law

SEX & NIGHTLIFE

Japan Host Club Shut Down for Trapping Women In Debt

For the first time, authorities in Japan have shut down a host club for using a debtor's system that's forced many women…

SOCIETY

An Empress of Japan? New Poll Shows a Majority Support It

Will the next emperor of Japan be an empress? A new poll shows a clear majority support it - but there are…

LGBTQ

Japanese LGBTQ Couple Win Political Asylum in Canada

A lesbian couple in Japan say conditions for them were so bad in their home country that Canada has granted them refugee…

LIVING IN JAPAN

Japan’s New Bill to Strip Permanent Residency Based on Shaky Data

Japan's government is pushing a new law to strip permanent residents of their status - but it's based on incomplete data. Learn…

CULTURE

Abandoned Homes in Japan Skyrocket to Over 13% of All Homes

As Japan's population ages, it's finding itself awash in a glut of unoccupied homes - and a new report says the country…

TRAVEL

Japan To Require ESTA for Visa-Exempt Travelers

How you travel to Japan will change in the next decade. The country says it's creating an ESTA system for visa-exempt travelers.…

FOOD

In Japan, Overpouring Combini Coffee Could Mean Prison, Job Loss

Japan's facing a minor crime wave of people pouring more combini coffee than they bought. And combinis are responding - with arrests.

TRAVEL

Shizuoka Wants to Toll Mt. Fuji to Curb Overtourism

To prevent overtourism, Shizuoka Prefecture wants to charge users of its three Mt. Fuji trailheads. The problem? It doesn't own them.