Nao Shimoyachi - The Japan Times

Today's print edition

Subscribe for more access

Meta

Nao Shimoyachi

JAPAN

Nov 23, 2004

Watchdog group raps proposed defense policy

A group that monitors Japan's defense policy warned Monday that a new security policy recommended last month by an advisory panel to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi could violate agreements under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, as it would allow nuclear retaliation against use of other weapons...

Japan Times

JAPAN

Nov 18, 2004

Missile shield project ignites bidding war

Tokyo's decision last year to deploy an expensive U.S.-developed defense system against North Korea's ballistic missiles has triggered a heated race between the defense industries of Japan and the United States to get the most out of the 1 trillion yen project.

JAPAN

Nov 13, 2004

Chinese submarine intrusion considered an act of provocation

The Defense Agency said Friday the intrusion of a Chinese submarine into Japan's territorial waters was a highly provocative act by the Chinese Navy.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Nov 12, 2004

Yokota base joint-use plan irks residents

Ryuzo Fukumoto's house shakes and a roar can be heard overhead around 40 times a day on average -- sometimes even at night.

JAPAN

Nov 12, 2004

Lawmakers question delayed response to sub

Ruling bloc and opposition lawmakers Thursday criticized the government's slow response to a mystery submarine that intruded into Japan's territorial waters the previous day.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Nov 11, 2004

Okinawans feel state leaving them in limbo

Near the northeastern Okinawa Island fishing port of Nago, some 50 men and women in their 60s through their 90s have been staging a daytime sit-in at a makeshift camp for more than 200 days.

JAPAN

Nov 11, 2004

Unidentified submarine intrudes near Okinawa

An unidentified submarine briefly entered Japan's territorial waters off the Okinawa Islands early Wednesday, and Maritime Self-Defense Force patrol aircraft were sent to track it.

Japan Times

Features

Nov 7, 2004

Love her or hate her...

Nahoko Takato became famous on the night of April 8 this year, when the Arab satellite broadcaster Al-Jazeera aired video footage of her and two other Japanese held blindfolded at gunpoint in Iraq.

JAPAN

Nov 5, 2004

Troops ready for deployment; Iraq mission may be extended

The Defense Agency on Thursday ordered the Northeastern Army of the Ground Self-Defense Force to prepare to head to southern Iraq to take over Japan's humanitarian aid mission there -- an indication the government is prepared to extend troop deployment beyond its one-year mission.

JAPAN

Nov 4, 2004

Japan urged to put human rights on agenda for talks with North Korea

A visiting American human rights specialist has urged Japan to put North Korea's human rights record on its agenda for the upcoming normalization talks scheduled with the reclusive state.

JAPAN

Nov 3, 2004

Sporadic rocket attacks on SDF camp don't constitute combat, officials say

While a rocket attack that damaged a storage container at the Ground Self-Defense Force camp in Samawah, southern Iraq, on Monday rattled the government, Japan remained adamant that the area is still a noncombat zone and that the troops can stay.

JAPAN

Oct 22, 2004

Ono retracts comments on U.S. command transfer

Defense Agency chief Yoshinori Ono was forced Thursday to retract earlier comments supporting the U.S.-proposed transfer of command functions of the U.S. Army First Corps in Washington state to Camp Zama in Kanagawa Prefecture.

JAPAN

Oct 20, 2004

Japan, U.S. should broaden scope of security pact: Ono

The Japan-U.S. security alliance should be upgraded to contribute to "international peace," not just security in the Asia-Pacific region as currently defined under the bilateral security pact, Defense Agency chief Yoshinori Ono said Tuesday.

JAPAN

Oct 15, 2004

Government's human trafficking plan 'inadequate'

An association of human rights groups and researchers presented a draft set of proposals Thursday aimed at addressing the problem of human trafficking, saying that a government plan to beef up punishment for the crime is not enough to combat the problem.

JAPAN

Oct 14, 2004

Socially withdrawn people come out of hiding with private group's help

Akiko did not step out of her house once between the ages of 15 and 22.

JAPAN

Oct 5, 2004

Panel backs 'flexible' defenses, arms trade

A government advisory panel recommended Monday that Japan scrap some of the basic principles that have guided the nation's postwar, self- defense-oriented security policy and be more flexible in drawing up a new defense strategy.

JAPAN

Aug 27, 2004

U.S. forces chief defends right to bar cops from crash probe

The U.S. Forces Japan commander on Thursday defended the U.S. handling of the probe into the marine helicopter crash in Okinawa and refusal to allow local police to participate.

JAPAN

Aug 27, 2004

U.S. forces chief defends right to bar cops from crash probe

The U.S. Forces Japan commander on Thursday defended the U.S. handling of the probe into the marine helicopter crash in Okinawa and refusal to allow local police to participate.

JAPAN

Aug 25, 2004

Attacks raise fears for security of troops in Iraq

Ground Self-Defense Force troops deployed to the southern Iraqi city of Samawah have found themselves threatened by mortar and rocket attacks for three straight nights, prompting concerns about the security situation.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Aug 22, 2004

Zushi residents up in arms over more U.S. military housing

Until about two decades ago, poet Mutsuo Takahashi considered the city of Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture, virgin territory.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.

As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

JNTO promotes sustainable tourism initiatives

JNTO promotes sustainable tourism initiatives

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

international-reports