March 8, 2019: Ghosn Free, Abuse by Pachinko, Too Cool Koike, Yokohama Rocks and Shibuya Tsunami

In this week’s news from Japan Today: Carlos Ghosn finally granted bail at ¥9 billion; another case of child abuse this time at the hands of parents who went out to play pachinko; Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike faces social backlash after… putting her hands in her pockets?; Yokohama is rated the best city in the Kanto area to live for the second year in a row plus a banner fixed to a building at Shibuya’s busy Scramble Crossing shows the height the 2011 Tohoku tsunami would have reached had it hit Shibuya.

This week’s stories:

March 1, 2019: Ace of U.S. Base, Diet Rapist, Bad Mom, Shovel It, Spaced Out and Tom Thumb

In this week’s news from Japan Today: PM Abe says he won’t scrap the relocation of a U.S. military base in Okinawa even after it was rejected by the people in a referendum; an ruling party lawmaker has resigned from the legislature amid allegations that he raped a woman; an association in Fukushima Prefecture is promoting shoveling snow as fun, good for you and will bring positive vibes from others; sadly another child abuse story this week about yet another bad mom; the Japanese space agency successfully landed a craft on an asteroid 300 million miles from earth plus a Tokyo university has delivered the world’s smallest — healthy — baby boy.

Feb. 22, 2019: Abe Bad Bromance, Kidnap Custody, Ms. Robot, Exposer, Testy Tubes and Audrey Hepburn

In this week’s news from Japan Today: President Trump claims the PM Abe nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize; Japan to revise child custody laws to enforce the handovers of children to parents — even if they are overseas; a national restaurant chain apologizes as a video surfaces showing an employee exposing himself in the kitchen; a woman killed another resident after she was transferred from one psychiatric facility to another claiming she is “a robot;” the number one annoyance for Japanese train commuters plus Audrey Hepburn — 26 years after her death the iconic film star and UNICEF spokesperson is still idolized by the Japanese as the “eternal fairy.”

This week’s stories:

Feb. 8, 2019: Give Mia Shelter, Aso’s Hole, Bowl o’ Roaches, Shoe Sniffer and Valentine Harassment

In this week’s news from Japan Today: New details emerge about officials mishandling the care of a 10-year-old girl killed by her father; Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso blames rising social security costs on people without children; a nationwide restaurant chain apologizes after serving customer a beef bowl filled with cockroaches; a man was arrested for stealing people’s shoes because he gets sexual pleasure from sniffing old footwear plus Japanese companies are banning the practice of giving Valentine’s Day chocolates at work with people saying it is “power harassment.”

This week’s stories:

Feb. 1, 2019: Ghosn Plot, A Child Dies, Indecent Exposure, Arashi Storm and Bertrand Russell

In this week’s news from Japan Today: Former Nissan head Carlos Ghosn is allowed his first media interview; another child in Japan dies at the hands of a parent; a member of Japan’s military was arrested in Aomori Prefecture for trying to break into a house naked in sub-zero temperatures; one of Japan’s most popular boy bands call it quits plus a look back at Bertrand Russell’s visit to Japan in 1921.

This week’s stories:

Jan. 25, 2019: Ghosn Fishin’, Osaka Skin, Dismemberer, Teacher Bully, Porn Hubs and A Star is Born

In this week’s news from Japan Today: Former Nissan head Carlos Ghosn offers to detain himself in Japan; a sponsor of tennis star Naomi Osaka is accused of “whitewashing” anime characters based on her likeness; an American man sentenced to eight years for killing and dismembering an Osaka woman; a teacher punched a student at a Tokyo high school and the internet reacts; porno mags to be removed from Japanese convenience stores plus a Tokyo-based start-up has sent a rocket to space with all of the supplies for an artificial meteor shower on demand.

This week’s stories:

Jan. 18, 2019: WWII-ish, Olympic Scandal, All Abeard, Cute Idol Health and Kimono Attack.

In this week’s news from Japan Today: The Russian foreign minister asks why Japan can’t accept the outcome of World War II; a French investigators accuse Japanese Olympic Committee president of bribery in order to land the event in Tokyo in 2020; two men win a lawsuit against Osaka city banning train drivers from having beards; a Japanese idol singer says mental health an issue for fetishized young girls in pop groups plus a man in Tokyo has been arrested for attacking a young women’s kimono on Coming of Age Day — with sauce.

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This weeks stories:

WWII-ish — https://japantoday.com/category/politics/Lavrov-asks-why-Japan-cannot-accept-results-of-World-War-II

Olympic Scandal — https://japantoday.com/category/crime/japan-olympic-official-takeda-denies-corruption-allegations

All Abeard! — https://japantoday.com/category/national/osaka-subway-drivers-win-court-case-over-right-to-grow-beards

Cute Idol Health — https://japantoday.com/category/entertainment/There-are-many-mentally-unwell-girls-in-AKB48-claims-ex-member

TELL Counseling — https://telljp.com/

Kimono Attack — https://japantoday.com/category/crime/man-arrested-for-throwing-sauce-on-young-woman%E2%80%99s-kimono-on-coming-of-age-day

Jan. 11, 2019: Ghosn Fever, Easy College Sex Ranking, LDPTQ, Naked in Mie and Justin-2-Shinzo.

In this week’s news from Japan Today: Carlos Ghosn made his first public court appearance since being detained by Japanese courts last November; a weekly tabloid’s ranking of the top universities in Japan for guys to pick up girls blows up; a Japanese politician bemoans what will happen if the whole country “goes gay;” a man was arrested for climbing up to a stranger’s third-floor apartment in Mie Prefecture completely naked plus Justin Trudeau calls Shinzo Abe directly to talk about… whaling.

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Rate and review us: https://itunes.apple.com/jp/podcast/japan-today/id517133982?mt=2

This weeks stories:

Ghosn Fever — https://japantoday.com/category/crime/Judge-says-Ghosn-being-detained-due-to-flight-risk-and-possibility-he-may-conceal-evidence

Easy College Sex Ranking — https://japantoday.com/category/national/japanese-student-rejects-apology-over-university-sex-listing

LDPTQ — https://japantoday.com/category/politics/japanese-lawmaker-under-fire-for-lgbt-comment

Naked in Mie — https://japantoday.com/category/crime/man-arrested-for-appearing-naked-on-another-man%E2%80%99s-third-floor-balcony

Justin-2-Shinzo — https://japantoday.com/category/politics/Trudeau-criticizes-Japan-over-whale-hunt

Dec. 21, 2018: All Ghosn, Whaling, Dismembering Mother, Putin Pinup, Escalator Donts and 2018 Recap.

In this week’s news from Japan Today: A Tokyo court rejected Carlos Ghosn’s continued detention then prosecutors had him rearrested the next day; Japan will pull out of the International Whaling Commission; a man has been arrested for killing and dismembering his mother; Vladimir Putin has the top selling celebrity calendar in Japan, JR East asks riders to stop walking on the escalators plus a look at readers’ picks of the top news stories in Japan for 2018.

https://japantoday.com/

Rate and review us: https://itunes.apple.com/jp/podcast/japan-today/id517133982?mt=2

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This weeks stories:

All Ghosn — https://japantoday.com/category/crime/Prosecutors-appeal-after-court-decides-against-extending-detention-of-Ghosn-Kelly

Whaling — https://japantoday.com/category/national/Japan-to-pull-out-of-IWC-to-resume-commercial-whaling

Dismembering Mother — https://japantoday.com/category/crime/man-indicted-for-dismembering-mothers-body

Putin Pinup — https://japantoday.com/category/national/putin-calendar-sales-surpassing-those-of-japanese-stars-in-japan

Escalator Freeze — https://japantoday.com/category/national/JR-East-encouraging-commuters-to-stop-walking-on-escalators

2018 Top Stories — https://japantoday.com/category/have-your-say/what-do-you-think-were-the-biggest-international-and-domestic-(japan-if-you-live-in-japan)-news-stories-of-the-year?

Dec. 14, 2018: Still Ghosn, Brawliticians, Kanji of the Year, Backstabber and Dangerous Thoughts.

In this week’s news from Japan Today: Tokyo prosecutors formally charged ousted Nissan Motor chairman Carlos Ghosn for financial misconduct and extended his detention until Dec 20; Japan’s ruling and opposition parties brawled in the Diet over the passing of a controversial bill; the kanji for disaster has been chosen as the character best representing Japan in 2018; a man was arrested for stabbing a woman in the back at a Tokyo train station plus a look at American women’s rights and birth control advocate Margaret Sanger’s 1922 visit to Japan.

https://japantoday.com/

Rate and review us: https://itunes.apple.com/jp/podcast/japan-today/id517133982?mt=2

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This week’s stories:

Still Ghosn — https://japantoday.com/category/crime/Ghosn-Kelly-formally-charged-over-financial-misconduct-Nissan-also-indicted

https://japantoday.com/category/crime/Nissan-Ghosn-clash-over-Rio-apartment-filled-with-art-cash

Brawliticians — https://japantoday.com/category/national/As-Japan-OKs-law-to-let-more-foreigners-in-tiny-rural-town-wants-to-go-further

Kanji of the Year — https://japantoday.com/category/national/(disaster)-chosen-as-kanji-character-best-representing-2018

Backstabber — https://japantoday.com/category/crime/man-arrested-for-stabbing-woman-near-train-station-in-tokyo

Dangerous Thoughts — https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/Birth-control-advocate-Margaret-Sanger-brings-‘dangerous-thoughts’-to-Japan-in-1922