The National Police Agency has noted a major rise in online investment fraud cases, incidents of which have more than quadrupled in the first eight months of this year.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 3, 2024
Investment and romance fraud cases triple in first eight months of year
A total of 6,868 reports of scam cases involving losses amounting to nearly ¥88 billion ($600 million) have been reported, the National Police Agency said.
A male employee of Gunma Bank in Fukaya, Saitama Prefecture, allegedly swindled clients out of a total of ¥55.35 million ($377,000) by falsely claiming to exchange their old banknotes for new ones.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 3, 2024
Gunma Bank dismisses employee over alleged ¥55 million scam
He allegedly took money from clients under the pretext of exchanging old banknotes for new ¥10,000 ones.
A security camera footage shows a 17-year-old girl and a man entering a hotel in the city of Osaka on Saturday. She was found dead in the hotel room several hours later.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 2, 2024
17-year-old girl found dead in Osaka hotel room was strangled
Osaka police are on the hunt for a man who was seen entering the hotel in the city's Dotonbori area with the victim.
The Metropolitan Police Department headquarters in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 2, 2024
Three suspects arrested for violent robberies in Kanto area
The suspects were apparently not acquainted with each other and police believe that so-called tokuryū groups are involved.
According to a man seeking compensation through the courts for his forced hospitalization at a psychiatric ward, it was clear from his medical records that there was no need for him to stay in hospital from 1988.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 1, 2024
Plaintiff denied compensation for decadeslong stay at hospital
Plaintiff Tokio Ito, who is diagnosed with schizophrenia, claimed that he suffered emotional damage from the extremely long and involuntary stay.
The former treasurer of the Liberal Democratic Party's former largest faction has been found guilty in a case tied to a major political funds scandal that the party has been mired in since late last year.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 30, 2024
Former Abe faction treasurer given suspended three-year prison term
Junichiro Matsumoto underreported political funds totaling ¥670 million between 2018 and 2022.
New members of the Metropolitan Police Department's (MPD) riot squad hold a drill in Tokyo on Thursday. The MPD plans to set up a section to specialize in the investigation of lone wolf terrorists.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 30, 2024
Tokyo police to set up specialist section for lone wolf terrorists
The section will form part of the Metropolitan Police Department's Public Security Bureau via a reorganization in April to strengthen information gathering.

Longform

Wozme, founded by dancer and choreographer Wakaba Kohei, is composed of Kana Kitty, Ami Ishii, Akane Watanabe and Natsuki. Its aim is to inject elegance and beauty, traits traditionally associated with femininity, into the sometimes grotesque art form of butoh dance.
Wozme, an all-women dance troupe, wants to move the needle in butoh