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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 Times
JAPAN / History
Jun 19, 2009
Pair seek POW apology from Aso
For the first time since the end of the war, Australian Joseph Coombs stepped onto Japanese soil, bringing back bitter memories of his days as a prisoner of war forced to work for the mining company run by Prime Minister Taro Aso's family in Fukuoka Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jun 17, 2009
Antinuke resolution is adopted
The Lower House, responding to Pyongyang's atomic test last month, unanimously adopted a resolution Tuesday urging the government to push harder for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2009
Hatoyama quits Aso Cabinet
Internal affairs minister Kunio Hatoyama resigned Friday after rejecting Prime Minister Taro Aso's request to approve Yoshifumi Nishikawa's reappointment as president of Japan Post Holdings Co.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2009
Aso pledges emissions cut of 15% by '20
Japan will try to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent from 2005 levels as its midterm target for 2020, Prime Minister Taro Aso announced Wednesday, claiming the goal is bolder than those put forward by Europe and the U.S.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2009
Diet extension gives Aso breathing space
Now that the Diet session has been extended until July 28, the spotlight has shifted back to Prime Minister Taro Aso as politicians and analysts try to predict when he will dissolve the Lower House and call a snap election.
JAPAN
Jun 2, 2009
Aso wants 55-day legislative extension
Prime Minister Taro Aso said Monday he wants the current Diet session, which is set to close Wednesday, extended by 55 days until the end of July to secure enough time to pass bills related to the ¥14 trillion extra budget for fiscal 2009.
JAPAN
May 30, 2009
Aso's plan to split health ministry in trouble
Prime Minister Taro Aso's plan to split the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry in two has apparently failed amid protests from members of his Liberal Democratic Party, drawing his leadership ability into question once again.
JAPAN
May 30, 2009
Ruling coalition rams through record ¥14 trillion extra budget
A record ¥14 trillion extra budget for fiscal 2009 was enacted by the Diet on Friday as the Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc used its right to override the opposition again and force the legislation through.
JAPAN
May 29, 2009
Concern greets nomination of new U.S. envoy
The nomination Thursday of a virtually unknown lawyer as the next U.S. ambassador to Japan was greeted with more concern than optimism by experts and the government.
JAPAN
May 28, 2009
Upper House frets dispatch authority in antipiracy bill
The opposition-controlled Upper House began deliberations Wednesday on an antipiracy bill that would create a permanent law enabling the Maritime Self-Defense Force to protect the ships of any nation and ease the ban on the use of force.
JAPAN
May 28, 2009
Hatoyama, Aso mix it up in Diet debate
Prompting cheers and jeers Wednesday in their first faceoff in the Diet, Prime Minister Taro Aso and newly elected Democratic Party of Japan President Yukio Hatoyama wrangled over who was best suited to lead the nation.
JAPAN
May 27, 2009
Lower House condemns nuke test
The Lower House on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution condemning North Korea's nuclear test, calling the action an "outrage" and demanding that the government strengthen its sanctions against Pyongyang.
JAPAN
May 27, 2009
Japan scrambles for right response
The government Tuesday welcomed the U.N. Security Council's quick opposition to North Korea's nuclear test but continued to scramble for a fresh response to Pyongyang's latest provocation.
JAPAN
May 22, 2009
Lawmakers question 'saibanin' system
A group of nonpartisan lawmakers gathered Thursday, the first day of the new lay judge system, to call for a moratorium on the new criminal trial system that every political party voted unanimously to institute five years ago.
JAPAN
May 21, 2009
Okada calls on Ozawa to open up about funds
Newly appointed Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Katsuya Okada on Wednesday urged former party leader Ichiro Ozawa to give a full and public account of how money allegedly illicitly donated by Nishimatsu Construction Co. was used.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 17, 2009
Hatoyama elected head of DPJ
Democratic Party of Japan chose Yukio Hatoyama as its new president Saturday by a relatively large margin over Katsuya Okada, who was the more popular candidate among the public in opinion polls.
JAPAN
May 17, 2009
Kinder, gentler society pledged
For newly elected Democratic Party of Japan President Yukio Hatoyama, it's all about the love.
JAPAN
May 16, 2009
Lack of fireworks as DPJ rivals' debate ends in a tie
Yukio Hatoyama and Katsuya Okada, the two candidates in the Democratic Party of Japan's presidential election Saturday, both stuck to the party line in a public debate in which the only way they seemed to differentiate themselves from each other was in their choice of ties.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 14, 2009
Cabinet member exits after tryst
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshitada Konoike resigned Wednesday for "personal reasons" after a magazine hit newsstands with a full account of a trip he and a lover took to a hot-spring resort, during which he used a special JR pass that lets Diet members ride shinkansen for free.
JAPAN
May 14, 2009
Lower House passes budget, draws protest
Over the outraged shouts of opposition lawmakers, the Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc rammed the ¥14 trillion extra budget for fiscal 2009 and related bills through the Lower House Wednesday.
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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