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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
Jan 16, 2009
Aso's days said numbered
Now that Prime Minister Taro Aso managed Tuesday to force the second extra budget for fiscal 2008 through the Lower House, his next hurdle is the fiscal 2009 budget and related bills.
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2009
Deputy chief Cabinet secretary's alleged affair heaps further woes on Aso
Just what Prime Minister Taro Aso didn't need was another problem, but a new one landed on his plate Thursday when allegations emerged in a weekly magazine that Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshitada Konoike has been having an affair.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2009
Web site offers refugees a way to reunite
For Danish brothers David and Christopher Mikkelsen, it all began in 2005 when they met Mansour, a young Afghan refugee who had become separated from his family while fleeing the Taliban regime.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2009
Ruling bloc steamrollers second extra budget
Overriding shouts of protest from the opposition parties, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito bloc rammed the second extra budget for fiscal 2008 through the Lower House on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2009
LDP's Murata angers opposition with camera
Yoshitaka Murata, deputy chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party's Diet Affairs Committee, was caught Tuesday secretly photographing angry opposition lawmakers in the Lower House without permission.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2009
Aso meets press but stays mum on plans for stimulus pay
Prime Minister Taro Aso refused once again on Saturday to divulge his timing for dissolving the Lower House and calling a snap election, stating that the economy is his top priority.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2009
Opposition bill lacks handouts
In a bid to put a stop to the proposed ¥2 trillion cash handout program, three opposition parties on Tuesday jointly submitted a revised version of the second supplementary budget for fiscal 2008 that would eliminate Prime Minister Taro Aso's key measure.
JAPAN / History
Jan 7, 2009
Ministry pulled protest to NYT over family mine POW claim: Aso
Prime Minister Taro Aso admitted Tuesday that the Foreign Ministry deleted a written protest to The New York Times from its Web site last month after finding evidence that a company run by his family during World War II used Allied POWs to work its coal mines.
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2009
LDP tries to forget troubles, put on brave face to celebrate start of new year
The year of the ox promises to be a tough one for Prime Minister Taro Aso and his ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2009
Aso: No election until budget passes
Prime Minister Taro Aso said Sunday that the fiscal 2009 budget is his top priority and he won't dissolve the Diet until the budget and related bills make it through the Diet.
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2009
Aso set to lead LDP's last stand?
In 2007 it was Shinzo Abe. In 2008 it was Yasuo Fukuda and in 2009 it is Taro Aso.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 30, 2008
Half century on, Tokyo Tower still dazzles as landmark
Tokyo Tower, a long-standing landmark of the capital, celebrated its 50th birthday on Dec. 23. It still attracts about 3 million visitors a year and has provided the metropolis with good TV reception for decades.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2008
State to aid foreigners in dire financial straits
A government plan to support foreigners living permanently in Japan who have lost their jobs and are in financial distress amid the severe recession was revealed Wednesday by Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura.
BUSINESS
Dec 25, 2008
Ruling bloc plans '11 sales tax hike
The government and the Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc on Wednesday officially authorized a midterm tax reform program to increase the 5 percent consumption tax in fiscal 2011 if the economy improves.
JAPAN / History
Dec 19, 2008
It's official: Aso family mine used POW labor
The government said Thursday it has documents showing Allied POWs worked at a coal mine run by Prime Minister Taro Aso's family during World War II.
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2008
Ruling parties force antiterrorism, bank funding bills through Diet
Steamrolling the opposition camp, the Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling coalition forced passage of a special antiterrorism bill and a bank recapitalization bill Friday by overriding the Upper House with a second vote.
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2008
Aso's latest stimulus worth ¥23 trillion
Prime Minister Taro Aso unveiled a ¥23 trillion stimulus package Friday that will allow up to ¥12 trillion in public funds to be injected into financial institutions, far more than the ¥2 trillion initially planned.
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2008
Order issued to pull ASDF from Kuwait, end airlift mission
The government finalized the order Friday to end the Air Self-Defense Force's airlift mission in the Middle East, terminating a nearly five-year Japanese military presence in Iraq.
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2008
Ozawa showdown low-key as gaffe-prone Aso keeps comments to himself
Outspoken Prime Minister Taro Aso may have finally learned his lesson Friday about holding his tongue.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2008
Diet extended for key bills as DPJ relents
The government and the Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc officially ordered an extension to the current extraordinary Diet session until Dec. 25 to secure passage of two key bills.
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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