legal

If the new bicycle helmet rule isn’t mandatory, are there penalties for not following it?

We asked a lawyer to find out!

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Can a curry shop legally ban you if you don’t finish your rice? A Japanese lawyer chimes in

We find out if being wasteful is grounds for banishment.

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U.S. military personnel launch US$5 billion lawsuit against Tokyo Electrical Power Company

Lawsuit claims Tepco misled scale of 2011 Fukushima disaster, causing relief workers to be exposed to radiation.

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Japanese organization wants stricter regulations against people smoking on their own balconies

Take it inside, says critic of Japan’s “firefly smokers.”

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Japanese concertgoer sues idol group because dancing otaku ruined the show for him

High Court hands down ruling in three-year legal dispute stemming from different attitudes between hard-core idol singer fans.

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Eyes on the road, and hands to yourself.

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Same-sex couples to be recognized in Sapporo, Japanese city with population of around two million

Sapporo will become the largest city in Japan to recognize same-sex couples.

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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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Prefectural government in Japan to pay million-dollar restitution to family of deceased woman

Shimane Prefecture awards a college student’s family a settlement in restitution for the roadside accident that took her life.

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Japanese government agency steps in to possibly regulate PokéCoin purchases

Japan’s Financial Services Agency opens an investigation into whether or not PokéCoins fall under jurisdiction of the country’s Payment Services Act.
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New laws could inadvertently ban Pokémon GO in some areas of Japan

Soon it may become illegal to take any photos from “hidden cameras” in Shiga Prefecture, which may mean a ban on catching Pokémon with your smart phones – Nooooo!!!

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Japanese kids finally reclaim right to go to video game arcades at night with their parents

After-dinner family sticker pictures will soon be A-OK in the eyes of the law.

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Businessman ‘wins’ 4-year battle with Singapore Airlines after being downgraded to economy class

Anyone who is a frequent traveler has probably had their share of ups and downs when flying. But just how far would you go to make an airline pay for a minor inconvenience?

One Mr. GRK Reddy, an Indian businessmen, felt that he was so damaged by Singapore Airlines’ sudden decision to downgrade him from business to economy class back in 2011 that he decided to take legal action against the airline, demanding compensation of approximately US$83,000.

Four years later, Mr Reddy has finally been awarded his compensation, but it’s slightly less than the amount he originally requested…

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The legality of adding free green onions to your ramen

Lots of restaurants offer condiments for customers to use freely, but how “freely” are they actually meant to be used. For example, one ramen shop in Japan had a poster offering to let customers take as much green onion as they want, until someone came in and did just that.

The patron piled on about two bowlfuls of diced scallions per single bowl of soup, because apparently that’s the way he likes it. After a few repeat visits the staff interceded and asked that the customer cool it with the onions.

So, who is in the right? Was the gluttonous customer abusing the kind offer of the restaurant, or should the shop stand by its explicitly written offer? Japanese legal website Bengoshi News called in a lawyer to find out.

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Owner wins damages after Chihuahua dies following encounter with German Shepherd in the street

In a landmark case, the owner of an elderly Chihuahua who tragically died on an everyday walk in Osaka has successfully received 220,000 yen (almost US$2,000) in damages from the owner of a German Shepherd alleged to have brought about the death of their pet.

But what exactly happened that day, and was the German Shepherd – or rather its owner – really to blame?

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Civil servant suing Fukuoka over employee drinking ban, asking for one yen in compensation

In Japan, work comes first. For most people, their professional life takes priority over their family, romantic, and personal lives, with long hours and short vacations being the norm.

Given that environment, it’s no surprise that after their shift ends, many people want to stop off at a bar for a cold beer to wash the taste of work out of their mouth. For a one-month period, though, that wasn’t an option for civil servants in Fukuoka City, due to a temporary ban on drinking outside their homes. Obviously, this wasn’t a popular rule among workers, and one man was so upset he’s now suing the city, asking for a single yen in compensation.

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Free at last? Japanese government mulling over doing away with cell phone SIM locks

When my brother and his family moved back to America, leaving my wife and I as the last Baseels in Japan, he graciously offered me his practically new iPhone. Sadly, despite the tempting opportunity of upgrading from my old-school flip phone, I had to turn down his generous offer.

Being happily married, this wasn’t because I needed the boost in attractiveness that comes from an outdated cell, but simply because my brother and I had different providers, and his iPhone was SIM locked, like all mobile phones in Japan have always been.

However, that might be changing soon.

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Japanese man suffering from dementia could lose house after forgetting about court hearing

As Japan’s population continues to grow older, the nation is having to change to cope with the challenges that come with this aging demographic. The following story is just one unfortunate example of how current systems can fail to meet the needs of the elderly.

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Why are these Chinese police officers torching dozens of arcade cabinets?

I think the last truly terrible video game I bought was Gundam v. 2.0 for the PlayStation One. This was back before all you had to do was wait a few hours for reviews from gamers to start pouring in online, and I got suckered in by some touched-up stills from the game in a magazine that made it look awesome. Instead, the one and only redeemable element to the title was it had a cool sound effect for the beam rifle, but that hardly made it worth the $75 it had cost me.

I’ve played subpar games since then, but Gundam v. 2.0 retains a special place of hatred in my gaming soul. It’s the sort of game that drives one to violent fantasies of revenge. Like an evil witch being punished for her sins, or a stubbornly regenerating troll that won’t stay dead, the only just way for Gundam 2.0 to pay for its crimes is by being set on fire.

Somewhere in a box, I still have my copy of the game. Maybe if I dig it out, these police officers in China will let me toss it onto their video game bonfire.

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