Society

Married couple accused of forcing woman into prostitution around 600 times

Mar 02 (Japan Today) - Police in Tokyo have arrested a 33-year-old woman and her 29-year-old husband on suspicion of violating the Anti-Prostitution Law by forcing a 26-year-old female acquaintance into prostitution and using the earnings to pay for their rent and luxury brand items.

According to police, the woman and her 3-year-old child lived with the couple at their apartment in Itabashi Ward, Fuji TV reported. Police said Yukino Takehara, who is unemployed, and her husband Yuki, a waterproofing worker, have denied they forced their acquaintance, a single mother who was having trouble making ends meet, into prostitution.

Police allege the couple forced the victim into prostitution about 600 times, taking in around 8.6 million yen. Moreover, the suspects handed the woman less than 1,000 yen for each session.

Police said Yukino became acquainted with the woman on a video-sharing website in February 2018. After learning that the woman was a struggling single mother, Yukino invited her to live with she and her husband in Tokyo. In November 2018, the woman and her child moved into the couple’s home. From around July 2019, the couple started to demand that she pay rent and told her, “If you don’t have money, then work in a brothel.” ...continue reading

Source: TBS NEWS

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.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Garbage Burnoff Spreads to 3 Buildings in Okayama

A fire that broke out in Kagamino, Okayama Prefecture, shortly after noon on May 20th destroyed three buildings, including a home, after flames from open burning spread to dead leaves and then to nearby structures.

Gang Members Arrested After Opening Office Near Nursery

Six people, including a senior member of a group affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai crime syndicate's Kohei-ikka faction, have been arrested on suspicion of opening a gang office in a prohibited area near a nursery school in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward.

Six Police Officers Injured After Man Sprays Liquid at Station

A man who visited a police station in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in the early hours of May 21st allegedly sprayed a transparent liquid inside the building, causing six police officers to complain of eye and throat pain and be taken to hospital with minor injuries.