Slayings tied to inmate rehab limits
News On Japan via Japan Times -- Jun 29
Kyozo Isohi, who was arrested after stabbing two passersby to death on a busy Osaka street June 10, reportedly told police his actions were intended to incur the death penalty as he couldn't bring himself to commit suicide.
As he had only been released from prison the previous month after serving time for a narcotics felony, Isohi's case suggests authorities should start focusing on how to reduce recidivism among convicts who are freed unconditionally and not helped to reintegrate into society - unlike those released on parole.
At present, convicts who have served their full sentences fall beyond the scope of any monitoring or oversight. Paroled felons, on the other hand, are placed under the guardianship of probation officers.
Source: Japan Times
| May 23 | Youth arrested for hitting 16-year-old girl with baseball bat |
 An 18-year-old youth has been arrested on a charge of attempted murder after he allegedly hit a 16-year-old girl in the head with a baseball bat. (Japan Today  ) |
| May 22 | X Japan waxes lyrical at Madame Tussauds debut |
 This Monday, members of the seminal metal band X Japan were in Odaiba rubbing shoulders with the likes of Brad Pitt, Lady Gaga and AKB48′s Yuko Oshima. The catch? They were all made out of wax. (Japan Times ) |
| May 22 | Transport ministry to unify rules for baby strollers on buses, trains |
 The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has announced that it intends to draw up a set of unified rules for the use of baby strollers on buses and trains. (Japan Today ) |
| May 21 | Man stabs ex-wife, then crashes car during getaway |
 A man stabbed his ex-wife on a street in Isehara, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Tuesday morning, and then caused a car crash while he was fleeing from the scene. (Japan Today ) |
| May 21 | Japan Crown Prince to visit Spain |
 Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito will visit Spain for seven days from June 10, the government said Tuesday. (Jiji Press ) |
| May 21 | Tokyo broker for Thai hostesses busted for wrongful employment |
 Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Monday announced the arrest of a broker of Thai females for violating immigration laws by employing the women as masseuses. (Tokyo Reporter ) |
| May 21 | Claim filed against Yamaguchi-gumi top bosses for arson death in Nagoya |
 The parents of a nightclub worker killed in an arson fire three years ago filed a suit in the Nagoya District Court on Monday seeking damages against top members of the Yamaguchi-gumi organized crime group. (Tokyo Reporter ) |
| May 21 | Senior Kyodo News official dismissed over improper act |
 Kyodo News said Monday that it has dismissed Satoshi Kondo, 51, deputy chief of its general administration bureau and former personnel affairs division chief, for meeting individually with a female student searching for a job and doing an inappropriate act.
(Jiji Press ) |
| May 20 | Saitama cops bust massive child porn DVD operation |
 Saitama and Okayama prefectural police last week arrested the manager of an online porn DVD operation that specialized in films featuring children. (Tokyo Reporter) |
| May 19 | Japan's child kidnapping problem |
 Dozens of American children are abducted to Japan every year-not by strangers, but by parents after messy divorces. (thedailybeast.com ) |