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December 23, 2024
 

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Masami Ito

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Masami Ito
Masami is a staff writer for the Life and Culture Division at The Japan Times. She is in charge of the weekly Sunday Timeout, covering various issues related to Japan, from alcohol/drug addiction and juvenile crime to female sushi chefs and kendama. Over her 15-year career, she has written extensively on Japanese politics, foreign policy and social issues.
JAPAN
Jul 7, 2011
Kan under fire in wake of Matsumoto's resignation
Prime Minister Naoto Kan accepted responsibility Wednesday for last week appointing Ryu Matsumoto as reconstruction minister, only to see him resign Tuesday after disparaging the disaster zone he was tasked to mend, but vowed to stay on as leader until his conditions for leaving are met.
JAPAN
Jul 6, 2011
Reconstruction minister quits after week
Ryu Matsumoto resigned Tuesday as reconstruction minister just a week into his stint after he drew flak for insulting two governors in the disaster-hit Tohoku region he was tasked to rebuild, and his exit drove Prime Minister Naoto Kan into a deeper political quagmire.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jun 29, 2011
Kan keeps foes on edge over resignation timetable
Prime Minister Naoto Kan's announcement Monday that he would step down after the second extra budget and two key bills are passed may, at a glance, appear as though he finally clarified when he is leaving.
JAPAN
Jun 28, 2011
Kan revamps Cabinet posts
Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Monday gave some of his Cabinet ministers new jobs and hired a member of the top opposition party to be his parliamentary secretary for internal affairs — moves that were viewed as an effort to extend his grip on power despite stated plans to step down.
JAPAN
Jun 28, 2011
'Burden' lifted from bases rhetoric
The Japanese and U.S. governments have begun to avoid using the negative term "burden" in official documents when referring to the vast tracts of land occupied by U.S. military bases and facilities on the island of Okinawa.
JAPAN
Jun 26, 2011
Tax increase urged to pay for rebuilding
The government's reconstruction panel submitted a report Saturday to Prime Minister Naoto Kan mapping out measures needed to recover from the devastating March 11 quake and tsunami.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2011
Ainu outside Hokkaido also marginalized: poll
Ainu living outside Hokkaido had lower income and education levels compared with the nationwide average and some faced discrimination, a government survey released Friday showed.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2011
DPJ tacks on 70 days to avert Diet recess
The Diet session was extended by 70 days Wednesday, giving Prime Minister Naoto Kan and his Democratic Party of Japan some breathing room as they try to enact several key bills by the end of August.
JAPAN
Jun 22, 2011
Diet session extension left to the last minute
The Nagata-cho political hub was in turmoil Tuesday as the ruling and opposition camps failed to come to an agreement on how long to extend the Diet session, which was slated to finish Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2011
Reconstruction agency bill passed
A basic law for reconstructing the Tohoku region, including plans to form a new agency dedicated to this task, cleared the Diet Monday, more than three months after the megaquake and tsunami calamity.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2011
Fukushima panel shocked by destruction
Members of an expert panel investigating the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant visited the site for the first time Friday, where they were shocked by the extent of the damage from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, committee leader Yotaro Hatamura said.
JAPAN
Jun 17, 2011
Evacuation urged for radioactive hot spots
The government said Thursday it will recommend the evacuation of residents living in radioactive hot spots outside the no-entry zone around the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
JAPAN
Jun 16, 2011
DPJ to seek 'substantial' Diet extension
The Democratic Party of Japan will seek to "substantially extend" the Diet session and pass key legislation dealing with the aftermath of the March 11 calamity, DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2011
Noda emerges as likely Kan successor
With Naoto Kan's days as prime minister apparently numbered, Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda emerged Thursday as a key candidate to succeed Kan.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2011
Besieged Kan marks milestone: one year
The first anniversary of Naoto Kan's prime ministership arrived Wednesday amid a whirlwind of political maneuvering and speculation over when he would step down and whether the ruling and opposition parties can form a grand coalition.
JAPAN
Jun 8, 2011
Official probe begins into nuclear disaster
An independent panel of experts launched a probe Tuesday into the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant amid strong domestic and international criticism that the government and Tepco have bungled their response.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jun 7, 2011
Hague treaty seeks to balance rights of kids, parents
Prime Minister Naoto Kan's administration said in May it would establish legislation as part of preparations for Japan joining an international convention to prevent cross-border abductions of children by their parents.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2011
Kan delayed-exit hint restarts feud
The timing of Prime Minister Naoto Kan's resignation caused a political storm Friday, after he indicated he may stay put for months before actually exiting.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2011
Ozawa allies opt to keep key jobs
Four of the five Democratic Party of Japan lawmakers who hold government posts Friday withdrew the resignations they submitted as part of a revolt against Prime Minister Naoto Kan.
JAPAN
Jun 2, 2011
No-confidence vote set for Kan Cabinet
The Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and Tachiagare Nippon (Sunrise Party of Japan) submitted a binding no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Wednesday evening, shaking the administration to the core as discontented members of the Democratic Party of Japan, including Cabinet appointees,...
Bankruptcies and suicides rise as Japanese struggle with mounting debt
Lawyers estimate that personal bankruptcies in Japan are on track to reach the highest since 2012 this year.
Honda and Nissan consider mutual production of vehicles, report says
Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe at the Japan Mobility Show 2023 at Tokyo Big Sight in October 2023.
The mighty Mekong River's growing plastic problem
A group of elephant keepers in Chiang Saen, Thailand, remove plastic waste from the Ruak River, a tributary of the Mekong River, as a pair of Asian elephants bathe behind them.
Record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, government survey finds
The public opinion survey on people's lives, conducted by the Cabinet Office, found that 28.1% of respondents think that their standard of living is at a lower-middle level among the general public — the highest percentage to give that response in 35 years.
Nippon Steel alleges undue White House influence on doomed deal review
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Dec. 10.
Casual workouts, cool living, ‘complete’ food: Japan’s health trends of 2024
In 2024, efficiency trumped effort among Japan's fitness-focused aspirants.
The mighty Mekong River's growing plastic problem
A group of elephant keepers in Chiang Saen, Thailand, remove plastic waste from the Ruak River, a tributary of the Mekong River, as a pair of Asian elephants bathe behind them.
Japanese officials inspect Yokota Air Base over PFAS concerns
The Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo in September 2019. An inspection of the base by Japanese government officials on Friday came amid public pressure to investigate suspected links between the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam by the U.S. base and contamination of soil and groundwater in western Tokyo.
Crime numbers rise in Japan for second straight year
A police officer stands in front of the residence of a man alleged to have stabbed two junior high school students in Kitakyushu.
A year of Oscar wins and a quiet push for diversity
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” released in Japanese theaters in April, sharply dramatizes the clash between rural and urban values. The film won five awards at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, including the second-place Silver Lion prize.

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