National / Crime & Legal Oct 13, 2020
Activists protest over Japanese lawmaker's skepticism of sex crime victims
The LDP refused to accept the petition submitted by organizers of the Flower Demo movement in protest over the comments by Mio Sugita.
National / Media | MEDIA MIX Oct 10, 2020
Courts struggling to define what constitutes defamation in social media
by Philip Brasor
Journalist Shiori Ito files rare libel lawsuit over use of the "like" button on Twitter.
National / Politics Oct 2, 2020
LDP's Mio Sugita admits saying 'women lie' about sexual assaults
"I am sorry for offending people by giving the impression only women lie when lying is not restricted to a gender," the Lower House ruling-party representative wrote.
National / Social Issues Sep 25, 2020
Sugita denies saying 'women can tell lies' about sexual violence
After the gathering, the 53-year-old lawmaker denied making the remark, telling reporters, "I didn't say such a thing."
National / Politics Jan 28, 2020
Heckling at Diet meeting may spur dual surname debate in Japan's LDP
The party’s Fumio Kishida has said that “we should hold discussions as needed” on whether to allow married couples to continue using their respective surnames.
National / Politics May 15, 2019
LDP creates code of conduct for its lawmakers, in hope of preventing gaffes
by Magdalena Osumi
Amid a spate of verbal flubs that have plagued the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has created a code of conduct for its lawmakers — warning them to watch their mouths to prevent blunders from affecting their political ...
National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Feb 9, 2019
Heisei Era hindsight gives new meaning to established terms
by Michael Hoffman
The ubiquitous word "productivity" last summer acquired a new meaning — or at least a new twist. Members of the LGBT community, wrote Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Mio Sugita, "do not reproduce. In other words, they are unproductive. I wonder if it is appropriate ...
National Jan 10, 2019
by Tomohiro Osaki
Finance Minister Taro Aso's apparent justification of sexual harassment committed by a former prominent bureaucrat topped a list of the most egregious sexist and discriminatory remarks made by Japanese politicians in 2018, according to a recent online survey. The survey, released Wednesday, was launched late ...
National / Media | Japan Pulse Dec 29, 2018
Social media and online outlets led charge for change in 2018
by Patrick St. Michel
A reflection of how the internet functioned in Japan in 2018 can be seen in a recent incident at Shinjuku Station. On Dec. 18, Twitter user @Diablo_Lucifero warned women using the transportation hub to be on the alert for multiple men who were apparently going ...
Language Oct 1, 2018
Monthly mag Shincho 45 suspended over discriminatory speech targeting LGBT
Shinchosha Publishing Co. has decided to suspend publication of monthly magazine Shincho 45 in response to criticism it has received for using discriminatory language toward the LGBTQ community.
National Sep 26, 2018
by Tomohiro Osaki
Shinchosha Publishing announced its Shincho 45 magazine will effectively fold after carrying articles that its president said contained “outrageous prejudice” against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
National / Social Issues Sep 22, 2018
The president of a publishing company has confirmed there were troublesome opinions expressed in articles that ran in a monthly magazine that supported a national lawmaker who called LGBT couples unproductive. Shinchosha Publishing Co. President Takanobu Sato said in a statement Friday that he found ...