Crime
Ex-kindergarten head, staffer found guilty over girl's death in van
The former head of a kindergarten in central Japan and a staff member were found guilty on Thursday of professional negligence resulting in the death by heatstroke of a 3-year-old girl who was left in a school van for hours in 2022. The Shizuoka District Court sentenced Tatsuyoshi Masuda, a… Read
Woman stabbed to death in apartment in Tokyo; husband arrested
Police in Tokyo have arrested a 67-year-old man on suspicion of killing his 67-year-old wife at their apartment. According to police, Masato Tanaka called 110 at around 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday and said he had killed his wife, Akiko, Kyodo News reported. Police went to the apartment found Tanaka’s wife… Read
Sister of man on 1966 murder retrial raps "ridiculously long" process
Japan needs to revise its retrial system, which leads to prolonged proceedings that could last for decades, a sister of Iwao Hakamata, an aging former inmate on retrial for a 1966 quadruple murder in central Japan, said Wednesday. "We have been fighting for 58 years, and finally we are in… Read
Woman arrested for letting newborn baby die at home says she was pessimistic about future
A 22-year-old unemployed woman who was arrested last month on suspicion of abandoning the body of her newborn baby daughter at her home in Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture, has said she became pessimistic about her and the baby's future and that she didn't know what to do after the baby… Read
Japan supermarket director arrested in Myanmar for rice price gouging
Myanmar authorities have arrested a Japanese national working for retail giant Aeon for allegedly selling rice at artificially high prices, the junta said, with Tokyo demanding his immediate release. Hiroshi Kasamatsu, director of Aeon Orange, which runs several supermarkets in Myanmar, was detained following an investigation into rice mills and… Read
38-year-old man arrested over committing indecent acts on young boy
Police in Muroran, Hokkaido, said Monday they have arrested a 38-year-old man on suspicion of committing indecent acts on a young boy without his consent at a child care facility. According to police, Yoshihiro Kasai performed indecent acts on the boy at the facility where he worked in early February, Sankei… Read
Woman arrested for injuring child by throwing metal baseball bat at him
Police in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, said Monday they have arrested a 64-year-old woman on suspicion of assault after she threw a metal baseball bat at an elementary school student in Sendai City on Sunday. According to police, Michiko Sugano threw the bat at a fifth-grade boy in a park in… Read
Chinese social media companies condemn hate speech against Japanese after knife attack
China's top social media companies have condemned online hate speech targeting Japanese, delivering a vigorous response to comments triggered by a knife attack last week that killed one person and injured a Japanese mother and child. Such waves of sentiment, and a vocal nationalist element, are not uncommon, but companies… Read
56-year-old man arrested for killing brother by throwing knife at him
Police in Goka, Ibaraki Prefecture, have arrested a 56-year-old unemployed man after he threw a knife at his older brother during a heated argument, causing the victim to die later from his wound. According to police reports, Junichi Tamura got into an argument with his 59-year-old brother at around 6… Read
Couple in their 60s found dead in suspected murder-suicide
A man and woman in their 60s were found dead in their apartment in Nerima Ward, Tokyo, on Saturday, in what police suspect was a murder-suicide. According to police, the bodies were found at around 3 p.m. by the man’s boss who had come to see if he was alright… Read
