Tag - teens

 
 

TEENS

Cannabis and related products seized from a house in Beppu, Oita Prefecture, are displayed in the city of Fukuoka in January.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 14, 2024
Number of young marijuana offenders hits record high in Japan
The figure for cannabis cases involving those under 20 had decreased for the first time in nine years in 2022, but increased 34% in 2023.
Shiki Nakayama at a snow-covered baseball field in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, last month. Nakayama grew up watching her older brother’s exploits on the diamond and first picked up a bat and ball in elementary school.
BASEBALL
Feb 9, 2024
Meet the Gen Zer in Japan who is forging a path for girls in baseball
For 16-year-old Shiki Nakayama, it's no big deal that she's the only girl on her high school baseball team.
Many young people who feel neglected at home flock to the Toyoko area to find a community where they can fit in.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Feb 5, 2024
Toyoko Kids: The lonely street children of Tokyo
Bound together by shared neglect and marginalization, the group have formed a distinct, social media-linked youth subculture on the streets of Shinjuku.
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.
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.
Young men and women celebrate Coming of Age Day in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Jan. 11, 2016.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 31, 2023
Japan's 18-year-olds at record-low 1.06 million on falling births
In Japan, the age of adulthood was lowered from 20 to 18 in April 2022 in a bid to encourage active social participation by youth.
A group of 19 host club owners in Kabukicho who own most of the host clubs in the area have pledged to ban the pay-later system by April and prohibit entry to those under 20 years old from January.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 26, 2023
How Japan's host clubs trap young women under mountains of debt
False promises of love — and even marriage — lead to huge bills for some as young as 18, who are often then coaxed into sex work to make repayments.
An area known as Toyoko in the Kabukicho entertainment district in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 6, 2023
High school girl arrested for selling cough medicine illegally
The arrest coincides with a surge of young people in Japan abusing over-the-counter drugs, such as cold medicine.
Maryna Bodnar, 24, with her children, Matviy and Gennady, at home in Chernihiv, Ukraine, on April 11, 2023. 'I don’t feel strong,' Bodnar said. 'But I am looking for strength to continue.'
WORLD / Society
Nov 1, 2023
Coming of age in Ukraine
The ongoing war has accelerated their transition into adulthood.
A community health worker speaks during a meeting with pregnant teenagers, teen mothers and their partners, in Navotas, Metro Manila, in 2016.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Oct 28, 2023
Can new law help tackle Philippines' teen pregnancy emergency?
The costs of teen pregnancies in the country are high, with around 30% of the population now under 15 years old.
In principle, children can be admitted to children's homes if they are at least 1 year old and can stay in the facilities until the end of the fiscal year in which they turn 22 years old.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 10, 2023
Japan to scrap upper age limit for use of children's homes
Currently, residents are required to move out of the facilities by the end of the fiscal year in which they turn 22 years old.
The "Toyoko" area in Tokyo's Kabukicho entertainment district
JAPAN / Society
Oct 8, 2023
Japan considers shelters for young runaways
The Children and Families Agency hopes the shelters will help prevent youth involvement in downtown area crime.
By prefecture, Gunma has had the highest number of bicycle accidents involving high school students on their way to school for nine consecutive years.
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2023
Bicycle accidents involving high schoolers highest in Gunma in 2022
The rate for junior high school students was also highest in Gunma Prefecture with 32.03, followed by Kagawa with 16.30.
A group of lawmakers from the Liberal Democratic Party discuss plans to establish a new system to block convicted sex offenders from jobs involving children on Sept. 7.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 24, 2023
Japan to delay bill blocking sex offenders from working with children
The decision to postpone comes after criticism from within the LDP that that more professions should be subject to the system.
Leaves of marijuana plants from which hemp fibers are extracted at Japan's largest legal marijuana farm in Kanuma, Tochigi Prefecture, on July 5, 2016
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 21, 2023
Does a university cannabis scandal point to a larger trend?
A drugs scandal at Japan’s biggest university draws attention to a troubling statistic: Cannabis use among young people is on the rise.
Masanobu Ogura (center left), then-minister in charge of policies related to children, receives a petition from Hiroki Komazaki (center right), founder of nonprofit organization Florence, in Tokyo on Sept. 1.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Sep 18, 2023
Debate grows in Japan over proposed background checks for teachers
The Children and Families Agency is proposing to make screening for criminal convictions mandatory for people looking to work in schools or nurseries.
A 14-year-old girl living in the town of Oharu, Aichi Prefecture, was arrested Wednesday for allegedly stabbing her mother, who was later confirmed dead.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 6, 2023
14-year-old girl arrested over alleged fatal stabbing of mother
The daughter, a junior high school student living in the town of Oharu, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder.
A woman shops for medicine at a drugstore in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 5, 2023
More young women overdosing on over-the-counter drugs
In a country where illicit drugs are hard to obtain, many have begun to abuse cough and cold medications, which are legal and easily accessible.
Officials discuss preventing sexual abuse of minors in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 27, 2023
Japan unveils new measures to stop sexual assault against minors
As a part of the measures, the government plans to set up a hotline for male victims of sexual assault so that they can seek psychological support if needed.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 26, 2023
Suicides rose in Japan among young women and girls during pandemic
In 2022, the rate among female residents between ages 10 and 24 was 745 — an increase of 233 compared with 2019.

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world