A group of plaintiffs in a lawsuit demanding that they be recognized as Minamata disease patients hold a news conference in Niigata on Thursday following a ruling by the Niigata District Court.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 19, 2024
Japanese court orders damages over Niigata Minamata disease
Similar lawsuits have been filed at four district courts across the country.
A bill on expanding legal support for crime victims clears the Lower House on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 18, 2024
Japan enacts bill to help crime victims
The bill to revise the comprehensive legal support law was approved unanimously at a plenary session of the House of Representatives.
One of the lawyers representing a group of doctors suing Google told a news conference that the main purpose of the lawsuit is not to seek compensation but instead to raise awareness over various problems with the Google Maps system.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 18, 2024
In a first, Japan doctors sue Google over negative reviews on firm's map app
The suit is the first in Japan — and possibly the world — to target a platform rather than the individuals who posted the reviews, lawyers said.
Manga titles that have been uploaded onto Manga-Mura, a manga piracy website, on display in Tokyo in 2022
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 18, 2024
Manga piracy website operator ordered to pay ¥1.7 billion to publishers
Kadokawa, Shueisha and Shogakukan said they hoped the lawsuit would help deter other manga piracy site operators from uploading content illegally.
Entrepreneurs Yusaku Maezawa (second from right) and Takafumi Horie (third from right) attend a study session on fake social media ads and investment scams at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo on April 10.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 17, 2024
Police warn against investment scams on social media
Scammers are posing as prominent businesspeople to increase credibility and to lure victims into "get rich quick” schemes.
Police officers issue a warning to a person riding a modified bicycle during a traffic crackdown conducted in Tokyo's Nakano Ward in December.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 17, 2024
Police report surge in moped and powered bicycle violations
When questioned, many riders claim to be unaware of the requirement for a license to operate such vehicles.
Police discovered two bodies Tuesday as they rushed to a riverbed in the town of Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 17, 2024
Two charred bodies found near Tochigi riverbed
Police are questioning a man in his 20s on a voluntary basis in relation to the incident.

Longform

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on