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(CW: Sexual assault)
Police arrested 41yo Miyajima Tsutomu for following a Tokyo college student home, holding an ice pick against her face, and sexually assaulting her. The kicker? Miyajima was already on parole for ANOTHER sexual assault.
Miyajima was arrested at the scene.
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Actress/singer Natsuki Mari spoke out about Japan’s gender gap at an illumination event sponsored by Kose in Shibuya that aims to draw attention to domestic violence. “Japan is still a men’s-first society,” Natsuki said. “I long for a world where women can live as equals.”
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Japan is dealing with an outbreak of wild boars & other animals, leading to some close calls. The issue? Hunters are getting old & dying. In response, some areas are now deploying "hunting drones" using simulated barking to drive animals toward hunters.
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"Alright, so speaking of the effects of the mass layoffs at Twitter, that means the next time Japanese users engage in 'barus terror' [mass tweeting a famous line from Ghibli's Castle in the Sky] is may just cause the whole site to go down... #RIPTwitter "
twitter.com/goma_doufu_10_…
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"Younger sister: He never opens his eyes all the way - could he have an eye disease?💦
Doctor: Nothing wrong with him. He just doesn't feel like opening them.
Sis: doesn't feel like opening them
Doc: He lacks motivation
Sis: Lacks motivation..."
twitter.com/NaGi_12_NK/sta…
181
Melonpan, the sweet baked good that delights people across East Asia, was the creation of one Armenian man living in diaspora in Japan. This is his, and his diaspora's, story - as told by our incredible @riversidewings.
unseenjapan.com/melonpan-armen…
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Japan’s right wingers are after actress Maki Yoko after she told a South Korean magazine she was “embarrassed” to be Japanese after learning how the country had treated Zainichi Koreans. Supporters are trending #真木よう子さんを支持します (I support Maki Yoko) in response.
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Zainichi Koreans are the descendants of forced laborers from Imperial Japan and face ongoing hate and discrimination. Some cities in Japan have enacted hate law ordinances primarily aimed at curbing anti-Korean hate. See @ForeignAffairs for more.
foreignaffairsreview.com/home/a6bbgslau…
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It was perhaps Japan's most horrific murder. So why were all the offenders given such light sentences - and why do they walk free today? A look into the case of Furuta Junko and how it shocked Japan - and the world.
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Takahashi Matsuri started working at Dentsu in April 2015. Nine months later, she took her own life. Her tragic fall brought forth cries for reform. But it’s also brought criticism that neither the government nor Japanese corporations are doing enough.
186
Can you huff Japan's red spider lily? Survey says...you probably shouldn't. An eye-catch in the anime Lycoris Recoil ended up being pulled because it showed the characters doing exactly that. More background on higanbana and the controversial image below 👇
187
“Found a store where the price changes based on how you order”
The sign:
“Yo, beer” - 1000 yen
“Grab me a beer will ya” - 500 yen
“Excuse me, one beer please” - 380 yen twitter.com/etoriasan/stat…
188
What appear at first to be photographs of Japanese urban spaces are actually highly-detailed pieces of paper cut art. Impressive work by artist Saito Hiroki.
twitter.com/kiriehiro/stat…
189
Elon Musk's recent comment that Twitter is "Japan-centric" is drawing interesting comments from JP users on Twitter's appeal. Many cite the service's character limit as working well w/ the Japanese language, while others say it's where they always go for info during earthquakes.
190
The hottest new product in Japan is...hot water? Sayu is water heated to between 50 to 60 degrees and sold from the warm drink section of stores. Asahi was unsure it would sell but it's being snapped up by young consumers who drink it for its supposed health benefits.
191
New Post: Japan's aging population has some unexpected consequences. One is hunting. Fewer and less-mobile hunters mean fewer people to control Japan's wild animal population. Japan's deer and wild boars are taking that as a sign that it's time to revolt against human rule.
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A 32yo Tokyo man will not be tried for sneaking into a woman’s apartment and installing a camera to spy on her. No reason was given for refusing to prosecute him.
Women in Japan often don’t come forward when they’re the victims of such crimes. This is why.
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In Nagoya, two large boars barreled down on a group of 10 people. They were saved by a cop who shot his gun in the air and shouted, “I’ll shoot!” (撃つぞ！).
The boars, who’ve obviously been practicing their Japanese, stopped & sauntered off to less gun-filled pastures.
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AKB48 member Okada Nana has "graduated" from the group for the crime of falling in love. This after group General manager Mukaichi Mion said "the time's come to rethink" the rule against members having relationships.
AKB48's parent company denies any such rule exists.
195
In that moment, with thousands of lives on the line, Sugihara Chiune was no average man.
With Yukiko’s agreement, he made his decision. Under his own authority as Japanese vice-consul to Lithuania, Sugihara would issue thousands of Jewish refugees visas written by his own hand.
196
Truly do not understand this obsession with promoting the idea that everyone in Japan is somehow cleaner than everyone else on Earth. Have these folks ever tried to find soap in a public restroom in Tokyo? twitter.com/JoePompliano/s…
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Also ironic given that we just wrote yesterday about a temple bathroom that had to be demolished because people kept trashing it out.
Japan’s like any other country on Earth, folks. Let it go.
twitter.com/unseenjapansit…
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Yesterday we wrote about how the records of several prominent juvenile court cases in Japan had been expunged. Today it's come out that the records related to the dissolution of Aum Shinrikyo, the cult behind the Tokyo sarin gas attack, have also been permanently deleted.
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With some on Japan's right applauding the "non-wokeness" of their soccer team, let's note that some companies in Japan are making major strides toward treatment of LGBTQ+ workers. A good example is Pixiv, which recently revised its anti-discrimination policies.
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Earlier this year, a maiko (apprentice geisha) spoke out about abuses within her community. Her tale went beyond the difficult stories of isolation and confinement one might expect - they revealed an upsetting trend of sexualizing pressure placed upon a then-underaged girl.
The Japan you don’t learn about in anime. Staff account.