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 ...
Mia Kurihara, who died in January following a series of alleged assaults by her father, was released from protective custody despite suspicion that he had sexually abused her, local government sources admitted Tuesday. According to the sources, the 10-year-old girl had told child welfare center ...
Kuala Lumpur in talks with Tokyo for Malaysians to join new blue-collar visa programs
Malaysia is in talks with Japan, which needs more foreign workers due to a rapidly aging population and low birthrate, on sending blue-collar workers under a new visa program launched in April.
In graying Japan, pet hoarding proving to be a pesky problem
Japan's graying population has caused local governments to struggle to cope with the burgeoning problem of animal hoarding among seniors who are suffering from dementia or worsening chronic diseases. According to officials, homes are becoming overrun with urine and feces from pet dogs and cats, ...
In the note she wrote that the coach, who is also a teacher at her school, had called students “idiots” and told them, “I will kill you.”
Britain plans social media regulation to battle harmful content
Britain proposed new online safety laws on Monday that would slap penalties on social media companies and technology firms if they fail to protect their users from harmful content. Easy access to damaging material particularly among young people has caused growing concern worldwide and came ...
Two girls' deaths after alleged abuse expose shortcomings in Japan's child-protection services
The January death of 10-year-old Mia Kurihara in Chiba Prefecture, allegedly at the hands of her abusive father, shocked Japan after coming on the heels of a similar case involving a 5-year-old girl in Tokyo's Meguro Ward last year. In both cases, the children sought ...
