Japan eyes stronger law to protect women from sexual exploitation
The welfare ministry is considering crafting a new law to strengthen the protection of women, including schoolgirls, from sexual exploitation, according to sources. The law would provide the legal basis for prefectural consulting centers for women, a role currently played by a law that deals ...
Transgender worker sues Osaka hospital after supervisor told colleagues she transitioned to female
A woman sued the operator of an Osaka hospital where she works on Friday, claiming she suffered undue emotional distress after her boss revealed to colleagues she had transitioned some years earlier due to her gender dysphoria. In a damages lawsuit filed with the Osaka ...
Guilty ruling finalized for Chiba mother complicit in fatal abuse of 10-year-old daughter
A Chiba court said Friday a guilty verdict for a woman who was complicit in her husband's fatal assaults on their 10-year-old daughter has been finalized. Nagisa Kurihara, 32, did not appeal the ruling by Wednesday's deadline. The Chiba District Court sentenced her in late ...
Newly created Aichi fund provides foster children with access to higher education
A fund set up by the Aichi Prefectural Government in March is providing financial aid to students from children's homes seeking to enter higher education. "I want to realize my dream and live up to the expectations (of my supporters)," said a 19-year-old Aichi student ...
Ministry says record 82,797 cases of workplace bullying reported across Japan in fiscal 2018
The labor ministry said Wednesday that a record 82,797 complaints about workplace bullying, including so-called power harassment, were brought to local labor bureaus and other offices for advice and consultation in fiscal 2018 — up 14.9 percent from the preceding year. The total number of ...
Chiba mother gets suspended sentence for role in father's alleged fatal abuse of daughter
A 32-year-old woman was sentenced to a 2½-year jail term, suspended for 5 years, for assisting her husband in assaulting their daughter and contributing to the child’s death.
A 31-year-old woman in Niigata Prefecture was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of killing her 3-month-old daughter by repeatedly dropping her on the floor, police said. Noriko Ito, a Nagaoka city official in charge of promoting gender equality, admitted the allegation to police after her daughter, ...
Father held over suspected assault resulting in death of baby daughter in Shizuoka Prefecture
A man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of causing the death of his 20-month-old daughter after an alleged assault last December. Tetta Fujiwara, 21, from Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, has denied inflicting injuries on his daughter Ema resulting in her death on Jan. 3, according to ...
Japan passes bill requiring microchipping of pets to reduce strays
The pet microchipping rules will take effect in three years after the promulgation of the revised animal protection law, which also toughened penalties for abusing animals.
Father arrested in Japan for using shock collar to discipline children
A 45-year-old man was arrested Wednesday for the alleged use of a shock collar to discipline his three children, police said, the latest in a series of child abuse cases that have prompted legislators to seek a ban on corporal punishment. Takahiro Goto in the ...
Chiba woman pleads guilty to complicity in husband's fatal abuse of 10-year-old daughter
A woman pleaded guilty Thursday to complicity in her husband's assaults on their 10-year-old daughter, who died in January, as her trial began in a case that has attracted national attention. Nagisa Kurihara, 32, is suspected of failing to stop her husband, Yuichiro Kurihara, 41, ...
'Culture of fear': Report alleges low pay and overwork for laborers at Tokyo Olympics sites
A report released by a global union federation Wednesday demanded better conditions for laborers working on the construction of Tokyo Games facilities after several "alarming" cases of suspected labor violations were uncovered. The report from Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI), titled "The Dark Side ...
