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July 16, 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 Times
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2011
Kan's foes readying no-confidence vote
The opposition camp stepped up efforts Tuesday to bring down Prime Minister Naoto Kan, preparing to submit a vote of no confidence against him as early as Wednesday.
JAPAN
May 31, 2011
Kan foes in DPJ set to join ouster ploy
The drive to oust Prime Minister Naoto Kan gathered steam Monday as speculation grew that key members of his party would join forces with the opposition to submit, possibly as early as this week, a vote of no confidence to the Diet.
JAPAN
May 27, 2011
Tepco now says reactor seawater injection wasn't halted
Tokyo Electric Power Co. in an apparent flip-flop Thursday claimed it did not temporarily stop the injection of seawater into the damaged Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant on March 12, a day after the deadly earthquake and tsunami.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 25, 2011
Tepco admits two more meltdowns
Tokyo Electric Power Co. admitted Tuesday what many experts had long suspected: The cores of reactors 2 and 3 at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant likely melted down and dropped to the bottom of their pressure vessels, just as happened at unit 1.
JAPAN
May 25, 2011
Independent panel created to probe cause of crisis
The government established an independent panel Tuesday to probe the cause of the nuclear crisis with the aim of preventing future disasters and coming up with proposals for limiting the damage at the Fukushima No. 1 plant.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 24, 2011
Kan denies he pulled plug on seawater
Prime Minister Naoto Kan categorically denied allegations Monday that he ordered Tokyo Electric Co. to temporarily stop injecting seawater into an overheating reactor at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant a day after the March 11 devastating earthquake.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 21, 2011
Process for signing Hague treaty begins
The government officially decided Friday to prepare to ratify an international treaty that prevents cross-border parental child abductions.
JAPAN
May 20, 2011
Edano seeks to end regional monopolies of power utilities
Japan will look at other countries as it studies the idea of spinning off power distribution from the business of electricity generation, a move that would put an end to power companies' regional monopolies, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Thursday.
JAPAN
May 18, 2011
Reactor worker error comes to light
The emergency cooling system for reactor 1 at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant may have been shut down manually before the tsunami hit March 11, according to a Tokyo Electric Power Co. spokesman and documents released by the utility.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 14, 2011
Tepco, state strike compensation deal
The government approved Friday an overall framework for using taxpayer money to help Tokyo Electric Power Co. pay an enormous sum in compensation to victims of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
JAPAN
May 13, 2011
Kan orders slaughter of all livestock in 20-km hot zone
Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Thursday told Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato to slaughter all farm animals within a 20-km radius of the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
JAPAN
May 11, 2011
Tepco turns to government for cash
Embattled Tokyo Electric Co. President Masataka Shimizu officially asked the government Tuesday to help shoulder the burden of compensating people affected by the disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
JAPAN
May 10, 2011
Subsidies to region will continue
The government does not intend to cut subsidies to prefectural and other local governments around the controversial Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka Prefecture after it closes, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Monday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 4, 2011
Group helps kids get through grief
In the aftermath of the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami in the Tohoku region, victimized children face an increasing need for help in coping with the death of loved ones, according to an American expert.
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2011
Tepco, and state, responsible: Kan
Prime Minister Naoto Kan acknowledged the government bears some responsibility for the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant crisis.
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2011
Ukraine envoy: '86 accident vastly different
Ukraine Ambassador to Japan Mykola Kulinich said Tuesday that what happened in Chernobyl was very different from Japan's current battle at the damaged Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant and expressed his country's support for Tokyo to overcome the incident.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Apr 26, 2011
Refugee NPO to celebrate music, hope for Tohoku
...
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2011
Gillard pledges assistance, reliable energy supply
Visiting Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard pledged Thurday that Canberra will continue to be a "reliable supplier of energy" to Japan, while expressing her condolences over the March 11 disaster to Prime Minister Naoto Kan.
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2011
Clinton meets with Matsumoto
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto on Sunday in Tokyo, where she expressed Washington's sympathy and solidarity with Japan's attempts to rebuild from the deadly quake and tsunami that claimed more than 13,000 lives.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2011
Fukushima crisis now at Chernobyl level
The government's nuclear watchdog on Tuesday raised its assessment of the severity of the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant to the highest level under the international standard, putting it on a par with the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe - the worst atomic power disaster in history.
Who needs AI when you have Hatsune Miku?
Over the first six months of 2024, a handful of songs using Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku’s voice have enjoyed widespread attention, underlining a global interest in the character and the technology she represents.
Bloodied Trump survives assassination attempt at political rally
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is surrounded and evacuated by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Trump was rushed off stage at the rally after shots rang out.
Shooter came within inches of killing Trump, but left few clues as to why
An aerial view shows the stage where Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump had been standing during an assassination attempt the day before, and the roof of a nearby building where a gunman was shot dead by law enforcement, in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
After Trump shooting, U.S. presidential race might take a violent turn
United States Secret Service Counter Snipers stand guard on a rooftop during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Avoca, Pennsylvania, in 2020.
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.

Podcast

You can often see generations of families enjoying performances together at Fuji Rock Festival.
Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
By Tomoko Otake

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