While body art is widely accepted in many countries, tattoos are considered taboo in Japan, especially in public places like bathhouses, gyms and even workplaces. Because of this stigma ...

While body art is widely accepted in many countries, tattoos are considered taboo in Japan, especially in public places like bathhouses, gyms and even workplaces. Because of this stigma, tattoo ...

These astonishing photographs give an unprecedented glimpse inside the world of the Yakuza, the Japanese organised crime syndicates, known for their brutality, tattoos and strict code of honour ...

The Japanese government banned tattoos in 1872, as while the practice had risen as an art form, tattooed marks were still used as a punishment. The ban wasn't lifted until 1948, but the practice ...

An official at a Hanoi-based organization that dispatches technical interns to Japan said there has been a noticeable increase among Vietnamese people getting their tattoos removed since Japan ...

Although tattoos have increasingly been used as fashion statements, especially in overseas countries, they are still associated with yakuza gangsters and other “anti-social elements” in Japan.

SAPPORO -- Could browsing through tattoo coloring books while serving ... We will continue to ensure appropriate treatment of inmates." (Japanese original by Karen Goto, Hokkaido News Department) ...