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Tomohiro Osaki

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Tomohiro Osaki

Tomohiro Osaki is a staff writer in the Domestic News Division. A graduate of Sophia University in Tokyo, he likes to explore under-reported realities of Japanese youth, with a tendency toward the taboo.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Sep 15, 2021

Japan's virus wave shows just how far digitalization of schools still has to go

Japanese schools have long relied on conventional teaching methods, and an abrupt shift to remote learning has revealed how many are still wedded to them.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS

Sep 12, 2021

In Japan politics, social media savvy Taro Kono is a rarity. His party isn't fully on board.

Kono's unorthodox communication style is a double-edged sword and has made him a polarizing figure among some of the Liberal Democratic Party's influential old guard.

JAPAN

Sep 5, 2021

Could Japan soon have a female leader? Sanae Takaichi emerges as a contender

With the reported backing of former PM Shinzo Abe, the ex-internal affairs and communications minister has a shot at becoming the nation's first female prime minister.

JAPAN

Sep 1, 2021

It's back to school in Japan, but COVID-19 is keeping some children at home

Some parents have taken the rare step of stopping their children from going to school due to fears over classroom infections and their own close contacts.

JAPAN / FOCUS

Aug 27, 2021

Japan ramps up campaign to get youth vaccinated against COVID-19

Incentives such as cars and coupons, as well as new walk-in centers, are being rolled out to tempt vaccine-hesitant young people, but supply issues present a big barrier of their own.

JAPAN / FOCUS

Aug 24, 2021

Japan turns to antibody cocktails as 'new weapon' in fight against pandemic

The government has widened the use of the drug Ronapreve, but some doctors say it needs to go further and make it available to patients isolating at home too.

Japan Times

PARALYMPICS / FOCUS

Aug 17, 2021

Virus surge in Japan overshadows excitement ahead of the Paralympics

Athletes and officials are caught between worries over COVID-19 and their belief in what the Paralympics can do for inclusiveness and disability sports.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Aug 14, 2021

Yoasobi’s breakout hit song is just as catchy in English

YouTube viewers are praising music director Konnie Aoki's English translation of “Yoru ni Kakeru,” which sounds strikingly similar to the original Japanese version.

JAPAN

Aug 9, 2021

Phasing out faxes faces fierce resistance from Japan's bureaucrats

After a government task force issued a notice telling ministries to abandon their fax machines, it was inundated with about 400 responses from officials.

JAPAN

Aug 4, 2021

A hunger strike reignites conversations about parental rights in Japan

Detractors of the country's system of sole parental authority say it promotes child 'abductions,' while supporters say change could exacerbate domestic abuse.

JAPAN

Jul 20, 2021

Organizers scramble to replace Tokyo Games composer after resignation

The scandal over the musician's admission of having bullied and assaulted people with disabilities is the latest in a long line to have beset the troubled Tokyo Olympics.

JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS

Jul 19, 2021

From LDP 'prince' to punchline: What happened to Shinjiro Koizumi?

In addition to being regularly lampooned on social media, the environment minister has struggled to maintain his influence amid COVID-19 and as a Cabinet insider.

JAPAN

Jul 15, 2021

Pfizer vaccine crunch continues to trouble Japan's inoculation efforts

In response to supply issues, the central government will soon set aside a certain quantity of Pfizer doses that prefectures can distribute to municipalities that need them the most.

JAPAN / Society

Jul 12, 2021

Talk of 'vaccination harassment' puts Japan Inc. in a tough spot

The term has come into the spotlight in Japan ever since reports emerged of workers complaining of peer pressure and instructions from their bosses to receive a shot.

JAPAN / FOCUS

Jul 1, 2021

Vaccine supply woes put brakes on Japan’s accelerated rollout

Demand for doses is now outpacing supply in some municipalities, calling their rollout schedules into question and prompting central government to warn that they may need to slow down.

JAPAN

Jun 29, 2021

In Japan, anti-vaccine movement threatens to make widespread hesitancy worse

“Zero-risk worship” in Japan has made experts concerned about the impact that a fringe community of outspoken vaccine opponents could have on the public.

JAPAN

Jun 21, 2021

Workplace and university vaccinations ramp up in Japan

The government had received applications from 3,479 sites to function as vaccination venues as of Friday, with nearly 14 million people estimated to be immunized under the framework.

Japan Times

JAPAN / FOCUS

Jun 20, 2021

How Japan's vaccine drive turned into a comeback story

Given the importance of vaccinations, an expert says Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's heavy-handed approach with municipalities could be credited for the accelerated pace.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Jun 19, 2021

Plan to inoculate teens in Japan prompts deluge of angry calls and emails

The high volume of calls and emails as part of the anti-vaccination campaign have crippled some service lines and have included death threats.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Jun 11, 2021

Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward to prioritize people in their 20s and 30s for vaccines

The policy underscores the ward's desire to curb infections among the young, many of whom don't have a family doctor.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.

The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan

By Johan Brooks

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