Tag - death

 
 

DEATH

Two plaintiffs filed a lawsuit with Osaka District Court in hopes of sparking a wider discussion on the rights of death row prisoners.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 15, 2024
Death-row inmates' lawsuit targeting same-day notifications of executions dismissed
The judge said the plaintiffs' social standing — being death row inmates — doesn't allow them to avoid execution when they are notified.
The mortality rate of junior high school graduates is around 1.4 times higher than that of those who graduated from universities, according to a survey by the National Cancer Center Japan, indicating that risk factors differ depending on education level.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 28, 2024
Estimated mortality rates by education level released in Japan
A gap between junior high school graduates and those who went through higher education has been found.
A supporter of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange holds a sign in London on Tuesday. Assange's many supporters hail him as an anti-establishment hero who is being persecuted for exposing U.S. wrongdoing and alleged war crimes.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Mar 26, 2024
Julian Assange wins temporary reprieve from extradition to U.S.
U.S. prosecutors are seeking to put Assange on trial under the Espionage Act over WikiLeaks' high-profile release of confidential U.S. records.
"Coffin club" member Kevin Heyward poses next to a coffin he built to resemble a hot rod. It's a task of grave importance, but there's nothing to stop New Zealanders having a laugh as they work on DIY caskets in the country's coffin clubs.
WORLD / Society
Mar 18, 2024
New Zealand's 'coffin clubs' bury taboos about death
The clubs, where people work on DIY caskets, provide a space to open up about death and dying during weekly meetups.
Shoko Asahara's ashes have been stored at the Tokyo Detention House since he was hanged in July 2018.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 13, 2024
Court orders government to hand cult founder's remains to daughter
Concerns had been expressed that they could become objects of worship for followers of Aum Shinrikyo's successor groups.
A court sketch shows Satoru Nomura, head of the Kudokai crime syndicate (center), and Fumio Tanoue, the group's second-in-command (right), during their sentencing at the Fukuoka High Court on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 12, 2024
Death sentence overturned for Kudokai gang boss
The criminal mastermind remained expressionless and stared directly at the judge as it was announced that the death sentence had been overturned.
In the quest for immortality, some researchers believe mind uploading will be our ticket to an eternal existence.
PODCAST / deep dive
Feb 8, 2024
Japan’s take on immortality; problems in Palworld
As scientists and technologists attempt to tackle the problem of aging and death, we discuss Japanese ideas about immortality.
Emperors sought eternal life for centuries, but scientists believe our physical bodies have limits. That's where technologists come in.
BUSINESS / Tech / Longform
Feb 3, 2024
The digital beyond: Is an eternal existence within grasp?
Immortality has been a dream for centuries, but scientists doubt its possibility. Can technologists and coders find a virtual path instead?
The burned down house in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, where Yuki Endo fatally stabbed the father and mother of an acquaintance in 2021.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 2, 2024
Death sentence finalized for man over 2021 murder committed as minor
The defense team for Yuki Endo filed an appeal at the deadline Thursday, but the defendant withdrew it later in the day, the Kofu District Court said.
Miyoko Oka holds a photo of her brother, Masaru Okunishi, in Yamazoe Village, Nara Prefecture, in November 2023.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 30, 2024
Top court rejects retrial request for 1961 poisoned wine murders
The court rejected a special appeal for reopening the case involving Masaru Okunishi, who died at age 89 of pneumonia while on death row in 2015.
Shitsui Hakoishi, 107, works with researcher Yasumichi Arai (left) while her younger brother, Hidemasa, looks on. Researchers like Arai believe the healthy and active Hakoishi's cells may hold the secret to living a long life.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Longform
Jan 27, 2024
Living until 100, if not forever, in good health
Immortality may be out of reach, but can a slew of research projects prolong our natural aging process?
A courtroom sketch shows Shinji Aoba listening to a ruling handed down at the Kyoto District Court on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 26, 2024
Kyoto Animation arsonist files appeal against death sentence
A Kyoto District Court spokesman on Friday confirmed that the defense team was appealing the ruling.
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.
A mid-19th century ukiyo-e woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi depicts Xu Fu’s voyage in search of the elixir of life. He can be seen near the left side of the image, with what looks to be Penglai, or Mount Fuji, in the background.
JAPAN / History / Longform
Jan 20, 2024
Eternal pursuits: A history of Japanese quests for immortality
Whether it's a permanent state of meditation or feasting on mermaid, the quest for immortality in Japan isn't too far off from those in other cultures.
The gallery and judges for the trial of Yuki Endo over a 2021 murder case, in Kofu District Court in Yamanashi Prefecture on Thursday
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 18, 2024
In first, 'specified juvenile' handed death sentence over Kofu murder
It is the first time a defendant age 18 or 19 at the time of a crime has been given the death penalty following the lowering of the age of adulthood.
A doctor and a nurse check on people affected by the New Year's Day quake in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 6.
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2024
Doctors and nurses support families at morgues after Noto quake
Teams were sent after the 2016 quakes in Kumamoto Prefecture and a major mudslide in Atami in Shizuoka Prefecture in 2021.
Visitors walk through the gas chamber during a tour of the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City, Missouri, in 2013.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 11, 2024
U.S. judge allows first nitrogen-gas execution to proceed
U.S. states have found it increasingly difficult to obtain barbiturates used in lethal-injection execution protocols, in part because of a European ban.
The trial for Shinji Aoba in a Kyoto Animation arson-murder case concluded at the Kyoto District Court Thursday, with prosecutors demanding a death penalty.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 7, 2023
Death penalty sought for man over 2019 Kyoto Animation arson attack
Shinji Aoba, 45, is facing charges including murder over the blaze at the animation studio's premises.
The question of when a person dies is a scientific and moral issue with far-reaching implications in the area of organ transplants, among others.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 16, 2023
When does science say we die?
Debates about when a human being dies are yet unresolved, with profound implications for the medical profession and areas such as organ transplants.
The family grave of Toshihide Matsumoto is dismantled in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture. An increasing number of Japanese people are opting to permanently close their family graves as traditional family structures continue to change.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 9, 2023
Graying Japan faces a grave problem
Services designed to help people move or scatter their ancestors' ashes and close up family graves are experiencing increased demand.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores