Railway police in a Tokyo suburb are handing out free stickers that use red ink to identify molesters caught on trains. The "Molester Deterence Seal" (in Japanese "Chikan Seal") is a 2-ply peel-off sticker intended to be put on smartphones. The 1.5 centimeter diameter sticker is applied to the back of a smartphone. The
A monkey that has been romping around parts of Tokyo since Aug. 6 could be the monkey that ran through Tokyo’s Shibuya station on Aug. 20, 2008. On the morning of August 20, 2008, a macaque monkey scampered into Shibuya train station in Tokyo. Police armed with several meters of green netting and carrying hooped
Seventy-seven gropers (chikan) were arrested on Tokyo commuter trains during a crackdown by the Japan National Police Agency. During the April 15 – 21 effort, 120 officers from the NPA and the Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa prefectural police rode train routes known to attract molesters. Six people were caught on the Keio Line and JR
People who have lost their jobs and do not have money for food seem to be responsible for an increase in convenience store robberies in Tokyo. The Metropolitan Police Department said food is being targeted instead of cash. In September, a man armed with a knife stole onigiri (rice balls) and flavored carbonated alcoholic beverages
Monkey celebrates year of freedom Where is the monkey? That is the question Tokyo residents are asking today on the one year anniversary of the appearance of the lone roamer monkey of Shibuya station. On August 20, 2008, a macaque monkey dashed into Shibuya train station in Tokyo. Morning rush hour commuters watched as dozens
Masked macaque could attack Police are warning Tokyo residents the wild Shibuya monkey may use the mass mask H1N1 flu hysteria to venture out and cause trouble. Police say if the monkey puts on a mask, it will be easier for the simian to slip out of its hideout and blend in with mask-wearing citizens.
Singer Tsuyoshi Kusanagi of SMAP arrested drunk and nude in downtown Tokyo park Top 10 reasons SMAP’s Tsuyoshi Kusanagi Naked In Park 10. Hinokicho park looks like onsen. 9. Need cops’ blue plastic tarpaulin to save space for hanami viewing party. 8. Washing machine broken, wash jeans in creek. 7. Celebrate contract for 1,693rd TV
A monkey scampered through a residential neighborhood in Ibaraki City, Osaka prefecture, and ate a dried persimmon. A passerby called police around 2:30 p.m. Feb. 13. "There is a big ape in the East Ota neighborhood," the woman told police. The Japanese macaque monkey snacked while police kept watch. The police pursued the monkey as
The macaque monkey that appeared unescorted at Shibuya train station in Tokyo in August 2008 remains free. The monkey outsmarted police and escaped into the city. Cops have been responding to the occasional monkey-sighting, but have failed to catch the chimp. The monkey is now living in an internet cafe. The little simian was last
The effort to prevent elderly people from becoming victims of fraud continues with the debut of audio alerts during transactions at automatic teller machines in convenience stores. The caution message on the ATM screen and the voice announcement is designed to alert the elderly to the possibilty they are being swindled. The warning screen appears
The Shibuya monkey is living in an internet café. These images and a video clip from a cell phone camera were sent anonymously to Lets Japan. These photos show the monkey entering a cyber café. The story of the Tokyo Shibuya monkey began August 20, 2008, when the unaccompanied Japanese macaque monkey ran wild in Shibuya train station
January A letter a Kawasaki schoolgirl sent aloft by balloon in 1993 was found fastened to a fish by a fisherman off Choshi port,150 kilometers away from where the balloon was launched. February A 39-year-old man wearing a high school girl’s uniform and a long wig loitered near a Saitama high school and was arrested
Finding the perfect gift for the monkey in your life is always a challenge. It’s especially difficult when the monkey is on the Tokyo police department’s Most Wanted list. How are you going to get that gift to the monkey while the monkey is being chased by cops? It’s not like the simian safe houses are
Mobile phone signal-blocking at cash dispensers is the newest effort to fight fraud in Japan. In October Japan police made a major nationwide effort to prevent citizens – especially the elderly – from becoming victims of various telephone scams. In many of the frauds, senior citizens were instructed by phone to go to banks and
The little monkey that has caused so much trouble in Tokyo since August has now been running loose for 101 days. The last reported sighting of the Japanese macaque was on Nov. 6 in Itabashi, Tokyo. The adventuresome wild monkey first appeared in Tokyo’s Shibuya train station the morning of Aug. 20. The lone simian