Govt. hotline on ex-Unification Church gets more than 1,000 calls
The Justice Ministry and other relevant ministries and agencies agreed to set up the hotline from September 5 to 30, to offer relief to those who have been victimized by the group's practices, such as so-called spiritual sales.
Justice Minister Hanashi Yasuhiro told reporters on Tuesday that 1,002 people had called during the first five days.
Hanashi said most of the callers had money problems. Some said they are living in poverty, while others sought advice on what to do about a relative who is a follower.
The hotline was initially jammed with calls, but Hanashi said it has become more accessible now that they have increased staff numbers.
He said the government will first consider how victims can be helped through existing legislation, and will create an environment in which people in trouble can easily seek advice.
...continue reading

FRANCE 24 English - Jan 29
Japan faces an existential threat with its birth rate at an all time low, yet the island nation has still to fully embrace immigration as a solution to the population decline. To tackle the problem, the government has slowly turned to bringing in foreign workers.

NHK - Jan 28
Japanese health authorities say they will start counting coronavirus infections using the same method they do for cases of seasonal influenza.

NHK - Jan 27
The Japanese government is planning to downgrade COVID-19 on May 8 to the same category of infectious diseases as seasonal influenza.

Kyodo - Jan 26
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday struck a cautious tone about legally recognizing same-sex marriage in line with other Group of Seven countries that have already adopted the practice.

dailymail.co.uk - Jan 24
It should have been one of the proudest moments of his political career. But one Japanese aide will remember his visit to the US President for the wrong reasons – after he got a dressing down from his mum for putting his hands in his pockets.

NHK - Jan 23
Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio says addressing the country's falling birthrate will be a top priority for the government.

Kyodo - Jan 23
The Japanese government on Monday issued an administrative guidance to the Unification Church demanding it comply with the law amid allegations that it has arranged for child adoption between believers' families without authorization.

Japan Today - Jan 20
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday announced plans to downgrade the legal status of COVID-19 to the equivalent of seasonal influenza in the spring, a move that would further relax mask wearing and other preventive measures as the country seeks to return to normalcy.

staradvertiser.com - Jan 19
A Japanese court on Wednesday found three former utility company executives not guilty of negligence over the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster and the subsequent deaths of more than 40 elderly residents during their forced evacuation.

Nikkei - Jan 19
The Japanese government is set to decide Friday on whether to drop COVID-19 to its least serious category of infectious diseases this spring, Nikkei has learned.

Reuters - Jan 15
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev accused Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday of shameful subservience to the United States and suggested he should ritually disembowel himself.

Al Jazeera - Jan 14
Japan, the United States and Europe must act in unison on China, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in Washington, DC, during a visit aimed at enhancing Tokyo’s alliance with the US in the face of growing challenges from Beijing.

thenationalnews.com - Jan 13
A man has been charged with murder by Japanese prosecutors after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a court said on Friday.

The Daily News - Jan 13
Japan has put on hold the release to the sea of treated but still radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant after factoring in the progress of a single-purpose tunnel and the need to gain public support.

manilatimes.net - Jan 13
The United States said Thursday that attacks in space would invoke its defense treaty with Japan and announced the deployment of a more agile Marine unit on its ally's soil as alarm grows over China.

NHK - Jan 13
Investigative sources say Tokyo police have searched several locations linked to a Diet member over allegations that he defamed and intimidated prominent figures on his YouTube channel.