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November 21, 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
Sep 4, 2022
As prices continue to rise, Japan’s frugal households get even thriftier
Against a backdrop of a weaker yen and soaring raw material and crude oil costs, over 20,000 products have seen or will see prices raised by an average of 14% this year, research shows.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Aug 29, 2022
How faith and spirituality shape modern Japan
The religious movement behind the grudge held by the man charged with Abe's assassination has cast a fresh light on how religion is perceived and practiced in the nation.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Aug 1, 2022
Inside Japan's happiest town
A shrinking community that was fading into obscurity is now considered the nation's happiest town. What's the secret behind the smiles in Hatoyama, Saitama?
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / Longform
Jul 18, 2022
Submerged secrets: The hunt for Japan’s underwater ruins
Although the island nation has lagged behind in the field of underwater archaeology, there's a growing thirst for sunken discoveries.
Japan Times
LIFE
Jul 14, 2022
The rapid rise of round-the-clock fitness in Japan
The world's largest fitness chain is expanding its footprint in a nation opening up to the merits of building up muscle.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2022
Former PM Shinzo Abe in 'serious condition' after being shot in Nara
The former prime minister was attacked while giving a campaign speech ahead of Sunday's Upper House election.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Jun 27, 2022
What evil lurks in the shadow of anonymity?
Fueled by pandemic-induced stress, nameless netizens are directing myriad harmful and threatening messages on the internet with little fear of retribution.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / Longform
Jun 13, 2022
As COVID-19 fears subside, Japan debates the future of masks
How much longer before the nation reaches a tipping point when people start ditching their masks en masse?
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
May 30, 2022
Is Japan happy? Exploring the nation’s evolving views of well-being
Why does a prosperous nation known for its efficient transportation networks, accessible education and universal health care rank so low when it comes to personal views of happiness?
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / Longform
May 15, 2022
Documenting Okinawa's changing identity over the past half century
A photographer captures the changes that have taken place in the archipelago since it was returned to Japan 50 years ago.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 11, 2022
Researchers trace the evolutionary origins of the Japanese wolf
A study suggests the now-extinct Japanese wolf originated through the hybridization of ancient, giant Pleistocene wolves and continental wolf lineages tens of thousands of years ago.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Longform
May 9, 2022
Out of the box: Japan's vending machines get a modern makeover amid pandemic
The health crisis has highlighted the merits of the unmanned dispensers, leading to a flurry of new — and sometimes bizarre — products being offered by the electronic boxes.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Apr 27, 2022
Japan is losing people, but is it all bad?
Staff writer Alex Martin joins to discuss Japan's declining population, and why one town in Saitama thinks it's not all bad news.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / Longform
Apr 11, 2022
As the crow flies: A bird’s eye view of Japan’s urban ecology
Tokyo's once booming crow population has plummeted amid the COVID-19 pandemic. What does that mean for the world's largest city?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Mar 28, 2022
For some shrinking towns in Japan, depopulation isn't all bad news
For the first time, more than half of all municipalities in Japan will be designated by the government as wholly or partially underpopulated from April 1.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 16, 2022
Where is Japan's Great Resignation?
This week, senior staff writer Alex Martin joins to discuss the changing face of work in Japan, and why so few people seem inclined to switch roles.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / Longform
Mar 7, 2022
Is Japan on the brink of its own ‘Great Resignation’?
The pandemic has prompted millions across the globe to leave their jobs for more fulfilling, flexible roles. Should Japan's employers be worried?
Japan Times
LIFE
Mar 3, 2022
The game of life, reimagined for a superaging society
In Community Coping, players are tasked with preventing communities from collapsing by connecting troubled residents with the right experts.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Feb 14, 2022
How social norms have influenced Japan’s COVID-19 response
Without any legally enforceable lockdown measures, the watchful gaze of the public eye has kept the nation's citizens in check.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Feb 9, 2022
Raging river: Tracing the Arakawa, Japan’s most dangerous water source
While supplying Tokyoites with drinking water, the river has also been prone to deadly floods over the centuries — risks that are now being escalated by climate change.
Ishiba delays meeting with Trump, citing legal restrictions
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba waves upon arrival for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, in Callao, Peru, on Friday.
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.
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
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.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

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

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