Society

Japanese junior high school students slightly more open to marijuana use, survey suggests

Jun 23 (Japan Times) - Junior high school students have become slightly more open to the use of marijuana, in part due to the influence of the internet, an official survey suggests.

In the latest biennial survey by the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 1.9 percent of about 70,000 junior high school students polled said they either donâ€™t mind marijuana use at all or donâ€™t mind as long as the amount being used is low, up from 1.5 percent in 2016.

While the number of juvenile cases regarding marijuana use is on the rise in Japan, 0.3 percent of the respondents said they had tried illegal drugs, including stimulants. That percentage remains unchanged from the previous survey.

Takuya Shimane, a researcher at the center who was in charge of the survey, said increased use of the internet is one of the biggest factors behind young people becoming more receptive to illegal drugs and that it is important to raise awareness about the problems associated with their use.

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

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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.

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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

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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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