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April 05, 2025
 

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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
Dec 21, 2017
University of Tokyo team's robots mimic human exercise, even working up a sweat
A team of Japanese researchers has built two humanoid robots that can do pushups, situps and stretches just like their human creators. One can even sweat, releasing heat generated by the physical activity.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Dec 21, 2017
'Brain on Fire': Film chronicling U.S. woman's fight with rare brain disease makes Japan debut
A U.S. film about a rare but serious disease that impairs the body's autoimmune system is being shown in Japan, boosting hope among patients and their families that it will help raise awareness of the little-known illness.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
Dec 12, 2017
Tokyo-based fund CEO leads public-private fight against diseases around globe
BT Slingsby was 13 years old when he made a career decision: to become a medical doctor.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 6, 2017
Rape allegation against high-profile journalist, dropped by prosecutors last year, returns in civil suit
A female journalist who is suing a high-profile journalist over an alleged rape in 2015 expressed hope that the truth will come out in open court as the oral hearings of her civil lawsuit began at the Tokyo District Court on Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
Nov 29, 2017
Japanese firm uses VR simulations to offer a glimpse into the world of dementia
On a moderately crowded train, I've just woken up after dozing off, but I can't remember where I am or where I'm going. Apart from the noise of the moving train, it's quiet, and the other passengers are half asleep, fiddling with their phones or spacing out.
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
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
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 / 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!"
U.S. tourist arrested after bringing a handgun into Japan
Hyogo police believe the handgun a U.S. tourist inadvertently brought into Japan slipped through security procedures at Kansai International Airport in Osaka Prefecture.
3D printer used to construct train station building in Japan
A train station building (front) is assembled from parts printed using 3D printer technology, in Arida, Wakayama Prefecture, on Wednesday.
Japan’s leader didn’t read the job description
Prime Minister and ruling Liberal Democratic Party leader Shigeru Ishiba is facing a political funding scandal that has damaged his reputation and sparked speculation that internal efforts to remove him are underway.
Japan promises 'bold and speedy' response to Trump’s surprise 24% tariffs
U.S. President Donald Trump unveils new U.S. tariffs at the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
Tokyo’s KK Line to close for decadelong overhaul as public greenway
People enjoy running and yoga on Tokyo Expressway’s KK Line, a 2-kilometer elevated expressway cutting through the capital’s commercial Ginza district, when it was opened as a pedestrian space in May last year.
Tottori takes a bold leap forward in the arts
The city of Kurayoshi in Tottori Prefecture celebrated the opening of its public art museum with festivities such as a parade that drew 1,000 revelers.
Haruki Murakami TV adaptation revisits 30 years of watershed moments
Though Haruki Murakami's trademark whiff of offbeat existentialism is threaded throughout NHK's "After the Quake," the final episode — conceived as a sequel to the story "Super-Frog Saves Tokyo" — is the most stylized, featuring an anthropomorphic talking frog (voiced by Non) and his erstwhile associate Katagiri (Koichi Sato).
Nintendo to launch the Switch 2 on June 5
The controllers for the Switch 2 will attach to the console magnetically rather than sliding on rails as with the original device.
A new human trafficking trend emerges from Myanmar scam centers
Victims of scam centers who were tricked or trafficked into working in Myanmar gather at a compound inside KK Park, a fraud center on the country's border with Thailand, after a multinational crackdown in February.
A Canadian made a weekend trip to Costco a Japanese pastime
Under the watchful eye of Ken Theriault, Costco representative director and Japan country manager, the American membership-model wholesaler has flourished in Japan.

Podcast

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

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan
By Johan Brooks

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