Latest news with #YomiuriShimbunPeople
Yomiuri Shimbun
05-05-2025
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Police Failed to Interview Ex-Boyfriend Despite Reports of Stalking; Arrested on Suspicion of Abandoning Body in Bag in Kawasaki
The Yomiuri Shimbun People offer flowers at the crime scene in Kawasaki Ward, Kawasaki, on Sunday. YOKOHAMA — A man arrested for abandoning the body of a 20-year-old woman had not been interviewed by prefectural police prior to the incident, even though the victim had reported the man to the police for stalking. The victim was identified as Asahi Okazaki, 20, a part-time worker from Kawasaki. Her body was found in a bag at home of Hideyuki Shirai, 27, her former boyfriend, in the same city. The Kanagawa prefectural police arrested him on Saturday. According to the police announcement, Shirai was suspected of abandoning Okazaki's body at his home near Kawasaki-Daishi Station sometime between Dec. 20 and April 30. He once admitted to the charge but later stopped talking about the incident. When Shirai arrived at Haneda Airport upon returning from the United States, the police asked him to accompany them before arresting him. According to the prefectural police, Okazaki had been consulting the police station about Shirai's stalking behavior since June last year. The police had verbally warned Shirai. In November, the police confirmed that the couple had reconciled and closed the case. However, after the relationship ended again, Okazaki reported the matter to the police station nine times between Dec. 9-20, saying: 'He was snooping around my house,' and 'Please go on patrol.' Some of her reports suggested a high level of urgency, but the police station did not question Shirai. A prefectural police official said: 'We urged Okazaki to come to the police station for fact-finding, but she refused. We judged that she did not want police intervention.' Akiko Kobayakawa, a board member of Tokyo-based nonprofit group Humanity that supports stalking victims, said the police could have taken more proactive steps, such as visiting the victim's home. 'It is a fundamental issue that goes beyond evaluating a sense of urgency if the police did not recognize the repeated complaints in December as a stalking case despite having responded up until November,' she said. A complaint made by the victim on Dec. 10, said, '[Shirai] would not return my bicycle.' The police accepted a report of bicycle theft on Dec. 16. On Jan. 24, the bicycle was found near Shirai's house, and the police checked security cameras in the area but did not speak with Shirai. Day of her disappearance Okazaki went missing from her grandmother's home — where she took shelter — on the morning of Dec. 20. Her grandmother called the police on Dec. 22, saying: 'My granddaughter hasn't come home. The glass in the window was broken, and it might have been broken by her former boyfriend to take her away.' The police reportedly explained to the grandmother that there were more glass fragments outside than inside, suggesting the glass might have been broken from inside. They took photos but did not collect fingerprints. The police accepted a report from the grandmother and collected fingerprints on Jan. 7. 'Underestimating case' After Okazaki went missing, the police station interviewed Shirai seven times. According to investigative sources, Shirai initially stated that he did not know anything, but said in March, 'I went near her workplace at around 6 a.m. on Dec. 20, but couldn't meet her.' The investigation made no progress, and it was revealed in April that Shirai had flown to the United States. From December to late April, the investigation was primarily handled by the prefectural police's community safety general affairs division, which deals with crime prevention and missing persons. The police's first criminal investigation division was notified of the case on April 30, when a bag containing a body was found in a residential home. 'It is no wonder that the police were criticized for underestimating the danger,' a senior police official said.
Yomiuri Shimbun
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
People Dress in Myanmar Traditional Garments for Festival in Fukuoka; Residents of Japan, Myanmar Parade in Support of Myanmar after Devastating Earthquake
The Yomiuri Shimbun People dressed in traditional Myanmar garments parade through the streets during the Hakata Dontaku Minato Matsuri festival in Fukuoka on Sunday. To show support for Myanmar, where a powerful earthquake has claimed more than 3,000 lives, Myanmar residents in Fukuoka Prefecture and Japanese locals donned the traditional attire and played folk instruments on the final day of the 2-day event. The participants paraded through the city, with some holding banners, stating, 'Ganbare Myanmar!' (Hang in there, Myanmar!)
Yomiuri Shimbun
27-04-2025
- Health
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Get Latest Measles Information Before Traveling Abroad, Experts Warn as Number of Cases in Japan Increases
The Yomiuri Shimbun People at the departure lobby of Narita Airport on Saturday Cases of measles in Japan are increasing, with many patients believed to have been infected with the highly contagious disease overseas. Many people are expected to travel abroad during the Golden Week holidays, and experts are urging them to obtain the latest information on the spread of measles in the nation they plan to visit. They should also keep an eye on their health after returning to Japan. According to the Japan Institute for Health Security (JIHS), 78 people were confirmed to have been infected with measles this year as of April 13, already exceeding the 45 cases reported in 2024. Of the 78 cases in Japan, 39 people were believed to have been infected overseas. This included 30 people who are believed to have caught measles in Vietnam, three in Thailand and two in the Philippines, the JIHS said. Another 30 people contracted the disease in Japan, and the point of infection was not identified for nine people. People with insufficient immunity develop symptoms that can include fever and rashes 10 to 12 days after infection. Severe cases can be fatal, as they lead to pneumonia or encephalitis. People who have never contracted measles before and have not been vaccinated should be especially cautious. 'People who will travel to an affected area need to confirm their vaccination history in advance and monitor their health for two weeks after returning home,' said Atsuo Hamada, a specially appointed professor at Tokyo Medical University and an expert on travel medicine. People who develop a fever or rashes should contact a medical institution immediately and go see a doctor without using public transportation, Hamada said.
Yomiuri Shimbun
25-04-2025
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Cherry Blossoms in Full Bloom at Famous Spots in Japan's Akita Pref.; Hinokinai River Embankment Draw Crowds
The Yomiuri Shimbun People stroll along a cherry blossom-lined street in Semboku, Akita Prefecture, on Thursday. AKITA — Weeping cherry trees along a street lined with samurai residences and Someiyoshino trees along a riverbank are in full bloom in Akita prefecture, delighting visitors. Cherry trees in Semboku's Kakunodate district, one of the most famous cherry blossom viewing spots in the Tohoku region, were in full bloom on Wednesday, according to the Semboku city government. Blessed by the spring sunshine on Thursday, many tourists and families visited the area, strolling through a cherry blossom tunnel along the Hinokinaigawa Tsutsumi or Hinokinai river embankment, where some 400 Someiyoshino cherry trees are in bloom, and enjoying picnics on the riverbed. The cherry blossom viewing period is expected to continue for several days.
Yomiuri Shimbun
22-04-2025
- General
- Yomiuri Shimbun
2025 Expo Osaka: Nonsmoking Rule Not Being Observed at Expo Site; Contradicts Fair's Themes of Life, Health
The Yomiuri Shimbun People related to a foreign pavilion smoke at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo site in Konohana Ward, Osaka, on April 13. OSAKA — The nonsmoking rule is not being followed consistently at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo site. Some people have been seen smoking near ashtrays placed outside certain pavilions. The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, which has banned smoking at the site as the Expo is centered around the theme of life, is struggling to find ways to handle the issue. A red ashtray was placed discreetly in the shadow behind one foreign pavilion. Four men wearing access passes around their necks began to smoke while chatting on Friday morning. Another ashtray was also found near a different foreign pavilion. As the Expo promotes the themes of life and health, the association has totally banned smoking at the Expo site on the artificial island of Yumeshima in Konohana Ward, Osaka, requiring both visitors and pavilion operators to adhere to the rule. Two smoking areas have been set up outside the East Gate, which is connected to Yumeshima Station on Osaka Metro Co.'s Chuo Line. However, it takes time to go back and forth between these areas and inside the venue. 'I understand it's the rule, but it's still quite inconvenient,' a 49-year-old man who works at a merchandise store in the venue said. 'I can understand why some people secretly smoke.' Smoking in the venue poses the risk of causing an accident. Yumeshima is built on reclaimed land, the western part of which is made up of incinerated ash from waste materials that could emit methane gas. A spark ignited methane gas while bathrooms were being constructed on the west side of the venue last year, causing an explosion. Explosive levels of gas were detected in the western area during the rehearsal conducted just prior to the Expo's opening. Some within the association are proposing the creation of smoking areas in safe places that are strictly separated from nonsmoking areas. 'We want to find a way to accommodate both smokers and nonsmokers,' a senior association official said.
