author

 
 
 Alex K.T. Martin

Meta

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
Nov 5, 2011
Age questions prompt Tokyo court to dismiss piracy suspect's indictment
The Tokyo District Court on Friday dismissed an indictment against one of the suspected pirates charged with attacking a Japanese tanker off the coast of Somalia in March because the defendant may be a minor.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Nov 5, 2011
DeNA buys BayStars, awaits nod to add its name to team's
Mobile social gaming company DeNA Co. announced Friday it has purchased the cash-strapped Yokohama BayStars baseball club.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2011
Timing may be everything in TPP
As emerging Asian economies facilitate growth in the region and increasingly stand out as important players in global trade, the United States appears intent on getting its own share of the pie in the form of taking a leadership role in the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade framework.
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2011
Karen refugees snub farm, try luck in Tokyo
The first two ethnic Karen families who arrived from Myanmar under a third-country resettlement program have rejected an offer to continue working on a farm in Chiba Prefecture where they were training, and are currently residing in Tokyo, one of their lawyers said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2011
Vietnam reactor deal advances; Japan looks to accept caregivers
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and his Hanoi counterpart, Nguyen Tan Dung, agreed Monday to move ahead with plans to construct atomic reactors in Vietnam using Japanese technology, despite the rethink of the national energy policy amid the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 12, 2011
Nuclear fears reawaken mass anger
Compared with the West, and recently the Middle East, which has been swept by civil uprisings, Japan is not commonly known for having large-scale demonstrations or violent antigovernment protests.
JAPAN
Sep 28, 2011
Noda, Aquino agree to counter China sea claims
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and Philippines President Benigno Aquino III agreed Tuesday in Tokyo to forge closer maritime security ties to resolve disputes with China in the South China Sea.
JAPAN
Sep 22, 2011
SNS users to play role in Tohoku makeover
The Foreign Ministry is planning to invite prominent users of social networking sites to tour the devastated northeast as part of its efforts to rebuild Japan's image overseas following the March disasters and nuclear crisis.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 14, 2011
Japanese to swim to Taiwan to show thanks for quake aid
A group of Japanese will swim from Okinawa Prefecture to Taiwan in a gesture of gratitude for the island's support in the wake of the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake, organizers of the event said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CABINET INTERVIEW
Sep 6, 2011
China, U.S. both high on strategic agenda: Genba
While Japan's alliance with the United States benefits the stability of the Asia-Pacific region, close ties with China will also be needed if Japan wants to reap the benefits of its neighbor's booming economy, new Foreign Minister Koichiro Genba said Monday.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Sep 3, 2011
Foreign, defense picks disappoint analysts
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's choice of ministers for foreign diplomacy and security reflects an emphasis on fence-mending in his party rather than plans to address imminent diplomatic challenges, analysts said Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2011
Days of Ozawa's influence seen dwindling
Yoshihiko Noda's victory against Banri Kaieda in the Democratic Party of Japan presidential runoff Monday dealt yet another blow to disgraced kingpin Ichiro Ozawa, who backed Kaieda in an apparent bid to boost his waning influence.
JAPAN
Aug 30, 2011
Noda pro-U.S. but past remarks may haunt Asia ties
While Japan-U.S. relations will remain the cornerstone of the nation's diplomacy under the leadership of Yoshihiko Noda, the Democratic Party of Japan's newly elected president and the nation's next prime minister, his past comments on war criminals could strain ties in Asia, analysts said Monday.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2011
DPJ hopefuls make final poll pitches
The race for the Democratic Party of Japan presidency drew heated debate on the final day of campaigning Sunday as the five candidates took their best shots at convincing their peers why they should be the next prime minister.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2011
1953 records on handling U.S. forces released
The Foreign Ministry on Friday released previously classified records dating from 1953, including a section stating that Japan didn't intend to exercise its primary right of jurisdiction over U.S. military personnel involved in crimes unless cases were deemed of "material importance."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2011
Sendai's jazz festival keeps the beat
For the past 20 years, the streets of Sendai have resonated with live music during the annual two-day Jozenji Streetjazz Festival, gathering crowds of hundreds and thousands from across the nation in what has become a staple mid-September feature in the city of 1 million.
JAPAN
Aug 25, 2011
Maehara's overture to Ozawa
Former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, a leading candidate in Monday's Democratic Party of Japan presidential poll, made the rounds Wednesday seeking support from party lawmakers, including kingpin Ichiro Ozawa.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 18, 2011
Maher denies making disparaging remarks
Kevin Maher, a former senior U.S. diplomat sacked in March after allegedly making derogatory remarks about Okinawans, on Wednesday denied ever making the comments and accused the reporter who broke the story of breaching journalistic standards.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 18, 2011
Sidelined by quake, Libyans here still seek Gadhafi ouster
Japan's tiny Libyan community found itself in a tight spot when radiation scares swept the nation following the Tohoku triple disaster and foreigners fled the country en masse.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 17, 2011
Famed Miyagi temple's visitors vanishing
Entsuin, also known as the rose temple for its unique Western-style rose garden, has long been a tourist fixture in the bay town of Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture.

Longform

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