In this week’s news roundup we mourn the deaths of two legendary figures in the entertainment industry: Keizo Murase and Toshiyuki Nishida. We also report on Nihon Hidankyo’s Nobel Peace Prize triumph, as Joe Biden and Barack Obama send congratulatory messages. Rape victim Catherine Jane Fisher gives a powerful address at a UN convention as she calls for a revision to Article 16 of the Status of Forces Agreement. Japanese national Raita Fukusaku — alleged killer of a famous fortune teller and her son — is found dead inside his cell in Hawaii. And a Chilean influencer faces a backlash for doing a pull-up on a Shinto shrine gate.
Famed Sculptor Keizo Murase Dies Aged 89
Keizo Murase, a suitmaker and modeler most famous for his work on several kaiju films, such as Varan the Unbelievable, King Kong vs. Godzilla, Gamera and Terror of Mechagodzilla, died on Monday due to decompensated liver cirrhosis. He was 89. On Thursday, United Entertainment announced that a private funeral will be held later this month for close family and friends. Murase was hospitalized in March of last year after suffering from hepatic encephalopathy, a brain disorder caused by chronic liver failure. Although he temporarily recovered, he developed it again in July of this year.
Born in Ikeda, Hokkaido, on October 5, 1935, Murase moved to Tokyo at the age of 23 and joined Toho’s special art department as a part-time worker. He became a full-time staff member a year later and debuted as an assistant sculptor on Ishiro Honda’s 1958 kaiju film, Varan the Unbelievable. After enhancing his reputation with his creations for films such as Mothra, King Kong vs. Godzilla and Matango, Murase went independent and worked on several television series, including Captain Ultra. Earlier this year, Brush of the God, his first directorial project, was released.
Beloved Actor Toshiyuki Nishida Passes Away Aged 76
Famed actor Toshiyuki Nishida, who was most well-known for playing the fishing obsessed office worker Hama-chan (Densuke Hamasaki) in the popular movie series Tsuribaka Nisshi, sadly passed away on Thursday. He was 76. According to investigative sources, he was found collapsed on his bed at his home in Tokyo’s Setagaya ward in Tokyo at around 12:30 p.m. He was confirmed dead on the spot. Police are currently investigating the details of his death. His agency said he “had a chronic heart condition, but he lived a normal daily life.” He attended a film event earlier this month.
Born in Koriyama city, Fukushima Prefecture in 1947, Nishida moved to Tokyo in his late teens and entered a theater company. In the 1970s, he regularly appeared on TV and quickly became a fan favorite due to his vague expression and friendly demeanor. By the end of the decade, he was known overseas as well after playing Pigsy in the popular series Monkey. More than just an actor, he was also the MC for the variety show Knight Scoop and was an accomplished singer. His most famous song was “Moshimo Piano ga Hiketa Nara,” released in 1981.
Biden and Obama Congratulate Nihon Hidankyo for Winning Nobel Peace Prize
On Sunday, the president of the United States sent a congratulatory message to Japanese organization Nihon Hidankyo for winning this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. A statement from Joe Biden via the White House read “For decades, the members of Nihon Hidankyo have served as a human testament to the catastrophic human toll of nuclear weapons, telling a story that humanity needs to hear. On behalf of the United States, I congratulate them on being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their historic work to ensure that nuclear weapons are never used again.”
Posting on X, former US President Barack Obama wrote: “At a time when the threat of nuclear weapons is growing — and the taboo against threatening their use is weakening — Nihon Hidankyo’s work reminds us that these weapons have a terrible human cost, and that the pursuit of a world without nuclear weapons is an essential part of making sure we leave our children a safer, more secure world.” The Hiroshima and Nagasaki-based atomic bomb survivors group was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last Friday for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.
Catherine Jane Fisher
Rape Victim Gives Powerful Address at UN Convention
On Monday, rape victim Catherine Jane Fisher gave a powerful address at the United Nations 89th Session CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women), calling for a revision to Article 16 of the Status of Forces Agreement, which currently states that US military personnel should “respect” the laws of Japan, but don’t need to “obey” them. “Since 1954, over 210,000 crimes and accidents have occurred,” she said. “Despite this staggering number many victims are remaining silent, due to fear, stigma and lack of support. The system not only fails to protect them, it also hinders their justice.
“The perpetrators are able to flee Japan, due to the Status of Forces Agreement which allows them to evade accountability,” continued Fisher. “Upon returning to the US, they are committing crimes there, which is now a cross-border issue.” In 2002, the Australian mother of three was drugged and then raped in the back of a van by former US sailor Bloke Deans at a parking lot near Yokosuka Naval Base. Following a civil court case, Deans was ordered to pay ¥3 million. However, as the US navy had given him permission to leave the country, the ruling couldn’t be enforced.
Japanese Prisoner Stabbed to Death in Hawaii Cell
On Monday morning, Japanese national Raita Fukusaku was found dead inside his cell at the Halawa Correctional Facility in Aiea, outside Honolulu. According to the police, “the victim had been assaulted and stabbed by his cellmate, a 38-year-old male.” The alleged perpetrator was immediately removed and placed in a holding unit. Fukusaku, 59, who hailed from Kanagawa Prefecture, had served almost 30 years in prison. In 1995, he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for two counts of second-degree murder. He was found guilty of killing famous Japanese fortune teller Kototome Fujita and her son Goro Fujita.
Fukusaku, who became the first Japanese national to be extradited to the United States based on a bilateral extradition treaty, admitted to transporting the bodies, but claimed he didn’t murder the mother and son. Speaking to the Hawaii Paroling Authority 18 years after his sentencing, Fukusaku requested an early release, stating again that he wasn’t the murderer. He insisted he was coerced into covering up the killings as he was under pressure from people in the yakuza. “I didn’t kill my friend and his mother,” he said. “What I did is, I didn’t stop them and I couldn’t save them.”
Chilean Influencer Faces Backlash for Exercising on a Torii Gate
A Chilean influencer with over 137,000 followers is the latest foreign content creator to cause a stir in Japan. Marimar Pérez-Banus, who regularly uploads fitness videos alongside her sister on her Instagram page under the username of @mmgymsisters, posted footage of herself doing a pull-up on a Shinto shrine gate. Someone then uploaded the video on X on Monday under the words, “Baka na gaijin” (“stupid foreigner”). It already has over 30 million views and several irate comments. “I hope she never comes to Japan again,” wrote one user. “Such a shame for us,” commented another.
Pérez-Banus deleted the footage and uploaded a remorseful video. “I want to apologize for my actions in Japan. It wasn’t my intention to be disrespectful. It was something I did without thinking and I feel bad for doing it.” In the past couple of years, nuisance foreign influencers have made headlines in Japan for all the wrong reasons. The most notorious was, of course, kick streamer Johnny Somali who harassed passengers on trains with comments like “Hiroshima, Nagasaki… we do again.” There was then a group of YouTubers, including Fidias Panayiotou, who traveled up and down Japan without paying.
