Welcome to The Japan Daily Press’ weekend recap for week 25 of 2012! Have a look inside to get caught up on all you need know about Japan’s news from Sunday, June 17th, to Saturday, June 23rd. And if you like what you read, why not become a fan on our Facebook page, follow us Twitter, or even download our free Android app! Don’t worry iOS users, we haven’t forgotten about you; we’re just putting the finishing touches on our app for Apple’s devices, and we’ll be sure to let you know when it’s ready. Enough with the chat, let get to the news!
There was a new development in the ongoing saga of the final Aum Shinrikyo fugitives. Naoko Kikuchi was re-arrested (how the Japanese explain “new charges”) for additional crimes she committed before participating in the 1995 attack on Tokyo’s subway system. In other ongoing sagas this week, Govinda Prasad Mainali, the Nepalese man who was finally released from 15 years in a Japanese prison, will most likely not be returning to Japan, even if the decision for his retrial is reversed, or he his unjustly found guilty once more. You’ll have to read on to find out how I know… Also, one of his former roommates who he shared a Tokyo flat with has revealed that the Japanese police forced him to sign a false statement against Mainali.
On Monday morning, there was a 6.4 magnitude earthquake recorded in northern Japan, I’m sure giving the local residents uneasy feelings of déjà vu. In the ongoing scandal with utility company TEPCO, eight of its 20 resigning members have already found their “golden parachutes” and safely landed executive positions at other companies. If that doesn’t make you feel frustrated, there’s the fact that nine of Japan’s nuclear power plants have yet to install earthquake-proof facilities. While the Fukushima nuclear crisis was going on last year, the Japanese government was given vital information about the spread of radiation, yet it managed to just sit on it and not warn the public about what it had learned.
As for our guest columnists, Ashley Thompson wrote about how to get the most out of expressway service areas, so now you can really enjoy your summer trips on the road! If you were as drawn in as I was by Cynthia Ruble’s column last week about the children lost in Japan’s orphanages, you’ll really want to read the follow-up piece, which explores how the adoption system is slowly improving, and how you can help! Are you a history buff? Or are you enamored with the ways of the ninja? If you answered ‘yes’ to either of those questions, or even better, both, then listen up: there was a secret school in World War II where they taught ninjutsu techniques to soldiers! If you only use the absolute best of the best when it comes to cosmetics, and you’ve got plenty of cash to burn, then Shiseido has the product for you! At more than $13,000, they will be selling the world’s most expensive skincare cream.