On the morning of December 26, Masanari Doto, of no known occupation, used a bicycle to approach a woman, aged in her 20s, as she walked in the opposite direction on a road in the Shimane area of the ward and spit on her head and right hand.
Doto, who has been accused of assault, admits to the allegations, according to the Nishiarai Police Station. “Additionally, I’ve carried a coffee can containing my own urine and splashed women and children,” the suspect was quoted by police.
Doto became a person of interest for police after he was seen pedaling a bicycle near the crime scene in security camera footage.
The suspect estimates that he has committed the same crime about 50 times in Adachi and Suginami wards since January of 2012. “I have a complex toward women,” he said. “I wanted them to turn around.”
In some cases, he touched the bodies of the victims and kissed them, police said.
Since May of last year, the police station has received 14 reports by women who said they have been spit on or splashed with urine.
More than 40 people were injured on Sunday when an explosion caused a fire at a commercial building housing a pub in Sapporo City on Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido. Police suspect a gas leak may be the cause.
(NHK) 
A famous hot spa resort is offering an online map showing "onsen" spots available for tattooed tourists traveling to the region for next year's Rugby World Cup in Japan. (Kyodo) 
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga has revealed that the government plans to open about 100 support centers for foreign workers across Japan.
(NHK) 
Rino Sashihara, a leading Japanese idol singer, will leave the all-girl musical group HKT48, an affiliate of the country's entertainment giant AKB48, next year, she said Saturday. (Kyodo) 
The education ministry plans to include ¥1.52 trillion in its budget for fiscal 2019 to cover personnel costs for teachers at public elementary and junior high schools, it has been learned. (Japan Times) 
Japan's central government is pushing ahead with a controversial plan to relocate an American military base within the southern prefecture of Okinawa. They've started full-scale land reclamation work despite strong local opposition.
(NHK) 
A court on Friday sentenced a 26-year-old man to 18 years in prison for a highway road rage incident last year in which a couple died and their two teenage daughters were injured. (Japan Times) 
The government will temporarily suspend an extra medical fee that pregnant women were required to pay out of pocket to see doctors, health minister Takumi Nemoto said Friday. (Japan Times) 
Japanese education companies are expanding their language offerings overseas, seeing business opportunities in meeting growing demand for Japanese-speaking foreign manpower as the nation opens its doors to workers from overseas. (Nikkei) 
Japan Post Holdings Co. plans to acquire a 7 to 8 percent stake in U.S. insurer Aflac Inc. for about ¥300 billion as part of its strategy to expand operations overseas, sources familiar with the matter said Thursday. (Japan Times)