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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
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 17, 2011
When it comes to mighty Tepco, pride goes before the fall
Until quite recently, landing a job at Tokyo Electric Power Co., Japan's largest and most powerful electric utility, meant a lifetime of steady employment and generous paychecks, a status envied and often likened to that of a civil servant.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 7, 2011
In search of a nuclear disposal site
Roughly 300 km northwest of Finland's capital, Helsinki, is the island of Olkiluoto, home to two nuclear power plants and the potential site for one of the world's first permanent underground high-level nuclear waste repositories.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2011
Military flexes relief might, gains newfound esteem
In a famous speech former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida gave at the National Defense Academy's graduation ceremony in February 1957, he had insightful advice to give about joining the Self-Defense Forces.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2011
Farmers struggle amid tsunami aftermath
SENDAI — Clearing out the piles of mud and rubble that have ruined his expensive farm machinery and covered the first floor of his house, Kiichi Endo let out a short sigh thinking of the years it will take before he can grow crops again on soil damaged by seawater.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2011
JET post best, not 'pityfest'
SHICHIGAHAMA, Miyagi Pref. — There is a picture folder in Marti McElreath's Facebook account that chronicles her time in Shichigahama, a town located on a small peninsula in Miyagi Prefecture less than an hour's drive from Sendai and where she has been working since last summer under the Japan Exchange...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2011
Relief workers must adjust quickly
Numerous relief organizations, volunteer groups and concerned individuals have offered support by distributing goods and lending a helping hand in the earthquake- and tsunami-hammered Tohoku region.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 1, 2011
Tsunami-ravaged Ishinomaki slowly sets off on long road to recovery
Self-Defense Forces vehicles kick up clouds of dust as they make their way through narrow streets cleared through the piles of crushed houses, shops and fishing boats scattered like broken toys by the massive tsunami that killed thousands and flooded nearly half of this once beautiful city.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2011
No. 3 cooling pump test-run readied
Work to restore key equipment at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant's crippled reactors continued Thursday, despite reports of smoke rising from reactors No. 1 through 4.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2011
Tepco puts focus on reactivating cooling pumps at reactors 3, 4
Work continued Wednesday to restore electricity to key equipment at the crippled nuclear reactors in the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, a day after electricity was restored to all six reactors via outside power sources.
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2011
All reactors linked to outside power
Work to restore electricity and crucial cooling systems at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant resumed Tuesday, a day after workers were forced to evacuate when unidentified smoke spewed from reactors No. 2 and No. 3.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Q&A
Mar 20, 2011
Lowdown on nuclear crisis and potential scenarios
Frantic efforts to cool down the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant's overheating reactors and spent fuel rods are continuing, as workers rush to prevent highly toxic radiation from being released into the atmosphere.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 18, 2011
Emi Meyer "Suitcase of Stones"
Jazz pianist/vocalist Emi Meyer's third studio album, "Suitcase of Stones," has the artist singing in English again following last year's all-Japanese outing "Passport." The Kyoto-born Seattle native delivers a diverse range of jazz-, blues- and reggae-influenced original compositions in what has become...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2011
SDF chopper can't drop water
Panic spread as reports on the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant indicated Wednesday high levels of radiation have leaked at the compound.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Mar 13, 2011
Seabed split; quake tilted Earth's axis 10 cm
The magnitude 8.8 earthquake that jolted northeast Japan was caused by a tectonic upheaval that created offshore faults stretching for hundreds of kilometers from Iwate Prefecture to Ibaraki, seismologists said Saturday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 12, 2011
With trains shut down, Tokyoites have to rough it
Transportation froze Friday in Tokyo after the massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck the northeast coast of Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2011
Entrepreneur: Turbulent times breed innovation
Growing up in California in the 1970s as the child of issei, William H. Saito recalls how his father imported math textbooks from Japan and insisted he study them extra hard to gain an edge over others.
JAPAN
Mar 4, 2011
More surprises likely in North's transition, defector warns
Recent signs indicate that further turbulence is expected when North Korean leader Kim Jong Il hands the reins of power to his son and heir apparent, Kim Jong Un, a high-ranking North Korean defector said Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 3, 2011
Geisha cuts into kimono market
Wearing a kimono can be a daunting task, where one must follow numerous steps and protocols steeped in tradition to prevent making a fool of oneself.
JAPAN
Mar 1, 2011
Kim's son likely to make high-profile visit to China
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's son and the hermit nation's heir apparent, Kim Jong Un, will probably visit China immediately following the National People's Congress in Beijing on March 14, according to a document recently seen by The Japan Times.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2011
Libyans stage anti-Gadhafi Tokyo protest
Members of the Libyan community in Japan and others staged a demonstration Wednesday in Tokyo calling for the ouster of dictator Moammar Gadhafi and an end to his regime's bloody crackdown against protesters seeking an end to his 40-year rule.
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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