News On Japan

Okinawa Court Orders Families To Pay For Police Station Damaged In Riot

NAHA, Oct 07 (News On Japan) - The Naha District Court’s Okinawa branch has ordered a group of former youths and their parents to pay more than 4 million yen in damages to Okinawa Prefecture over a riot that took place three years ago when a crowd surrounded the Okinawa Police Station and destroyed vehicles and other property.

The case stemmed from an incident in January 2022, when several youths surrounded the police station, throwing stones and empty bottles and damaging the building and police vehicles. The prefecture filed a lawsuit seeking a total of 4.04 million yen in compensation from the perpetrators and their guardians.

On October 3rd, the Naha District Court Okinawa branch fully accepted the prefecture’s claim, ordering 12 youths involved in the attack and 20 parents who had neglected their supervisory duties to pay the full amount.

The riot was triggered after a police officer carrying a baton made contact with a male high school student who was riding a motorcycle, resulting in the student losing sight in his right eye. The officer was later fined for his actions.

Source: 沖縄ニュースOTV

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

The Japanese government is moving to substantially raise fees for residence-related administrative procedures for foreign nationals, aiming to secure stable funding for its foreign resident policy as the number of foreign residents in Japan continues to grow.

Sales have begun for the Year-End Jumbo Lottery on November 21st, offering a combined 1 billion yen for the first prize and bonus numbers, prompting long queues of people hoping for a once-in-a-lifetime windfall.

Culling of bears in Hokkaido has surged to unprecedented levels this fiscal year, with 963 animals killed across the prefecture as sightings and human attacks rise at a record pace, prompting local governments and disposal facilities to struggle with the sheer volume of carcasses awaiting processing.

Tensions between Japan and China have escalated rapidly following remarks by Prime Minister Takaichi in the Diet regarding a potential contingency involving Taiwan, prompting Beijing to introduce a series of countermeasures including a call for citizens to refrain from traveling to Japan, with the impact already spreading across the Kansai region’s economy.

Aiko, the eldest daughter of the Emperor and Empress, attended a luncheon in the ancient Laotian capital of Luang Prabang on November 20th during the imperial couple’s official visit to Laos, where she delivered her second set of remarks since arriving in the country.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

With November 22nd recognized as Good Couple Day, Meiji Yasuda Life released the results of its annual survey highlighting Japan’s perceptions of married life, including the ranking of the country’s most admired celebrity couples.

A woman in her 40s who was scheduled to perform at a live house in Akasaka was stabbed in the abdomen and other areas on November 16th, leaving her seriously injured, and new information indicates that the man who attacked her had changed his shoes near the scene roughly two hours before the assault.

A man who hid his face from cameras as he was escorted by police at the Tokorozawa Police Station in Saitama was among the suspects arrested on suspicion of theft. Police say he and three others allegedly broke a window and entered a vacant home in Hitachi City in August 2025, where they stole wristwatches and other items valued at about 15,000 yen.

Aiko, the eldest daughter of the Emperor and Empress, attended a luncheon in the ancient Laotian capital of Luang Prabang on November 20th during the imperial couple’s official visit to Laos, where she delivered her second set of remarks since arriving in the country.

A series of arrests involving Japanese nationals overseas is drawing renewed attention to the expansion of special fraud rings, with on-the-ground reporting in Cambodia revealing the presence of hidden power brokers whose influence is believed to extend into the country’s political establishment. As scam groups establish bases across Southeast Asia, new details are emerging about how these networks operate and why Japanese citizens have become prime targets.

A large-scale fire in Oita City’s Saganoseki district entered its third day on November 20th, and although authorities declared the blaze “brought under control” late in the morning, firefighters continued battling smoldering hotspots across the affected area as a full extinguishment remained out of reach.

Osaka prosecutors have decided not to indict a 21-year-old man from Shizuoka Prefecture in a case where the body of a Russian woman was discovered in a multi-unit residence in Osaka City in July, concluding on October 18th that the evidence did not warrant pursuing charges.

A light aircraft carrying three people that departed from Saga Airport on the morning of November 19th was found crashed in the mountains of Hoshino Village in Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture, where emergency crews recovered three bodies whose identities and genders have yet to be confirmed.