Overview
- Tokyo Metropolitan Police moved on Nov. 5 to re-arrest three suspects, including Han Kocheol, 52, on suspicion of illegal high-interest lending tied to a November 2024 loan of ¥320,000 with ¥80,000 interest.
- Police say the unregistered operation targeted women burdened by host-club tabs or working in the sex industry, with at least a dozen victims identified.
- Sapporo replaced long-uninspected glass smoke boards at the Subway’s Sapporo Station with impact-resistant resin and plans similar work at Kita-24-Jo Station in fiscal 2026 under strengthened maintenance standards.
- Hokkaido’s first privately funded home hospice opened Nov. 1 in Sapporo’s Toyohira Ward, offering 24-hour nursing and caregiving in a home-like setting.
- In Osaka’s Takaishi, a car rear-ended a special-needs school bus, and authorities said ten children were taken to hospital with light injuries and no life-threatening conditions.