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July 16, 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
May 26, 2010
Fukushima's Okinawa trip makes waves
The chasm within the ruling coalition grew deeper Tuesday as Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama expressed dissatisfaction over a visit by Social Democratic Party chief Mizuho Fukushima to Okinawa.
JAPAN / Q&A
May 18, 2010
Referendum law in effect but no amendments eyed
Three years since its Diet passage, the national referendum law takes effect Tuesday, paving the way for amending the Constitution.
JAPAN
May 15, 2010
Hirano to Kagoshima again
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano said Friday he will again visit Kagoshima Prefecture to try to overcome strong local opposition to the government's plans to partially relocate the operations of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to Tokunoshima Island.
JAPAN
May 14, 2010
Hatoyama admits pledge is dead
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Thursday effectively retracted his pledge to resolve the Futenma relocation dispute by his self-imposed deadline, saying he will continue negotiations beyond June if his administration can't reach a comprehensive deal this month.
JAPAN
May 13, 2010
Hirano gets Tokunoshima earful during trip to pitch base transfer
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano visited Kagoshima Prefecture Wednesday evening to brief local politicians on the government's hope to partially relocate U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma's operations to Tokunoshima Island.
JAPAN
May 13, 2010
Pot a long way from legalization
In early April, an Okinawa man in his late 20s visited activist Yusuke Sawada's office in western Tokyo. He had just finished serving his latest prison term, one of many that have kept him behind bars for most of the past decade, depriving him of the formative years of his life.
JAPAN
May 12, 2010
Hatoyama plans return to Okinawa
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is planning to go back to Okinawa Prefecture around May 23 and formally propose his plan for the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima, government sources said Tuesday.
JAPAN
May 8, 2010
Island mayors rebuff Hatoyama
The mayors of the three towns on Tokunoshima in Kagoshima Prefecture told Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Friday they want no part of his proposal to move some U.S. Marine elements from Futenma in Okinawa to their island.
JAPAN
May 7, 2010
Base move not party pledge, Hatoyama says
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama denied Thursday he has backpedaled on the relocation of Futenma air station, stressing the initial proposal to move the U.S. Marine base outside Okinawa Prefecture was his personal goal and not a pledge made by his party.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 27, 2010
Sakamoto, the man and the myth
Even though he was assassinated more than 140 years ago, the name of Sakamoto Ryoma continues to pop up today, most recently as an inspiration behind the NHK drama "Ryoma-den" and as the historical figure favored by lawmakers of all ideological stripes.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2010
Ex-Hatoyama fund manager found guilty
The Tokyo District Court on Thursday handed a suspended two-year prison term to a former government-paid secretary to Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama for falsely reporting the sources of political donations made to the prime minister's fundraising body.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2010
Group seeks 'kisha club' shutdown
A group of intellectuals including academics and journalists called Monday on the government and major news associations to open news conferences to a wider spectrum of media, saying the closed nature of the ministries' press club system has compromised the public's right to know.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2010
'Progress' on Futenma redefined
Members of the government and ruling coalition on Thursday had different takes on what they would consider acceptable progress over relocating the U.S. Futenma air base, as the likelihood of resolving the contentious issue by the end of May faded following Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's unproductive...
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Apr 11, 2010
New party a boon to DPJ, thorn in divided LDP's side
Saturday's launch of marginal political party Tachiagare Nippon (The Sunrise Party of Japan) by former members of the Liberal Democratic Party has only accelerated the main opposition's downward spiral as lawmakers gear up for an Upper House election in July.
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2010
White Beach proposal never official: Hirano
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano on Friday denied reports that the government has abandoned a plan to partially relocate U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to White Beach in eastern Okinawa Island, claiming such a proposal was never officially made in the first place.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 2010
Hatoyama puts 'life' on line for relocation issue
Saying he is ready to "risk his life" to achieve an acceptable outcome, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama expressed confidence Wednesday that the issue of relocating U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma will be resolved by the end of May as promised.
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2010
New Komeito cozying up to DPJ?
With budget allocations having cleared the Diet earlier this week, passage of the child allowance bill Friday was a stroll in the park for the Democratic Party of Japan-led coalition.
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2010
Hatoyama hopes to keep promises, find fiscal balance
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama expressed confidence Friday in achieving fiscal discipline and keeping the government's election pledges at the same time, saying he intends to continue cutting down wasteful spending and avoid a consumption tax hike.
JAPAN
Mar 26, 2010
Tabloid tracks security chief's Diet dorm 'trysts'
Drained by a chain of political money scandals, the Democratic Party of Japan-led coalition came under a fresh attack Thursday by a weekly magazine that accused the chairman of the National Public Safety Commission of shirking his duties by having an "inappropriate tryst" with a woman he is dating.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2010
Record fiscal '10 budget enacted
The ruling bloc enacted the fiscal 2010 budget Wednesday, clearing the way to reflect the Democratic Party of Japan's campaign vows while cranking out an unprecedented ¥44.3 trillion in new bonds.
Who needs AI when you have Hatsune Miku?
Over the first six months of 2024, a handful of songs using Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku’s voice have enjoyed widespread attention, underlining a global interest in the character and the technology she represents.
Bloodied Trump survives assassination attempt at political rally
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is surrounded and evacuated by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Trump was rushed off stage at the rally after shots rang out.
Shooter came within inches of killing Trump, but left few clues as to why
An aerial view shows the stage where Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump had been standing during an assassination attempt the day before, and the roof of a nearby building where a gunman was shot dead by law enforcement, in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
After Trump shooting, U.S. presidential race might take a violent turn
United States Secret Service Counter Snipers stand guard on a rooftop during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Avoca, Pennsylvania, in 2020.
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.

Podcast

You can often see generations of families enjoying performances together at Fuji Rock Festival.
Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
By Tomoko Otake

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