News On Japan

Japan's schoolgirl pin-ups

Aug 10, 2020 (Unreported World) - Unreported World is in Japan to meet some of the country's 'Junior Idols'.

These schoolgirls are trying to make it as pop stars, performing in front of audiences who are older and very male. But is it a quirk of Japanese culture or something more sinister?

Reporter Marcel Theroux and Director Liam Nolan meet 11-year-old Yune as she broadcasts live from her home to her fans and performs with other idols at live shows. They also meet some of her fans, many of whom are middle-aged men.

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Typhoon Jangmi (Typhoon No.6) was located about 50 kilometers south of Izu Oshima at 1:00 p.m. on June 3rd and was moving east at 45 kilometers per hour as it made its closest approach to the Kanto region, leaving a trail of flooding, transport disruption and powerfully gusting winds across eastern Japan while forecasters warned that the strongest winds may still be ahead for some areas.

[updated 6:00 p.m.] Typhoon Jangmi (Typhoon No. 6) continued to disrupt transport across eastern Japan on June 3rd even after moving offshore east of the Kanto region, with nearly 900 flights canceled, multiple railway lines suspended, highway bus services halted and expressway operators warning that strong winds and safety inspections could prolong disruption into the evening and overnight.

Flooding was reported around the popular tourist district of Oharai-machi in Ise City following the passage of Typhoon No. 6, with some businesses forced to clean up after floodwaters overflowed from a nearby river during the early hours of June 3rd.

A breaking weather alert was issued for the Izu region of Shizuoka Prefecture early Wednesday morning, after the formation of a linear rain band, a phenomenon capable of producing prolonged and extremely intense rainfall over the same area. Authorities warned that the risk of disasters has risen sharply as heavy rain continues to fall, increasing the likelihood of flooding, landslides, and other weather-related emergencies.

[updated 03:30 a.m.] Authorities issued a Level 5 Flood Occurrence Information alert for the Kuwano River and the Naka River tributary in Tokushima Prefecture, warning that flooding may already be underway and urging residents to take immediate action to protect their lives.

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Japan's total fertility rate, which represents the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime, fell to a record low of 1.14 in 2025, underscoring the country's deepening demographic challenges.

A senior member of a Sumiyoshi-kai affiliated organization and two other suspects have been arrested in connection with the theft of approximately 420 million yen in cash from a street in Tokyo's Ueno district in January 2026, bringing the total number of arrests in the case to 10.

A court has issued an interim ruling that the charge of robbery resulting in death applies in the case of a university student who died after a group assault in Ebetsu, Hokkaido.

A fire has destroyed Sasamasamune Brewery, a historic sake producer in Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture, leaving the future of the nearly 200-year-old business uncertain after large quantities of sake and brewing rice were lost in the blaze.

A medical examiner testified that a university student who died after being assaulted in Ebetsu, Hokkaido, suffered repeated blows to the face and head, telling the court that the victim was likely struck dozens of times.

A fire broke out at a temple in Kameoka, Kyoto Prefecture, on June 1st, leaving a resident monk with minor burns, destroying his home, and spreading into a nearby mountainside.

Emperor Naruhito visited the Iwabuchi Floodgate on Tokyo's Arakawa River by boat on June 1st, inspecting one of the capital's most important flood control facilities.

A week has passed since police publicly named and sought the arrest of a suspect in the murder of a mother and daughter in Tatsuno, Hyogo Prefecture, yet his whereabouts remain unknown despite more than 350 tips from the public. Investigators continue an extensive search of the area surrounding the crime scene as efforts to locate the suspect intensify.