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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 / ANALYSIS
Nov 25, 2010
Trio must be firm with North
Growing military tension on the Korean Peninsula has posed another major diplomatic challenge for Prime Minister Naoto Kan's Cabinet, and Japan needs to form a firm united front with the United States and South Korea to deal with Pyongyang's provocations, critics said Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2010
UNHCR chief praises asylum system's meaningful progress
Japan's acceptance of asylum-seekers has made meaningful progress, including its serving as a trial "third country" in a United Nations-promoted trial resettlement program, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said Thursday in Tokyo.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Nov 16, 2010
Kan given low score for weekend
Pundits came away unimpressed over the weekend by Prime Minister Naoto Kan's bilateral meetings with his Chinese and Russian counterparts and his hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Yokohama.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2010
Kan holds talks on disputes with Hu, Medvedev
YOKOHAMA — Prime Minister Naoto Kan finally managed to hold bilateral meetings Saturday with his Chinese and Russian counterparts in Yokohama, giving him a chance to sort out diplomatic tensions that have emerged over separate territorial rows.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2010
Kan thanks Obama for U.S. siding with Japan
YOKOHAMA — Prime Minister Naoto Kan expressed gratitude Saturday to President Barack Obama for Washington's support during Japan's territorial tensions with China and Russia.
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2010
Uniting APEC too tall an order for Kan?
Prime Minister Naoto Kan faces the huge task of forging consensus among the 21 economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and paving the way for a regionwide free-trade zone as chair of the summit that kicks off Saturday in Yokohama.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2010
Robot hosts display of high-tech prowess
Miim's got talent. With her straight, shoulder-length black hair, she can sing, model, act and dance like anyone in Japan. But Miim's not human. Miim's a robot.
BUSINESS
Nov 12, 2010
Steps vowed on region trade goals
YOKOHAMA — Foreign and trade ministers from the Asia-Pacific region affirmed Thursday the importance of taking concrete steps toward achieving a regionwide free-trade zone.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 11, 2010
Taiwan seizes chance to make regional statement
Taiwan has thrown its support behind a proposed Pacific Rim free-trade zone and considers APEC a key forum to achieve this, according to a senior Taipei official.
JAPAN
Nov 11, 2010
U.S. commerce chief praises TPP interest
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke welcomed Japan's decision Wednesday to launch talks with other countries to study a trans-Pacific free-trade agreement.
BUSINESS
Nov 9, 2010
Top APEC officials lay groundwork for regional FTA
Senior regional officials concluded their meeting Monday at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Yokohama with a decision to pursue a regionwide free-trade zone.
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2010
Senkaku collisions video leak riles China
A video apparently taken by the Japan Coast Guard of the Sept. 7 collisions between a Chinese trawler and patrol vessels off the Senkaku Islands has shown up on YouTube, prompting China to express "concern" over already strained bilateral relations.
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2010
Medvedev isle trip spurs envoy recall
Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara said Tuesday he will recall the Japanese ambassador to Moscow in the wake of President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to Kunashiri Island, one of the four Russia-held islands that Japan wants returned.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Nov 3, 2010
Rows pull diplomatic shortcomings to fore
First China, and now Russia. Prime Minister Naoto Kan and his administration's apparent lack of experience is allowing neighboring nations to take territorial advantage over Japan to the alarm of experts.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Nov 2, 2010
Toilets: Japan power behind throne
Japan, the state-of-the-art high-tech powerhouse that gave the world manga and sushi, has also achieved prowess in a more fundamental feature of daily life: the toilet.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2010
Medvedev's Kunashiri trip spurs protest
Tokyo lodged a strong protest Monday over Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit the same day to Kunashiri Island, one of the four Russian-held islands off Hokkaido that Japan wants returned.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 28, 2010
Lawyer putting foreigners first
Masako Suzuki has dedicated her career to giving legal support to foreigners living in Japan. Starting Monday, she will become the first head of the new Section of Legal Assistance for Foreigners at the Tokyo Public Law Office.
JAPAN
Oct 26, 2010
India, Japan agree on broad trade deal
Prime Minister Naoto Kan and visiting Indian leader Manmohan Singh officially agreed Monday in Tokyo to activate an economic partnership agreement as soon as possible and to speed up talks on civilian nuclear cooperation.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2010
Senkaku challenge surmountable: departing U.S. Forces commander
Lt. Gen. Edward Rice, before he steps down next week as the commander of U.S. Forces Japan, said Thursday it is natural for any country, including Japan and China, to face bilateral "challenges" and expressed optimism the two countries will be able to move forward in a positive direction.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2010
Susan Roos champion of balance
Susan Roos wears many hats. A mother of two and the wife of U.S. Ambassador John Roos, she is also a partner at Cook Roos Wilbur LLP in San Francisco, where she practices as a labor law attorney.
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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