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Karin Kaneko

Plaintiffs in a suit against the government over a law that requires married spouses to have the same surname arrive at the Tokyo District Court in Tokyo on March 8.

JAPAN / Society

Apr 1, 2024

By 2531, everyone in Japan could have the surname 'Sato'

The forecast is based on the premise that the current practice of requiring married couples to share the same surname continues.

Noriyuki Higashiyama (second from right), unveils Smile-Up as a new company name to replace Johnny's & Associates during a news conference in Tokyo in October.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Mar 29, 2024

Smile-Up says two ex-Johnny's staffers were also sexual predators

The statement from Smile-Up, which is responsible for compensating victims, came after the BBC published an interview with its president.

Hitoshi Matsumoto

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Mar 28, 2024

Comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto's defamation trial kicks off

Identities of two women accusing the comedian of forcing them into having sex, as reported by Shukan Bunshun, becomes the focus on Day 1.

Among those who experienced physical abuse from their spouses or partners, 12.6% said they felt that their lives were in danger, according to the government survey conducted late last year.

JAPAN / Society

Mar 27, 2024

Record 1 in 5 in Japan report partner abuse, government survey shows

Among married couples, the rate is even higher at 1 in 4.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Mar 26, 2024

Same-sex partners should get spousal survivor benefits, Supreme Court rules

It is the first time the Supreme Court has reached a judgment on survivors benefits for crime victims who have same-sex partners.

BASEBALL / MLB / EXPLAINER

Mar 25, 2024

Ohtani’s former interpreter’s gambling scandal: What we know so far

Here is a breakdown of events leading to the interpreter’s firing ahead of the baseball superstar's plan to speak to the media about the scandal.

Shizuo Aishima's son speaks to reporters next to a photo of his father in Tokyo on Thursday.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Mar 21, 2024

Ohkawara execs to file criminal complaint against Tokyo police

The complainant's lawyer said that the execs hope to kick-start an internal investigation into the department’s misconduct.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS

Mar 19, 2024

Japan's 'hostage justice system' faces renewed scrutiny

The long-criticized system has come under the spotlight as executives wrongly accused of a crime continue their legal battle.

A woman takes pictures with Kawazu cherry blossom trees, one of the earliest to bloom in Japan, in Tokyo's Sumida district on Monday.

JAPAN / Society

Mar 15, 2024

Economic impact of hanami expected to double this year

Higher tourist numbers and prices, along with a depreciation of the Japanese currency, are among factors contributing to the larger economic impact.

Plaintiffs of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a ban on same-sex marriage and their supporters hold a banner calling for authorities to allow such unions in front of the Tokyo District Court on Thursday.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Mar 14, 2024

Ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, Sapporo High Court rules

This is the first such ruling by a high court in Japan in favor of plaintiffs challenging the ban.

Yusuke Yamazaki, former president of Nishiyama Farm, arrives at Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture on Wednesday.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Mar 13, 2024

Ex-Nishiyama Farm president arrested after deportation from Indonesia

Yusuke Yamazaki had been on the international wanted list for his alleged involvement in investment fraud involving overseas fruit sales.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Mar 8, 2024

Group files lawsuit over Japan law that mandates couples share a surname

Similar lawsuits have been filed before, but public opinion appears to be shifting in favor of allowing couples to have separate surnames.

JAPAN / Society

Mar 7, 2024

Osaka weighs 'entry fee' for foreign tourists in bid to combat overtourism

The proposed fee is separate from the lodging tax already in place for all tourists.

Nikolai Nozdrev, who arrived in Tokyo on Sunday, succeeds Mikhail Galuzin as Russia's ambassador to Japan.

JAPAN / Politics

Mar 4, 2024

Russia’s new ambassador arrives in Japan after more than yearlong absence

Moscow had left the post unfilled for over a year amid strained ties with Tokyo.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Feb 21, 2024

Film director Hideo Sakaki held on suspicion of sexual assault

While allegations of sexual abuse were made against Sakaki as far back as March 2022, this is the first time that the director has been taken into custody.

Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto votes at a polling station during the general election in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, on Wednesday.

ASIA PACIFIC / Politics

Feb 14, 2024

Prabowo on track to win Indonesia’s presidential election

This is Prabowo’s third time to run for the country’s top job, after losing in 2014 and 2019 to incumbent Joko "Jokowo" Widodo.

Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto speaks during a campaign rally in Jakarta on Saturday.

ASIA PACIFIC / Politics

Feb 11, 2024

Indonesian election candidates make their case as election day looms

With young people accounting for almost 60% of the electorate, the candidates have needed to factor in their demands and preferences.

Shoko Kawata stumps in the city of Yawata, Kyoto Prefecture, last year.

JAPAN / Politics

Feb 6, 2024

Japan's youngest female city mayor is focused on women's empowerment

The election of Shoko Kawata, 33, was unexpected — but was a welcome change for some.

Zain Syed (left), a Pakistan-born Japanese citizen; Maurice, a U.S. citizen with permanent residency in Japan; and Matthew, a Pacific Islander with permanent residency, outside the Tokyo District Court in Tokyo on Monday

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Jan 29, 2024

Lawsuit filed in Tokyo over alleged racial profiling by police

The plaintiffs are seeking around ¥3 million in damages each from central and local governments in the case, which is the first of its kind.

A man prays on July 19, 2019, outside the Kyoto Animation building where 36 people died in a fire caused by Shinji Aoba the previous day.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Jan 24, 2024

Possible death penalty looms for Kyoto Animation arson suspect

The trial shed light on his upbringing, the emergence of his grudge against the studio and how he went ahead with his plan of attack despite some hesitation.

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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