“Comfort Women” Show Makes Nikon Uncomfortable But Not Tokyo Courts
The “Comfort Women” Photo Exhibition makes Japanese historical revisionists and right-wingers uncomfortable. Nikon cancelled the showing but relented after Tokyo District Court ordered them to hold the show. “I cannot…
Japan’s Human Trafficking Problems Not Resolved: US State Department
The government has not identified a forced labor victim in Japan in 18 years, despite substantial evidence of abuses against workers in the Industrial Trainee and Technical Internship Program. Japan…
Yakuza Big Boss Has Big Bail: 1.5 Billion Yen
Kiyoshi Takayama, the second most powerful gangster in Japan, and for years the de facto head of the Yamaguchi-gumi (39,000 members) will be released for the remainder of his extortion…
Yakuza Go On The Record About 3/11 Relief Efforts In July Fanzine (実話時代）
"The Inagawa-kai is a yakuza group and our family motto is one word 我慢 (gaman/endurance). This is a time when that motto is very important--in the face of a rain…
NewsFLASH: Cop Dressed in School Girl Uniform Fired For Public Nudity; “Sailor Moon”!?
The Japanese police officer fired yesterday, was previously arrested in March, for dressing up in sailor girl outfit (school uniform) and exposing his genitals and buttocks to a 16 year…
Ex-TEPCO President Testifies: “The Prime Minister Yelled At Me.” Denies Cut & Run
The issue of whether TEPCO planned to abandon ship or not stirred heated debate and in a rare moment, Chairman Kurokawa appeared to lose his temper, and interrupted Shimizu as…
Demonstrators Oppose Restart of Reactors “The Nuclear Age is Over!”
On May 5th 2012, Japan’s last operating nuclear power plant among a total of 54 nationwide was shut down for a routine maintenance. It was a first time since 1970…
Habanero Kimichi Potato Chips: Review
Tohato's latest culinary masterpiece is a delicate blend of habanero, garlic, powdered kimchi, ginger and some other things that I'm afraid to look up. Surprisingly, the taste is relatively mild…
Police Arrest Yakuza Labor Broker In “Nuclear Mafia” Crackdown; Investigation Continues
Portions of this article were previously posted on The Atlantic Wire and have been updated. After the arrest of a yakuza boss for his alleged role in supplying workers to TEPCO’s Fukushima Daichi…