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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
Sep 9, 2008
Fukuda comes out of hiding at last, speaks to reporters
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, who refused to speak to reporters since suddenly announcing his resignation Sept. 1, finally came out of hiding Monday evening, claiming he has not been avoiding the media.
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2008
More candidates lining up for LDP presidential race
The field of possible candidates for the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election is growing, with various party members scrambling to collect the 20 recommendations needed from LDP lawmakers to run in the race to succeed the incumbent, departing Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2008
Yosano, Ishihara eye run for LDP's helm
Two more names surfaced Thursday as candidates for the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election as economy minister Kaoru Yosano and former LDP policy chief Nobuteru Ishihara both indicated they were willing to run.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2008
Fukuda gives LDP apology for quick exit
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda told his fellow Liberal Democratic Party members in the Diet on Wednesday he was sorry about his surprise decision to step down earlier this week.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2008
Fukuda exit underscores New Komeito rift, may spur poll
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's sudden resignation Monday may set in motion a round of political upheaval, with his successor likely to dissolve the Lower House and call a snap election before year's end, critics say.
JAPAN
Sep 2, 2008
Fukuda announces resignation
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda abruptly announced Monday night he will resign.
JAPAN
Sep 2, 2008
Ozawa to seek third DPJ term
Ichiro Ozawa of the Democratic Party of Japan announced Monday he will run for a third term as the party's president.
JAPAN
Sep 2, 2008
Estimated 590,000 people take part in nationwide quake drills
Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura kicked off a government-sponsored earthquake drill Monday by announcing that a hypothetical magnitude 8.6 temblor had struck off Wakayama Prefecture an hour earlier at 6:30 a.m.
JAPAN
Aug 30, 2008
Ota discloses office expenditure
Farm minister Seiichi Ota disclosed details of his political support group's expenditures Friday in an attempt to clear his name after allegations of irregularities and once again expressed his intention to remain in his post.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2008
DPJ trio to form new party
Only two weeks from the start of the extraordinary Diet session, three Democratic Party of Japan lawmakers will leave the DPJ to form a new political party with two Upper House independent lawmakers, officials said.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2008
Slaying in Afghanistan will not deter Japan's antiterror mission
Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura voiced anger Thursday over the kidnapping and killing of aid worker Kazuya Ito in Afghanistan.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2008
Ota downplays flap over funding
A political support group for agriculture minister Seiichi Ota declared more than ¥23 million in office fees in 2005 and 2006 in its annual political funding reports for an office registered at the Tokyo home of his ministerial secretary, even though no rent money was actually paid.
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2008
Noda out; Ozawa set to keep DPJ helm
Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Yoshihiko Noda gave up his bid Friday to run in the party's presidential election in September, increasing the likelihood that current leader Ichiro Ozawa will be reinstalled unopposed.
JAPAN
Aug 20, 2008
Fukuda looks to restart Diet next month
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda indicated Tuesday he is looking at a mid-September start for the extraordinary Diet session, during which the ruling bloc hopes to introduce emergency economic steps and continue Japan's contribution to antiterrorism efforts.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 16, 2008
Fukuda sticks to neutral venues
Speaking at the annual ceremony to commemorate Japan's war dead at Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on Friday touched on the country's wartime responsibility to its neighbors and renewed the nation's pledge to never again wage war.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2008
Don't trust North, abductees' kin warn
Relatives of Japanese abducted by North Korea voiced concern Thursday that the government was rushing into an fruitless agreement with Pyongyang to resolve the long-standing issue.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 14, 2008
Street players give hoops diplomacy a shot
On one sunny Sunday afternoon this spring, dozens of people of various ages and nationalities converged on the basketball courts at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo. Juking, dunking, shooting and scoring, they played with grit as their competitive juices flowed.
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2008
Panel begins process to rectify Ainu woes
The government panel on Ainu policies held its first meeting Monday, aiming to look into the lives and discrimination the indigenous group faces and come up with remedial action.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CABINET INTERVIEW
Aug 8, 2008
Machimura steels himself for another Diet session
The key to getting bills and personnel appointments through the divided Diet is "patience," says Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2008
LDP election chief cool to near-term campaign
The Liberal Democratic Party needs more time to promote its policies before entertaining any idea of a Lower House election, the chairman of the LDP Election Strategy Council indicated Tuesday.
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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