The Tokyo Metropolitan Police confirmed on Tuesday the arrest of the 44-year-old mother of Minami Takahashi, a member of the popular singing group AKB48, for performing obscene acts with a junior-high school boy, reports Jiji Press (Feb. 7). "I was compelled to do several terrible things," the mother was quoted by police in admitting to the allegations. She was fined 500,000 yen for violating an ordinance regarding the healthy development of youths. (Tokyo Reporter)

Operators of so-called cat cafes, where visitors can play with cats in a relaxing atmosphere, are upset over a revision of the enforcement regulations of the Animal Protection Law that would prohibit the display of cats late at night starting June 1. The aim of the revision is to keep pet stores in busy shopping districts from displaying puppies and kittens for sale later than 8 p.m. Cat cafe operators are protesting the government's plan to prohibit all forms of "display" irrespective of the type of business. "Cats are nocturnal animals. [They] are adults and already get enough rest [during the day]," the operator of one cat cafe said. I recently visited Neko no Iru Kyukeijo 299, a cat cafe in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, at about 8 p.m. There were about 10 customers, some taking pictures of cats with their cell phones and others playing with cats. (Yomiuri)

Dried herbs mixed with stimulant chemicals carefully packaged to dodge drug laws are gaining in popularity among young Japanese, leading in turn to a drastic increase in the shops selling such products. These "dappo habu" (law-evading herbs) contain stimulant materials whose chemical components are slightly different from those prohibited by drug laws. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government identified two shops selling such products in fiscal 2009. As of last Friday, 89 such shops were in existence, many of them in Shinjuku and Shibuya, areas popular with young people. (Japan Times)

What kind of (unexpected place' are we talking about? Doing it outdoors? Or on the dance floor of her club, in front of the other patrons? "No, no, that's not what I meant," she replies. "By 'place,' I mean a part of the body. You see, I had an orgasm while getting screwed in my armpit!!" But it seems there are some women whose armpits happen to be erogenous zones. Lick them in the right place --- shall we call it their U-spot? (Tokyo Reporter)

Tokyo's newest landmark, the Tokyo Gate Bridge, will open to traffic on Feb 12. The 2,618-meter-long truss bridge is 87.8 meters high and spans Tokyo Bay, linking Wakasu in Koto Ward with the Jonanjima Seaside Park in Ota Ward. The central span is 440 meters. The bridge has been nicknamed the "dinosaur bridge" by Japanese media because of its unusual shape. It looks like two dinosaurs facing off. It has four lanes and walkway that is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The bridge spans a major sea lane into Tokyo Port, but its height had to be restricted to below 100 meters because planes fly over it on their way to and from Haneda Airport. (Japan Today)