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November 21, 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
Sep 2, 2022
Japan drafts plan to punish hospitals and people for skirting pandemic rules
The government is planning to revise a related law to mandate that people suspected of having COVID-19 isolate at home.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 30, 2022
Japan OKs third Pfizer shot for children and AstraZeneca COVID treatment
Children between the ages of 5 and 11 will be able to get the booster shot five months or more after they received their second dose.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2022
Mapping Ukraine’s war damage, one image at a time
University of Tokyo professor Hidenori Watanave has used satellite images and crowdsourced photos to track the damage caused by Russia's invasion.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 24, 2022
Japan to drop pre-arrival testing for vaccinated travelers next month
To ease the burden on medical institutions, paperwork will also be simplified for doctors in areas with large COVID-19 numbers.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Aug 22, 2022
With COVID-19 cases still high, Japan debates how best to monitor them
The present system is being reviewed by health authorities, as it places an enormous administrative burden on medical institutions.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 21, 2022
Japan looks to sewage to gain new insight into state of pandemic
Following the example of other countries, Japan is carrying out pilot projects that monitor wastewater for levels of COVID-19.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Explainer
Aug 5, 2022
How to self-test for COVID in Japan, and which antigen kits to use
Two kinds of antigen test kits are available, but most municipalities only accept those identified as being for medical use. Here's a guide on where and how to get them.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Aug 3, 2022
Japan's biggest COVID wave yet pushes medical system near to its limit
Despite data suggesting that many patients now only develop mild symptoms, the nation's health care system is strained more than ever before.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 2, 2022
Japan study shows protein in blood post-infection may predict COVID severity
Patients with particularly elevated levels of MYL9 are at greater risk of severe illness, Chiba University Hospital researchers have found.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 29, 2022
Japan to let prefectures declare new anti-COVID measures but won't curb social activities
Governors will now be able to declare that their prefectures are in need of measures to counter the BA.5 subvariant when their health care systems are severely strained.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / EXPLAINER
Jul 28, 2022
Everything you need to know about BA.5, the dominant strain spreading across Japan
Amid a seventh wave of infections, daily case numbers have been reaching unprecedented highs, with the nation logging 969,000 cases over the seven-day span to Sunday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2022
Japan moves to prevent spread of monkeypox after confirming first case
Health minister Shigeyuki Goto has said that the ministry will continue to search for more information about the first patient, including the route of transmission.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2022
Japan confirms first monkeypox case as it steps up preparation for outbreak
The patient, a Tokyo resident in his 30s, had traveled to Europe in mid-June and had contact with someone who was later diagnosed with the disease.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2022
As COVID wave grows, Japan beefs up response but won't limit business activities
With the seventh wave reaching unprecedented heights, the government is ramping up the number of hospital beds available and expanding the scope of those eligible for fourth vaccine shots.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 20, 2022
Health ministry panel delays decision on emergency approval for Shionogi’s COVID pill
The delay is a blow to one of Japan's largest drugmakers and also raises questions about the process for drugs to gain fast-track approvals in times of emergency.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 17, 2022
Ocean acidification threatens some of Japan’s favorite seafood
The process driven by climate change poses a threat to the future of the fishery and aquaculture industries, researchers say.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2022
Japan lawyers push back against Unification Church's donation claims
The spotlight has fallen on donations to the church following claims by suspect in the shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 11, 2022
Unification Church says Abe shooting suspect’s mother is follower
The suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, reportedly harbored a grudge against Abe over what he believed were the former prime minister's ties to the group.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 11, 2022
Women win record 35 of 125 seats in Japan's Upper House election
A record high 181 women ran in the Upper House poll, where half of the chamber's seats were up for grabs.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2022
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe assassinated
A suspect was arrested after Abe, one of the most consequential leaders in Japan's postwar history, was shot while campaigning in the city of Nara on Friday.
Ishiba delays meeting with Trump, citing legal restrictions
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba waves upon arrival for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, in Callao, Peru, on Friday.
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.
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
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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