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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
Nov 10, 2016
President Trump: Japanese-Americans, Japanese in U.S. weigh in
People of Japanese ancestry speak up about their impressions of President-elect Donald Trump.
JAPAN
Oct 31, 2016
Record 5,803 foreign trainees went missing in Japan last year
Observers say this is another sign that the technical intern program — long criticized by rights groups at home and abroad as akin to slavery — is seriously flawed.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 27, 2016
Tokyu Corp. attracts backlash with 'makeup etiquette' video
The Japanese-language video starts with a provocative line: “Women in the city are all beautiful. But they are ugly to see, at times.”
JAPAN
Oct 19, 2016
Is the party over? Spending by overseas visitors drops for first time in 19 quarters
Figures show foreign tourists spent u00a5971.7 billion from July to September period, down 2.9 percent from the same time last year.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 19, 2016
Tokyo residents' petition prompts reconsideration of plan to fell trees
Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward will reconsider plans to cut down 37 trees lining a street ahead of the 2020 Olympics, officials said Wednesday, after local residents blasted the plan in a petition.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 16, 2016
Plan to cut down historic trees in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward faces local opposition
Plans to cut down 300 ginkgo and platanus trees in central Tokyo ahead of the 2020 Olympics sparks an online opposition campaign seeking to prevent them from being felled.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 12, 2016
Todai biomedical research fraud probe seen pointing to wider misconduct
The so-called STAP scandal of 2014 unleashed the power of anonymous online whistleblowers, who exposed falsified data in what had been hailed as groundbreaking stem cell research by the Riken institute and brought down its star scientist, Haruko Obokata.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 12, 2016
In setback for female empowerment, Tokyo court rejects teacher's bid to use maiden name at work
The Tokyo District Court dismisses a case by a recently married woman on the grounds that the practice is not customary.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 11, 2016
Shiseido app adds makeup to faces on video conferences
In a potential boost for the government's drive to get more people telecommuting, cosmetics company Shiseido Co. has developed an app that makes users look as if they are wearing makeup. It amounts to an instant makeover for the unfortunate worker called to appear on screen from home at an awkward hour....
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Oct 7, 2016
1 in 4 firms in Japan say workers log over 80 overtime hours a month
The nation's first white paper on “karoshi” finds nearly a quarter of companies have employees that are seriously overworked.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Sep 27, 2016
Amid charges of sexism, city in Kyushu pulls video promoting local eels
A promotional YouTube video made by the city of Shibushi, Kagoshima Prefecture, featuring a young woman in a swimsuit who morphs into an eel has been pulled following a public outcry that it was sexist.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Sep 26, 2016
Plan to fix day care crunch belies decades of pent-up demand
The shortage of day care facilities is a long-standing issue in Japan, where the ranks of working mothers keep swelling, both out of choice and necessity.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 14, 2016
Expensive drugs threaten to sink Japan's health care system
An aging population is not the only cause of headache for policymakers trying to keep the nation's medical costs down — now they have "superexpensive" drugs to deal with.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Sep 10, 2016
Is Japan waking up to the menace of stalking?
Health professionals are trying to be more proactive in rehabilitating stalkers before their actions escalate to something more sinister.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Aug 25, 2016
Infant deaths underscore accountability gaps in Japan's nurseries
When Yuki Kai went to pick up her 14-month-old son, Kento, from a nursery in Tokyo after his nap time, she found him dead.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 16, 2016
'Pokemon Go'-like app allows living to plan missives from beyond the grave
Now that the explosive popularity of "Pokemon Go" has brought augmented reality technology within the reach of ordinary people, a tombstone company in Chiba Prefecture is taking it beyond the grave.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2016
In safety push, Nissan turns camera on hot car interiors
In a parked, unmanned car, the cap on a plastic soda bottle pops off and the cola fizzes out. A plastic toy puppy sags and topples over. A chocolate bar and gummy candies melt into slime.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 11, 2016
IBM big data used for rapid diagnosis of rare leukemia case in Japan
In a possible first in Japan, doctors have used artificial intelligence to diagnose a rare type of leukemia and identify life-saving therapy far faster than if they had examined the genetic data manually.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 10, 2016
A third of Japan unaware of Mountain Day as holiday makes its debut
Nearly a third of people have never heard of Mountain Day, according to a new survey, as the newest official public holiday is set to be celebrated for the first time on Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2016
Plan for new Korean school in Tokyo threatened by Koike election
Yuriko Koike could complicate already strained Japan-South Korea ties if she follows through with her promise to kill a plan to lease a property in Shinjuku Ward for use as a Korean school.
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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