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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
Mar 3, 2011
Don't strike Libya, Egyptian envoy says
Egyptian Ambassador Walid Mahmoud Abdelnasser expressed concern Wednesday over the violence in neighboring Libya but stressed that the international community shouldn't militarily intervene.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2011
U.K. pitch: free trade, Eurofighter and Hague
Japan can deepen ties with the United Kingdom in many areas, including via European free trade, efforts to mitigate climate change and purchase of the European mainstay fighter jet, said David Howell, British minister of state at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 26, 2011
Maehara sorry for quake flight flub
The government said Friday it will provide $500,000 in emergency grant aid to the New Zealand Red Cross to support disaster-relief activities in Christchurch, where dozens of Japanese students remain missing after a devastating earthquake.
JAPAN
Feb 26, 2011
Refugee families' dads land jobs in farming
The fathers of five refugee families from Myanmar who have been undergoing language training and living orientation after arriving in Japan under the U.N.-sponsored third-country resettlement program have landed jobs on farms, Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara said Friday.
BUSINESS
Feb 24, 2011
Fast Retailing partners with UNHCR to clothe refugees
Fast Retailing Co. and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees announced Wednesday they have established a partnership to assist refugees and displaced people around the world through the distribution of recycled Uniqlo clothing.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2011
ICRC operating between the lines
In July 2007, the Taliban took 23 South Korean missionaries hostage in Afghanistan and killed two of them.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2011
Guardsman fast-tracks book, calls video leak 'civic duty'
...
JAPAN
Feb 17, 2011
Maehara steadfast on islands claim
The four Russian-held islands off Hokkaido are Japanese territory regardless of Russia's actions, Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara reiterated Wednesday, brushing off recent concerns Moscow is strengthening its control over the area.
JAPAN
Feb 17, 2011
Tokyo assures Seoul amid peninsula tensions
Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara and his Seoul counterpart, Kim Sung Hwan, reaffirmed Wednesday that Tokyo and Seoul will cooperate closely amid ongoing tension on the Korean Peninsula following Pyongyang's deadly shelling of a South Korean island and its continuing nuclear threat.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2011
Russia-held isles past point of return
Japan has failed for more than half a century to secure the return of four islands seized by Soviet forces off Hokkaido near the end of World War II, and Moscow's recent moves to bolster its hold on the territories dims the likelihood of any concessions from Russia.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2011
EU envoy says no arms sales for China
The European Union's new ambassador to Japan denied speculation the EU may remove its arms export ban against China in the near future, and that even if that were to happen, the bloc wouldn't automatically begin selling weapons to Beijing.
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2011
Japan eyes Uzbekistan's rich natural resources
Japan and Uzbekistan agreed Wednesday to strengthen their strategic bilateral partnership in a wide range of fields, including the development of natural resources such as uranium and rare metals.
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2011
Ambassadors push Japan to join Hague treaty on child abduction
Signing the Hague Convention to prevent cross-border parental child abductions would not only benefit member states but also Japanese nationals whose children have been snatched by ex-spouses, 11 ambassadors to Japan said Wednesday in a joint statement.
JAPAN
Feb 9, 2011
Joining Hague in children's best interest, U.S. adviser says
If Japan wants to promote the best interests of children, it should sign the Hague Convention, the special adviser to the U.S. State Department on issues pertaining to international parental child abductions urged Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 8, 2011
Kan reveals ire at annual rally for northern isles
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's November visit to Kunashiri Island was an "unforgivable outrage," Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Monday at the annual government-sponsored rally in Tokyo to demand the return of territory seized by the Soviets at the end of World War II.
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2011
U.N. envoy vows to press North on abductions
A special rapporteur for the United Nations on human rights in North Korea urged Pyongyang on Friday to resolve the long-standing abduction issue and deal with wider matters relating to humanitarian and human rights regarding its people.
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2011
Child-custody pact up for talks
A high-level government panel kicked off discussions Tuesday on whether to sign an international treaty against international child abductions by parents but has set no time frame for reaching a conclusion, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Tetsuro Fukuyama said.
JAPAN
Jan 25, 2011
Maehara pitches U.S. ties
Japan must strengthen its "economic diplomacy" in negotiating free trade, securing natural resources, exporting technology, and boosting tourism to contribute to an ever-changing Asia and world, Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara said Monday as the Diet opened for business.
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2011
Host-nation deal inked, not 'sympathy budget'
Japan and the United States signed an agreement Friday that keeps Tokyo's annual bill for hosting U.S. military facilities at ¥188.1 billion over the next five years and allows it to relocate unwanted war exercises — for a price.
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2011
U.S. alliance vital for national security: Kan
Prime Minister Naoto Kan stressed Thursday the importance of the Japan-U.S. alliance and the importance of the continued presence of American forces in Okinawa for the national security.
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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