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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 / EXPLAINER
Mar 24, 2009
Smokes here cheap, in state's interest
The World Health Organization calls smoking "one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced."
JAPAN / Q&A
Mar 20, 2009
Hand-wringing over fund scandal
The political fund scandal involving Nishimatsu Construction Co. has brought to light once again the unhealthy relationship between politics and money. This time, prosecutors went straight to the top by arresting the chief secretary of Ichiro Ozawa, president of the Democratic Party of Japan.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2009
New Komeito rules out chance of forming DPJ-led coalition
New Komeito leader Akihiro Ota on Wednesday ruled out the option of forming a coalition with the Democratic Party of Japan should the leading opposition party win the next Lower House election.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2009
Pending launch raises tension level in Tokyo
North Korea's imminent launch of what it claims is a rocket carrying a satellite raised the government's tension levels a notch Friday as Cabinet members warned the hermit state to steer clear of provocative actions.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2009
Aso slams North launch plan but wary of sanctions
Prime Minister Taro Aso on Friday condemned North Korea's plan to send up a rocket that will cross Japan, but stopped short of calling on the United Nations to impose further sanctions on the country.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2009
Don't lose momentum, abductees' kin tell Tokyo
Following Wednesday's emotional meeting with former North Korean agent Kim Hyon Hui, relatives of abductee Yaeko Taguchi urged top government officials Thursday to build on the momentum and press to learn the fate of Japanese abducted by Pyongyang's agents in the 1970s and '80s.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2009
Cost of five Aso trips overseas — ¥658 million
Travel isn't cheap, and the fees rise even higher when it's the prime minister heading overseas.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2009
Uruma recalls no off-record biased remark
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Iwao Uruma stressed Monday he does not recall saying the scandal over alleged illicit political donations from Nishimatsu Construction Co. would not implicate lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
JAPAN
Mar 7, 2009
LDP members to return Nishimatsu cash
Two ruling party lawmakers who received political funds from scandal-tainted Nishimatsu Construction Co. denied any wrongdoing Friday but said they have decided to return the money for ethical reasons.
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2009
Three in Cabinet tied to Nishimatsu
Three members of the Cabinet, including Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshihiro Nikai, decided Thursday to return money donated to them by two political groups linked to scandal-tainted Nishimatsu Construction Co., the government's top spokesman said.
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2009
DPJ's way out is to pick new boss
The Tuesday arrest of Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa's chief secretary was an unexpected blow for the largest opposition party but observers say the damage can still be contained ahead of a general election later this year — if Ozawa quits his post.
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2009
Ozawa says aide's arrest was an abuse
Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa on Wednesday flatly denied that his chief secretary knowingly accepted illicit donations from scandal-tainted Nishimatsu Construction Co. and accused prosecutors of "wrongful exercise of authority" in arresting the aide.
JAPAN / Q&A
Mar 5, 2009
Who gets the cash handouts, and how?
The Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc rammed legislation related to the fiscal 2008 second extra budget through the Diet Wednesday amid strong protests from the opposition parties.
JAPAN
Mar 3, 2009
Aso decides he will take cash handout
After several months of equivocating, Prime Minister Taro Aso finally came out and declared Monday evening he will accept his portion of the controversial ¥2 trillion cash handout, contradicting his previous position that he wouldn't take the cash.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2009
Lower House passes ¥88 trillion budget
The Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc passed the ¥88 trillion fiscal 2009 budget bill and related legislation Friday through the Lower House, paving the way for implementing the biggest initial budget ever by the March 31 end of the fiscal year.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2009
Power of words eludes politicians
Japanese prime ministers aren't known for the impact they make with their words, or straight talk with the public.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2009
Aso short of excuses for delaying election
Friday's passage of the fiscal 2009 budget and related bills through the Lower House was bittersweet for Prime Minister Taro Aso, who still faces the dilemma of when to call a general election.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 2009
Kato bets on August election if Aso can hang on
Former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Koichi Kato said Thursday that if Prime Minister Taro Aso retains power, the Lower House general election will likely be held in August after the Group of Eight summit in July.
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2009
Kim Jong Il in good health, reports visiting Chinese official
Chinese Communist Party official Wang Jiarui said Friday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il appeared in good health during their meeting last month in Pyongyang, countering reports that Kim suffered a debilitating stroke last summer.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2009
Aso accepts blame for Nakagawa
Prime Minister Taro Aso apologized Thursday over the abrupt exit in disgrace of Shoichi Nakagawa as finance minister and accepted responsibility for appointing him.
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.
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.
North Korea aiding Russia where it needs it most, Canadian general says
North Korean special forces soldiers march and shout slogans during a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of the country's founding father, Kim Il Sung, in Pyongyang in April 2017.

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