National Jun 4, 2017

Tackling signs in Japan that you're not welcome

Some Japanese businesses post signs barring foreign people from entering. What can you do about it?

National / Crime & Legal Jun 2, 2017

Justice seen hamstrung as experts say Japan court interpreters should be licensed

Courts are supposed to be bastions of justice. But equal justice may be thwarted for some defendants owing to language barriers. Despite all the various training seminars and guide books preparing newly registered court interpreters for the job, the current pool of interpreters are not ...

National May 25, 2017

Backers of immigration detainees blast prolonged stays as violation of human rights

After a nearly two-week hunger strike at two immigration centers, supporters of the detainees blast Japan’s practice of consecutive detentions as a violation of human rights.

National / Politics May 19, 2017

Legal experts decry state's false rationale for conspiracy bill

With the state-sponsored conspiracy bill widely expected to be rammed through the House of Representatives next week, experts are blasting the government for attempting to justify its passage by bringing up a U.N. treaty that Japan hasn't ratified yet. The government has argued that its ...

National / Social Issues May 8, 2017

Tokyo Rainbow Pride participants march for 'change' in LGBT recognition

Thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people paraded through Tokyo's Shibuya district on Sunday to express hope that Japan will further embrace gender equality and diversity. The LGBT parade was the finale to the annual Tokyo Rainbow Pride festival, and this year's theme was ...

National / Social Issues May 5, 2017

Parental abduction victims hold rally to push for joint custody rights

Parents deprived of their children held a rally Friday to push for introducing joint custody to the Japanese legal system and to raise awareness of the plight faced by their offspring when marriages fall apart. Marching through the Asakusa district in Tokyo's Taito Ward, about ...

National / Politics May 3, 2017

Abe declares 2020 as goal for new Constitution

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he hopes to see a revised Constitution take effect in 2020, revealing the clearest goal yet of his long-held ambition to amend the national charter.

National / Social Issues May 2, 2017

Human rights group issues report on tackling LGBT discrimination

Amnesty International Japan released a proposal Tuesday to the government on measures that the country must take to tackle discrimination against LGBT people. The measures cover situations ranging from discrimination in workplaces to treatment at detention facilities when they commit crimes to when natural disasters ...

National / Crime & Legal Apr 26, 2017

High court rejects appeal by teachers refused work for not standing and singing national anthem

A Tokyo court rejected an appeal by former school teachers who claimed it was unreasonable they were banned from working part time after retirement because they did not sing the national anthem.