It’s about time It was reported that the National Police Agency is considering measures aimed at regulating the sales of DVDs, books and magazines that feature “junior idols”—underage models who strike sexually suggestive poses. An NPO called the DoggyBag Committee found that 90 percent of Japanese approve of taking home leftovers from restaurants. Doggy bags are illegal ...
Lights Out In recognition of the fact that employees “feel uncomfortable about leaving the office when their colleagues are still working,” officials at Shiseido’s Ginza HQ have started turning off lights in their building at 10pm. Anyone still toiling away at that hour “must submit a written apology to their superiors, explaining the reason why they ...
Bored in space Whatever floats your boat A 52-year-old man who was offered a job as a school principal in Yokohama was later found to have a criminal record—for snapping pics of a woman’s cleavage on a bus. The man, whose cellphone was found to contain dozens of such images, said it was just his hobby, but ...
Bored in space Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi celebrated New Year on the International Space Station with traditional activities like hanetsuki (hitting a shuttlecock with a battledore) and kakizome (writing the first calligraphy of the year). It was reported that a “love hotel mutual fund” offered by Shibuya-based Initia Star Securities has been enjoying annual returns ...
HOLY SMOKES! White ash and steam could be seen spewing from the sea when an underwater volcano known as Fukutokuoka no Ba erupted just north of Iwo Jima. In Hiroshima, the municipal government announced plans to re-examine the effects of the radioactive “black rain” that fell on the city after the atomic bombing in 1945. Over 240 babies ...