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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
Dec 15, 2015
Child center stripped girls to find missing piece of paper
A child consultation center in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, said Tuesday it stripped eight girls naked to conduct a body search in August to look for a piece of paper that went missing earlier that day.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2015
Japan needs to seek out regional allies, view U.S. as 'second resort,' says head of think tank
Japan needs to stop relying on the U.S. for its defense and form a security alliance with other Asian nations if it is to become a respectable global leader in the decades to come, according to the founder and president of Washington-based think tank Economic Strategy Institute.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 9, 2015
Experts warn Myanmar's opposition victory could affect Japanese businesses
In the wake of Myanmar's ruling party conceding defeat to Aung San Suu Kyi, experts say it could have mixed repercussions for Japanese companies investing there.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 1, 2015
Japan, China timed announcement of espionage arrests, says expert
Beijing and Tokyo appear to have waited until two of China's key events were over before revealing the detention of two Japanese nationals.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 3, 2015
'Flesh-eating disease' cases on rise in Japan
The number of patients nationwide who contracted streptococcol toxic-shock syndrome (STSS) — a deadly condition popularly known as "flesh-eating disease" — reached 291 by Aug. 23, a record high, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases said Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jul 31, 2015
Changing the culture of long working hours key to increasing Japan's female workforce
The plight of Japan's working women has improved dramatically over the past two decades. Maternity leave has become the norm, slots at nurseries have increased by more than 340,000 and the percentage of female executives or women serving as department chiefs at companies has tripled.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 25, 2015
'Sextortion' warning after victim targeted by crime ring
Users of social networking sites such as Facebook and Line are accustomed to receiving a "friend" request or a message from an unfamiliar contact. Most people ignore them, but the few who respond may need to think twice before pushing the send button.
JAPAN / History
Jun 21, 2015
Signing of 1965 normalization treaty sparked sharp contrast in reactions
Fifty years ago, when Japan and South Korea signed a treaty to normalize diplomatic ties on June 22, 1965, their leaders toasted the signing in Tokyo as police in Seoul tear-gassed thousands of protesters and politicians who were opposing the move, according to archived reports by The Japan Times.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 29, 2015
Gulf spill veteran offers fishing advice to Tohoku
Traceability was key to easing consumer fears after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and that could offer Tohoku's struggling fishermen a way to deal with the Fukushima nuclear disaster, says the Texas fisherman who took the initiative in introducing the system.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 12, 2013
Nuclear advocacy lands Abe in hot water with wife
Prime Minister Abe may be pushing to sell Japan's atomic plants abroad, but his wife, Akie, says her 'heart aches' to see him being pronuclear.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
May 11, 2011
Hamaoka impact will be far-flung
The decision by Chubu Electric Power Co. to shut down the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka Prefecture is testament to the long-lasting and far-reaching impact of the March 11 megaquake.
JAPAN
May 5, 2011
Workers set to enter reactor 1 building
Eight workers are scheduled to be the first to enter the reactor 1 building of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant since it was ripped apart by a hydrogen blast the day after the March 11 tsunami, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 3, 2011
Tight-lipped Tepco lays bare exclusivity of press clubs
It was a shocking revelation for a majority of the people in Japan, but maybe not so for major media organizations.
JAPAN
May 3, 2011
Diet budgets ¥4 trillion for rebuilding
The Diet enacted a ¥4.15 trillion supplementary budget Monday aimed at funding immediate efforts to rebuild from the March 11 disasters after the House of Councilors unanimously passed it at a plenary session.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2011
Evacuation zone to be widened
Prime Minister Naoto Kan's government on Friday instructed parts of Fukushima Prefecture outside the 20-km no-go zone around the crippled No. 1 nuclear plant to evacuate by the end of May, saying that cumulative radiation levels may pose a health risk to residents.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2011
Waterproof camera set to probe pool in No. 4
Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Friday it will use a waterproof camera to see if the fuel rods in its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant reactor 4's spent-fuel storage pool are damaged.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2011
Tepco starts to pump out turbine 2 unit
Tokyo Electric Power Co. started Tuesday pumping highly radioactive water at its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant's reactor 2 turbine building into a nearby storage facility, a crucial step toward restoring the reactor's dedicated cooling system, the government nuclear watchdog said.
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2011
Robots detect dangerous spike in reactor 3 radiation
Robots sent in to explore the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant have found high radiation levels in three reactor buildings that may seriously hinder efforts to bring the plant under control, Japan's nuclear watchdog said Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2011
Fuel rod fragments at bottom of vessels
Melted fuel rod fragments have sunk to the bottoms of three reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant and could theoretically burn through the pressure vessels if emergency water-pumping operations are seriously disrupted, the Atomic Energy Society of Japan said Friday.
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2011
East Fukushima shiitake banned
Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Wednesday banned the shipment of shiitake raised outdoors in eastern Fukushima Prefecture near the crippled nuclear power plant after radioactive substances exceeding government standard were detected.

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