The Fukuoka Prefectural Police have released a large warning message on their homepage about a recent rise in crimes committed with hand grenades. Although we think of Japan as a place without guns, there are a few gun related crimes every once in a while. This is the first I’ve heard of hand grenade crimes…
I am writing about this story for two reasons. The first is that yes, there are drugs in Japan and they are not hard to obtain. (This is contrary to how shiny, happy, mainstream media usually portrays Japan in English.) Secondly, I’ve found that when anyone is arrested for drug possession in Japan, there is…
This is a very sad story out of Osaka that illustrates the tragedy that can result from a breakdown in communication. Makoto Hamada, a 42 year old cook, killed his 42 year old wife, 15 year old son, and 12 year old daughter while distraught over 5,000,000 yen in debt. He strangled the three in…
In March 2006, a teacher in Yamanashi Prefecture was murdered by a student who had graduated from the school 24 years prior. Fifty-nine year old Yuji Iwama was found dead of multiple stab wounds. The perpetrator’s name was not released because he was determined to be mentally ill. The man who suffered from persecution complex…
There are groups being formed on the social networking site Mixi.jp and other places in support of Tatsuya Ichihashi, accused murderer of Lindsay Hawker. The one description for the one on Mixi says that they believe he is innocent, and love him because he’s so good looking. Some fans have even put their pictures on…
Japanese entertainment site Zakzak reports that several adult video companies have approached Noriko Sakai with million dollar deals. Adult videos featuring former actresses and idols sell extremely well in Japan. A video featuring Sakai would probably be the best selling Japanese adult film in history. Sakai is a former child star, actress, and idol. She…
Tatsuya Ichihashi was finally arrested at a ferry port in Osaka. An alert traveler at the port contacted authorities to tell them a person matching Ichihashi’s description was preparing to take a ferry bound for Okinawa. When police arrived on the scene, he admitted who he was without a struggle. Ichihashi had been on the…
Recently photos of Tatsuya Ichihashi have surfaced showing what he looked like after having plastic surgery in Tokyo. There are rumors on the net that he has been working as a male prostitute, or somewhere in the gay red light districts of Tokyo. Because of this, and the size of the community, many people think…
A former teacher at Takeda Prefectural High School in Takeda City, Oita Prefecture kicked a student at a kendo team practice in August this year. The boy died as a result of the injuries. The original investigation by police in Takeda City determined that the boy died as a result of heat exhaustion during a…
When this story broke late last week, it was announced that Yuichi Takaso, the husband of Japanese idol and actress Noriko Sakai had been arrested on charges of using and possessing stimulants. The news that his wife, Noriko Sakai, and their 10 year old son were missing was even bigger news. There were rumors of…
I thought my next update about this case would be some months down the line, however even at this early date the case has been settled. The victim has agreed to an undisclosed financial settlement with the six men sh accused of rape. The settlement seems to imply that the six Kyoto University of Education…
In a previous post I wrote about six Kyoto University of Education students who raped a girl at a party in February. The university never reported the incident to police until June. There were some pretty outrageous moral violations by the school, such things as refusing to report the incident to authorities, and the fact…