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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.
Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki (right) visits a refrigeration facility in Monbetsu, Hokkaido, where returned stocks of scallops are piling up, on Sept. 14.
JAPAN
Sep 22, 2023
Hokkaido seafood piles up in freezers following China ban
Scallops and other products are amassing in freezers at processing facilities in the prefecture, costing businesses more for storage.
The decision by Johnny & Associates during a news conference on Sept. 7 to retain the company name — despite its association with an alleged sexual predator — drew a lot of public criticism.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 20, 2023
Johnny & Associates considers changing name as criticism mounts
On its website, the agency said it was “discussing the future of the company, taking into consideration opinions and criticisms.”
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida leaves his office residence in formal attire to attend an attestation ceremony at the Imperial Palace with his reshuffled Cabinet in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 13, 2023
Kishida replaces top diplomat and boosts women in Cabinet reshuffle
Among the more stunning moves was the prime minister’s decision to have former Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa replace Yoshimasa Hayashi as top diplomat.
Yuko Obuchi (left), picked as the Liberal Democratic Party's new election campaign chief, poses for a photo with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other LDP executives at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / Notebook
Sep 13, 2023
What Kishida’s reshuffle says about female participation in politics
Political family ties of most of the female appointees speaks to the difficulty women face in entering the political arena.
Julie Keiko Fujishima (right), who stepped down as Johnny & Associates president on Tuesday, and new President Noriyuki Higashiyama give a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 7, 2023
Johnny's replaces president as it admits to abuse by late founder
The replacement comes on the heels of a scathing third-party report, which recommended that Julie Keiko Fujishima resign as president.
People line up Tuesday for a lottery to get a seat for the first trial hearing of Shinji Aoba, the suspect in the 2019 Kyoto Animation arson attack, at the Kyoto District Court.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 5, 2023
Suspect in 2019 Kyoto Animation arson attack admits setting blaze
The focus of the trial will now shift to the defendant’s motive and whether he can be held criminally responsible for the attack.
Former Prosecutor-General Makoto Hayashi (center) and two other experts speak about their investigation into Johnny Kitagawa's sexual abuse allegations, in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 29, 2023
Expert team reports on decades of sexual abuse by Johnny Kitagawa
The team urged Johnny & Associates President Julie Keiko Fujishima to step down after the family-run business left the issue unaddressed for decades.
The Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture
JAPAN
Aug 25, 2023
Tritium level near Fukushima plant well below Tepco standards
The plant operator said the level in the Pacific Ocean was below about 10 becquerels per liter in all 10 locations it surveyed.
Shin-Osaka Station is crowded with travelers as services resume on Thursday morning.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 17, 2023
Shinkansen lines resume, but travelers may still face long delays
Central Japan Railway is urging people to refrain from using the train service until stations become less crowded.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attend a memorial service marking the 78th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II at the Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 15, 2023
Japan marks 78th anniversary of the end of World War II
Members of bereaved families from 10 prefectures were unable to participate in the ceremony due to Typhoon Lan.
If you have a specific birth plan in mind, like giving birth at home, it's important to make sure the clinic you use offers that option.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 14, 2023
Giving birth in Japan? Here’s what you need to know.
Giving birth can be overwhelming — even more so if you don’t understand the local language or know the steps you need to take.
Visitors at the Todaiji temple in Nara in June
JAPAN / Society
Aug 10, 2023
China lifts pandemic-era ban on group tours to Japan
The decision marks the first time since January 2020 that groups of Chinese tourists will be allowed to visit Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 14, 2023
Man sentenced to 19-year prison term for stabbings and arson on Tokyo train
In delivering the ruling, the presiding judge said that the defendant had made extensive preparations in order to “kill as many people as possible.”
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 11, 2023
Japan's supreme court makes landmark decision on transgender rights
In the first Supreme Court decision over bathroom usage by sexual minorities, the body ruled it was unlawful to restrict the use of bathrooms by a transgender woman at the economy ministry.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 10, 2023
Shizuoka prosecutors to push for guilty verdict in Hakamata retrial
Prosecutors have said they plan to argue that the March retrial decision by the Tokyo High Court was “groundless.”
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / EXPLAINER
Jul 6, 2023
One year on, where do things stand with the man accused of killing Abe?
The former prime ministers death shook the nation to its core, and the man suspected of killing him is currently in detention awaiting trial.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 29, 2023
Man arrested after 18-year-old woman stabbed to death in Yokohama
The woman's family called the police when they found her collapsed and covered with blood in an apartment complex Thursday morning.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 26, 2023
Uncle of 6-year-old found dead in Kobe directed disposal of body
The grandmother of Nao Hosaka has told investigators that the boy's uncle instructed other family members to prepare the suitcase used to discard the boy's body.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2023
Japan's Justice Ministry compiles plan to prevent prison abuse
Following abuse by officers at Nagoya Prison, the ministry plans to provide officers with body cameras and change the system determining where inmates are detained.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2023
Japan likely to see hotter summer than usual due to 'super El Nino'
Due to the climate pattern, eastern and western Japan, along with Okinawa Prefecture and the Amami islands, are expected to be covered by warm air.
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

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

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?
By Kathryn Wortley

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