Each week, here at Osaka.com, we bring you a selection of some of the top stories about Osaka making the local and national news here in Japan. Sometimes it’s serious, sometimes it’s funny, but it’s always direct to you, from Osaka.
Here’s a look at some of the stories hitting the headlines in Osaka this week.
Court Decides Not to Move Forward in Leaked Documents Case
Osaka’s High Court faced allegations of a cover-up this week, as they decided not to press charges against an assistant prosecutor. The Assistant prosecutor stood accused of leaking confidential information regarding an investigation into rape allegations against his superior.
The case against Kentaro Kitagawa, who stands accused of raping a work colleague, will proceed separately from this case. However, this tangential case has provoked considerable anger. This anger also led to questions amongst the public as to whether or not the court is acting without prejudice or bias in this case.
Criminal Case Dropped, but Prosecutor Faces Internal Discipline
The court judged that the assistant prosecutor in question did not act criminally, but instead negligently, in their handling of information pertinent to the case against Kitagawa.
The court’s determination stated that whilst criminal charges will not go forward, the assistant prosecutor will face consequences for their actions.
The court judged that a pledge by the Osaka High Public Prosecutors Office to severely punish the individual was sufficient. The submission from the Public Prosecutors Office to the Court said: “We have meted out strict punishment against the assistant prosecutor for their behavior that undermined trust in prosecutorial organizations.”
They did not however elaborate on what the punishment was, its duration or its impact on the assistant prosecutor’s future career prospects.
Lawyers representing the plaintiff in this case, who is also the alleged rape victim in the Kitagawa case, were noticeably angered in their response to the court’s ruling. Their statement read: “She (the plaintiff) is suffering secondary damage due to the assistant prosecutor’s speech and behavior. It is unacceptable that they have dropped charges against the prosecutor and just admonished them. It was a punishment lenient to an insider.”
Osaka World Expo Official Guidebook Goes on Sale
With just over 3 weeks to go until the official opening of the Osaka World Expo, promotional operations are ramping up. Part of this was the official launch this week of the Osaka World Expo 2025 Official Commemorative Guidebook.
The Japanese version of the 360-page guide to the event went on sale in bookstores and online this week. It retails for 3080 yen or approximately 21 US dollars.
An English version of the same guidebook will launch on March 27th.
Organizers hope that these new guidebooks will give ticket presales a bit of a jolt. As of March 12th, tickets sales stood at 8.2 million. The visitor target for the event, which runs for 6 months from April 13th, is 28.2 million
To this end, the guidebook also includes a detailed explanation of how to buy tickets for the Expo. Additionally, it includes previews of the National Day and “Special Day” events. These are one-off day-long events scheduled to coincide with Japanese public holidays and other notable events on the Japanese annual calendar.
The guidebook is clearly intended as a souvenir. However, it has a somewhat high price, compared to other, similar, promotional books. This may prove a barrier to driving further ticket sales.
It seems that a lot of potential visitors to the event are adopting a “wait and see” approach. With several pavilions still to be completed, consumers are reluctant to purchase tickets until they get a full picture of what they are paying for.
For more information on the Osaka Expo, and how to buy tickets, please check out our detailed guide. And don’t worry, Osaka.com won’t charge you $21 for the privilege!
And Finally
It was a rough time for newly crowned Yokozuna Hoshoryu, at this week’s Grand Spring Sumo Tournament in Osaka.
The grand champion recorded a mediocre 5 wins and 4 losses in his opening 9 bouts, before injury forced him to withdraw. According to his trainer, Hoshoryu sustained elbow and neck injuries, limiting his movement during bouts. The Yokozuna will need 2 weeks of recovery time, meaning he will miss the rest of the Osaka tournament, but should be good for the next one.
This is the first time that a Yokozuna withdrew from his debut tournament since 1986. It is also something of a blow to the prestige of the Osaka Spring Tournament, as the competition now has no Grand Champions among its competitors.
That’s all for now but be sure to check back again same time next week for another round of this week in Osaka!
