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February 22, 2025
 

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Ayako Mie

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Ayako Mie
Ayako Mie covers Japanese politics and policies for the Japan Times. She started her career as a reporter at Tokyo Broadcasting System in 2001. In 2008, she went to journalism school at University of California, Berkeley as a Fulbright scholar. On returning to Japan in December 2010, she worked for the Washington Post as a special correspondent.
Japan Times
JAPAN / 50TH ADB ANNUAL MEETING
May 4, 2017
Bank aims to streamline process, focus on infrastructure
The president of the Asian Development Bank said that the bank will focus more on cleaner technology and quality infrastructure to meet steeply increasing infrastructure needs in Asia, a move that could potentially help Japanese companies invest more in Asian infrastructure, while working in tandem with...
JAPAN / Media
Mar 31, 2017
Uncovering the truth in the era of fake news
About three years ago, Makoto Watanabe, then an investigative reporter at The Asahi Shimbun newspaper, had a "hunch," based on his experience covering the pharmaceutical industry, that an advertising agency might be paying a major news organization to write stories about certain drugs to promote companies...
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 20, 2017
What next for Japan's peacekeepers after withdrawal from South Sudan?
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe abruptly announced that Japan will end its peacekeeping mission in South Sudan in May and withdraw the Ground Self-Defense Force's engineering troops there. The troops have been deployed to the northeast African country for the last five years as part of...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 7, 2017
Trump tells Abe U.S. 100% behind Japan after missile launch
Prime Minister Abe and U.S. President Trump on Tuesday denounced North Korea's missile provocation, saying the launches into the Sea of Japan violated U.N. resolutions.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2017
Abe says latest North Korean missile launch represents 'new level of threat'
North Korea demonstrated its growing military capabilities with the launch of four ballistic missiles Monday, three of which fell into the Sea of Japan, in what Prime Minister Shinzo Abe characterized as "a new level of threat."
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Mar 3, 2017
Japan's ex-top cop spearheads campaign to boost immigration
When it comes to public safety and terrorism in Japan, nobody probably knows the situation better than Takaji Kunimatsu.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 17, 2017
Japanese protesters demand mega-banks end funding for Dakota pipeline project
Citizens groups deliver a petition to three of Japan's biggest banks demanding that they stop funding the Dakota oil pipeline project reactivated by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2017
Ties to Japan may factor in Kim Jong Nam's mysterious murder
Fears by Kim Jong Un over his legitimacy as North Korea's hereditary leader due to his grandfather's work in a Japanese military factory may have had a role in brother's murder.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 9, 2017
Can golf diplomacy help Abe score win-win on trade and defense?
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is betting a round of golf with President Donald Trump will help protect Japan's crucial auto industry and strengthen defense ties with the U.S.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 7, 2017
Abe renews pledge to solve territorial row with Russia
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday renewed his pledge to settle a dispute with Russia over four islands off Hokkaido despite failing two months earlier to produce any visible progress during a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 7, 2017
Trump ramps up efforts to reassure Japan with phone call from new top U.S. diplomat
In the lead-up to U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's summit this week, Washington is upping its efforts to reassure Tokyo of its security commitment to Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 4, 2017
Mattis clarifies U.S. defense pledge, stays mum on host-nation support
Japan breathes a sigh of relief after visiting U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis reaffirms America's commitment to the bilateral security treaty and keeps quiet about host-nation support.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2017
How much does Japan pay to host U.S. forces? Depends on who you ask
Ahead of the visit to Tokyo by U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis on Friday, the government appears to be missing a critical piece of information: How much does Japan pay to host U.S. military bases?
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2017
Americans gather near U.S. Embassy in Tokyo to protest Trump's travel ban
A group of demonstrators show up near the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo to protest President Donald Trump's executive order suspending the entry of refugees and restricting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / GAUGING TRUMP
Jan 22, 2017
Tokyo all smiles as it takes stock of Trump's nascent team with a wary eye
After Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with President-elect Donald Trump following his November election win, Tokyo cautiously assesses the new U.S. leader's policies.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 17, 2017
As Kennedy steps down from ambassador post, observers see a mixed legacy
The first woman in the role. The daughter of a U.S. president. In some ways, Caroline Kennedy was a unique ambassador to Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 16, 2017
Japan and U.S. sign deal clarifying civilian protection under SOFA
In a bid to reduce crimes committed by U.S. military base workers, Tokyo and Washington sign a supplementary agreement to limit and clarify the definition of the civilian component protected under the Status of Forces Agreement.
Japan Times
JAPAN / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Jan 15, 2017
Japan gropes for cyberattack solution as victims suffer in silence
Last November, chilling news made headlines nationwide — the internal communications network of the Defense Ministry and Self-Defense Forces had been hacked in September, possibly by another nation.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2017
Japanese women see aspirational qualities in 'de facto first lady' Ivanka Trump
Miyu Toyonaga was thrilled when she discovered who had visited her Instagram account last April. It was Ivanka Trump, her fashion icon, and she had liked a photo of Toyonaga with a leather clutch purse from Ivanka's namesake brand.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 9, 2017
Nonfatal Osprey crash in Okinawa brings safety fears to fore
The MV-22 Osprey accident last month in Okinawa rekindled concerns about the tilt-rotor aircraft, which was once known as the "widow maker" for those killed during its development.
Yen advances past ¥150 per dollar as BOJ rate-hike bets ramp up
The Japanese currency climbed as much as 1% to ¥149.95 against the dollar on Thursday, a level it hasn’t touched since Dec. 9.
Japan release of Shiori Ito's documentary in limbo
Shiori Ito, who won a civil suit over a rape case against a TV reporter, in 2018. Her former lawyers claim her documentary includes footage used without the consent of sources.
LDP and opposition lock horns over Japan budget
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in parliament on Friday
Japanese panel seeks to tighten screening of new universities
Education minister Toshiko Abe (right) receives a report on higher education from an advisory panel on Friday.
Over 80% of Japanese say death penalty system is 'unavoidable'
Former death row inmate Iwao Hakamata (left) and his sister, Hideko, attend a gathering of his supporters after his acquittal in a retrial over a 1966 murder case was finalized in October last year.
Japan release of Shiori Ito's documentary in limbo
Shiori Ito, who won a civil suit over a rape case against a TV reporter, in 2018. Her former lawyers claim her documentary includes footage used without the consent of sources.
Abdul Hakim Sani Brown ready to sprint past Paris disappointment
Abdul Hakim Sani Brown (center) runs during a 100-meter heat at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 3, 2024.
What is the ceiling for sumo’s newest yokozuna?
Newly promoted grand champion Hoshoryu (center) performs a dedication ceremony at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo on Jan. 31.
‘Yasuko, Songs of Days Past’ puts overlooked star in the spotlight
“Yasuko, Songs of Days Past” centers on a real-life love triangle between poet Chuya Nakahara (Taisei Kido, left), actor Yasuko Hasegawa (Suzu Hirose, center) and literary critic Hideo Kobayashi (Masaki Okada).
Japan’s English-language education doesn’t pass the test
One-third of elementary school students in Japan do not like learning English, according to a 2021 poll, an 8% rise since 2013. The pressure of taking proficiency tests is eroding children's engagement with studying English and its benefits.

Podcast

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

Longform

Tokyo Koon stands at the forefront of tackling the so-called 2025 issue, also known as the “Magnetic Tape Alert.”
The race to save 20th-century history
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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