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Kenji Sato
Brisbane, QLD
Kenji Sato is a reporter for ABC Brisbane. He got his start as a newspaper cadet at The Area News in Griffith, before moving on to The Daily Advertiser in Wagga Wagga, The Mercury in Hobart, and ABC Western Plains in Dubbo.
Latest by Kenji Sato
How much does the Queensland government profit from the gambling industry?
By Kenji Sato
The Queensland government made $1.9 billion in gambling taxes last year, but only spent 0.6 per cent on harm minimisation programs.
Updated
Real estate lobby blames high-paid union tradies for housing shortage in Queensland
Queensland's real estate lobby says people are too afraid to point out that unions are driving up the cost of housing, but an economist says that while wage growth is a contributing factor, so too is growing material costs, labour shortages and excessive government regulations.
How a racial slur spurred Chong Ali to challenge Asian stereotypes through rap
A schoolyard racial taunt inspires Minh Nguyen's unapologetically Asian rap identity. He hopes it will "interrupt" racism for a bit.
Internet trolls may have latent psychopathic tendencies, researchers find
Psychologists say people with high psychopathic tendencies are able to explore their "true self" when they're not identifiable.
From fine dining to dragons and dumplings, this is what's on at BrisAsia 2024
This year's BrisAsia festival features several new events, including an Asian street food festival and a children's program.
Updated
Why is an Australian tomato more expensive than a can flown around the world?
Shoppers have seen the price of local fruit and veg skyrocket, but canned produce remains relatively cheap. One expert says there are several worrying reasons for this.
Analysis
analysis:How much do pokie clubs really give back to the community?
In some cases, poker machine venues are donating less than 1 per cent of their gambling earnings to the community.
Tours of jail from Boy Swallows Universe still in limbo as nearby construction stalls
Tour guide Jack Sim says he regularly receives disappointed messages from visitors unable to visit Brisbane's infamous Boggo Road Gaol, which features in the Netflix series based on Trent Dalton's popular book.
Updated
Labor says Greens promise to blow up the pokies 'won't address problem gambling'
Council-owned buildings will be cleared of poker machines to make way for live music if the Greens triumph at Brisbane's upcoming local election, but Labor says the cost to businesses would be unacceptable.
Surf lifesavers give 'incredible' gift to grandfather who thought he'd never swim at the beach again
Keen Queensland beachgoer Brian Devitt was unable to swim due to his age, but his children and a group of lifesavers have helped him relive his youth.
Updated
Meet the army of volunteers behind Queensland's biggest book festival
Lifeline Bookfest Brisbane is run by 700 volunteers who will stack and sell more than a million second-hand books during the nine-day event. And each person has their own unique story about why they support the crisis hotline.
Updated
Brisbane Labor vows to abolish LNP's 'waste of money' Olympics committee
Brisbane Labor declares its intention to abolish the council's Olympics Committee, describing it as a "vanity project" designed to prop up the LNP.
Updated
Elizabeth was born to a surrogate mother, an act the pope deems 'deplorable' and wants banned
Stephen and Mitch Page say they wouldn't know the joy of fatherhood without it, but this week, Pope Francis called for a worldwide ban on surrogacy, saying the practice violates the dignity of women. So what do surrogacy experts say?
Updated
Brisbane's deputy mayor rails against 'radical' Greens proposal to reduce car dependency
Brisbane could be harder for drivers but easier for cyclists and pedestrians under a sweeping proposal by the Greens to "de-prioritise" cars in favour of people ahead of the local election in March.
Police say Queenslanders 'feel unsafe' despite falling crime rates
Queensland police data contradicts claims in some media that 2023's crime rates were the worst they have been this century, with the number of overall incidents per capita down significantly since 2001 despite rises in domestic violence and shop thefts.
Cane toads are slowly marching across Australia. What's the most humane way to kill them?
Scientists says bludgeoning the invasive pests with a golf club or running them over with a car isn't just cruel — it's also potentially dangerous.
Fears Brisbane art scene will be 'cut off at the knees' after federal funding slashed
Metro Arts is expecting an exodus of up-and-coming artists from Brisbane, after all the organisation's federal funding was cut for the next four years.
Barbie bus beats Bluey bus to win council's 29th annual Christmas decorating competition
With over 130 dolls and several spools of pink tinsel, a Barbie-themed bus has been declared the most festive in Brisbane, beating a Bluey-themed bus in the annual Christmas competition.
Wealth and homelessness at odds as coastal suburb tent city residents cop abuse
Homeless people in the City of Moreton Bay say they are being harassed by local residents, while a local action group is lobbying for the council to have the camp removed from the coastal suburb.
Updated
Why this sleepy Queensland suburb is Labor's 'valuable' power vacuum
Election analyst Kevin Bonham says Inala is one of the most prized electorates within the Labor Party, as local residents give their take on the efforts of local MP and retiring Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
'Work harder than everyone else': Mao's Last Dancer gives his parting words of wisdom on eve of retirement
Before he became the legendary Mao's Last Dancer, Li Cunxin was a peasant boy in communist China with a burning desire to work harder than everyone else.
How Brisbane solved its 'horrible stench' to become a riverside city
Whenever the Brisbane River ran low in the early 1900s it was often accompanied with the overpowering stench of human waste, dead fish and industrial gas. A lot has changed since then, but experts say there's more to do ahead of the 2032 Olympics.
From birth to retirement, a 'bonkers' history of baby boomers getting blamed for everything
Baby boomers have been copping criticism from the day they were born, from being too left-wing and delinquent, to being too conservative and greedy, but researchers suggest much of the criticism doesn't stack up.
Teacher who had leg broken by student says classroom behaviour is only getting worse
Sue-Belinda Meehan believes education reforms in recent years have done more harm than good, and backs a Senate committee's recommendations to bring back some traditional approaches.
Mindfulness training fails the classroom test, a new study finds
When more than 1,000 teenagers engaged in eight weeks of dialectical behaviour therapy, their mental health did not improve, research shows.