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August 15, 2024
 

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Kanako Takahara

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Kanako Takahara
Kanako Takahara is a staff writer who has covered national politics, diplomacy, business and the economy at The Japan Times. A graduate of Sophia University, she is currently a national news editor.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 25, 2022
Japan moves to focus resources on severe COVID-19 patients
Young, low-risk patients will no longer need a doctor's diagnosis to confirm an infection as fears grow over the strain the omicron variant is putting on Japan's health care system.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2022
As omicron spreads in Japan, business continuity plans come into focus
Companies and local governments are drawing up measures to keep business going even if many staffers can't work due to infection or being deemed a close contact.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2022
Anti-COVID steps far from uniform for Japan prefectures under quasi-emergency
Of the 16 prefectures to be under a quasi-emergency from Friday, some will halt alcohol sales at restaurants completely, while others will impose limits on when booze can be served.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2022
Japan's weather agency to monitor long-term effects of Tonga eruption
Saturday's disaster reminded some in Japan of an eruption in 1991 — one that may have led to a colder summer and poor crop yields two years later.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2022
Japan plans to issue quasi-emergency status for 13 omicron-hit prefectures
With quasi-emergency measures already in place in Yamaguchi, Okinawa and Hiroshima prefectures, the expansion would bring the total to 16 out of 47 prefectures.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 17, 2022
Kishida vows to lay out road map for 'new capitalism' in the spring
Covering topics ranging from COVID-19 to climate change and diplomacy, the prime minister offered a comprehensive wrap-up of his policy agenda at the start of the parliamentary session.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2022
Japan shortens interval for COVID booster by a month amid omicron's spread
The gap for people under 65 has now been shifted to seven months, and the government has also cut the isolation time for close contacts to 10 days.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2021
Japan narrows definition of in-flight omicron close contacts
A policy that had considered all fellow passengers as close contacts was threatening to overwhelm quarantine facilities.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2021
Community transmission of omicron spreads beyond Japan's major cities
Community infections of omicron have been reported in Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo, Fukuoka, Aichi and Hiroshima prefectures.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2021
Tokyo confirms first case of omicron community transmission
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said Friday a doctor with no recent history of overseas travel has been confirmed to have been infected.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2021
As Japan braces for omicron, authorities prepare to quarantine close contacts
On Tuesday, the government instructed all omicron close contacts to be quarantined at a facility monitored by central or local government officials for 14 days.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Explainer
Dec 20, 2021
Japan has released its digital vaccine passport. Here's what you need to know.
The digital version of the proof of vaccination issued by municipalities is joined by a new online service intended to simplify entry procedures for travelers.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 15, 2021
Land ministry overstated construction orders data for years, potentially inflating Japan's GDP
The land ministry was 'rewriting' monthly data from about 12,000 select companies since 2013, at a pace of about 10,000 entries per year.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2021
'Kin' (gold) chosen as the kanji character of 2021
With references to Olympic medals, baseball legends and cash handouts, the 2021 selection highlighted 24-karat moments from a turbulent year.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Explainer
Nov 11, 2021
What travelers from Japan need to know ahead of the holiday season
The latest information on returning to Japan after end-of-year travel: COVID-19 tests, required documentation, quarantine updates and more.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 8, 2021
Bureaucracy blunts impact of Japan's eased border controls
While lauded by companies and students as a step towards access to Japan, the easing of travel rules may not be as good as it sounds.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2021
Japan to reduce quarantine from 10 to three days for business travelers and students
The major policy change, which is likely to boost economic exchanges with other countries, could start as early as Monday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 28, 2021
Japan to open up COVID-19 booster shots to all residents
The policy differs from that of other nations, where the shots are mainly being limited to older people, health care workers and those with pre-existing conditions.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 17, 2021
The policies and political backgrounds of each of the LDP leadership contenders
The candidates will hold policy debates, outline their platforms and seek further support among LDP lawmakers and rank-and-file members up until the Sept. 29 election.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 16, 2021
Seiko Noda makes last-minute bid for LDP presidency
Noda's candidacy is expected to split votes that could have gone to vaccine chief Taro Kono and make it harder for any candidate to win a majority in the first round of voting.
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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