 Junpei Kota

 Even in September, the unusually hot weather shows no sign of abating, with extremely hot days being recorded in many areas. Rice farmers across Japan are in a difficult situation due to this abnormal weather.

Water Shortage Dries Up Rice Paddies as Farmers Lament Severe Crop Losses

 Pinappo Urachu

 Saitama Prefectural Police have arrested four women, including the manager, for violating the Entertainment Establishments Control Law by providing sexual services to customers at a sauna in Kawaguchi City. In March, this magazine reported on the contents of the services provided at this sauna, which has been in operation in Nishi-Kawaguchi for more than 20 years.

Four Women Arrested for ‘Sexual Services’ at an Adults-Only Sauna in Nishikawaguchi

 Izumi Nakagawa

 Afro

 The shortage of medical personnel, rising medical costs, the aging of the population, and the delay in digitization... Japan's healthcare system faces a mountain of challenges. The expert said, "There is no future for Japanese healthcare unless the digitization and AI of healthcare advances...

The use of AI is the way for Japanese healthcare to survive&#8230;but vested interests stand in the way of the &#8220;medical fee system&#8221; and the &#8220;Medical Care Act

 Shinji Hamasaki (1st photo)

 Playback '15" looks back at what this magazine reported 10, 20, and 30 years ago. In 2002, a series of deaths occurred at a nursing home in Kawasaki. The magazine directly interviewed a man who was thought to be the key to the case.

Playback &#8217;15] &#8220;Kawasaki Nursing Home Serial Murder&#8221; &#8220;Man Who Knows All About It&#8221; Talks about His Anxiety in Direct Interview with This Magazine

 Takuma Arimura

 The Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) was held in Yokohama from August 20 to 22. The Japan Fair was held next to the conference venue where Prime Minister Ishiba and other leaders attended the meeting, and China's presence was impressive.

In some cases, Japanese contracts were violated&#8230; &#8220;China&#8217;s presence&#8221; revealed at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9)

 Takeshi Kinugawa

 The "X-Day" for the extraordinary presidential election is approaching on September 8. With Secretary General Moriyama submitting his resignation and the opposition from within the party growing stronger, Prime Minister Ishiba has a trump card to play in order to "stay in power. That is the appointment of Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi as his successor.

Prime Minister Ishiba is given an ultimatum by his party&#8230; His last hope is to &#8220;select Shinjiro Koizumi as secretary general&#8221; and immediately dissolve the general election.

 Blank Green

 Nuisance acts are occurring frequently at barbecue sites, a staple of summer leisure activities. At one such place in Tokyo, the management staff is troubled by the fact that in recent years, foreigners in particular do not follow the rules even when warned. We interviewed the staff on the spot.

Tokyo Riverside BBQs Overrun by Nuisance Guests: Garbage, Noise, Fireworks, Mostly Foreign Visitors

 Hideki Asai

 Caffeine in coffee and tea has the effect of making you feel light-headed and sleepy. However, if intake exceeds a certain limit, it can have adverse effects on health, such as dizziness and increased heart rate. What is the proper amount?

Surprising Caffeine Levels in Popular Drinks — Too Much Can Be Dangerous

 Kyodo News

 Eiheiji Temple in Fukui Prefecture is the head temple of the Soto sect of Zen Buddhism and has long been known as a center of Zen Buddhism. The scandal that marred the signboard of this ancient temple, which boasts a great history of about 800 years, occurred...

Training Monk Accused of Obscene Acts Against High School Girls During Overnight Study Trip

 Akira Ikoma

 What impact have the revisions of the Entertainment Establishments Control Law had on the industry and how do they lead to the present? This is the final installment of a series of articles by sex industry journalist Akira Ikoma. In the first part, he discusses the revisions made in 2005 and 2010.

Fūei Law Reform (Part 1) — 2005 Amendment Deals Final Blow to Philippine Pubs

 Akira Ikoma, a sex industry journalist, explains the history of the "revision" of the Entertainment Establishments Control Law in this series. What will the revision in 2013 bring to the adult entertainment industry in the future? What has been lost and what has been gained in the history of amendments? He will summarize.

Fūei Law Reform (Final Part) — Once-Noisy Pleasure Districts Silenced: The Law vs. the Sex Industry

 Shinji Hasuo

 On August 26, the Metropolitan Police Department arrested the president of a pachinko operator and six other executives for violating the Public Offices Election Law (bribing promises), and referred them to the Public Prosecutor's Office on August 8. The president is believed to have instructed his employees to vote for Yasuhisa Abe, who ran for the upper house of the Diet.

Pachinko Boss Smiles During Arrest — Facing Serious Election Law Charges

 Takeshi Kinugawa (1st photo), Kyodo News

 Suntory HD Chairman Takeshi Niinami resigned on September 1. Mr. Niinami became president of Lawson in 2002 at the age of 43. He attracted the attention of the business world as a "legendary man. Six years later, this magazine interviewed Mr. Niinami.

Becoming Lawson President Showed Me My Arrogance — Suntory’s Niinami Opens Up Post-Resignation

 Abnormal weather conditions such as heat waves continuing into September have become commonplace in recent years. Professor Yoshihiro Tachibana of Mie University's Graduate School, known for his research on extreme weather, warns that Japan is one of the countries suffering the most from global warming....

Japan as the Main Victim of Super Extreme Weather — Mie Univ. Professor Had Predicted 40°C World

 Nakahira Ryo

 A search was conducted in Kobe City for Masashi Tanimoto, a suspect arrested for stabbing to death a 24-year-old woman who was a passenger in an elevator. The suspect's unusual behavior prior to the crime is gradually becoming clear, but "the real picture is elusive," says the reporter who covered the case.

Kobe Apartment Murder of 24-Year-Old Woman — Traces of Life Found in Suspect Tanimoto’s 4.5-Tatami Room

 Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture, continues to be in turmoil over allegations that Mayor Maki Takubo has falsified his academic credentials. What do the residents of Ito City think as the battle between the mayor and the city council continues? We visited the site and gathered firsthand accounts.

Citizens Voice Frustration Over Mayor Takubo’s Diploma Scandal

 Rental Scary Man," which became a hot topic on social networking sites in August, suddenly announced that it will terminate its service on August 31. What are the problems pointed out by legal experts? ......

The Sudden End of &#8220;Rental Scary Person&#8221; — Specialists Highlight Hidden Legal Pitfalls

 Shinji Hasuo (2nd photo)

 The trial of a man who indecently assaulted a high school girl by saying, "If you don't want to be killed, take off your pants. The man, who has denied some of the crimes, told a completely different story during the questioning of the defendant than what he had stated in the police investigation. What is his claim?

Court Confronts Defendant Over Alleged Threat in Non-Consensual Indecency Case

 Sundai prep schools will stop announcing the number of students who passed the entrance examinations for the 2014 academic year. The reason behind this is the "padding" of the number of successful applicants by various prep schools. This has been a common practice since the 1960s, when entrance examinations became more and more intense. The following is an explanation of how the number of successful applicants far exceeds the number announced by universities.

Sundai Pulls the Plug on Admissions Boasts After Tokyo University Numbers Don’t Add Up

 This year, too, the high school baseball games were hotly contested. However, behind the scenes, there were also adults who were gambling on baseball. We asked a person involved with a betting house run by a gang about the inner workings of the game.

The Finals Moved Huge Money — Inside High School Baseball Betting

 Takayuki Ogawauchi

 The new party "The Way of Rebirth" failed to win seats in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly and the House of Councillors elections. Shinji Ishimaru announced at a press conference that he was stepping down as the party's representative, but he was "bickering" with a crowd of reporters. ......

Shinji Ishimaru vs. Asahi, Nikkei, and Mochizuki: &#8220;Ishimaru Theater&#8221; at the press conference&#8230; &#8220;Co-dependence&#8221; with the media is evident.

 Apart from the changing sex industry of the time, there are also backstage entertainment establishments that have quietly existed throughout Japan over the ages. A YouTuber "underground explorer" infiltrated a super public bathhouse rumored to offer extreme services to see if the rumors are true.

We went undercover at another &#8220;super public bathhouse with extreme services&#8221; in Japan.

 Shigeki Sato (1st, 4th), Kenji Natsume (5th)

 In this issue of Playback, we look back at what we reported 10, 20, and 30 years ago. X was arrested in December 2004 for the murder of a girl in Nara, Japan, and this magazine reported on a surprising side of him while he was in custody at the time.

Playback &#8217;05] The &#8220;Authenticity&#8221; of the Tears Shed by the Murderer of a Girl in the First Elementary School in Nara, Japan

 Daisuke Iwasaki

 The LDP has been unable to unite its party due to the conflict between calls for Prime Minister Ishiba's resignation and calls for him to stay in office after the election defeat. Perhaps seeing this situation, Shinji Ishimaru offered some surprising advice to Prime Minister Ishiba.

Why don&#8217;t you name and stab the backstabbing legislators in the back?&#8221; Shinji Ishimaru&#8217;s advice to Prime Minister Ishiba, who is struggling against the unstoppable &#8220;Ishiba-ori

News

Water Shortage Dries Up Rice Paddies as Farmers Lament Severe Crop Losses

Four Women Arrested for ‘Sexual Services’ at an Adults-Only Sauna in Nishikawaguchi

The use of AI is the way for Japanese healthcare to survive…but vested interests stand in the way of the “medical fee system” and the “Medical Care Act

Playback ’15] “Kawasaki Nursing Home Serial Murder” “Man Who Knows All About It” Talks about His Anxiety in Direct Interview with This Magazine

In some cases, Japanese contracts were violated… “China’s presence” revealed at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9)

Prime Minister Ishiba is given an ultimatum by his party… His last hope is to “select Shinjiro Koizumi as secretary general” and immediately dissolve the general election.