Tokyo International News Agency

The Fukushima District Court, Koriyama Branch, on the 17th, sentenced a 35-year-old man to 12 years in prison for dangerous driving resulting in death and injury. This was in connection with a drunk driving accident in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, that killed a student. The sentence, which was a four-year reduction from the prosecution's demand of 16 years, has sparked widespread criticism online as "too light," leading to growing dissatisfaction with Japan's judicial system. According to the ruling, the defendant was driving under the influence of alcohol in January this year. In front of JR Koriyama Station, he deliberately ignored a red light and struck and killed a teenage female student who was crossing the pedestrian crosswalk. It was also stated that he ignored multiple red lights and exceeded the speed limit before the accident. Following this verdict, social media (formerly Twitter) was flooded with posts such as "12 years in prison is too light,...

It has been revealed that the government is considering creating a new tax, to be collected from motorists, as an alternative to reducing the gasoline tax. This has sparked fierce criticism on social media, with comments such as "It's effectively a tax hike" and "They're making fools of the public." While the new tax is intended to fund the maintenance and repair of aging infrastructure such as roads and water/sewer systems, numerous questions have been raised regarding its validity and fairness. According to government sources, a proposal to abolish the provisional tax rate currently applied to gasoline while establishing a new tax category is considered strong. This new tax specifically targets motorists. Experts have pointed out that, "since a corporate tax hike is impossible due to opposition from Keidanren, they've simply changed the name to 'National Resilience Tax Hike'." However, this move has met with widespread public backla...

A series of violence issues surrounding the baseball club of Koryo High School, a prestigious school in Hiroshima Prefecture, has entered a new phase. Reports indicate that the victim's father has expressed strong anger over the school's response, leading to a flood of criticism on social media regarding the school's cover-up culture and insincere handling of the matter. Victim's Father Angered by School's Response A Yahoo! News headline, "Koryo Problem: Victim's Father Angered by Response," has gone viral on X (formerly Twitter), garnering significant user attention. According to multiple social media posts, the victim's father is reportedly furious that Koryo High School has failed to offer an apology or show a sincere attitude towards the victim's side in its handling of the issue since its discovery. Furthermore, reports indicate that several other instances of violence have emerged, including a student who was collectively assaulted and ex...

It was revealed on the 5th that Bolun Li (23), a Chinese national and vocational school student from Katsuragi City, Nara Prefecture, has been newly arrested on suspicion of threatening a woman with a knife and sexually assaulting her. He reportedly confessed, stating he 'had an interest in sexual assault.' According to reports, Li is suspected of invading an apartment in Osaka Prefecture in mid-June, late at night, along with two other men believed to have gathered via social media, threatening a woman with a knife and committing sexual assault. Several individuals have already been arrested in connection with this case, and Li's arrest is expected to shed more light on the full scope of the incident. In response to the suspect's confession that he 'had an interest in sexual assault,' a wave of severe criticism has erupted online. Numerous angry comments have been posted, such as 'Deserves the death penalty,' 'Beyond despicable,' and 'Demoni...

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's remark, referring to the "troublesome Japanese language and Japanese customs" in a statement concerning the acceptance of foreign talent, has caused a significant stir on the social media platform "X" (formerly Twitter). This comment rapidly spread, drawing a flood of severe criticism from the public, with comments such as "He's disrespecting Japanese culture" and "Unacceptable for a Prime Minister." Many users pointed out that the Prime Minister's statement was inappropriate regarding his own country's language and culture. A chorus of angry voices followed, saying things like, "I don't understand the mindset of calling one's own language 'troublesome'," "Is he not Japanese?", and "This is an insult to the people." Numerous opinions also severely questioned the Prime Minister's qualifications, with calls for his "immediate dismissal" and ...