News On Japan

Con artists ripping off elderly / Scams increasingly targeting society's fastest-growing demographic

Yomiuri — 2010-03-16 22:13:46

There seems to be no end to the number of fraudulent sales tactics targeting elderly people, especially those living alone or suffering from dementia. According to the National Police Agency, the police detected 152 cases of violations of the Special Commercial Transactions Law in 2009. They included the improper selling of expensive health appliances to elderly people and the signing of unlawful house renovation contracts with this vulnerable demographic. The number hit a record high since the NPA began taking the survey in 2005, and of the 461 victims, 318, or 69 percent, were aged 65 or older. (Yomiuri)

Tokyo rediscovers long-forgotten waterways

Asahi — 2010-03-17 04:23:26

The custodians of the grand canals in Venice and the colorful floating markets in Bangkok need not worry about their status just yet, but in Tokyo a group of concerned citizens is convinced it can transform the city's sludge-clogged waterways into a magnet for tourism. The hubbub on the capital's rivers and canals was once one of its most celebrated sights. During the Edo Period (1603-1867), boats carried people and goods on an intricate water system that was the equal of any in the world. (Asahi)

Child hurt in hit-and-run involving U.S. military vehicle

AP — 2010-03-17 10:24:46

A U.S. military vehicle hit a car on a road in Okinawa Prefecture and drove away without stopping Wednesday morning, leaving a child inside the car slightly injured, police said. The U.S. Navy in Okinawa said its military police had detained a female Navy soldier suspected of being involved in the accident. Soon after the accident, a U.S. Navy jeep, empty but with the engine running, was found crashed against guardrails along a state road some 12 kilometers away from the accident site near the U.S. Marines' Camp Schwab in Nago. Its bumper and front left light were damaged, according to the police. (AP)

Court rules man's online slandering of restaurant operator qualifies as defamation

Mainichi — 2010-03-17 10:32:37

A man has been found guilty of defamation for insulting a restaurant chain operator on the Internet after the judge ruled that online slandering is as influential as any other means of expression, it has been learned. The Supreme Court's First Petty Bench on Monday upheld a lower court ruling that convicted Kengo Hashizume, 38, of slandering a ramen noodle shop chain operator online and ordered him to pay 300,000 yen in fines, after dismissing his appeal. Hashizume was charged with making a libelous statement about the restaurant operator on his Web site in 2002 by saying that the company was affiliated to a cult. (Mainichi)

For Japanese women, a competition to be thin

twincities.com — 2010-03-15 20:57:57

As women in the United States and across the industrialized world get fatter, most Japanese women are getting skinnier. Still, many view themselves as overweight. Social pressure - women looking critically at other women - is the most important reason female skinniness is ascendant in Japan, according to Hisako Watanabe, a child psychiatrist at the Keio University School of Medicine in Tokyo. (twincities.com)

Geisha prepares to bloom in Tokyo

Tokyo Reporter — 2010-03-15 21:12:43

Not far from the banks of Tokyo's Sumida River, below a towering expressway, is Sumida Ward's sleepy district of Mukojima, the largest of Tokyo's six remaining geisha quarters, or hanamachi (literally, "flower towns"). The area is home to roughly 120 of Japan's iconic traditional entertainers, who, in the evenings, regale well-heeled guests with performances of classical dance and music, lighthearted games and conversation as they dine at the 16 traditional ryotei restaurants scattered within the packed district's hodgepodge of aging wooden buildings. (Tokyo Reporter)

3 Filipinos arrested for illegal entry

AP — 2010-03-16 06:05:24

Three Filipino men have been arrested in the city of Fukuoka for entering Japan on passports with women's names after undergoing sex change operations, police said. Although it is not legally possible in the Philippines to change one's registered gender, the three, aged 30, 43 and 44, have formally married Japanese men, according to local immigration authorities. After falling in love with the Japanese men while working at night clubs, they reentered Japan on different persons' passports to submit marriage registrations and have obtained residential status as spouses of Japanese nationals, the police said. (AP)

Prince Mikasa hospitalized for cataract surgery

AP — 2010-03-16 06:05:24

Prince Mikasa, uncle of Emperor Akihito, entered St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo on Tuesday to receive cataract surgery, the Imperial Household Agency said. The 94-year-old prince is scheduled to undergo the surgery on his left eye on Wednesday and leave hospital the following day. The youngest brother of the late Emperor Hirohito, posthumously known as Emperor Showa, was hospitalized in 2008 and 2009 for heart problems. (AP)

Part of woman's torso washes up on island in Fukuoka

Mainichi — 2010-03-16 09:51:24

The lower half of a woman's torso was found on a beach on an island in Fukuoka on Monday, sparking a police investigation. Police said a local resident digging for clams found the unclothed lower body part on a beach on Nokonoshima Island at about 3:15 p.m. on Monday. The body appeared to have been severed with a sharp blade and police suspect the corpse may have been chopped up into pieces. They are trying to identify the victim. (Mainichi)

Actress Sawajiri makes tumultuous comeback

AP — 2010-03-16 14:49:58

Erika Sawajiri, a popular actress who had been away from entertainment circles due to problem behavior in 2007, made a comeback Tuesday causing excitement and rift during a promotional event in Tokyo for an esthetic clinic. "I would be happy if you see what I will be doing warmly," Sawajiri, 23, said after making a deep bow for 10 seconds before she revealed an upcoming TV commercial featuring her in scantily dressed imagery. But Sawajiri failed to settle a fresh argument with the press which started after her agency refused reporters access to information on her website unless they promise in writing, for example, not to make public any information or comments involving her privacy. (AP)

2.76 mil. Japanese estimated to have used illegal drugs

Yomiuri — 2010-03-14 21:58:31

An estimated 2.76 million people in Japan, or about 2.9 percent of the population, have used illegal drugs, according to a survey by a research team of the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry. The percentage is the highest since similar surveys started in 1995 and suggests the use of drugs is growing in this country. The previous highest percentage was 2.7 percent in 2001. (Yomiuri)

Cartoonists oppose new regulation on sexual expressions in comics

AP — 2010-03-15 08:20:50

A group of cartoonists including Tetsuya Chiba, illustrator of popular manga series "Ashita no Joe" (Tomorrow's Joe), voiced their opposition Monday in Tokyo to a proposed ordinance revision aimed at regulating sexual imagery in comics and animations. Arriving at the Tokyo metropolitan government, the cartoonists voiced concerns over the proposal, to be put before a vote Friday, which calls for restricting comics and animations that contain sexualized depictions of "nonexistent minors" -- a controversial concept described in the draft regulation, referring to characters that people would assume to be minors. (AP)

Man bound with tape found dead on road in Tokyo

Mainichi — 2010-03-15 11:41:00

A man was found dead on a road in the Tokyo city of Kokubunji early Monday with his hands bound with tape, police said. A passerby made an emergency call at about 5:50 a.m. on Monday, saying there appeared to be a dead man on a road in the city. Metropolitan Police Department officials said that the man's hands were bound with adhesive tape. They said his shirt had been lifted up to the area around his chest. (Mainichi)

Scouts' dishonor: dirty Tokyo dozen nabbed for pimping

Tokyo Reporter — 2010-03-13 23:34:43

Although the practice has been banned by local ordinances, aggressive "scouts" can still be found on the streets of Tokyo and other big cities, energetically recruiting young women to work in bars and sex shops. To get around the laws, some have moved their activity indoors, only to find that illegal as well. Last week Yasuhiro Fuseishi, a 36-year-old former actor, was arrested for arranging parties at which young women were encouraged to take up the world's oldest profession. (Tokyo Reporter)

Even as population shrinks, Japan remains wary of immigration

Washington Post — 2010-03-14 00:32:48

Much of what you need to know about Japan's long-standing attitude toward immigrants is summed up in the logo of the nation's official immigration agency: It depicts a plane departing, rather than arriving. But today the country faces a demographic crisis, one that some here believe will finally compel a traditionally homogeneous Japan to turn that plane around and let foreign workers come. The population is aging and shrinking -- a formula for economic calamity and social stagnation. Over time, there will be too few workers to care for the millions of elderly citizens, grow food on farms or fill the manufacturing jobs that drive this export-led economy. Given the forces of history and culture, the notion of a multiethnic Japan may seem impossible, a tautology in a country where nationality and ethnicity are fused to the point of being nearly indistinguishable. Yet a multiethnic Japan is what the country needs to become if it is to survive among the top tier of the world's powers. (Washington Post)

Deer in Nara struck by arrow, police launch probe

AP — 2010-03-14 05:46:31

One of the wild deer in Nara Park, which are designated national natural treasures, was found Saturday with a bow-gun arrow stuck in its abdomen, prompting local police to launch an investigation on suspicion of a person having violated the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties, they said. A local group protecting the deer removed the 52-centimeter iron arrow from the female deer after anesthetizing it, but the animal is not well due to the serious injuries, group members said. (AP)

2 U.S. Marines in Okinawa arrested over drunken driving, obstruction

AP — 2010-03-14 08:30:54

Two U.S. Marines were arrested Sunday in Okinawa, one on suspicion of drunken driving and another for allegedly obstructing official police duties, police officials said. Both lance corporals at the U.S. Marines' Makiminato Service Area in Urasoe denied the allegations, they said. Jamel Gary, 23, is suspected of drunken driving in Naha shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday, while Christopher Brooks, 24, in the front passenger seat of the vehicle, allegedly obstructed a police officer's attempt to conduct an alcohol test on Gary by throwing himself at the officer, according to them. (AP)

30 Japanese tourists hurt during making of animated Yon-sama drama

AP — 2010-03-12 11:50:23

Thirty Japanese women were injured in an accident Friday while watching the making of an animated drama starring South Korean heartthrob Bae Yong Joon, according to the Japanese Embassy and South Korean police and firefighters. While most of the 30 women had only light injuries, one sustained a serious injury to her face, the Japanese Embassy said. The women were in their 30s to 70s. Three South Korean men were also hurt in the accident. According to Yonhap News Agency, high winds during the event at an outdoor set in a resort area of Gangwon Province in northeastern South Korea caused part of the set to fall down. (AP)

Tokyo's Kabukicho teeters on the brink

Tokyo Reporter — 2010-03-12 22:41:51

Once known as Asia's top entertainment quarter, Shinjuku Ward's red-light district of Kabukicho has seen a hallowing out at its core. Monthly magazine Takarajima (April) takes a look at the devastation wrought by police crackdowns and the ongoing recession. At the end of 2008, the multi-use Koma Stadium, notably known as a home to enka theater performances for a half-century and situated at the heart of Kabukicho, shut its doors. Over a year later, a construction plan for the site has not been set in place. Meanwhile, near JR Shinjuku Station, a large 10-screen cinema complex has since opened at the edge of the Kabukicho boundary. (Tokyo Reporter)

7 die in nursing home fire in Hokkaido

AP — 2010-03-13 00:20:33

Seven people died in a fire at a nursing home for the elderly in Hokkaido Prefecture early Saturday morning, police said. The seven are believed to be residents of the facility in Kita Ward, Sapporo in the northernmost Japan prefecture. One other resident and an employee of the home were injured in the 2:25 a.m. fire, which completely burned down the two-story building in a residential area about 7 kilometers north of JR Sapporo Station, the police said. (AP)

Chiba man accused of burning 5-year-old stepson with lighter

Mainichi — 2010-03-13 10:03:33

A man was arrested here Friday for allegedly abusing his 5-year-old stepson, including burning the child's foot with a lighter. Police arrested Daiki Ishibashi, 22, on suspicion of assault. The suspect has reportedly admitted to the allegations, and the boy has been put under protective custody at a child consultation center. Ishibashi stands accused of burning the sole of his stepson's right foot sometime between late January and Feb. 16, in addition to punching the boy in the face and tumbling him onto the floor. (Mainichi)

70 immigration detainees on hunger strike

Japan Times — 2010-03-11 21:43:55

At least 70 detainees at the West Japan Immigration Control Center, which has long been criticized by human rights groups and Diet members, have been on a hunger strike since Monday, center officials and volunteers helping them confirmed Thursday. "Around 70 foreigners began a hunger strike Monday night because they want to be released on a temporary basis," Norifumi Kishida, an official at the center, said Thursday morning. (Japan Times)

Luck of the Irish to parade across country

Japan Times — 2010-03-11 21:54:38

Celebrations for Ireland's most famous holiday are gaining in popularity worldwide, and Japan is no exception. St. Patrick, who helped spread Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century, is the country's patron saint. Legend has it that he died on March 17, so the Irish celebrate the day by wearing green, symbolizing the shamrock. In Japan, people have enjoyed the St. Patrick's Day parade since 1992. As an international cultural exchange event, it has become more popular, with recent years seeing around 1,000 participants and 50,000 spectators taking part in Omotesando, Tokyo. This year's parade is on March 14 and starts from Omotesando Hills; it runs from 2 p.m. till 4 p.m. (Japan Times)

Bullying flap shakes Japan's royals

New York Times — 2010-03-11 22:22:02

When an official at the Imperial Household Agency suddenly announced last week that 8-year-old Princess Aiko was refusing to go to school because of bullying, he did more than just disclose a mundane problem facing a member of Japan's ancient and secretive monarchy. He also added a new twist to one of the most riveting but mysterious dramas in Japan, the seven-year depression and seclusion of Aiko's mother, Crown Princess Masako, the Harvard-trained former diplomat. Aiko is the only child of Princess Masako and her husband, Crown Prince Naruhito, and is widely known to be one of the few sources of joy for the troubled crown princess. (New York Times)

Japanese Coast Guard arrests anti-whaling skipper

New York Times — 2010-03-12 11:44:06

The Japanese Coast Guard on Friday arrested an anti-whaling activist from New Zealand who had boarded a whaling ship in the southern Antarctic last month. Peter Bethune, a member of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, was brought back to Tokyo by the whaling ship, the Shonan Maru 2, after he boarded it without permission on Feb. 15. Coast Guard officials were waiting for him at the docks in Tokyo, along with a throng of Japanese reporters and television crews. (New York Times)