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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 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.
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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