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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
Dec 1, 2009
Ruling bloc extends Diet session to Friday
The coalition government on Monday extended the extraordinary Diet session by four days to accommodate pending legislation.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 1, 2009
Local vote for foreign residents: time ripe?
Permanent foreign residents of Japan may finally face a realistic chance of being granted local-level suffrage under the administration led by the Democratic Party of Japan, which has signaled a willingness to pursue such rights.
JAPAN
Nov 21, 2009
Ozawa looming as 'shadow shogun'
bills," he said. But Koichi Nakano, political science professor at Sophia University, said that while it was unlikely Ozawa will loosen his grip on power, he also believed the media might be going overboard with his image as a backroom fixer.
JAPAN
Nov 20, 2009
DPJ rams debt relief bill through committee
A bill aimed at encouraging lenders to freeze debt repayments for small and midsize companies was set to clear the Lower House late Thursday night after the ruling bloc rammed it through a Diet committee in the first such power play since the Hatoyama administration assumed office two months ago.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2009
LDP loss media's fault: Mori
The long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party's historic defeat in the August general election can in part be blamed on the media and its manipulation of public opinion, LDP heavyweight Yoshiro Mori told The Japan Times in a recent interview.
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2009
DPJ exec eyes suffrage bill this term
The Democratic Party of Japan may submit a bill during the current extraordinary Diet session that would grant permanent foreign residents the right to vote in local-level elections, DPJ Diet affairs chief Kenji Yamaoka told reporters Friday, noting the session may also have to be extended.
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2009
Hatoyama plays down prospects for drafting foreigner suffrage bill
Enacting laws to allow permanent foreign residents to vote in local-level elections may be difficult in the near future and more debate is needed to form a nonpartisan consensus in the Diet, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2009
Japan-U.S. ties need revamp: Hatoyama
In light of next year marking the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Thursday it's time the overall defense alliance is reviewed.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 27, 2009
By-election wins keep DPJ sails full
The Democratic Party of Japan's victories Sunday in two Upper House by-elections indicate Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's new administration is still on its honeymoon since the DPJ's landslide victory in the Aug. 30 general election.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2009
DPJ wants Cabinet to call policy shots, not juniors
It all began with a single notice handed out last month to Democratic Party of Japan lawmakers.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CABINET INTERVIEW
Oct 9, 2009
LDP exec mulls novel notion: fielding opinions
Ryotaro Tanose, new chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party's General Council, says good policies can only come from heated discussions among lawmakers, adding he will work to promote precisely such an environment.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 8, 2009
LDP off the policy autopilot: Ishiba
Now that they find themselves in the opposition camp, Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers will have to undertake policymaking with far greater vigor than in the days when the party was in power, the newly appointed LDP Policy Research Council chairman said.
JAPAN
Oct 8, 2009
DPJ musn't lose reform momentum: Okada
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada cast a positive light Thursday on the pace of reform in the Democratic Party of Japan's first three weeks in power and said he expected the party to continue implementing change right up to the next general election.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 3, 2009
Oshima lays out LDP's comeback fundamentals
Tadamori Oshima, the newly appointed secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, said Friday that regaining the public's trust will require concrete policies and a clear, new vision of what the party stands for.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 30, 2009
Tanigaki opts for old guard to round out LDP leadership posts
Sadakazu Tanigaki, fresh off his election as president of the Liberal Democratic Party, chose veteran lawmakers Tuesday for the party's top posts, including former agriculture minister Tadamori Oshima as his No. 2 man.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Sep 29, 2009
Murakami: Titan of postwar literature
Haruki Murakami is probably the most internationally acclaimed and influential contemporary Japanese author alive today. Over a career spanning 30 years, he has illustrated the apathy and ennui enveloping postwar Japan through sometimes wildly fantastic storytelling with surreal twists and turns, sprinkled...
Japan Times
JAPAN / CABINET INTERVIEW
Sep 28, 2009
Fukushima faces major consumer affairs challenge
Mizuho Fukushima, the new state minister in charge of consumer affairs and reversing the low birthrate, said her job is to prioritize policies that directly affect the public's livelihood and to make sure the new Consumer Affairs Agency is effective.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 17, 2009
Bureaucratic reform first hurdle
After a historic landslide victory in the Aug. 30 election, a new Cabinet was launched Wednesday, led by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 8, 2009
DPJ seeks coalition balancing act
With a little more than a week to go before Democratic Party of Japan President Yukio Hatoyama is elected prime minister, media attention is focused on whether the DPJ will be able to create a unified policymaking system while building a stable relationship with two smaller allies.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2009
Hirano not known as high profile
Hirofumi Hirano, a close aide to Democratic Party of Japan President Yukio Hatoyama and the likely chief Cabinet secretary in the incoming DPJ administration, is known as a man of few words who would rather work behind-the-scenes than in the spotlight.
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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