Tokyo Weekender - December 2017 - January 2018

AS WE BID FAREWELL TO
ANOTHER YEAR AND WELCOME
A FRESH START, WE REFLECT
ON THE BIGGEST AND
STRANGEST STORIES
OF THE PAST YEAR
Words by Matthew Hernon
ANTI-CONSPIRACY LAW
SPARKS FEARS OVER
CIVIL LIBERTIES
After being delayed three times
due to widespread public opposition, the
controversial anti-conspiracy law that gives
authorities the right to prosecute those who
plan crimes even if they don’t carry them out,
came into effect in July. According to the government,
the bill was necessary for Japan to
become a party to the UN Convention against
Transnational Organized Crime and in order
to protect its citizens leading up to the 2020
Olympics. Critics, however, have called it
an abuse of power and an unconstitutional
attack on freedom of expression, while also
taking issue with the inclusion of lesser
crimes such as copying music and mushroom
picking in conservation areas.
BLACK WIDOW SENTENCED
TO DEATH BY HANGING
Chisako Kakehi, who used cyanide
to murder her husband and two
former lovers, and attempted to kill another
man, will now face the executioner herself.
Dubbed the “Black Widow” (a term derived
from the female spider that sometimes eats
its mate after copulation), she reportedly
inherited around one billion yen from the
death of her partners. Judge Ayako Nakagawa
described the 70-year-old’s actions as “cunning
and malicious,” stating that she had “no
choice but to impose the ultimate penalty of
death.” At one stage Kakehi admitted to killing
her husband, but lawyers said the testimony
couldn’t be trusted as she had dementia.
CHEATING ACCUSATION GOES
VIRAL FOLLOWING AC-
TRESS’S YOUTUBE RANT
A public spat between celebrity
couple Kazuyo Matsui and Eiichiro Funakoshi
caused quite a stir this summer with
the former accusing her actor husband of
adultery. She even uploaded a six-minute
video in English to reach out to a larger
audience. The 60-year-old actress claimed
Funakoshi was having an affair with her
best friend in Hawaii while also saying he
couldn’t have sex without Viagra, had fake
hair, and was after her money. Funakoshi’s
agency, HoriPro, announced they’d taken
legal action against Matsui for defamation
and business obstruction.
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
IMPLODES: LDP SAILS TO
VICTORY
A few days after Prime Minister
Abe called a snap election, leader of the
opposition Seiji Maehara disbanded the
Democratic Party, encouraging candidates
to run under the Party of Hope led by Yuriko
Koike. However, the Tokyo governor rejected
liberal and left-leaning members of the DP,
so Yukio Edano, the face of Japan during the
2011 nuclear crisis, formed the Constitutional
Democratic Party. With the competition
fragmented, the LDP and coalition partner,
Komeito, strolled to victory at the general
election, garnering a two-thirds majority.
The CDP became the largest opposition force
in the Diet, winning 54 seats, while the Party
of Hope won just 49. Koike later resigned as
leader.
EMPEROR AKIHITO GIVEN
PERMISSION TO ABDICATE
CHRYSANTHEMUM THRONE
In June, the Japanese government
passed a one-off bill giving the emperor permission
to stand down from a position he’s
held for almost three decades. He will become
the first monarch to renounce the throne
since Emperor Kokaku back in 1817. The
Heisei Era is expected to end on March 31,
2019, with Crown Prince Naruhito succeeding
to the throne the following day. In other royal
news, Princess Mako, eldest granddaughter
of the emperor, announced her engagement
to former classmate Kei Komuro. As he is a
commoner, she will be forced to quit the
royal family.
FUJII FEVER SWEEPS THE
NATION
The Japanese public fell back in
love with shogi this year when
14-year-old school boy Sota Fujii went on a
29-game winning streak, breaking a record
that stood for three decades. Interest in the
teen intensified with each victory, and by
the end of the historic 29th game there were
reportedly 7.4 million viewers watching
on Ameba TV’s shogi channel. Fujii, who
learned the basic rules of the game from his
grandmother, turned professional at 14 years
and two months. His first official win came
against legendary figure Hifumi Kato, the
game’s oldest pro, who this year retired after
a career spanning six decades.
GRUELLING WORK
SCHEDULE CAUSES
REPORTER’S DEATH
NHK this year revealed that one
of its former employees died from karoshi
(death from overwork). Journalist Miwa
Sado, 31, passed away from congestive heart
failure in 2013, though the public broadcaster
decided to wait four years to make the
death public because her parents originally
wanted it kept quiet before changing their
minds this summer. Sado did 159 hours and
37 minutes of overtime in one month covering
a regional and national election. She was
found collapsed on her bed holding a mobile
phone. Japan is planning to cap overtime
at 100 hours a month, though many believe
that is still too excessive.
TOKYO WEEKENDER | DEC 2017 - JAN 2018 | 17