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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
Nov 26, 2008
Aso: Extra budget is for next Diet
The government will put off submitting a second supplementary budget designed to stimulate the economy until January, when the ordinary Diet session assembles, rather than float it during the current extraordinary session, Prime Minister Taro Aso revealed Tuesday.
JAPAN
Nov 22, 2008
Paroled death-row inmate dies after decades-long fight for retrial
Kenjiro Ishii spent most of his life seeking a retrial. Still hoping for another court appearance, the paroled death-row inmate died on the morning of Nov. 7 at a hospital in Kumamoto Prefecture at age 91.
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2008
Aso likely to extend legislative session
The Democratic Party of Japan's reluctance to participate in Diet proceedings or vote on some bills increased the likelihood that the ruling bloc will extend the extra Diet session beyond its Nov. 30 close.
JAPAN
Nov 18, 2008
DPJ to boycott debate in Diet on key legislation
Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa decided Monday to boycott Diet discussions on key bills after an emergency meeting with Prime Minister Taro Aso failed to produce substantive results.
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2008
Ruling bloc OKs ¥2 trillion boost
The government and Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc officially adopted a ¥2 trillion cash handout program Wednesday, but officials said they don't know yet if foreign residents will get a piece of the pie.
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2008
Aso lauds win, vows better ties
Prime Minister Taro Aso welcomed Democratic President-elect Barack Obama's victory and vowed Wednesday to work with him to strengthen Japanese-U.S. relations, stressing in a statement that the two nations will cooperate to find solutions to various problems related to the global economy, terrorism and...
JAPAN
Oct 31, 2008
Prime minister's crisis political, not financial
Prime Minister Taro Aso's desire to address the global financial crisis appears to be why a snap election won't be called anytime soon, but political analysts have another take: He just wants to avoid a losing battle.
JAPAN
Oct 31, 2008
Economic mess arrived to trump election chance
Prime Minister Taro Aso announced his intention Thursday to postpone dissolving the Lower House and calling a snap election.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2008
Aso reportedly won't call election this year
Word spread quickly Tuesday through the Nagata-cho political center that Prime Minister Taro Aso will not dissolve the Lower House and call a general election until next year so he can focus on the faltering economy.
JAPAN
Oct 24, 2008
Aso simmers down, defends glitzy nightlife
Prime Minister Taro Aso countered growing criticism Thursday about his wining and dining at high-end hotels and restaurants by saying his haunts are public places open to anyone.
JAPAN
Oct 23, 2008
LDP panel OKs bill for one-time holiday
A Liberal Democratic Party panel approved a bill Wednesday to make Nov. 12, 2009, a one-time national holiday to mark the 20th anniversary of Emperor Akihito's accession to the Chrysanthemum Throne.
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2008
Lower House passes MSDF antiterror bill
The Lower House approved a special antiterrorism bill Tuesday to enable the Maritime Self-Defense Force to continue refueling multinational warships engaged in counterterrorism operations in the Indian Ocean — a key goal of Prime Minister Taro Aso for this Diet session.
JAPAN
Oct 18, 2008
Filipino bar hostess visa scam snags top official
Senior Vice Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Masatoshi Kurata was embroiled in a scandal Friday over his alleged role in arranging visas for Filipino women to enter Japan and perform at "charity concerts," but who in fact ended up working as bar hostesses.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 16, 2008
BOJ hand nominated as deputy
The government nominated Bank of Japan Executive Director Hirohide Yamaguchi on Wednesday to fill the central bank's longtime vacant deputy governor post amid the ongoing global financial crisis.
JAPAN
Oct 15, 2008
Hosoda revives call to hold early election
A Lower House election should be held as soon as possible to break the political standstill created by the divided Diet, Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Hiroyuki Hosoda said Tuesday.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 15, 2008
LDP — a party defined by factions
Apart from one brief interval, the Liberal Democratic Party has been in power since it was formed in 1955, and every time it picks a new leader internal factions vie for power.
JAPAN
Oct 11, 2008
Lower House opens debate on MSDF bill
The Lower House on Friday began deliberating the government's special antiterrorism bill for extending the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean.
JAPAN
Oct 7, 2008
Extra budget first, general election later: Aso
Prime Minister Taro Aso said Monday he is not considering dissolving the Lower House for now, as the Diet began deliberations on the ¥1.8 trillion extra budget.
JAPAN
Oct 4, 2008
Kawamura to show receipts for all office expenditures
Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura repeated Friday that he has used his political funds legally and said his office is preparing to disclose receipts that back up his suspiciously high expenditures.
JAPAN
Oct 3, 2008
Aso sorry for past gaffes, pushes budget passage
Outspoken new Prime Minister Taro Aso, known for his slips of the tongue, faced Upper House lawmakers Thursday and apologized for his past verbal gaffes.
Zelenskyy to replace Ukraine ambassador to Japan
Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky delivers a speech during a handover ceremony of Self-Defense Force vehicles to Ukraine, at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo, in May last year.
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.
For baseball fans, 2024 brought The Summer of Shohei Ohtani
Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani reacts to a standing ovation from fans after hitting his 50th home run of the season, against the Marlins in Miami on Sept. 19.
Casual workouts, cool living, ‘complete’ food: Japan’s health trends of 2024
In 2024, efficiency trumped effort among Japan's fitness-focused aspirants.
Is Japan finally ready to tap its abundant geothermal energy potential?
Steam rises from a geothermal plan in Yuzawa, Akita Prefecture. Despite its long history and potential, geothermal provided just 0.3% of Japan's overall energy mix in the fiscal year from April 2023
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.

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