Masami Ito - The Japan Times

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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

Sep 4, 2010

AIDS fight needs cash, recession or no: advocates

Advocates engaged in the battle against HIV and AIDS urged donor countries Friday in Tokyo not to cut their contributions amid the global economic slump.

JAPAN

Sep 1, 2010

Futenma replacement report leaves runway question open

Japan and the United States released a joint report Tuesday on construction details of the contentious relocation base for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa but without coming to an agreement on runway options.

Japan Times

JAPAN / EXPLAINER

Aug 31, 2010

Does Japan's affair with tuna mean loving it to extinction?

Japan is known as the biggest consumer of tuna. Be it raw for sushi or sashimi or fried, broiled or canned, tuna is an important element of the food culture.

JAPAN

Aug 28, 2010

Relax arms export ban so firms can profit: panel

Japan should consider relaxing its ban on arms exports so defense companies can participate in international projects, a special advisory panel to Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Friday.

JAPAN

Aug 27, 2010

Ozawa to challenge Kan for DPJ helm

Democratic Party of Japan heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa broke his silence Thursday to announce he will run against Prime Minister Naoto Kan in the ruling DPJ's Sept. 14 presidential election, raising the possibility of a third prime minister in a year if he wins.

JAPAN

Aug 26, 2010

Okada backs Kan, rules out run for DPJ chief

Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada reiterated Wednesday that he would support the re-election of Prime Minister Naoto Kan in the Sept. 14 Democratic Party of Japan presidential election.

JAPAN

Aug 21, 2010

Tattoo as art on human canvases

The human body becomes a canvas in the hands of tattoo artist Horiyoshi III. Each dot, each line is carefully engraved, until gradually it becomes a colorful masterpiece.

JAPAN

Aug 5, 2010

U.S. welcomes Iran sanctions, urges further action

Senior U.S. government officials on Wednesday welcomed Tokyo's decision to impose additional sanctions on Iran over its continued pursuit of its nuclear program but urged Japan to take further action in line with other countries.

JAPAN

Aug 4, 2010

Ban, Okada confirm effort to eradicate nukes

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon confirmed Tuesday with Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada that Japan and the world body will aim for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

JAPAN

Aug 4, 2010

Awareness of bluefin decline urged

Atlantic bluefin tuna stocks are declining at a dangerous pace, experts and members of an international nongovernmental organization warned at a forum Tuesday in Tokyo, urging Japanese consumers to be more aware of the problem when they opt to eat sashimi and sushi.

JAPAN

Jul 27, 2010

New ambassador to China chides bureaucrats, urges FTA

The new ambassador to China, Uichiro Niwa, criticized bureaucrats Monday for focusing only on the interests of their ministries and not the nation, and expressed a strong desire to reform the system.

JAPAN

Jul 23, 2010

Kim: North failed to turn abductees into spies but wouldn't kill them

Ex-North Korean saboteur Kim Hyon Hui stressed Thursday to relatives of Japanese abducted by Pyongyang that their loved ones may still be alive.

Japan Times

BUSINESS

Jul 17, 2010

Don't turn your backs on euro, Fillon pleads

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon urged Japanese firms and investors Friday not to turn their backs on the euro despite the recent financial crisis triggered by Greece's debt meltdown.

JAPAN

Jul 16, 2010

Okada, Hague talk Afghanistan, North, nukes

The United Kingdom and Japan will jointly confront international issues pertaining to Afghanistan, North Korean and nuclear nonproliferation, visiting British Foreign Secretary William Hague agreed with his Tokyo counterpart, Katsuya Okada, on Thursday.

JAPAN

Jul 14, 2010

Smarting DPJ ranks look for scapegoat

The ruling Democratic Party of Japan was quick to rule out a shakeup of DPJ executives over the defeat in the Upper House election, but Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa and other members indicated Tuesday someone should be held responsible.

JAPAN

Jul 13, 2010

Kan, Edano blamed for DPJ defeat

As the ruling Democratic Party of Japan scrambled to get back on its feet Monday a day after voters took away the coalition's Upper House majority, the blame game was quick to commence and the two key targets were Prime Minister Naoto Kan and DPJ Secretary General Yukio Edano.

JAPAN

Jul 13, 2010

Your Party no party to ruling bloc

Your Party leader Yoshimi Watanabe said Monday that his group, which scored great gains in Sunday's Upper House election, has no intention of joining the ruling coalition and urged Prime Minister Naoto Kan to dissolve the Lower House.

JAPAN

Jul 12, 2010

LDP basks in first solid performance in years

It was payback time for the Liberal Democratic Party.

JAPAN / DECISION 2010

Jul 9, 2010

Playing both sides of the fence

NAGANO — Last summer's historic victory by the Democratic Party of Japan in the Lower House election shook the national political structure to the core, including voting patterns.

JAPAN

Jul 9, 2010

In Nagano, campaign platitudes don't resonate amid dire economy

NAGANO — Walking the streets of Nagano, it is difficult to ignore the obvious halts in development.

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

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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals

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