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November 21, 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.
Iwao Hakamata's older sister Hideko (left) marches to the Shizuoka District Court in the city of Shizuoka on Wednesday for a retrial of her younger brother Iwao, who had been on death row over a 1966 murder case.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 22, 2024
Trial ruling date for man accused of 1966 murder set for September
Iwao Hakamata, who in a rare example is being retried over a 1966 murder case, will be given a verdict on Sept. 26.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi (second from right) and his Komeito counterpart Keiichi Ishii (second from left) hold a signed agreement on political funding reform, on Thursday in parliament.
JAPAN / Politics
May 10, 2024
Japan's ruling parties find agreement on political reform, but gaps remain
The parties' plan lacks specifics on key contentious issues.
The latest figure is significantly less than a previous projection released in 2015 that said more than 8 million people would have dementia by 2040.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 8, 2024
Nearly 6 million elderly people in Japan will have dementia by 2040
While the figure is lower than a previous projection, the latest estimate still showed a steady growth in the number of people with dementia.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, in December at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California
BASEBALL
Apr 12, 2024
How Ippei Mizuhara allegedly wired millions from Shohei Ohtani’s account
Crucially for Ohtani, a U.S. investigation clearly paints him as a victim without any involvement in or knowledge of his interpreter's gambling woes.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said that customer harassment was becoming an increasing problem for companies in the capital.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 20, 2024
Tokyo to draft ordinance to curb harassment by customers
The harassment of front-line workers by customers has become a growing trend in the capital, Gov. Yuriko Koike said.
Karolina Shiino (center), winner of Miss Japan 2024, poses with other prize winners at the contest in Tokyo on Jan. 22.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 6, 2024
Ukraine-born Miss Japan relinquishes crown following affair
Karolina Shiino's decision, the first time a Miss Japan winner has relinquished their title, follows a report that she was dating a married man.
A woman offers flowers for victims of the New Year's Day earthquake near the morning market in the city of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Thursday. Most buildings in the market were burned down in a fire that followed the quake.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2024
One month after Noto quake, challenges remain in restoration effort
About 14,000 people are still living at evacuation shelters as officials race to repair infrastructure in the region.
Takuo Komori, parliamentary vice minister for internal affairs, bows after speaking to reporters in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 31, 2024
Two Abe faction members resign as vice ministers over funds scandal
The latest development in the scandal currently enveloping the LDP comes as the opposition is expected to gear up its criticism of the ruling party.
Volunteers work at the site of a soy sauce-maker in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Saturday.
JAPAN / Explainer
Jan 31, 2024
Quake-hit Noto faces a long road to recovery. Here's how you can help.
After initially asking people to refrain from coming as volunteers, municipalities in Ishikawa are now open to outside help.
A courtroom sketch shows Shinji Aoba at the Kyoto District Court on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 25, 2024
Kyoto Animation arsonist given death penalty over 2019 mass murder
A Kyoto court found Shinji Aoba guilty of setting a studio on fire because of a grudge he held against Kyoto Animation, in one of Japan's deadliest mass murders.
The streets of disaster-hit Suzu in Ishikawa Prefecture on Wednesday
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2024
Quake-hit Noto and Sea of Japan coast face heavy snowfall
Authorities have warned of possible road closures and the suspension of public transportation due to icy roads and snow.
A man prays on July 19, 2019, outside the Kyoto Animation building where 36 people died in a fire caused by Shinji Aoba the previous day.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 24, 2024
Possible death penalty looms for Kyoto Animation arson suspect
The trial shed light on his upbringing, the emergence of his grudge against the studio and how he went ahead with his plan of attack despite some hesitation.
A clock thrown away at a trash site in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Monday shows the approximate time that an earthquake hit the area on Jan. 1.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 19, 2024
Nanao mayor says Line group chat was essential to relief efforts
The group chat consisting of 300 municipal leaders nationwide allowed Yoshitaka Chatani to directly communicate with other mayors who were eager to help.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference on Dec. 13.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 18, 2024
Kishida aims to disband his faction amid political funds scandals
The move would mark a bid to restore public trust toward politics amid a series of political funds scandals.
The gallery and judges for the trial of Yuki Endo over a 2021 murder case, in Kofu District Court in Yamanashi Prefecture on Thursday
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 18, 2024
In first, 'specified juvenile' handed death sentence over Kofu murder
It is the first time a defendant age 18 or 19 at the time of a crime has been given the death penalty following the lowering of the age of adulthood.
A man was found dead in a suitcase along the Tamagawa River in Kawasaki, police have said.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 31, 2023
Body found in suitcase along Tama River in Kawasaki
Police open murder probe after body of 46-year-old man is discovered.
Lower House lawmaker Mito Kakizawa (back right) when he was appointed deputy justice minister in September
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 28, 2023
Japanese lawmaker Kakizawa arrested over vote-buying allegations
The former LDP member allegedly gave bribes to assembly members in Tokyo’s Koto Ward to garner support for a candidate in the Koto mayoral election.
Koichi Hagiuda (left), the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s former policy chief, has been questioned by Tokyo prosecutors over a political funds scandal.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 26, 2023
Prosecutors question former LDP policy chief over funds scandal
Koichi Hagiuda has become the latest veteran lawmaker to be questioned on a voluntary basis over the political funds scandal.
An Aladdin X staff member plays Suika Game on its home projector in Tokyo on Friday. Suika Game was originally developed for the company's line of home projectors.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 25, 2023
Suika Game: How a Japanese home projector app became a viral hit
The puzzle game has ranked No. 1 in Nintendo Switch software downloads, topping titles such as Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
A meeting is held at the Liberal Democratic Party's headquarters in Tokyo on Friday to officially replace two of the party's executives.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 22, 2023
In search for top officials, Kishida constrained by funds scandal
The limited number of viable candidates not suspected of misconduct means new appointees look more likely to be stopgap replacements.
Ishiba delays meeting with Trump, citing legal restrictions
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba waves upon arrival for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, in Callao, Peru, on Friday.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

Podcast

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