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Oita woman loses lawsuit and pays damages without ever knowing she’d been sued

A frightening case of using the legal system to commit robbery.

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Chef at top Tokyo sushi restaurant wins lawsuit after being fired for maybe having a tattoo

High-end sushi restaurant ordered to pay thousands of dollars in damages.

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Japan: Guilty Until Proven Innocent documentary shines light on controversial legal system【Video】

Does Japan’s legal system force suspects to confess, even if they didn’t commit the crime?

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Japan’s public broadcaster wins landmark court case and 12 bucks

NHK’s reign of terror on the Japanese public continues in an unprecedented court victory over a man who engineered his television to refuse their service.

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Crying assemblyman Ryutaro Nonomura returns—shaven-headed and with a bizarre new move

Following his tear-drenched press conference and constant ear cupping, disgraced assemblyman Ryutaro Nonomura finally gets his day in court—and shocks the public yet again with a new trademark move.

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Ritzy Japanese cop breaks Rolex wristwatch during arrest, sends suspect US$6,000 repair bill

With famously low crime rates and an honest society that returns wallets full of cash, Japanese cops usually have it a bit easier than their overseas counterparts. But while they may have some extra time on their hands, Japanese police officers still are put in the line of danger catching the bad guys and keeping Japan safe.

One cop in Saitama Prefecture was reminded of this reality when he was got banged up pretty badly and broke his expensive Rolex watch a couple of years ago while pursuing a man suspected of exposing himself to a young girl. This cop shocked his colleagues and the public last week when Japanese media reported that, after arresting the suspect, the police officer took the man to court and sued for him for damages including more than 700,000 yen (US$5,949) to repair the watch!

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Judge sets new line for adultery in landmark case, and it doesn’t involve intercourse

Cheating and adultery are one of the leading causes of divorces and break-ups. No one wants to be cheated on, and for those who do the cheating, the thrill of sneaking around and trying not to get caught is sure to spur some adulterers on. However, at what point is what you are doing considered cheating? For most people, sex is certainly cheating, and kissing someone other than your partner is crossing the line. But is having dinner with someone cheating? Is having lunch? Is spending significant time with someone cheating?

An Osaka judge has drawn a new line in the sand for what is considered adultery in Japan, with one woman suing not her husband but his “mistress”, despite the fact that there was no intercourse involved.

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Suspected of violating laws related to acts of violence, the first trial for company employee Yoshihito Harada, 25, was held at the Nagoya district courthouse on 16 April. Harada stands accused of puncturing the tires of parked cars that were driven by women in an effort to strike up conversations with the drivers. When asked if there was any truth to the indictment, Harada admitted, “It’s true, I did it.”

According to the opening statement by prosecutors, between April 2011 and December 2012, Harada used a screw driver or other sharp object to puncture the tires of five different cars. The cars had all been parked outside supermarkets in the cities of Miyoshi, Nisshin and Toyota, Aichi Prefecture. In all cases the stated reason was so that Harada could establish contact with the women.

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