Japan Society News

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Japan's first women-only trains. The idea, back in 1912, was to spare young women the indignity of being ogled by admiring men. Over the course of the century Japan's women-only trains were discontinued and resurrected several times until they were at last fully restored in late 2000. At that time, the term sekuhara - 'sexual harassment' - had become a bit of buzzword in the Japanese media, as stories of just how often most women were subjected to public groping began to receive more attention. Standing on a crowded Osaka subway platform during a rainy rush hour last month, it was easy to find women willing to talk about why they prefer women-only trains. Chinatsu Kawamoto, an 18-year-old high school senior, offers a typical response. "I've been groped on the train, and I don't want that to happen again," she says. Japan is not the only country to offer women-only transportation. Cities in Indonesia, India, Brazil, and Russia operate similar programs, while women-only buses have gained popularity in cities in Guatemala, Mexico, and most recently, Pakistan. ()

The recent arrest of the mother of a Japanese pop idol for sex with a minor raises questions on how the media here handles such high-profile cases. Usually, if someone who is related to a tarento (TV personality), or other type of celebrity, is arrested in Japan, the shukanshi (weekly gossip magazines) almost always report the names of the celebrities - though major TV news programs and newspapers don't always reveal this information. Last week, this was the case when Shukan Bunshun reported in its Feb. 16 issue (on sale Thursday) that the 44-year-old mother of Minami Takahashi (20), a leading member of the idol group AKB48, had been arrested on suspicion of having sex with a 15-year-old boy. (Japan Times)

Sapporo police early Saturday arrested a fellow officer for public indecency during a raid of a SM club in the Susukino entertainment district, reports the Asahi Shimbun (Feb. 11). Naotoshi Okuzawa, a 28-year-old senior patrol officer from the Atsubetsu Police Station, was taken into custody after officers entered Club Patio and found the officer on the stage naked and in the company of female employee, who had tied him with a red rope. (Tokyo Reporter)

Tokyo Sports (Feb. 9), thinks that instead of sweets, the gals at the office ought to shell out their hard-earned money for something that's certain to satisfy. To wit, one of the variety of high-tech, feel-so-good, self-pleasuring plastic products marketed by Tenga. One woman in her 40s relates what happened when she bestowed her boss with a Tenga goodie on last year’s St. Valentine's Day. "When he opened the box, at first he froze up, but then at the moment he figured out what the Tenga was for, he beamed with delight," she says. "The other office staff were gathered around to watch, and they let out a roar of laughter." (Tokyo Reporter)

Korehira Watanabe is one of the last 30 remaining swordsmiths in Japan having spent 40 years honing his craft. His life ambition has been to re-create a type of sword called Koto, that dates back to the Heian and Kamakura periods that spanned from 794 AD to 1333 AD, even though there is no written guide or formula for creating the sword. The challenge to hand-craft a sword without any blueprint has been an obsession of Watanabe's since he was a child. While there is no set formula to re-create the Koto swords Watanabe refuses to take any shortcuts and use any modern technology available, because for him the only way to maintain the tradition of sword making is to ensure the craft survives in its purest form. (humansinvent.com)

They were once called "the missing million". The 'hikikomori' phenomenon emerged in the early 1990's in Japan when there were reports of young people that began staying at home for months or even years at a time. Authorities suggested that there were over a million people suffering from 'hikikomori' syndrome, but some researchers believe the actual number may be higher. In April 2010, one 'hikikomori' man, 30 years old, killed and wounded his family members and set fire to his house. He had withdrawn from society for 14 years. His parents had entrusted management of family finances to him but he gradually became addicted to Internet shopping and auctions and racked up about 3 million yen in debt. (macaudailytimes)

On the snowy fringes of Japan's Fukushima city, now notorious as a byword for nuclear crisis, Zen monk Koyu Abe offers prayers for the souls of thousands left dead or missing after the earthquake and tsunami nearly one year ago. But away from the ceremonial drums and the incense swirling around the Joenji temple altar, Abe has undertaken another task, no less harrowing -- to search out radioactive "hot spots" and clean them up, storing irradiated earth on temple grounds. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, some 50 km (31 miles) away, suffered a series of explosions and meltdowns after the massive earthquake and tsunami last March 11, setting off the world's worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986 and forcing 80,000 people from their homes. (Reuters)

A 34-year-old businessman from Chiba Prefecture has scrapped plans to form an all-girl singing group composed of members residing in areas exposed to high radiation following complaints from local townspeople, reports the Asashi Shimbun (Feb. 10). The manager, whose group was to be called Hot☆Spots, had solicited prospective members aged between 10 and 22 and living in northwestern cities in the prefecture through the distribution of leaflets and the Internet. Auditions had been planned for the end of February with the group debuting in April. Several application had been received, the paper said. (Tokyo Reporter)

Adult video actress Kirara Asuka captivated a press corps on Sunday by not outright denying the existence of a relationship with pitcher Yu Darvish during an event held in Akihabara for the release of the film "Futari Ecchi the Movie 2 - Second Kiss," reports Yukan Fuji (Feb. 6). Asuka, 23, was linked to the Texas Rangers 25-year-old right-handed hurler in an article published in Shukan Jitsuwa (Feb. 16). The article refers to an ongoing dialog between the two on Twitter. "What can I say?" said the AV actress, who appears with co-star Yuri Morishita in the film, a love story based on the manga "Manga Sutra - Futari H" by Aki Katsu. (Tokyo Reporter)

Actress Meisa Kuroki, 23, and pop singer Jin Akanishi, 27, have wed, submitting their marriage registration certificate Feb. 2 to a Tokyo ward, the agencies representing them announced separately Thursday. "I'd like to keep trying my best both in my work and my private life," Kuroki said in a comment released by her office Thursday. Kuroki debuted in a drama directed by Tsuka Kohei in 2004. She has featured in a number of movies and TV commercials, and is currently one of Japan's most popular actresses. Akanishi is a former member of pop idol group Kat-Tun and is signed to major agency Johnny's. (Japan Times)

Tim Wilson, a 25-year-old Colorado man arrested last year after Japanese authorities say he conspired to have marijuana candies sent to the weed-intolerant island nation will finally be coming home, according to 9News. The station quotes Wilson's family as saying he received a "suspended sentence" and should be back on American soil soon. We brought you Wilson's story last November. The honors student was studying abroad and helping out with earthquake relief efforts when a friend sent him a care package containing Cheeba Chews, a popular, THC-laced treats. Wilson never received the package, but still faced up to ten years in Japanese prison, as officials said he requested that his friend send him the edibles. (westword.com)

Osaka Customs and the Osaka Harbor Police Department announced on Wednesday the arrest of two men for violating the stimulants control law, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Feb. 9). Yukio Nishimura, a 60-year-old member of an organized crime group, and Yozo Fujita, 42, were taken into custody for attempting to smuggle 1.7 kilograms of stimulant drugs through the Osaka International Ferry Terminal. (Tokyo Reporter)

"Welcome home, Master," is the greeting at the door. But this is as far from home as it gets. It's not clear why the small, tackily decorated room is stiflingly hot. Or why the overpriced menu contains - among other whipped cream-heavy options - a dessert resembling a cutesy panda face. But most baffling is the young girl in a French maid's outfit who sits with a balding man, quietly colouring in a picture book. Welcome to Tokyo's maid cafes, where nerdy men pay top yen to be pampered by girls dressed like the heroes of the anime/manga culture so prevalent in modern Japan. Customers come to think of particular maids as akin to girlfriends and, the day of our visit, a group brought in birthday gifts for their favourite waitress. Photographs and touching the dozen maids who flit about the cafe is strictly prohibited. With the lights on and fizzy drink served in place of alcohol, the cafe has a harmless air - like a children's tea party infused with the sadness of a strip club. (New Zealand Herald)

Close your eyes, and you know where you are: The unmistakable sound of anime voices and the jingle of a completed lap around the electronic track ring through the hall. This is a classic video game arcade in Japan, filled with the sounds long associated with this gaming nation. But open your eyes, and the players are not exactly the teenagers you'd expect to find. In the center of the Sega Corporation game arcade in a Yokohama mall, about a dozen graying heads bobbed in front of video consoles, dropping tokens into the machines. The median age was no where near pre-teen, but much closer to post-retirement. The arcade industry, while still dominated by younger players, is shifting to an unexpected population reality in the rapidly aging nation of Japan. Japan's government projects the population will shrink by a staggering 30% by 2060. By that year, the government says people age 65 and older will account for 39.9 percent of the total population. Crunch the numbers further, and seniors will outnumber children by 4 to 1. (CNN)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police confirmed on Tuesday the arrest of the 44-year-old mother of Minami Takahashi, a member of the popular singing group AKB48, for performing obscene acts with a junior-high school boy, reports Jiji Press (Feb. 7). "I was compelled to do several terrible things," the mother was quoted by police in admitting to the allegations. She was fined 500,000 yen for violating an ordinance regarding the healthy development of youths. (Tokyo Reporter)

Operators of so-called cat cafes, where visitors can play with cats in a relaxing atmosphere, are upset over a revision of the enforcement regulations of the Animal Protection Law that would prohibit the display of cats late at night starting June 1. The aim of the revision is to keep pet stores in busy shopping districts from displaying puppies and kittens for sale later than 8 p.m. Cat cafe operators are protesting the government's plan to prohibit all forms of "display" irrespective of the type of business. "Cats are nocturnal animals. [They] are adults and already get enough rest [during the day]," the operator of one cat cafe said. I recently visited Neko no Iru Kyukeijo 299, a cat cafe in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, at about 8 p.m. There were about 10 customers, some taking pictures of cats with their cell phones and others playing with cats. (Yomiuri)

Dried herbs mixed with stimulant chemicals carefully packaged to dodge drug laws are gaining in popularity among young Japanese, leading in turn to a drastic increase in the shops selling such products. These "dappo habu" (law-evading herbs) contain stimulant materials whose chemical components are slightly different from those prohibited by drug laws. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government identified two shops selling such products in fiscal 2009. As of last Friday, 89 such shops were in existence, many of them in Shinjuku and Shibuya, areas popular with young people. (Japan Times)

What kind of (unexpected place' are we talking about? Doing it outdoors? Or on the dance floor of her club, in front of the other patrons? "No, no, that's not what I meant," she replies. "By 'place,' I mean a part of the body. You see, I had an orgasm while getting screwed in my armpit!!" But it seems there are some women whose armpits happen to be erogenous zones. Lick them in the right place --- shall we call it their U-spot? (Tokyo Reporter)

Tokyo's newest landmark, the Tokyo Gate Bridge, will open to traffic on Feb 12. The 2,618-meter-long truss bridge is 87.8 meters high and spans Tokyo Bay, linking Wakasu in Koto Ward with the Jonanjima Seaside Park in Ota Ward. The central span is 440 meters. The bridge has been nicknamed the "dinosaur bridge" by Japanese media because of its unusual shape. It looks like two dinosaurs facing off. It has four lanes and walkway that is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The bridge spans a major sea lane into Tokyo Port, but its height had to be restricted to below 100 meters because planes fly over it on their way to and from Haneda Airport. (Japan Today)

Unlike China, Japan's population is in danger of shrinking dramatically. The main reasoning behind this development is what is being called "herbivore men." This type of man is said to have no desire in having sex or developing relationships. About 36 percent of males from ages 16-19, according to the Japan Family Planning Association, have said that they do not desire to have that sort of relationship; however, young men are not the only ones to develop those feelings. Fifty-nine percent of women in the same age group report not wanting to have sex. There have been different reasons given as to why these people do not want to have sex. Answers from men in this generation varied. They said that developing a relationship causes too much work, and that it would also take away from how they normally like to spend their time. Other speculations about the decrease in sex interests are that the individuals are becoming more obsessed with technology and virtual relationships than real ones. (bangstyle.com)