Hikikomori

Following on from the previous episode's theme of eugenics in Japan, we look at how individuals who express eugenic beliefs can impact the world around them in horrific, horrific ways. Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her Instagram page, and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, Not Another Film podcast. Check my new album, Ruined Numbers, for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy! You can also find me on Twitter @sequencepod, or you can listen to my other podcasts Final Fanservice and Not Another Film on any big podcast app. Sources: Sankei News - The suspect in the attack, Uematsu, was prejudiced against people with disabilities Sankei News - Residents rescue tied up staff members and cut cable ties with scissors to prevent further damage News PostSever - Suspect Uematsu, who apprenticed to a tattoo artist, was excommunicated after talking about killing everyone Mainichi Shimbun - Sagamihara murder - Victim's sister: “I can't reveal the name” Mainichi Shimbun - 3 arrested for alleged habitual abuse of disabled Osaka Pref. care home resident who died Nikkan Gendai - “I admire strong people” An acquaintance talks about the suspect who murdered 45 people in Sagamihara Tokyo Shimbun -  Testimonies of the Sagamihara Massacre Incident: The bright central presence “Sato-kun” Aljazeera - Ex-employee stabs 19 people to death in Japan care home Kyodo News - Japan care home requires sterilization of mentally disabled couples BBC News - Tokyo Paralympics: The lowdown on being disabled in Japan Asahi Shimbun - U.N. committee urges Japan to revise laws for disabled people WION - Japan's disabled lawmakers fight to end the invisibility of people with disabilities Tokyo Weekender - Why is Japan Still Biased Against People with Disabilities? Science Direct - Disability policies in Japan and Sweden: A comparative perspective TokyoDev - Living with a disability in Japan Tofugu - Hidden No More: What Happens When The Intellectually Disabled Join Japanese Society Japan Times - 90% in Japan feel discrimination against disabled exists, survey finds Life Where I’m From X - Living in Japan with a Physical Disability Wikipedia - Sagamihara Stabbings

In 1948 the Japanese Government, still under firm control by the Allied occupation forces, wrote into law the Eugenic Protection Law. While this law was similar to the myriad of pro-eugenic laws across the world, Japan's eugenics law is notable for having been only repealed in the 90s. Today's guest is Kieran Bennett! You can follow him via his Twitter profile, or check out his portfolio of video editing work at kgbennett.myportfolio.com. Check my new album, Ruined Numbers, for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy! You can also find me on Twitter @sequencepod, or you can listen to my other podcasts Final Fanservice and Not Another Film on any big podcast app. Sources: Human Rights Watch - Japan: Compelled Sterilization of Transgender People Human Rights Watch - Japan Court Rules Against Mandatory Transgender Sterilization Japan Times - Some duped into sterilization surgery under eugenics law, parliament report says Japan Times - Lawyers set up hotlines for victims of 1948-1996 eugenics law AP - Japan’s top court strikes down required sterilization surgery to officially change gender Takashi Tsuchiya of Osaka City University - Eugenic Sterilizations in Japan and Recent Demands for Apology: A Report Asahi Shimbun - Tokyo court rejects bid for compensation over sterilization Asahi Shimbun - Court denies compensation for unconstitutional sterilization Guardian - Japan court awards damages to victims of forced sterilisation for first time Guardian - Anger in Japan as report reveals children were forcibly sterilised Independent - Japan to pay compensation to people sterilised under eugenics law modelled on Nazi programmes Independent - Japanese woman forcibly sterilised as teenager suing government for breach of human rights BBC News - Japan sterilisation law victims included nine-year-olds Huffington Post - Japan Publishes Report Detailing 25,000 Forced Sterilizations On Citizens, Including 9-Year-Olds Time - Japan Apologizes To Victims Of Forced Sterilization And Promises Compensation Wikipedia - Eugenics in Japan

We made it! The completely arbitrary milestone of 100 that's solely meaningful to humans because of our bias towards base 10! To celebrate, here's a nice story about an island covered in the cutest rabbits you've ever seen, also a poison gas factory. Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her Instagram page, and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, Not Another Film podcast. Check my new album, Ruined Numbers, for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy! You can also find me on Twitter @sequencepod, or you can listen to my other podcasts Final Fanservice and Not Another Film on any big podcast app. Sources: The Gateway to Rabbit Island Live video feed of Rabbit Island Hiroshima for Global Peace - Okunoshima Travel Japan - Okunoshima Wikipedia - Okunoshima Wikipedia - Itsukushima

We continue the most famous and baffling fraud case of modern Japan with the tale of Mamoru Samuragochi. This week we examine exactly how the supposed deaf composer was able to get away with presenting another person's compositions as his own for 18 years. Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her Instagram page, and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, Not Another Film podcast. Check my new album, Ruined Numbers, for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy! You can also find me on Twitter @sequencepod, or you can listen to my other podcasts Final Fanservice and Not Another Film on any big podcast app. Sources: The New Republic: Japan's Deaf Composer Wasn't What He Seemed Classic FM: The Composer Who Was Once Dubbed "Japan's Beethoven" Time Magazine: 2001 Interview with Samuragochi Wall Street Journal: Music Critic's Suspicions Led to Composer's Downfall Inverse: "Clowns farting": The wild story behind Resident Evil's worst soundtrack Independent: Japanese 'Beethoven' Mamoru Samuragochi admits faking deafness CNN: Uproar as ‘Japanese Beethoven’ Mamoru Samuragochi exposed as a fraud Suzi the Sphere Hunter: Onimusha Samurai Survival Horror Wikipedia: Mamoru Samuragochi

Born as a second-generation Hibakusha, that is to say a child of Hiroshima A-bomb survivors, Mamoru Samuragochi faced hardship, prejudice and increasing illness throughout his life. Despite these enormous setbacks, he became one of the most respected and successful musical composers in Japan, despite becoming almost entirely deaf. He was also a liar. Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her Instagram page, and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, Not Another Film podcast. Check my new album, Ruined Numbers, for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy! You can also find me on Twitter @sequencepod, or you can listen to my other podcasts Final Fanservice and Not Another Film on any big podcast app. Sources: The New Republic: Japan's Deaf Composer Wasn't What He Seemed Classic FM: The Composer Who Was Once Dubbed "Japan's Beethoven" Time Magazine: 2001 Interview with Samuragochi Wall Street Journal: Music Critic's Suspicions Led to Composer's Downfall Inverse: "Clowns farting": The wild story behind Resident Evil's worst soundtrack Independent: Japanese 'Beethoven' Mamoru Samuragochi admits faking deafness Wikipedia: Mamoru Samuragochi

Today, the JWs have as many as 250,000 adherents in Japan, despite having an extremely rocky start in the country in the early 1930s. In recent years, the JWs have experienced controversy in the media and courts once again, this time for serious allegations of abuse of its own members and children.   Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her Instagram page, and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, Not Another Film podcast. Check my new album, Ruined Numbers, for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy! You can also find me on Twitter @sequencepod, or you can listen to my other podcasts Final Fanservice and Not Another Film on any big podcast app. Sources: Japan Times: Children of Jehovah’s Witnesses submit report detailing sexual abuse Investigator Magazine: JUNZO AKASHI – A Watchtower Victim Asahi Shimbun: 159 report being sexually abused as Jehovah’s Witnesses Mainichi Shimbun: 3rd-gen Jehovah's Witness in Japan opens up about dark past before opposition parties Japan Times: Japan lawyers form group to support children of Jehovah's Witnesses followers Metropolis: The Door Knockers - Jehovah’s Witnesses in Japan Asahi Shimbun: Ex-Jehovah’s Witness opens up about trauma brought by faith JWLeaks.org: Jehovah’s Witnesses face ‘worrying development’ on the treatment of children in Japan Yomiuri Shimbun: Japan Lawyers to Report on Religion-Based Refusal of Blood Transfusions for Kids EWTN Global Catholic Television: Charles Taze Russell YouTube: Senator Mizuho Uehara addressing Parliament over the issue of the JWs and their alleged abuse of children Twitter: Kotaro Tanaka’s account Wikipedia: History of Jehovah's Witnesses

When the AIDs epidemic began tearing its way through gay communities throughout the world, there was almost no effort made by governments to address the escalating health crisis whatsoever.  Even when heat-treated blood became available, pharmaceutical companies were strangely reluctant to offer these newer, safer products, particularly in South America and Asia, but no country was quite as ruthlessly self-defeating than in Japan, which created an extraordinary conspiracy to put corporate profits above the lives of their citizens Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her Instagram page, and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, Not Another Film podcast. Check my new album, Ruined Numbers, for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy! You can also find me on Twitter @sequencepod, or you can listen to my other podcasts Final Fanservice and Not Another Film on any big podcast app. Sources: Qanon Anonymous, Episode 221: Plasma Vampires & the Blood Business feat Kathleen McLaughlin  New York Times: 2003, Beyer Exposed (paywall)  New York Times: Japanese Suits on H.I.V.-Tainted Blood Settled (paywall)  LA Times: Japan Official Apologises in AIDS Scandal  Nature Medicine: Japanese officials were aware of HIV in blood products  Washington Post: Japanese Arrested in Blood Scandal  CBS News: Japan - Convictions In Blood Scandal  National Library of Medicine: Haemophilia patients launch action against Bayer over contaminated blood products  Wikipedia: HIV/AIDs in Japan  Wikipedia: Green Cross  Wikipedia: Contaminated Haemophilia Blood Products  JP Wikipedia: Contaminated Blood Scandal 

Weather News Live is a 24-hour a day stream dedicated to reporting the weather... sort of. It has gained huge popularity on the internet over the last few years with live shows hosted by "Casters", young women who have attracted huge fanbases. By far the most popular has been Saya Hiyama who, in mid-2023, found herself at the centre of a controversy normally only reserved for those in the Idol industry. Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her Instagram page, and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, Not Another Film podcast. Check my new album, Ruined Numbers, for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy! You can also find me on Twitter @sequencepod, or you can listen to my other podcasts Final Fanservice and Not Another Film on any big podcast app. Sources: Japanalysis: Japan’s Ridiculous Weatherwoman Fiasco  Saya Hiyama clip 1  Saya Hiyama clip 2  Japan Times: Weather forecaster Saya Hiyama's viral moments say a lot about fame in Japan  Oricon News - Saya announces she’s dating  Parental bonding in retrospect and adult attachment style: A comparative study between Spanish, Italian and Japanese cultures. Hoenicka et al. (2022)  Japanese national well-being survey shows that living alone results in lower satisfaction and affects other relationships, while social networking service usage is related to life satisfaction: A cross-sectional study. Miyaki et al. (2022)  Aini: Parasocial relationships in East Asia: A look into obsession  Time: In Defence of Parasocial Relationship  Parasocial Interactions and Relationships in Early Adolesence 

We end our series on Miyoko Sumida by looking at possibly her most disturbing family invasion with the Oe household, as well as how this eventually led to her accidental arrest and the fall of the Sumida gang. We also find out how the Yakuza hides bodies (allegedly). Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her Instagram page, and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, Not Another Film podcast. Check my new album, Ruined Numbers, for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy! You can also find me on Twitter @sequencepod, or you can listen to my other podcasts Final Fanservice and Not Another Film on any big podcast app. Sources: Unknown Misandry Japan Times - the Piranha Family Rhetorica - the Piranha Family Murderpedia - Miyoko Sumida JP Wikipedia - The Amagasaki Incident

We continue covering the disturbing crimes of Miyoko Sumida and her family, as she infiltrates and rips apart two more families. Today we look at how she added her loyal enforcer, Masanori Ri, and her presumed heir, Tanimoto Rui, to her organisation. Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her Instagram page, and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, Not Another Film podcast. Check my new album, Ruined Numbers, for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy! You can also find me on Twitter @sequencepod, or you can listen to my other podcasts Final Fanservice and Not Another Film on any big podcast app. Sources: Unknown Misandry Japan Times - the Piranha Family Rhetorica - the Piranha Family Murderpedia - Miyoko Sumida JP Wikipedia - The Amagasaki Incident

Miyoko Sumida was a psychopath with a disturbing ability to manipulate others for her own ends. She was also seemingly obsessed with keeping other people by making them members of her family though marriage and adoption. In a horrifying 25-year career of criminal gang activity and serial murder, Sumida became more cult leader than yakuza. Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her Instagram page, and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, Not Another Film podcast. Check my new album, Ruined Numbers, for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy! You can also find me on Twitter @sequencepod, or you can listen to my other podcasts Final Fanservice and Not Another Film on any big podcast app. Sources: Unknown Misandry  Japan Times - the Piranha Family Rhetorica - the Piranha Family  Murderpedia - Miyoko Sumida JP Wikipedia - The Amagasaki Incident

Yoshikazu Suzuki was a perennially-failing music shop salesman, and in the early 90s his debt had amounted to an astronomical level. His plan to get himself out of this debt was to rise above this, literally, by following in the footsteps of Lawnchair Larry. Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her Instagram page, and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, Not Another Film podcast. Check my new album, Ruined Numbers, for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy! You can also find me on Twitter @sequencepod, or you can listen to my other podcasts Final Fanservice and Not Another Film on any big podcast app.

In April of 2018, the writer Elif Batuman had an article published in The New Yorker, titled "Japan’s Rent-a-Family Industry". It explored a cultural phenomenon in Japan, that of agencies where one could hire an actor to perform in a social interaction that would be otherwise awkward or impossible. It became such a popular and celebrated article that it would win the National Magazine Award for that year. Unfortunately, it was also based entirely on bullshit. Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her Instagram page, and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, Not Another Film podcast. Check my new album, Ruined Numbers, for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy! You can also find me on Twitter @sequencepod, or you can listen to my other podcasts Final Fanservice and Not Another Film on any big podcast app. Sources: New Yorker: Japan’s Rent-a-Family Industry  The New Republic: How the New Yorker Fell into the “Weird Japan” Trap  Wall Street Journal: New Yorker Re-Examines Article on Japanese Family Rental Service  AFAR: What it’s Like to Rent a Friend in Tokyo  Wikipedia: Elif Batuman  Wikipedia: Rental Family Service 

The Glico-Morinaga Case began in 1984, when the CEO of the Glico Corporation was kidnapped, naked from his home during a bath. While that kidnapping resolved itself fairly rapidly, what followed was a campaign of fear across Japan, as a mysterious organisation began threatening to poison the public's food. Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her Instagram page, and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, Not Another Film podcast. Check my new album, Ruined Numbers, for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy! You can also find me on Twitter @sequencepod, or you can listen to my other podcasts Final Fanservice and Not Another Film on any big podcast app. Sources: Singularity Hub: New Japanese Pop Idol Shocks Fans  UPI: Candy Tycoon kidnapped naked from bath  Atlas Obscura: The 1980's Crime Ring that Poisoned Japan's Candy and Never Got Caught  The Glico website  Wikipedia: Aimi Eguchi  Wikipedia: The Glico-Morinaga Case 

Content Warning: Murder. In the months after the Osaka Dog-Lover Serial Murders ended, but before the perpetrator of that case was caught, a completely separate but weirdly similar case occurred in Saitama. Gen Sekine, a fairly successful dog breeder and utter psychopath, decided that the best way to dig himself out of financial trouble was to kill his way out. Today's guest is Cassie! You can find her via her Twitter. Also be sure to check out her Vtuber persona, Sleep Panda Mei, who streams on Twitch! Check my new album, Ruined Numbers, for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy! You can also find me on Twitter @sequencepod, or you can listen to my other podcasts Final Fanservice and Not Another Film on any big podcast app. Sources: Independent - Dog breeder suspected of killing clients  S. A. Ozbourne - The pet shop owner who killed and disposed of his customers  Japan Times - Couple handed death sentence over poisoning of four  Fuji TV - Kazama's son confesses his mother's crimes  Wikipedia - Gen Sekine