Society

Gaffe-prone Aso alludes to gender as reason female lawmaker verbally abused secretary

Jun 26 (Japan Times) - Gaffe-prone Finance Minister Taro Aso made a comment Saturday about a junior lawmaker from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party who indicated her intent to leave the party due to allegations that she abused one of her secretaries, stressing her gender.

"If you take a look only at her academic background, it is impeccable, but she is a woman," Aso told a group of LDP lawmakers belonging to his faction during a meeting in Shibata, Niigata Prefecture.

According to a report in the edition of the weekly magazine Shukan Shincho that hit newsstands Thursday, second-term Lower House lawmaker Mayuko Toyota was sitting in the back seat of a car driven by one of her secretaries on May 20 when she yelled "baldy!" at him and struck him several times on the head and face, causing injuries.

Toyota, who graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1997 and earned a master's degree at the Harvard School of Public Health in 2002, was an official at the health ministry until she won a Lower House election in 2012.

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

Tochigi Robbery-Murder Suspect’s Wife Posted Dance Videos on Social Media

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

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Garbage Burnoff Spreads to 3 Buildings in Okayama

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Gang Members Arrested After Opening Office Near Nursery

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Six Police Officers Injured After Man Sprays Liquid at Station

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