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Split image: Yani Neko's cat-eared heroine smoking on a balcony, beside the makeshift family from the film Shoplifters.

[Insider] The Yani Neko Mirror: Why Japan Won’t Look at Poverty

A new anime tells a complex story of addiction and discrimination. It also sheds a light on a problem many in Japan…

Hashimoto Ai and Satō Jirō sit close on a leather sofa holding coffee mugs in a promo still for Fūfu Bessei Keiji

[Insider] Fuji TV Fails Again in Japan Sexual Harassment Scandal

Fuji TV is once again dealing with a public relations crisis. And, once again, it's showing how unequipped it is to handle…

A man stands with legs apart, seen from below, against a busy neon-lit Tokyo street of shops and billboards.

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[Insider] Urine Nation: Japan’s 150-Years-Long War Against Peeing in Public

During Japan's Edo Era, peeing in the street wasn't a crime, but a contribution to the economy. Here's how Meiji Japan, anxious…

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[Insider] Japan Invented MSG. Why Do Even Some Japanese Call It “Poison”?

MSG has been pilloried for decades in the United States. But Japan's "additive-free" movement has also labeled glutamate's most prominent supporter a…

Fukuda Yua superimposed over the Auckland skyline beside a New Zealand flag and a pointing-hand graphic.

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[Insider] New Zealand Deported a Japanese Porn Star. Is Japan’s Porn Law to Blame?

Japanese adult video actress Fukuda Yua says she was turned away at the New Zealand border. While she may have simply been…

Tokyo Metropolitan Police sign in Kabukicho warning in English and Japanese that buying sex is illegal

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[Insider] Japan Wants to Jail Men Who Buy Sex. Sex Workers Say That’ll Get Women Hurt

A majority of voices are clamoring for Japan to criminalize prostitution buyers. Here’s why the country's sex worker advocates oppose that.

Donald Trump and Takaichi Sanae holding signed "Japan is Back" hats

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[Insider] Why Gender Equality is Stalling Under Japan’s First Female Prime Minister

Japan finally has its first female Prime Minister. But that isn't translating into victories for ordinary Japanese women.

Host club billboards in Tokyo's Kabukicho. These are billboards that display the top earners at a club - a practice that's now illegal.

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[Insider] The Three Tactics Japan’s Hosts Use to Saddle Women with Soul-Crushing Debt

The rules and agreements meant to help save women from the worst abuses aren't helping, as clubs have already figured out a…

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