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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 29, 2008
Stopgap bill eyed to keep gas, auto taxes
The ruling coalition is considering taking the unusual move of submitting a stopgap bill to the Diet to maintain provisional gasoline and other auto-related tax rates until May 31, triggering angry protests from the opposition parties.
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2008
Bill to keep high gas tax reaches Diet
The government submitted a tax reform bill to the Diet Wednesday that includes a clause to continue the special additional higher gasoline and other auto-related taxes — a key bone of contention that the opposition camp plans to confront the ruling bloc over in the current session.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2008
Fukuda hints at second override
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda hinted Tuesday that he would again use the ruling coalition's two-thirds majority in the Lower House to override the Upper House if it fails to pass budget-related bills — including one on the gasoline and other auto-related taxes.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2008
Fukuda opens Diet, lays out his agenda
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda vowed Friday to start Diet discussions on the establishment of a permanent law that would authorize the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces overseas to engage in peace operations so that Japan can fulfill its duties as a "peace-cooperating nation."
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2008
Take bold steps and listen to public, Fukuda advises LDP
The Liberal Democratic Party is facing its biggest crisis since it was founded in 1955, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2008
Ozawa stakes career on Lower House contest
Opposition leader Ichiro Ozawa said Wednesday the next Lower House election will be the "final battle" of his political career and for the Democratic Party of Japan itself.
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2008
Fukuda again rejects calling early election
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda reiterated on Tuesday his reluctance to dissolve the Lower House for a snap general election before the Group of Eight summit this July in Hokkaido.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 12, 2008
Lower House rams through antiterrorism bill
For the first time in half a century, the Lower House on Friday overrode the Upper, ramming a bill through the Diet to resume the Maritime Self-Defense Force refueling duty in the Indian Ocean.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2008
MSDF bill step closer to ruling bloc's ultimate OK
An opposition-controlled Upper House panel Thursday rejected a special antiterrorism bill to enable the Maritime Self-Defense Force to resume its refueling operations in the Indian Ocean, in a last-minute bid to block its expected passage Friday in the ruling bloc-dominated Lower House.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2008
Work-life balance starts at home: Rengo chief
As part of efforts to stem the nation's depopulation, a guide to promoting a better work and family life balance among workers was recently adopted by a special government panel.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2008
Fukuda: No midmonth reshuffling of Cabinet
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda dismissed speculation Friday that he would reshuffle his Cabinet before the Diet opens later this month to shore up his poor public approval ratings.
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2008
'07 political storm really the calm before '08?
Last year was full of political turmoil — from scandals and arrests to suicide and a divided Diet — but there is no time to rest because 2008 may turn out to be a historical turning point if there is a general election, depending on which side wins, analysts say.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2007
Fukuda meets, apologizes to hepatitis C victims
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on Tuesday met with — and apologized to — representatives of people who contracted hepatitis C through tainted blood products and are now suing the government and drug makers.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2007
Diet unites to tighten politicians' funding rules
With money scandals marring the image of lawmakers, the Diet passed a bill Friday to increase the transparency of political funding by obliging them to disclose all expenses other than salaries.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2007
Japan calls off hunt for humpbacks
Even as its whalers sail for the Southern Ocean hunting grounds, Japan has agreed to temporarily suspend its pursuit of humpback whales, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura indicated Friday.
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2007
Financial disclosure bill passed by Lower House
Spurred to action by a series of money scandals, the Lower House approved a bill Thursday requiring political organizations to fully disclose all expenses other than salaries.
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2007
UFOs 'definitely exist,' Machimura asserts
definitely exist," Machimura stressed. "How else do you explain those various unexplainable things like Nazca," he said, referring to the series of mysterious giant drawings of animals and other figures on an arid plateau in southern Peru. Earlier Tuesday, the government made an official statement that...
JAPAN
Dec 18, 2007
Death penalty foes await U.N. moratorium vote
Human rights activists renewed on Monday their call to abolish capital punishment as the United Nations gets ready to vote on a resolution calling on member states to declare a moratorium on executions.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 15, 2007
Fukuda seeks set law on SDF deployments
Japan needs a permanent law to allow the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces overseas so they can carry out peace activities whenever requested, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said Friday.
JAPAN
Dec 15, 2007
Diet session extended a second time
The ruling bloc extended the extraordinary Diet session Friday by another month to Jan. 15, making it certain the contentious bill to resume the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Indian Ocean support mission will clear the divided legislature.
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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