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November 22, 2024
 

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Alex K.T. Martin

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Alex K.T. Martin
Alex K.T. Martin is a Tokyo-based journalist and senior writer at The Japan Times, primarily focusing on feature stories. Previously he was a Tokyo correspondent for The Wall Street Journal.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 2, 2018
Kaz Hirai to end six-year Sony reign on high note
Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai, the man credited with the electronics giant's turnaround, will assume the chairmanship and be replaced by his right-hand man.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 29, 2018
Financial watchdog raps Coincheck over lax security following massive hack
The government's financial watchdog takes administrative action against the cryptocurrency exchange hit last week by the largest-ever theft of digital money.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 26, 2018
Rakuten and Walmart take aim at Amazon, with alliance for groceries and e-books in Japan and U.S.
E-commerce giant Rakuten and retail behemoth Walmart form a partnership to launch e-content sales and a Japanese grocery delivery service via Seiyu.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 17, 2018
Japan's Recruit Holdings announces entry into vacation rental market
Recruit Holdings Co. announces its entry into the vacation rental market ahead of a new law giving the green light to private short-term minpaku lodging services.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jan 16, 2018
Docomo experiment to take bite out of food waste woes
The move is part of an ongoing effort by Japan Inc. to reduce the immense quantity of food discarded by food companies and retailers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 12, 2018
Vegetable prices surge as last year's typhoon and bad weather catch up to supermarkets
Crops damaged by Typhoon Lan and chilly weather in 2017 are causing prices for lettuce, cabbage and radishes to soar.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2018
Time-honored Showa Era club in Ginza closes after a nine-decade run
A time-honored night club considered one of the symbols of Tokyo's upscale Ginza shopping district closed its doors Wednesday after a nearly nine-decade run.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets / TSE DATA & REPORT
Jan 9, 2018
Nikkei posts new 26-year high as analysts predict gains to continue
Expect the 225-issue Nikkei average's upward momentum to continue, analysts say, as the benchmark index hit a new 26-year high Tuesday on the back of gains in U.S. shares and a solid corporate earnings outlook.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 4, 2018
Japan's banks secure access to police agency database to help screen for yakuza and other 'anti-social forces'
Starting Thursday, Japanese Bankers Association members will be able to screen individual loan seekers using the National Police Agency's database of organized crime members.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 28, 2017
Japan's first 'official' same-sex couple announce separation
Japan's first official same-sex couple terminated their partnership on Christmas Day.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2017
Tokyo's Kabutocho financial district gets creative in bid to revive its quiet streets
It's a Monday night in late November and Ryutei Ichiya, a kimono-clad 34-year-old rakugo comic raconteur, is performing a skit in front of a crowd of over 100.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2017
Japan's glut of abandoned homes: Hard to sell but bargains when opportunity knocks
Realtor Yuken Kon specializes in properties most of his peers steer clear of.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Dec 25, 2017
New JRA system to let addicts' families block online gambling
The Japan Racing Association says it will begin accepting applications Thursday from family members living with those clinically diagnosed with gambling disorders or suspected of struggling with its symptoms.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2017
Taiwan objects to Kojien dictionary's definition of the independent island state
The publisher of Kojien, the most authoritative dictionary in Japan, has been stuck between a rock and a hard place over its definition of Taiwan as a province of China, prompting a request for a correction from the self-ruled island.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 22, 2017
Cabinet OKs record-high ¥97.71 trillion 2018 budget to cover rising social security and defense costs
The Cabinet approves a draft budget of u00a597.7 trillion for fiscal 2018, breaking the record for the sixth year straight.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 14, 2017
Rakuten announces foray into saturated Japanese cellphone market
The e-commerce giant aims to become nation's fourth mobile carrier, in a move that threatens to disrupt the cellular phone market oligopoly.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2017
Japanese workers feel guilty taking time off and use fewer holidays than their international peers: survey
A survey revealed that Japanese used 50 percent of their vacation days, placing them at the bottom of the list for the second consecutive year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 11, 2017
Rakuten Inc. teams up with Booking.com to offer minpaku lodging services
E-commerce giant Rakuten Inc. is teaming up with global online travel agent Booking.com as it prepares to take on Airbnb Inc. in the increasingly competitive market for private short-term minpaku lodging services.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 5, 2017
Two Japanese animated films in contention for top recognition at Annie Awards
Two Japanese animated films — one dealing with the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and the other about the fantastical adventures of a nap-loving high school girl — have been nominated in one of the main categories for the 45th annual Annie Awards.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 29, 2017
Birkenstock looks to step up Japan sales with a mix of tradition and bold new ideas
German shoemaker Birkenstock plans to double its business in Japan and offer consumers a wider range of products through selective distribution, according to the first chief executive officer from outside the founding family to run the centuries-old company.
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.
Ishiba aggravates his own political failures with diplomatic faux pas
Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba is greeted at the APEC summit in Lima by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. The Japanese leader was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event.
Japan's 3.31 million visitors in October set monthly record
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in December 2023. Famous autumn leaf colors contributed to increased tourism demand last month from many markets across Asia, Europe and North America, the Japan National Tourism Organization has said.
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.

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