exclusive
NO TIME FOR GAMES
From desperate doctors to famous film directors and former Japanese mafia members—the outrage against this summer’s “COVID Olympics” is uniting Japan.
Go To Eat, Go To Jail
Japan, once considered a poster child for COVID-19 containment, is introducing a draconian law as cases spike and the government panics.
MISSILE KICK
Pink-haired pro wrestler Hana Kimura was a hit on TV until she confronted her male roommate. What happened next says much about misogyny and bullying, and not only in Japan.
THIEF IN THE FIRE
There are so many scandals surrounding the government of Shinzo Abe and his party that protection is needed. Who better than the man known as Abe’s “guardian deity?”
ROUGH DIAMOND
There are many lessons to be learned from the disaster that is the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama. Some are epidemiological, but the most disturbing are political.
PASSPORTS PLEASE
Foreigners working in Japan, like the guests in The Eagles’ “Hotel California,” can check out any time they want, but they might not be able to leave.
NO DOES MEAN NO
Shiori Ito allegedly was raped by the prime minister's biographer; the prosecutors dropped the ball, but in civil court the outcome was different.
EXPLOSIVE REVELATIONS
A controversial book about Japan’s race to build an atomic weapon in 1945 is published there for the first time. It also raises questions about how North Korea finally got a bomb.
VICTIM-BLAMING
Recent not-guilty verdicts in four cases of sexual assault, two involving incest, have outraged women in Japan, and they’re taking to the streets to make that clear.
DISTURBING
In Japan’s “Idol” Industry cute young girls often are used and abused. One victim spoke out—then apologized.
