In this week’s news roundup, we report on allegations of abuse made by Myanmar workers at a farm in Hokkaido. Washington sanctions ICC President Tomoko Akane. The Akita Prefectural Government suspends and demotes an employee after he appeared on a screen during a press conference from a love hotel. A convenience store robber fakes a foreign accent in an attempt to fool police. Zion Suzuki signs for Aston Villa. And we remember Hayden Panettiere’s fight for dolphins in Taiji following her death on Sunday.
Myanmar Workers Claim They Were Beaten, Sexually Harassed and Threatened at Hokkaido Farm
A Hokkaido farm is under investigation after four Myanmar workers alleged physical abuse and harassment. They claim they were beaten with a metal rod and had vegetables thrown at them. The women, who work under Japan’s Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) program, were taken into protective custody by a labor union in July. The allegations came to light this week after Hokkaido Broadcasting published an investigation detailing claims of beatings, sexual harassment and threats to send them back to Myanmar.
The two sons both explicitly said they had not personally used violence against the workers. Asked about allegations against his father, the elder son neither confirmed nor denied them. HBC also reported that a separate company previously operated by the family had its accreditation to accept technical interns revoked in 2022 after authorities found that it had committed acts that seriously violated trainees’ human rights. A new company was established just 47 days after the accreditation was revoked.
Judge Tomoko Akane, President of the International Criminal Court | Image: Wikimedia
Washington Sanctions ICC President Tomoko Akane
On Tuesday, prominent Japanese jurist Tomoko Akane found herself at the center of an escalating confrontation between Washington and the International Criminal Court (ICC). The United States imposed sanctions on Akane, president of the ICC, in the latest escalation of the Trump administration’s campaign against the Hague-based court. Abdoulaye Seye, a senior trial lawyer at the ICC, was also targeted. The sanctions mean that any assets they hold under US jurisdiction are blocked.
According to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the pair had “directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction.” The court, meanwhile, condemned the measures. “When judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk,” the court said. Japan’s foreign ministry also criticized the sanctions, describing them as “very unfortunate.”
Panettiere at the premiere of “Scream VI” in 2023 | Shutterstock
Remembering Hayden Panettiere’s Fight for Dolphins in Taiji
Hayden Panettiere passed away on Sunday at the age of 36. Her death has prompted an outpouring of grief from the actors and friends who knew her, including her former Heroes co-star Masi Oka, who remembered her as someone “way wiser beyond her years.” Panettiere is best known for her role as the indestructible cheerleader Claire Bennet, though one of the most remarkable chapters of her life took place far from Hollywood.
In 2007, she joined a group of activists working with the Whaleman Foundation in an attempt to disrupt the annual dolphin hunt in Taiji, a small coastal town on the Kii Peninsula in Wakayama Prefecture. It was an act of activism that would later become part of the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove. Along with five other surfers, she paddled into the cove in an attempt to document what was happening and raise awareness of the hunt.
Images of the Akita official via X user @masanews3
A Bathrobe, a Cigarette and a Love Hotel: An Akita Official’s Bizarre Press Conference
It was supposed to be a fairly routine press conference about plans for an AI data center in Akita city. Instead, it turned into an unlikely scandal involving a prefectural official, a bathrobe, a cigarette and a love hotel. Last Friday, the Akita Prefectural Government announced that Takahiro Ono, a 55-year-old enterprise attraction promotion supervisor, was being demoted two ranks and receiving a six-month suspension for attending an online press conference from a love hotel in a bathrobe.
Ono initially kept his camera off during the press conference, explaining that he was wearing “relaxing clothes” because he was on leave. After appearing in a white gown with a cigarette in his mouth, Ono’s boss apologized on his behalf, explaining that he attended the press conference “from his home because he was not feeling well.” However, the distinctive arabesque wallpaper visible behind him fueled speculation that Ono was speaking from a love hotel.
Image: Julian via Unsplash
Convenience Store Robber Fakes Foreign Accent In Attempt To Fool Police
If you’re going to rob a convenience store, “please give me some money” probably isn’t the most intimidating opening line. Yet that was allegedly the strategy used by Atsushi Goto, a 32-year-old man in Gunma, who police say held a knife to a convenience-store manager and asked for money in deliberately broken Japanese. The incident reportedly occurred at around 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday at a store in Oizumi.
Despite his polite request for money, the plan quickly fell apart when the manager resisted, prompting Goto to flee empty-handed. As with the robbery itself, the getaway was hardly a masterclass in criminal planning. Police say Goto was identified through forensic evidence collected at the scene and security camera footage. He later admitted to the allegations, saying he had tried to “pretend to be a foreigner” by asking for money in broken Japanese.
Suzuki pictured during the 2024 Asian Cup in Qatar | Image: Wikimedia
Zion Suzuki Signs for Aston Villa
Goalkeeper Zion Suzuki joined Aston Villa from Parma on Wednesday, becoming the 10th Japanese player in the Premier League this season. The Midlands club signed the US-born shot-stopper for €30 million plus €5 million in add-ons on a five-year deal. “I’m very excited and I’m very happy to be here to start my new journey,” the 23-year-old told VillaTV. “I want to play at the highest level and that’s why I’ve decided to come here.”
Suzuki, who ranked second in Serie A for both high claims and successful long passes in 2025/26, was one of Europe’s most sought-after goalkeepers this summer. Leeds United and Newcastle United reportedly showed interest, while Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti called him a goalkeeper with “great prospects.” He was also close to joining European champions Paris Saint-Germain, but the deal collapsed after his representatives reportedly sought €3 million in agent commissions.
