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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
Jan 19, 2011
Embassy staffer nailed for stealing
The Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday that a local Japanese employee at the embassy in Colombia embezzled about ¥1.55 million from commission fees for issuing and renewing passports.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 18, 2011
Russian-held isles: So near, so far
On the morning of Nov. 1, Dmitry Medvedev became the first Russian leader to set foot on one of the four islands off Hokkaido seized by the Soviets at the end of World War II that Japan has long wanted returned.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2011
Kitazawa, Gates to speed talks on SM-3
Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa met with his U.S. counterpart, Robert Gates, Thursday in Tokyo, with the two agreeing to speed talks on the possibility of providing jointly developed sea-based missile-shield systems to other countries and the need to prevent North Korea from taking further provocative...
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2011
Maehara hopes 2011 yields North dialogue
Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara said Tuesday he hopes to create an environment for direct dialogue between Japan and North Korea this year in an effort to resolve Pyongyang's abductions of Japanese and press the reclusive state to drop its nuclear and missile threats.
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2011
Kan's foreign policy plate full, waiting to be attacked
The foreign policy agenda of Prime Minister Naoto Kan and his Democratic Party of Japan-led government in 2011 is stacked with pressing bilateral diplomatic issues with the United States and China, as well as broader, strategic goals, including curbing global warming and promoting regional free trade....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 31, 2010
DPJ's diplomatic weakness all too evident
2010 was a tough year in foreign relations for Prime Minister Naoto Kan and the Democratic Party of Japan as they scrambled to deal with one problem after another, including territorial disputes with China and Russia.
JAPAN
Dec 29, 2010
Ozawa agrees to give unsworn testimony
Bending to Prime Minister Naoto Kan's demands, former Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa said Tuesday he will appear before the Lower House ethics committee to explain his political money scandal.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2010
Kan's bid to woo small party flops
The small opposition force Tachiagare Nippon (Sunrise Party of Japan) on Monday snubbed Prime Minister Naoto Kan's overture to join the ruling bloc, undermining his administration's latest attempt to get past the divided Diet.
JAPAN
Dec 18, 2010
Defense focus shifts from Russia to China
The administration endorsed a new defense guideline Friday that focuses on China's growing military activities instead of former Cold War foe Russia and paints North Korea as a regional security threat.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Dec 18, 2010
More muscular China made change necessary
The new defense guideline calling for a drastic shift to the southwest is a necessary and natural move for Japan amid China's growing military might and tougher diplomatic posture in the East China Sea, military analysts said.
JAPAN / RESETTLEMENT
Dec 16, 2010
Pilot resettlement program put to test with first Karens
This fall, five families from Myanmar arrived in Japan filled with hope and excitement for a new life.
Japan Times
JAPAN / RESETTLEMENT
Dec 16, 2010
Myanmar families take first steps
The air was filled with hope and warmth as the five families from Myanmar who are in Japan on the third-country resettlement program met with visiting United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees chief Antonio Guterres last month in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Dec 15, 2010
Host-nation support to stand at ¥188 billion until 2016
Japan agreed Tuesday to maintain its level of host-nation support for U.S. forces at an annual ¥188.1 billion for the next five years starting in fiscal 2011.
JAPAN
Dec 10, 2010
Mullen urges China to rein in 'reckless,' provocative North
The highest-ranking U.S. military officer urged China on Thursday to do more to prevent North Korea from taking provocative actions.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2010
'Tree of Hope' lit up for refugees
The Christmas "Tree of Hope" was set aglow in Tokyo's Marunouchi district Tuesday by Princess Kiko and a group of schoolchildren to show support for refugee kids worldwide suffering in conflicts and hardship.
JAPAN
Dec 4, 2010
Officials fear WikiLeaks' potential to harm U.S. ties
What's next? What disasters await in the pipeline?
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2010
Sudan decision day looms: minister
The fate of Sudan will be decided in a referendum expected in January to let the strife-torn south determine whether to stay in the country or become independent.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2010
Aso's take on Wen, Hu in Beijing revealed by leaks
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was "very tired and seemed under a lot of pressure," in the eyes of former Prime Minister Taro Aso when they met in Beijing in April 2009, according to a classified cable exposed by WikiLeaks.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2010
Kan, Hasina agree to bolster Bangladeshi ties
Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina agreed Monday in Tokyo to strengthen bilateral ties for the peace and prosperity of the international community and South Asia.
JAPAN
Nov 26, 2010
Opposition: Kan lacks crisis-management ability
Opposition lawmakers spent Thursday badgering Prime Minister Naoto Kan and his Cabinet for "lacking crisis-management ability" and "being late" in responding to news of North Korea's shelling of South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island.
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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