News On Japan

Japanese councillor sues city for the right to attend meetings dressed as his masked wrestling alter-ego Skull Reaper

Jul 06 (dailymail.co.uk) - A councilman is suing the city of Oita in Japan after the council refused to allow him to wear his professional wrestling facemask in official meetings.

The councilman, known by his professional wrestling moniker 'Skull Reaper A-ji', was first elected to a seat on the city council in 2013 with a campaign demanding educational reform and improved social welfare facilities.

But city councillors immediately protested against his decision to wear his professional wrestling attire and the council promptly banned him from doing so.

Skull Reaper officially filed a lawsuit last week against the 'website discrimination' of Oita City, demanding that it show his masked face on the website and cough up 5 million yen in damages.

Skull Reaper's plight began eight years ago, when after winning a seat on the Oita City council, he was swiftly banned by his fellow councillors who disapproved of his luche-libre style attire.

'If I take my mask off, I'm an entirely different person,' he told the Nikkan Sports newspaper.

'I will not take it off.'

Despite the ban on attending council meetings with his mask, the councillor has been re-elected to his seat twice by his constituents and is currently serving his third term on the council.

His lawsuit relating to website discrimination is his latest action after a series of hearings held between April and June in district court ultimately ended with the council's refusal to meet Skull Reaper's requests.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

From April 1st, a new regulation took effect across Osaka Prefecture requiring all restaurants with a customer seating area larger than 30 square meters to become entirely smoke-free indoors—unless they install a designated smoking room. Establishments violating the rule face fines of up to 50,000 yen, while customers may be fined up to 30,000 yen.

The Imperial Household Agency launched an official YouTube channel on April 1st to introduce the activities of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako.

Japan's new fiscal year began on April 1st, with companies across the country holding entrance ceremonies to welcome new employees.

The Japanese government has released an updated damage forecast for a potential Nankai Trough megaquake, estimating that up to 298,000 people could die in the worst-case scenario. This projection reflects a slight reduction from the previous estimate of 332,000 deaths made 13 years ago.

The Japan Meteorological Agency announced on March 30th that cherry blossoms (Somei-Yoshino) in central Tokyo have reached full bloom, one day earlier than the historical average and five days earlier than last year.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

A fire broke out on the morning of April 2nd at a farm in Kamishihoro, a town in the Tokachi region of Hokkaido, killing approximately 20 cattle housed in a barn.

A special unit dedicated to investigating "lone offenders"—individuals who commit acts of terrorism without belonging to any specific organization—has been established for the first time in Japan within the Public Security Bureau of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

Downtown, the popular comedy duo, has stepped down as official ambassadors for the Osaka-Kansai Expo, according to an announcement by the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition.

A tour bus carrying over 20 foreign tourists collided with a van inside the Tokiwa Tunnel on the Dōō Expressway on March 31st, sending several people to the hospital.

In August 1990, two men hiking in the Scottish Highlands captured a striking photo of a silent, diamond-shaped object hovering in the sky—later dubbed "the greatest UFO photo ever taken." A Harrier jet was seen circling the object before it suddenly shot straight up and vanished. (Abroad in Japan)

The Fukuoka Prefectural Police will introduce a new recruitment track for working adults starting next fiscal year, easing both age and physical fitness requirements as part of broader efforts to combat a worsening manpower shortage.

Children on spring break took part in a zazen meditation session at Toshoji Temple in Kiho, Mie Prefecture, on March 28th to help reset their daily routines.

A growing number of women in Japan are choosing men’s-style suits for both comfort and practicality, reflecting a broader shift toward genderless fashion. From school uniforms to police attire, traditional dress codes are evolving as functionality and diversity take center stage in work and daily life.