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.
Table of Contents
Ahead of Expo, Authorities Target Illegal Taxis
It’s now less than 2 months to go until the public opening of the Osaka International Expo. In preparation, local police continued a crackdown on illegal taxi operators this week.
Since January 28th, a force of some 50 police officers has been carrying out regular spot checks on suspicious vehicles at Kansai Airport. The Airport is currently in the midst of tourism boom. It is experiencing its largest influx of passengers since pre-pandemic times.
With this boom, there also comes an increased demand for these unlicensed and illegal taxi services.
However, proving that drivers operate such services is difficult. When questioned, most drivers will simply say they are there to pick up relatives or friends. Additionally, payments for these illegal taxis are often made in advance. Drivers utilize websites or phone apps, which are difficult to trace and often based abroad. To that end, police made on two arrests as of February 18th.
One suspect drove a black mini-van. He admitted to agreeing to transport a family of Korean tourists to Kyoto in return for 29,000 yen. The suspect, a Korean national works for an Osaka trading company. He claimed he acted under the direction of the company’s president, also a Korean national. It remains unclear at this time whether the president admits to any involvement. However, the vehicle driven in the case is his, according to registration documents.
Police Also Highlight “Potential Liability” of Illegal Taxis
Osaka Police also launched an awareness campaign aimed at warning tourists off of using these illegal taxi services. Police sought to highlight the danger of using these vehicles, as passengers may not be insured in the event of an accident.
“Vehicles licensed for commercial use (buses and taxis) need a specific form of liability insurance to do so,” explained an Osaka police official.
They continued: “Without this insurance, passengers may be unable to claim compensation or medical assistance in the event of an accident.”
The overriding theme, police say, is that while unlicensed vehicles may be a cheaper option for some travellers, the dangers involved in their inherently illegal nature negate this short term benefit. In short, if it seems to good to be true, it almost certainly is.
Osaka Court Jails Child Predator For Life
The Osaka High Court handed down its sentence this week in one of the most horrific sexual abuse cases of recent times.
Tomoya Yanagimoto, a 32 year old former hospital worker, was convicted of sexually assaulting 10 elementary school age girls. The crimes took place between 2016 and 2022.
Showing an appalling level of calculated maliciousness, Yanagimoto pursued his targets for extended periods, documenting the movements of them and their family members to establish when would be the optimum time to break in and commit his illegal acts.
The now convicted rapist also tried to feign mental illness during the trial. However, the fact that he had been able to find a job and maintain a daily lifestyle during his crime spree proved this was nonsensical.
Whilst Yanagimoto will, in all likelihood spend at least the next couple of decades behind bars, his victims will have to live with the trauma for the rest of their lives.
And Finally…
It seems the organizers of the Osaka International Expo 2025 still have a great deal of work to do to win over public confidence. With the event due to open on April 13th, a poll conducted this week by national newspaper, the Mainichi Shimbun, showed just 16% of respondents want to visit the Expo. A further 16% said they were not sure about visiting. However, a whopping 67% said they do not want to and do not plan to visit the site.
The expo, which is several years in the making, has been dogged by high profile withdrawals, cost overruns and public apathy, occasionally giving way to outright public anger. Most feel the money used to finance this event could have been better used elsewhere. Many are also concerned about the future tax liability, as the government seeks to reclaim the billions of yen in losses the event is projected to make.
Still, a lot can change in a few weeks, and backers of the event remain determined to put on a great show, that they hope will draw millions of visitors to Osaka.
That’s all for now, but be sure to check back again same time next week for another round of This Week in Osaka!
