日文新聞平台

Despite growing criticism of the notoriously opaque criminal justice system, a Justice Ministry panel tasked with revamping it concluded three years of work Wednesday by deciding not to back mandatory recording of all criminal interrogations, while recommending that law enforcement be given a freer hand in pursuing controversial information-gathering tactics.

The panel’s conclusions appear to be at odds with its original vow to bring Japan’s criminal justice system “up to date” and roll back reliance on confessions as a means of securing prosecutions.

With rockets raining deep inside Israel, the military pummeled Palestinian targets Wednesday across the Gaza Strip and threatened a broad ground offensive, while the first diplomatic efforts to end two days of heavy fighting got under way.

Egypt, which has mediated before between Israel and the Hamas militant group, said it spoke to all sides about ending the violence. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was in touch with Israel to try to lower tensions. And the head of the United Nations warned of a “deteriorating situation . . . which could quickly get beyond anyone’s control.”

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government will inspect stores suspected of selling quasi-legal narcotics as early as this week, officials said Wednesday, a day after the Cabinet pledged a crackdown on so-called “dappo” (law-evading) drugs.

The inspections of about 70 shops will be conducted jointly with the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry and the Metropolitan Police Department. If inspectors find dappo drugs, the metropolitan government will issue an order to remove them from view and from sale, the officials said.

Benesse Holdings Inc., Japan’s largest provider of correspondence education for children, said Wednesday the personal information of up to about 20.7 million customers may have leaked from its group company, Benesse Corp.

Based on an in-house investigation, Benesse said it suspects an insider who is not an employee had leaked the information. Police are investigating the matter, it added.

Nobody ever expected this.

The Germans tore apart Brazil’s porous defense time and time again Tuesday, routing the hosts 7-1 in the World Cup semifinals, the largest margin of defeat at this stage in the history of the tournament.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday declared a new war against quasi-legal highs known as “dappo” drugs, pledging to adopt a speedier process by which regulators can identify and outlaw products with dangerous narcotic or hallucinogenic ingredients.

The pronouncement came at an emergency government meeting was held in response to a recent spate of car accidents involving drivers high on the drugs. In some cases the drivers hit and killed pedestrians.

North Korea appears to have fired ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan early Wednesday, the Japanese government said, adding that no damage to aircraft or ships has so far been reported.

The missiles appear to have been launched from the country’s southwest, beginning at around 4 a.m.

Japanese TV broadcasters should introduce English subtitles in news programs by 2020 in light of an expected increase in the number of foreign visitors ahead of the Tokyo Olympics that year, according to an expert panel at the communications ministry.

“Subtitled television programs would serve as one of the most effective tools” to help foreign residents and tourists understand developments, the panel said Friday in a report.

The Supreme Court is expected next week to uphold a lower court ruling endorsing the government’s decision not to disclose diplomatic documents about the 1972 reversion of Okinawa from U.S. control, judicial sources said Monday.

The top court is likely to reject an appeal over the Tokyo High Court’s September 2011 decision that nullified

The Nuclear Regulation Authority will delay unveiling an interim report on restarting two reactors at a plant in Kagoshima Prefecture, sources matter said Monday.

The NRA had planned to present the draft to its decision-making panel Wednesday, but regulators judged that further evaluation was needed for measures to deal with severe accidents proposed by the plant’s operator, Kyushu Electric Power Co., the sources said.