**********: Our 5 most-read stories from last week

The Mainichi

19-05-2025

We've listed our five most read stories on The Mainichi news site, from top to bottom, that were published between May 10 and 18. The first story was viewed by 24.3% of our regular readers. (The Mainichi)
Buried history of sexual torture under now-defunct law in Japan recalled a century on
OSAKA -- A century has passed since the promulgation in April 1925 of the Peace Preservation Law, which stripped away freedom of speech and thought in Japan. Before its abolition in 1945, over 100,000 people were apprehended under the law, and over 1,000 are believed to have died due to torture or illness. It was a dark period, during which many women were also oppressed and subjected to unimaginable sexual torture. Full story.
Japan police tackle prostitution in Osaka nightlife area with Nobel-winning 'nudge theory'
OSAKA -- In the bustling nightlife district near Osaka's Umeda area is a narrow street known for attracting women engaged in prostitution and men seeking their services. Locals whisper warnings such as, "Never go there," cautioning their children against setting foot in the notorious lane. Full story.
'If I enter a reformatory, I can leave home': 15-year-old murder suspect in Japan
CHIBA -- A 15-year-old boy who was arrested May 12 on suspicion of murder in this eastern Japan city has told police that if he entered a juvenile detention center, he could leave home and that he thought killing someone with a knife would be the surest way to achieve that, the Mainichi Shimbun has learned from a source close to the investigation. Full story.
Edging Toward Japan: Embracing the otherness of the gaijin existence
By Damian Flanagan
I have an old friend who tends to post slightly unusual material on social media. He is British guy living in Japan for many long years and always has himself wearing sunglasses in a kind of "gangster chic," quite often accompanied by young attractive Japanese women and sometimes accompanied by the night owls and bar flies of Osaka's night-time demi-monde. Full story.
Outsiders' alleged attack on Japan school staffers reveals security challenges
TOKYO -- Police recently arrested two men on suspicion of assault for allegedly entering a public elementary school in Japan's capital and injuring five staffers. The suspects, identified as acquaintances of a second grader's mother, apparently entered the school building through an unlocked gate and entrance after the woman contacted them. Full story.