Popular Stories
New Zealander's death puts mental patients' restraint in Japan under spotlight
A Japanese campaign group whose members include lawyers and academics called on Wednesday for a change in psychiatric hospitals' practice of putting patients under prolonged restraint after the death of a New Zealand man. Kelly Savage, a 27-year-old English teacher working in Japan, was sent to a psychiatric hospital near… Read
Books teaching elementary school students about LGBTQ issues grab spotlight
A number of books aimed at teaching elementary school children about issues concerning the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community have been published recently in an effort to deepen understanding about sexual minorities in Japan. Publishers say the books that teach basic knowledge on how "anyone should be able to… Read
Opposition party leader Renho shows legal records to prove nationality
A Japanese opposition leader born to a Taiwanese father and Japanese mother released legal documents Tuesday to prove she only has Japanese nationality. Renho Murata, head of the Democratic Party, said she released the private documents to show she had renounced her earlier Taiwanese citizenship. Public doubts over her status,… Read
Australians stunned by Minneapolis police shooting of woman
Australia's airwaves, newspapers and websites have been dominated by the death of a Sydney woman shot by police in Minneapolis. News of Justine Damond's death when she was shot by a Minneapolis police officer late Saturday has stunned many in her native Australia. The shooting has also fed into Australians'… Read
White House reveals additional Trump-Putin discussion
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin had an additional, previously undisclosed chat at this month's G20 summit in Hamburg, the White House acknowledged on Tuesday. After a brief greeting at the start of the two-day summit and a two-hour bilateral meeting with their foreign ministers on July 7, Trump and Putin… Read
Just 'dessert'? Second Trump-Putin chat defied the norms
When is an impromptu, after-dinner chat more than just "dessert"? When you're President Donald Trump, and your confection companion is Russian President Vladimir Putin. Word of a second, lengthy conversation between the president and Putin earlier this month in Germany is adding yet another level of intrigue to Trump's entanglements… Read
Republican push to end Obamacare collapses in US Senate
Republican efforts to overhaul or repeal Obamacare collapsed in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, dealing a sharp setback to President Donald Trump and the Republican Party's seven-year quest to kill former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law. The disarray in the Republican-controlled Senate rattled financial markets as it cast doubt… Read
Gov't to survey unpaid medical bills by foreign tourists
The health ministry will launch a survey to look into medical expenses paid by foreign tourists to deal with an apparent increase in unpaid cases, a source close to the matter said recently. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare will study the total amount of unpaid bills and number… Read
Cat-and-mouse game continues in underage schoolgirl dating services
Although authorities have intensified a crackdown on underage schoolgirl dating services, preventing girls from simply switching to other shops where they can be highly compensated for performing illicit sexual acts is becoming a game of cat and mouse, police say. The passage of new ordinances in Tokyo and Aichi Prefecture… Read
British foreign secretary in Japan for security, trade talks
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson arrived in Japan on Thursday for talks on security and trade, and to share his experience of hosting the Olympics as London mayor five years ago. Johnson will meet with his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, on Friday to discuss an increased foreign and security cooperation,… Read
