SAITAMA (TR) – Earlier this month, Satoshi Nishizawa was elected to the prefectural meeting right here regardless of his expulsion from the Democratic Party for the People the day earlier than the ballot. Nishizawa has since resigned from the meeting.

Tokyo Sports (Mar. 9) chronicles the background of the matter, which incorporates Nishizawa’s organizing of an orgy in 2016.

On March 8, Nishizawa took certainly one of two seats in a by-election for the Saitama Prefectural Assembly (South 2nd District, Kawaguchi City). However, the day earlier than, his endorsement by the Democratic Party for the People was revoked, forcing him to run as an unbiased.

That night, Yuichiro Tamaki, chief of the Democratic Party for the People, defined on X: “The Saitama Prefectural Federation has announced the revocation of the endorsement of candidate Satoshi Nishizawa and his subsequent expulsion from the party. The reason is that he concealed important facts that should have been disclosed when deciding on the endorsement.”

In 2018, Nishizawa was arrested for organizing an orgy involving a boy two years earlier than. Nishizawa recruited members through Twitter. He wrote, “Let’s have an orgy with male middle and high school students.”

“I have no recollection of this,” he mentioned upon his arrest for the violating the Child Welfare Act.

“Completely unacceptable”

House of Representatives member Yoshihiro Suzuki represents the Saitama Prefectural Federation. He wrote on X, “Attempting to obtain party endorsement without disclosing information that should have been provided when applying for endorsement from the prefectural federation is a betrayal of the party’s trust in its candidates and is completely unacceptable,” mentioned House of Representatives member Yoshihiro Suzuki.

Nishizawa labored for a significant fuel firm. Starting in 2023, he served as secretary to Kiyoshi Ueda, the previous governor of Saitama Prefecture and present House of Councillors member.

After being expelled from the celebration, Nishizawa defined on X, “The matter in question was a fine imposed more than seven years ago, and the effect of the sentence [5 years] has already expired. Once a sentence has expired, there is generally no legal obligation to list past criminal records in the ‘Awards and Punishments’ section of one’s resume.”

Although the election fee modified Nishizawa’s celebration affiliation from the Democratic Party for the People to unbiased, his posters on the marketing campaign websites remained these of the Democratic Party for the People.

A political insider expressed anger: “Some people have already cast their votes early, and with the expulsion happening the day before, it’s questionable how much voters were able to know about the facts and circumstances. A quick internet search reveals articles about the arrest, so it seems there was a problem with the Democratic Party for the People’s background checks.”

Tamaki defined, “It’s not easy to ascertain facts that can only be known through the individual’s own declaration during the nomination process.” But he promised to make enhancements. However, simply two years in the past, there was the same controversy over a feminine candidate’s previous that led to the revocation of her nomination. As a consequence, many are saying, “Here we go again.”

Nishizawa didn’t settle for his certificates of election. Instead, he submitted his resignation as a prefectural meeting member via a consultant to the Prefectural Assembly Secretariat. His resignation was accepted.

TOKYO (TR) – A courtroom right here this this week handed the previous secretary-general of included affiliation Japan Refuge a suspended jail time period for the possession and use of cocaine, stories the Sankei Shimbun (Mar. 12).

At the Tokyo District Court on Thursday, presiding choose Tomohiko Shinomiya handed Yoshihide Tanaka, 44, a two-year time period, suspended for 4 years. The prosecution had requested a time period of two years and 6 months.

According to the decision, on or round May 18, 2025, Tanaka snorted cocaine at his dwelling in capital and possessed a complete of roughly 2 grams on the identical day and May 23.

During the trial, Tanaka’s protection lawyer argued for his innocence, saying that the police questioning that led to the invention was unlawful as a result of it continued regardless of the defendant’s clear intention to refuse.

However, choose Shinomiya rejected this assertion, stating that it didn’t exceed the permissible scope of voluntary questioning.

Furthermore, he criticized the defendant for “showing little resistance to illegal drugs and an affinity for them.” He additionally famous that he inspired acquaintances to make use of cocaine.

Japan Refuge

According to its web site, Nippon Kakekomidera (Japan Refuge) has been working beneath its present title since 2011. Located within the Kabukicho red-light district, it offers recommendation on a variety of points together with home violence, college refusal, poverty and drug abuse.

It just lately has additionally supplied help to younger individuals often called “Toyoko Kids,” who congregate in Kabukicho.

SAITAMA (TR) – Saitama Prefectural Police have arrested a person who’s suspected of dumping the corpse of his mom exterior their condominium in Saitama City, studies TV Asahi (Mar. 13).

Between 9:00 p.m. on March 11 and seven a.m. the next day, Takeshi Hirose, 44, is suspected of abandoning the physique on the touchdown of a stairwell of the condominium complicated, situated in Iwatsuki Ward.

According to the police, the physique is believed to be that of Hirose’s mom, aged in her 70s. He is suspected of transferring the physique to the stairwell from their residence.

During police questioning, Hirose admitted to allegations of abandoning a corpse.

There had been no seen exterior accidents on the physique. She is believed to have died a number of days earlier than the incident.

Police are persevering with the investigation, believing that Hirose could know the circumstances surrounding her demise.

TOKYO (TR) – Fuji TV announcers Yoko Ozawa, 34, and Ken Katsuno, 26, introduced that they’re departing the corporate on their respective Instagram accounts on March 12.

Ozawa is a mid-career announcer who handles all the things from sports activities to selection exhibits, together with internet hosting “BS Prime Online Today.” Meanwhile, Katsuno is a promising younger announcer who seems on “Mezamashi TV” and “Live News It!” as a sports activities caster.

Both are anticipated to go away their common packages in March.

Though neither announcer provided remark, an insider tells Nikkan Gendai (Mar. 13) that purpose for the departures is the scandal surrounding former host Masahiro Nakai.

“The reasons for their departures are not only individual circumstances, but are believed to stem from the troubles surrounding Masahiro Nakai that began with the news reports at the end of 2024, and the subsequent investigation by a third-party committee that brought to light the station’s misconduct and sloppy structure,” says an leisure editor for a sports activities newspaper.

Fuji TV has skilled a wave of announcer departures. Takahiro Nishioka, Keiko Tsubakihara, and Yumi Nagashima exited in March 2025. This was adopted by the departure Risa Kishimoto in June. Marino Fujimoto left in December.

Nakai’s points have been dubbed “woman trouble,” whereby he acknowledged partaking inappropriate habits with a feminine worker within the leisure trade. The matter surfaced in 2024. Nakai introduced his retirement from present enterprise in January final yr.

“The issue of Nakai’s ‘hotel drinking’ and other problems led to the normalization of sexual harassment, and the long-term use of female announcers as entertainment staff. The underlying issue is a long-standing culture of concealing such things,” the identical supply tells Gendai.

It has additionally been identified that those that dedicated sexual harassment or had been concerned within the cover-up had been promoted.

“Furthermore, declining viewership and the withdrawal of sponsors have hit employees hard, resulting in reduced bonuses, and the myth of ‘high salaries and job security’ at television stations has crumbled,” continues the editor. “With staff reductions, work is concentrated on the remaining announcers, creating a vicious cycle of increasing workload.”

The exodus is being described on-line with metaphors corresponding to “escaping from a sinking ship” and “rats fleeing a sinking vessel.”

In the case of station announcers, the irregular work schedule and early morning packages usually result in overwork and poor well being. For instance, announcer Eriko Komuro (27) collapsed from anemia throughout a dwell broadcast of Fuji TV’s “Mezamashi 8” on November 11, 2024, and needed to go away the studio. She took one other break day the next day, and has since returned, however the public consideration to those incidents has led to a fame as a “black station,” and its former reputation amongst job-seeking college students appears to have plummeted, in response to Gendai.

A Fuji TV insider relates, “The 1991 film ‘Shushoku Sensou Ijou Nashi’ (No Abnormalities on the Job Hunting Front) was a coming-of-age film produced by Fuji TV, in which a student played by Yuji Oda struggles to get a job at Fuji TV, the most prestigious and highly competitive network. It’s one piece of evidence that Fuji TV was still going strong even right after the bubble burst and was one of the most popular networks among students, but alumni are disappointed that there’s no trace of that image left in Fuji TV today.”

Fuji TV has introduced a “plan for revitalization and reform,” however the highway to its return to its former glory appears lengthy, says Gendai.

CAMBODIA (TR) – Cameras for TBS News (Mar. 13) entered the bottom of operations for a fraud ring that focused international locations all over the world, together with Japan.

The headquarters is positioned in Cambodia however on the border with Thailand. Following a army conflict between the 2 international locations final yr, the Thai army seized the bottom. It not too long ago opened its inside to some media shops.

The ring specialised in tokushu sagi, or specialised fraud. This sort of fraud is carried out on the phone by a caller impersonating an authority determine or a sufferer’s relative.

A digicam for the community confirmed what gave the impression to be faux police stations from a number of international locations, together with China and Brazil. They have been created so perpetrators might pose as members of regulation enforcement when concentrating on victims by way of video calls.

The base contained numerous amenities comparable to eating places, outlets and hair salons. It is believed that greater than 10,000 individuals lived collectively whereas conducting fraud concentrating on international locations all over the world.

Furthermore, there have been traces suggesting the presence of Japanese residents. In one room, there have been numerous gadgets left behind, together with what seems to be a Japanese handbook for making fraudulent cellphone calls. There have been additionally notes that appear to comprise private data of Japanese residents.

Cambodia has seen a collection of crackdowns on specialised fraud-related teams in recent times.

The Thai army, which opened the fraud base to the general public, acknowledged that “specialized fraud is a threat to people all over the world, including Japan, and must be eradicated.”

TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested 5 suspects within the break-in of an house in Tachikawa City final 12 months and theft of roughly 10 million yen in money, experiences Nippon News Network (Mar. 12).

On the evening of December 4, Kazuma Matsumoto, 30, and 4 others allegedly broke into the house, occupied by a person in his 20s, and stole 10.25 million yen in money and 11 wallets and luggage valued at roughly 5 million yen.

Police didn’t disclose whether or not the 5 suspects admit to the crimes.

In gaining entry, the 5 males are believed to have climbed onto a second-floor balcony and smashed a window with a crowbar. They fled the scene in a automobile.

Their involvement has emerged after an examination of safety digicam footage and different means.

CHIBA (TR) – Chiba Prefectural Police have arrested a 29-year-old man over the assault of a second man met at a bar in Funabashi City final week. The sufferer later died, experiences Nippon News Network (Mar. 13).

Between roughly 3:25 a.m. and three:50 a.m. on March 11, Yuya Orita, an organization worker, allegedly pinned down Takayoshi Ono, 56, on a road in Funabashi City and repeatedly punching him within the face, inflicting accidents.

Ono was later pronounced useless at a hospital the place he was taken.

According to the Funabashi Police Station, Orita acknowledged, “I met [Ono] at a bar the day before the incident, and we went bar-hopping together. I can’t remember [the motive] because I was under the influence of alcohol.”

On Friday, police despatched Orita to prosecutors on suspicion of manslaughter.

The two males are believed to have met at a bar the day past and a few sort of hassle occurred whereas they have been ingesting at a number of institutions after midnight.

An evaluation of safety digital camera footage taken close to the scene led to Orita turning into a suspect. After police started looking for his whereabouts, he turned himself in on the evening of March 11.