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August 15, 2024
 

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Jun Hongo

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Jun Hongo
Jun Hongo graduated from Boston University and joined The Japan Times in 2006. He covers a wide range of domestic news, including politics and business. He is an avid Red Sox fan.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2012
Vaunted missile shield more for show than protection
With Aegis destroyers and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles deployed and standing by, Japan's military appears ready to shoot down any debris from North Korea's rocket — or even the rocket itself — should it threaten the country this week.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 5, 2012
Tuesday's havoc laid to rare 'May Storm'
The strong storm Tuesday that left four people dead and disrupted transportation systems nationwide was triggered by a case of rare weather conditions occurring simultaneously.
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2012
Gloomy 'tankan' surprises market
The pessimism reigning among large manufacturers remained firmly entrenched in the Bank of Japan's quarterly "tankan" survey Monday, underscoring persistent concerns about the yen's appreciation and Europe's sovereign credit risk.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 31, 2012
Experts: 10% tax too minor to dent deficit
The Cabinet on Friday made good on its vow and moved forward on doubling the consumption tax by 2015, but some experts and lawmakers already see it as only a tiny step in cutting the ever-expanding fiscal deficit.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 20, 2012
Fukushima not just about nuke crisis
The Tohoku region continues to struggle beyond the first anniversary of the March 11, 2011, Great East Japan Earthquake, particularly Fukushima Prefecture, whose recovery is being greatly hampered by the triple-meltdown crisis at a coastal nuclear plant.
JAPAN
Mar 15, 2012
Fukushima soil fallout far short of Chernobyl
In terms of soil contamination, the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant is only about an eighth as severe as the meltdown at the Chernobyl plant, in what is now Ukraine, in 1986, according to a report by the science ministry released Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 15, 2012
Paragliding fanatic chronicles Iwaki's postdisaster shoreline
Footage of the Tohoku region's tsunami-ravaged coast has been broadcast constantly over the past year, allowing viewers a closeup view of obliterated communities.
BUSINESS
Mar 14, 2012
BOJ to beef up loan supply for prospective growth sectors
The Bank of Japan said Tuesday it will maintain its zero interest rate policy while enhancing its loan scheme for prospective growth industries to ¥5.5 trillion, up from ¥3.5 trillion.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 12, 2012
Thousands rally at Hibiya Park
Thousands converged on Tokyo's Hibiya Park over the weekend to hold candlelight services, play music and offer prayers to commemorate the first anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, one of the largest of many such rallies and gatherings across the capital.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2012
Reconstruction a golden opportunity for eco-communities
While rebuilding the Tohoku coast progresses at a snail's pace, experts say hints for re-creating the region into a leading area that relies on reusable energy can already be found in many communities across the globe.
Japan Times
JAPAN / QUEST FOR RECOVERY
Mar 11, 2012
A year on, Tohoku stuck in limbo
Located roughly 23 km from Fukushima's crippled nuclear plant, Hirono Station today is the northernmost stop on the JR Joban Line for passengers traveling up Tohoku's coast from Tokyo.
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2012
Calls mount for restrictions on foreign lawyers to be eased
A statute on foreign lawyers in Japan should be amended to allow them to practice law on an equal footing with Japanese attorneys, a legal expert said Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2012
Colombian foreign minister voices optimism over inking bilateral EPA
Following a meeting last September with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda referred to the South American country as "a neighbor" of Japan only separated by the Pacific.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2012
Evacuated town prepares for residents' return
The town of Hirono resumed services Thursday at City Hall, the first of nine evacuated municipal offices in Fukushima Prefecture to reopen since the March 11 disaster struck and nuclear crisis started.
JAPAN
Feb 29, 2012
Panel lays bare Fukushima recipe for disaster
The Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant crisis was caused by Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s lack of preparation for huge tsunami and exacerbated by conflicting levels of authority and downright "distrust and meddling" by high-ranking officials, an independent investigative panel reported Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Feb 28, 2012
Berlitz loses suit over union teacher strikes
The Tokyo District Court on Monday rejected a lawsuit filed by Berlitz Japan Inc. that sought damages from union executives and its teachers for waging strikes and causing substantial damage to the company.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 23, 2012
Nagoya mayor won't budge on Nanjing remark
Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura on Wednesday refused to retract his contentious comments about the veracity of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre and said he is ready to visit the city to explain his views.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 21, 2012
January trade deficit hits new high
Japan logged a record ¥1.48 trillion trade deficit in January as an overseas slump, appreciating yen and a growing reliance on foreign energy slashed exporters' profits and boosted imports, the Finance Ministry said Monday.
JAPAN
Feb 16, 2012
'Long-period' quake warning urged
Experts reviewing the impact of "long-period ground motion" on tall structures such as high-rises following the March 11 earthquake are calling for creating a new system that would enhance warnings in the event of a major temblor and subsequent aftershocks.
BUSINESS
Feb 15, 2012
BOJ targets inflation of 1%, boosts easing
The Bank of Japan on Tuesday stepped up its monetary easing measures, breaking with precedent to announce an explicit consumer price inflation target of 1 percent, while plowing a further ¥10 trillion into its asset purchase program.
Japan to revise consumption tax exemption for overseas tourists
Tourists walk through Nakamise shopping street near Sensoji Temple in Tokyo in April
Japan's tourism industry hit by cancellations after megaquake alert
A beach closed due to a megaquake alert in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, from Friday to Thursday.
Focus shifts to incoming typhoon as Tropical Storm Maria dissipates
Newly formed Tropical Storm Ampil, which is forecast to approach eastern Japan this weekend, is seen on the left side of this satellite image.
Kishida to step down in September in bid to show ‘LDP has changed’
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference Wednesday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
Publisher finds surprise audience after translating history textbooks
Yamakawa Shuppansha president Takeshi Nozawa holds the publisher's textbook on Japanese history — used in high schools across Japan — alongside the new English version in Tokyo on May 23.
Economic security is about strengthening and sustaining growth, former minister says
Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi says changes in the international balance of power, along with deepening economic interdependence, have led some countries to attempt to use their economic power to impose their will on others.
Ice bandanas, convenience store breaks: Running under Japan’s summer sun
Blistering heat is becoming a fixture of summer in Japan, but a few tweaks to your routine can make your outdoor runs bearable — if not enjoyable — until cooler temperatures return.
Japan issued its first-ever megaquake alert. What does that mean?
Naoshi Hirata (center), chairman of a committee tasked with evaluating the risk of a Nankai Trough earthquake, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
France brings down the curtain on its Olympic party with Tom Cruise and Leon Marchand
Fireworks are set off during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics at Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Sunday.
Japan fuels U.S. LNG boom even as climate targets and impacts loom
Flaring at the Cameron LNG export terminal in Hackberry, Louisiana. Flaring, a common sight at LNG plants, is a controlled burning of gas for reasons ranging from depressurizing equipment to disposing of gas that can’t be used. The practice is a "waste of money" and negatively impacts climate change and human health, says the International Energy Agency.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’
By Thu-Huong Ha

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