The Olympic Village murderer earned this nickname the night he was celebrating his 18th birthday. A few hours made the difference between being tried as a minor or as an adult —as happened with the rest of those involved in the beating to death of a 24-year-old in a car park. It was April 1, 2000, and only four months had passed since the law on criminal responsibility of minors had been approved, with a less punitive model focused on education and reintegration. Now, this norm has once again faced pressure from the far-right and victims' families to increase criminal penalties for minors who commit extremely violent crimes, murders, or rapes.

Japan is beginning to open up about drugs: the country is further tightening its zero-tolerance policy on narcotics. Since last December, consuming marijuana is no longer just a social taboo or a legal gray area: it's a criminal offense. At the end of March, Tokyo police arrested two people for the first time—a 44-year-old man and a woman—accused of using cannabis after failing a urine test.