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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
May 13, 2009
Saturday poll set to choose new DPJ boss
A day after embattled Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa abruptly announced he plans to resign, the top opposition party scrambled to set the stage for electing its next leader.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 12, 2009
Between a rock and a hard place
The islands of Okinawa offer subtropical resorts, original delicacies and a distinct culture.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 12, 2009
Ozawa declares resignation
Bowing to pressure from within the Democratic Party of Japan, Ichiro Ozawa surprised the political world Monday by announcing his resignation as DPJ president to take responsibility for the political fundraising scandal involving his chief aide.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
May 12, 2009
A boost for DPJ, at LDP's expense
With Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa intending to resign over a political fundraising scandal, the party may regain some momentum for the upcoming general election, analysts say.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 6, 2009
NPO marks 30 years of refugee aid
In May 2005, Jane Best, president of Refugees International Japan, visited a refugee camp in Tanzania and met people who had fled conflicts in neighboring countries such as Rwanda, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2009
Lower House panel takes up contentious immigration bill
A Lower House panel Friday began deliberating a controversial bill that would revise the immigration law by strengthening state control over foreigners and illegal entry by shifting responsibility for alien registration to the central government from municipalities and increasing penalties for violators....
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2009
Lower House passes bill widening MSDF antipiracy role
The Lower House passed an antipiracy bill Thursday to create a permanent law enabling the Maritime Self-Defense Force to protect ships of any nationality against pirates, amid strong protests from opposition parties.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2009
Machimura bides his time
Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura revealed that he has ambitions to someday lead the nation, but said that as chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party's largest faction, his present role is to give full support to Prime Minister Taro Aso.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2009
Debate starts on bill to free up MSDF
The Lower House began deliberating on an antipiracy bill Tuesday to create a permanent law that would let the Maritime Self-Defense Force protect ships of any nationality against pirates and remove certain limits on the MSDF's use of force.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2009
Nakasone predicts formation of LDP-DPJ grand coalition
Former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone said Friday there is a big chance a grand coalition will form between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the Democratic Party of Japan after the next general election to stabilize the government and weather the recession.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2009
Steps against Pyongyang widened
With the U.N. Security Council stuck in debate about how to respond to North Korea's rocket launch, Japan increased and extended its own sanctions Friday to condemn the hermit state, which sent the Taepodong-2 over its territory.
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2009
Aso reveals new plan to create 2 million jobs
Prime Minister Taro Aso pledged Thursday that the government will try to create 1.4 million to 2 million new jobs in the next three years by spurring ¥40 trillion to ¥60 trillion in new demand.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2009
North Korea fires rocket over Tohoku
North Korea fired a long-range rocket over the Tohoku region Sunday, but Japan did not try to shoot it down because its debris posed no threat to Japanese territory.
JAPAN
Apr 5, 2009
No need to keep vigil of sky for falling objects: Kawamura
Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura assured the public Saturday that there was little chance that part of the rocket North Korean plans to send over the country will actually fall on Japanese soil.
BUSINESS
Apr 1, 2009
Aso orders new stimulus, extra budget
Prime Minister Taro Aso ordered the government Tuesday to come up with a new set of economic measures, including the drafting of an extra budget, aimed at digging the economy out of recession.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 2009
Diet passes resolution demanding N. Korea halt launch
With time running out till the launch of what North Korea claims is a satellite, the Diet unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday urging the reclusive state to abandon the plan.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2009
Aside from U.N., Japan has few options against launch
Second of two parts
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2009
With one budget OK'd and Aso planning another, when can poll be held?
With the fiscal 2009 budget and related bills safely passed, all eyes in Nagata-cho are trained on Prime Minister Taro Aso to see when he will dissolve the Lower House and call an election. But he is already pursuing an extra budget.
JAPAN
Mar 26, 2009
Aso urged to call election after budget
Prime Minister Taro Aso should call a snap election in May after an extra budget for fiscal 2009 is passed to break the current political stalemate caused by a divided Diet, former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Hidenao Nakagawa advised Wednesday.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2009
Mind your words, Kawamura tells Aso, Obama
No national leader, it seems, can avoid putting his foot in his mouth from time to time.
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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