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Mizuho Aoki
Mizuho Aoki is a staff writer covering local news, including the current Tokyo gubernatorial race, education and aviation-related stories. She graduated from Hitotsubashi Universty with a degree in social science.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2013
Tepco radioactive flow raises alarm over seafood safety
Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s revelation that massive amounts of radioactive water are flowing into the Pacific further raised fears about the harm to marine life.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 20, 2013
China, Japan experts mull ways to avoid armed Senkaku confrontation
Chinese and Japanese experts on maritime and international relations huddled this week in Tokyo to discuss ways to keep the simmering tensions over the Senkaku Islands from escalating into a military clash.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 19, 2013
Clearing way for wider military role
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is poised to achieve his long-held goal of reinterpreting Article 9 of the Constitution to allow Japan to exercise its right to engage in collective self-defense under the U.N. Charter.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2013
War dead kin waged peace since '45
Tamami Watanabe was 7 when her father died in 1945 in the Philippines while fighting for Japan, and her memories of him are fading.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2013
Nation's troops long way from hitting the beaches: experts
Japan has taken an increasingly proactive role in defending its territory since the end of the Cold War allowed it to shift its defensive posture to address threats from North Korea and China as public memories of the war begin to fade.
JAPAN
Jul 29, 2013
Dioxin found in buried barrels near Kadena
The Okinawa Defense Bureau recently found dioxin and other hazardous chemicals from barrels unearthed at a former U.S. military installation in the city of Okinawa, officials said Monday, suggesting they may have contained herbicides or agricultural chemicals.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 26, 2013
Defense planners mull pre-emptive strike ability
Japan will consider acquiring the ability to strike at enemy missile sites, given North Korea's enhanced missile technology program, an interim defense report says.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 22, 2013
Tokyo voters mixed but most seem to want LDP in charge
Many voters appear to be putting their faith in the Liberal Democratic Party despite the lack of 'Abenomics' evidence in their lives, The Japan Times finds.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2013
Kishida, Kim try to patch up ties
Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida met with Kim Kyou-hyun, South Korea's first vice minister of foreign affairs, on Thursday as the two countries struggle to overcome territorial and historical disputes that are damaging bilateral ties.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 16, 2013
U.S. experts won't be drawn out on Japan P.M. shrine visit
Two prominent U.S. experts on Japan refused Tuesday to predict how the U.S. government would react if Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits Yasukuni Shrine next month, an act that would undoubtedly add further strain to already frayed relations with China and South Korea.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 12, 2013
Veggie prices soar as heat, drought exact toll
The scorching heat is putting an extra burden on household budgets as the drought stunts the growth of leafy vegetables, causing wholesale prices to soar 20 to 50 percent compared with recent years.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / GAME OF NUMBERS
Jul 11, 2013
Futenma question decisive factor for prefecture's voters
Last in a series
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2013
Okinawans explore secession option
Okinawans are losing patience with Tokyo's repeated vows to reduce the prefecture's burden of hosting U.S. military installations and other hollow pledges, and some are seriously looking into the possibility of having the territory secede from Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2013
Finds raise toxic chemical suspicions at ex-Kadena site
The Okinawa Defense Bureau and the city of Okinawa uncover seven more barrels at a former U.S. base site that may have been used to hold toxic chemicals during the Vietnam War.
JAPAN
Jun 26, 2013
Relaxed visa program for Southeast Asian visitors starts
The government will relax visa requirements for visitors from Southeast Asian countries starting Monday, hoping to lure more travelers from fast-growing economies to spur economic growth.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 14, 2013
Obama briefs Abe on Xi summit
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama talked on the phone Thursday morning about the last week's unofficial U.S.-China summit in California, a government official said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2013
Sazae-san statues face the tax man
A merchant group in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward may have to pay some ¥9.8 million in taxes over the next 45 years for bronze statues of characters from the beloved comic strip "Sazae-san" that they installed to promote their district.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jun 11, 2013
New ID system for keeping tax tabs, finding cheats
The Diet passed the "common number" bill May 24, paving the way for every resident, including foreigners, to be assigned a personal identification number.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 8, 2013
Abe, Hollande reach deal to push nuclear technology
French President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agree to deepen cooperation on developing and exporting nuclear power plant technologies, and to strengthen security ties.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2013
Importance of private sector's role featured in Yokohama Declaration
TICAD V ends with the adoption of the Yokohama Declaration, a pledge to promote private sector-led growth in achieving sustainable development.

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