johnny’s sex abuse investigation
The experts called on the government to do more to investigate decades of suspected abuse against male idols by Johnny Kitagawa.
A conveyor belt sushi restaurant chain uses a light emitting ultraviolet rays to kill the coronavirus in 2020.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 2, 2023
Sushi chain drops suit against teen over prank video
“The customer has admitted his responsibility and we have reached a settlement with reasonable details that are acceptable to us,” a spokesperson said.
Throughout July, temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius, classified as “extremely hot days,” were recorded at 2,435 locations, making it the second-highest count for the month since the Meteorological Agency began keeping such records in 2012.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2023
July in Japan saw second-highest number of days over 35 C for the month
Temperatures above 35 C were recorded at 2,435 locations, with climate change and El Nino contributing to scorching heat.
Pedestrians outside a Seibu department store in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district in April
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 31, 2023
Seven & I struggles to sell slumping Sogo & Seibu department stores
The holdup is centered around the flagship Seibu department store in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district, with the local government expressing rare opposition.
The population of Japanese nationals fell 801,000 in 2022 from a year earlier to 122,423,038, marking the largest drop since the survey began in 1968, government data showed Wednesday.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 26, 2023
Number of Japanese drops in all 47 prefectures for first time as foreign population surges
As of Jan. 1, Japan's population, including foreign residents, stood at 125,416,877, down around 511,000 from a year earlier.
A group of individuals that allege sexual abuse by Johnny Kitagawa was first established on June 26.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2023
U.N. experts to probe Johnny Kitagawa's alleged abuse in Japan
The group will gather its findings and present a report to the U.N. Human Rights Council in June next year.
Officials in the municipality of Daito, in Osaka, speak at a news conference on Wednesday regarding a case in which a mother is suspected of starving her daughter, hospitalizing her and claiming insurance payments.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 20, 2023
Mother in Osaka arrested for starving daughter and claiming insurance money
Investigators believe Kasumi Nawata regularly starved her daughter, hospitalizing her 43 times for a total of 332 days since spring 2018.
The painting as seen before the July 8 incident
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2023
Iconic dragon painting at Sensoji Temple peels off ceiling
Visitors to Tokyo's Sensoji Temple were left in shock as an iconic dragon painting on the ceiling of the main hall peeled off and was left hanging above their heads.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 14, 2023
Man sentenced to 19-year prison term for stabbings and arson on Tokyo train
In delivering the ruling, the presiding judge said that the defendant had made extensive preparations in order to “kill as many people as possible.”
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2023
Iconic dragon painting at Sensoji Temple peels off ceiling
The painting had been scheduled for restoration this fall to address decades of deterioration.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 11, 2023
Japan's supreme court makes landmark decision on transgender rights
In the first Supreme Court decision over bathroom usage by sexual minorities, the body ruled it was unlawful to restrict the use of bathrooms by a transgender woman at the economy ministry.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2023
Three killed and eight missing as heavy rain triggers landslides in southern Japan
Authorities ordered tens of thousands of residents to leave their homes as the deluge hit.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 6, 2023
Low incomes most likely to curb children's extracurricular activities, survey finds
The survey covered 2,097 parents of elementary school students from grades 1 to 6 over a period of two days in October 2022.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 4, 2023
Japan emphasizes students' comprehension of AI in new school guidelines
They also suggest that teachers may need to discard traditional exam and homework methods, such as writing reports, that can be easily done using AI technology.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2023
Job applicants in Japan embrace ChatGPT to improve their chances
In Japan, students usually begin job hunting long before graduation. The job-hunting process is arduous, and there is a stigma around failing to secure a job before graduation.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 26, 2023
Suicides rose in Japan among young women and girls during pandemic
In 2022, the rate among female residents between ages 10 and 24 was 745 — an increase of 233 compared with 2019.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 22, 2023
Organization founded to create guidelines for use of AI image generators
An AI-generated image tool allows users to create images based on written descriptions and learning from other images available online, including those made by artists.

Longform

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