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November 22, 2024
 

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Tomoko Otake

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Tomoko Otake
Tomoko Otake is a senior writer with a strong interest in health, medical and social issues. A native of Nara Prefecture, she obtained an M.A. in journalism from The University of Montana.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
Nov 15, 2017
Japanese doctor who exposed a drug too good to be true calls for morality and reforms
It was a gut feeling and common sense that made Dr. Iwao Kuwajima question a drug for high blood pressure that just about every other doctor in his field was excited about in the 2000s.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2017
Japan tops in life expectancy but health care has room to improve: OECD report
Japan enjoys the highest life expectancy among OECD countries and does relatively well in improving health outcomes, but it has room to improve in areas such as smoking rates and hospital stays, according to the latest edition of a biennial health care report issued Friday by the Organisation for Economic...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 9, 2017
Japan's buzzwords of 2017 cover everything from politics to poop
Thirty candidates for the buzzword of the year were announced Thursday, covering everything from popular poop kanji workbook to fake news to Hifumin, the nickname for a 77-year-old shogi pro who retired in June after wowing fans for decades with his aggressive playing styles and charm.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 26, 2017
Venture behind worm cancer-screening method raises ¥30 million from Shinkin Capital
Hirotsu Bio Science, a medical venture developing a cancer screening tool using nematodes, has secured ¥30 million in funding from Shinkin Capital Co. to accelerate growth in overseas markets, the firm announced Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
Oct 25, 2017
Cancer and breast density: What are doctors withholding?
October is Pink Ribbon Month: an annual campaign to increase awareness about breast cancer and get more women screened in order to catch the disease in its early stages, which will boost survival rates.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 17, 2017
U.S. preservation group puts Kenzo Tange-designed Kagawa gym on monuments watch list
World Monuments Fund, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization aiming to preserve imperiled cultural heritage sites, has named the Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium, designed by the late renowned architect Kenzo Tange, on its 2018 World Monuments Watch list.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
Oct 11, 2017
Japan's health ministry enlists anime hero in battle against overuse of antibiotics
The health ministry has enlisted the help of Amuro, the protagonist of the popular anime series "Mobile Suit Gundam," in its battle against the misuse and overuse of antibiotics — which can lead to antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Japan Times
Reference / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Oct 8, 2017
Biologist harnesses power of tiny worms in project that could reshape way cancer is screened and treated
Call it worm power.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
Sep 27, 2017
Role-playing video game helps fight against depression for counselor-shy Japanese
It's a role-playing video game that, like many of its kind, allows users to choose and customize their own avatars, including a hairstyle and clothing. Set in a medieval fantasy world, users build up power as their characters travel across "provinces," overcoming obstacles and challenges along the way....
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 26, 2017
Adjusted Premium Friday: Government eyes moving up campaign aimed at boosting fun and spending
Critics say effort to have workers go home early on the last Friday of each month clashes with busy period for many firms.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 22, 2017
Journalist's appeal of 2016 rape case decision rejected by inquest panel
A committee for the inquest of prosecution has rejected a journalist's appeal of a 2016 decision not to indict former television reporter Noriyuki Yamaguchi, whom she accused of raping her.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2017
Japan launches a free smartphone app for foreign travelers amid record-breaking tourism boom
The Japan National Tourism Organization on Thursday launched a free smartphone app that allows travelers from abroad to look up destinations, restaurants and train routes as well as free Wi-Fi spots.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 20, 2017
Sony-Olympus joint venture to market advanced HD surgical microscope
Sony Olympus Medical Solutions — a medical joint venture set up by Sony and Olympus in 2013 — says it has developed a new surgical microscope that could free doctors from the strains involved with operating older, unwieldy models over long periods of time.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Sep 18, 2017
Japan's free ambulance services stretched by aging population, nonemergency overuse
The sirens are going off about the state of ambulance services.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
Sep 13, 2017
Saving heart attack victims? Now there's an app for that
Suppose you are at a station and happen to see someone passing out after a heart attack. A crowd of worried onlookers gathers. Somebody shouts, "Call an ambulance!"
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
Aug 30, 2017
Once skeptical Japan embraces telemedicine as regulatory hurdles fall
For working people with health issues, visiting a clinic has long meant taking hours off work on a weekday and spending more time in the waiting room than talking with a doctor.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
Aug 16, 2017
Japanese researchers tap AI to parse regional dialects, work toward early dementia diagnosis
People in Aomori Prefecture, especially in the western Tsugaru area, are known for their strong dialect, often leading outsiders to joke about needing a translator.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 11, 2017
Chimpanzees trained to master rock, paper, scissors by Kyoto University researchers
Chimpanzees can learn the rules of the rock, paper, scissors game through training, matching the intellectual ability of children 4 years old or older, researchers at Kyoto University have found.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 27, 2017
Ministry probe shows two-thirds of inspected firms violated labor laws in 2016
Two-thirds of companies inspected by the labor ministry in fiscal 2016 for suspected labor violations were found to have broken the law either by forcing employees to work illegal overtime or by failing to carry out measures to ensure their health, the ministry announced Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
Jul 26, 2017
Thanks to 'rejuvenation,' definition of elderly should go up 10 years, Japanese researchers say
In January, when researchers specializing in aging studies proposed that Japan redefine "elderly" as being aged 75 and older — instead of the current 65 — it raised more than a few eyebrows.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Ishiba aggravates his own political failures with diplomatic faux pas
Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba is greeted at the APEC summit in Lima by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. The Japanese leader was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event.
Japan's 3.31 million visitors in October set monthly record
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in December 2023. Famous autumn leaf colors contributed to increased tourism demand last month from many markets across Asia, Europe and North America, the Japan National Tourism Organization has said.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?
By Kathryn Wortley

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