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April 03, 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.
The government is preparing to set Japan’s new Nationally Determined Contribution, an emissions reduction commitment made by members of the United Nations climate framework's Paris Agreement.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Dec 10, 2024
As Japan nears new climate goal, criticism of policy process ramps up
Critics say the process is not intended to facilitate genuine debate, and that those who support the energy status quo are overrepresented on policy panels.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announces measures to counter the spread of "forever chemicals" in drinking water in the Upper House of parliament in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 3, 2024
Japan eyes new PFAS regulations for drinking water by spring
Water suppliers nationwide must upgrade their safety standards to counter the spread of "forever chemicals."
The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo is a popular place to foster curiosity in the natural sciences.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Longform
Dec 2, 2024
Can Japan's scientific community rebound from a Nobel nosedive?
Shrinking funding and limited support spark fears for the country's scientific prowess moving forward.
A My Number card reader at a pediatric clinic in Tokyo. While the government will stop issuing new health insurance cards on Monday, most people will remain unaffected by the move in the short term as existing health insurance cards can still be used for another year.
JAPAN / Explainer
Dec 1, 2024
Don’t worry, you can still use your Japan health insurance card — for now
While the government will stop issuing new health insurance cards on Monday, there is a one-year grace period for their integration with My Number cards.
A pig that is pregnant with piglets suited for cross-species transplants
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 25, 2024
Startup transplants pig kidney into monkey for first time in Japan
It is hoped that the operation will provide insights into the future use of animal kidneys in humans.
Rice fields in the town of Ozu, Kumamoto Prefecture. The water-filled paddies glistening under the sun is a symbol of a long-running effort to preserve the prefecture’s groundwater.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
Nov 17, 2024
Japan's chipmaking rush pressures Kumamoto's special water supply
TSMC and others hope that support for existing projects and proper wastewater management can avoid undermining water development efforts lauded by the U.N.
People use umbrellas during a hot summer day in Ginza, Tokyo, in August.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Nov 1, 2024
Extreme heat takes big toll on work and elderly mortality in Japan: report
The annual Lancet Countdown report says the world is facing elevated threats in 10 of 15 health indicators due to climate change.
Interest has grown worldwide in the genetic testing of embryos for couples trying to conceive through IVF.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 17, 2024
Testing for desirable embryos inconsistent and unreliable, new study says
In recent years, interest has grown worldwide in the genetic testing of embryos among couples trying to conceive through IVF.
People in Japan get some of the least sleep in the world, so when the rare time comes to turn in, many are turning to bedtime stories to drift off to sleep.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 12, 2024
Can't stop tossing and turning at night? Perhaps a bedtime story would help.
“Bedtime routines vary from family to family, from person to person,” says one researcher. “It's important to find what works best for each person.”
A screen shows the 2024 laureates for the Nobel Prize in chemistry David Baker, Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper during the award's announcement by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm on Wednesday.
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 9, 2024
Trio of scientists win chemistry Nobel for work on the structure of proteins
Scientists David Baker, Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper won the 2024 Nobel Prize in chemistry for cracking the code for proteins’ structures.
Coal-fired power plants in Bataan, the Philippines, in June 2023. A third of the 158 agreements signed under the Japan-led Asia Zero Emission Community are linked to fossil fuel technologies, a recent study by a climate research group has found.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Oct 9, 2024
Japan pushes fossil fuel tech in Asia carbon neutrality initiative
A third of the 158 agreements signed under the Japan-led Asia Zero Emission Community are linked to fossil fuel technologies, according to a report.
A screen shows the winners of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics, U.S. physicist John J. Hopfield and Canadian-British computer scientist and cognitive psychologist Geoffrey E. Hinton, during the announcement at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm on Tuesday.
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 8, 2024
Pair win physics Nobel for machine learning breakthroughs
The two used tools from physics to develop methods that became the foundation of today’s powerful machine learning, the Nobel Foundation said.
Nobel Committee Secretary-General Thomas Perlmann speaks to the media in front of a picture of this year's laureates Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkum during the announcement of the winners of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm on Monday.
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 7, 2024
U.S. pair wins Nobel in medicine for discovery of microRNA
Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun discovered the new class of tiny RNA molecules that play a crucial role in gene regulation.
A man receives a COVID-19 vaccine in Tokyo on Oct. 1. Experts say fears over the newly approved replicon vaccine are unwarranted.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 7, 2024
Experts move to allay replicon COVID shot fears in Japan amid backlash
The health ministry and experts say concerns around "shedding" are unwarranted.
A person rides a scooter underneath a fallen pole following Typhoon Shanshan in Miyazaki on Aug. 29 in this screengrab taken from a social media video.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Sep 23, 2024
Shanshan study spotlights science linking warming to extreme weather
Scientists are now able to assess the influence of climate change on particular weather events within weeks or even days.
Public awareness and support for people with dementia has significantly improved in Japan over the years, but the long-term sustainability of such support systems is a concern, experts say.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 20, 2024
Dementia advocates worry public attitudes preventing diagnosis
Eighty percent of the public thinks dementia is a normal part of aging, meaning the need for correct diagnosis and care is possibly being neglected.
Health ministry officials inspect the Wakayama factory of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical in March after reports of health damage surfaced among people who took the firm's red yeast rice supplements.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 18, 2024
Puberulic acid confirmed as source of beni kōji health issues
The substance produced by blue mold was the cause of kidney problems suffered by consumers of the Kobayashi Pharma supplements, the health ministry said.
Hiroyuki Mano, director of the National Cancer Center Japan's (NCC) research institute, explains on Wednesday the use of mice bearing patients' cancer tissues to screen drug candidates for their efficacy.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 13, 2024
New mouse models can boost Japan's drug development: National Cancer Center
The tumor-bearing mice retain many of the characteristics of the patients' cancer tissues, so favorable drug test results are likelier to be replicated in human trials.
Passersby outside Shinjuku Station in Tokyo on July 29. A new analysis has found that Japan's extreme heat in July would have been "almost impossible" without climate change.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / Boiling Point
Sep 4, 2024
Japan's record heat in July 'almost impossible' without climate change
Heavy rainfall that caused severe floods the same month was also exacerbated by global warming, according to a new analysis.
A colony of human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells established from fibroblasts. Kyoto University Hospital is looking to develop a treatment for Type 1 diabetes using iPS cells.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 3, 2024
Kyoto University Hospital seeks to treat Type 1 diabetes using iPS cells
Researchers will begin clinical trial of a treatment as early as next year, which they hope will become available in the 2030s.
As ‘Buy Canadian’ grows, more U.S. firms say retailers turning away products
Empty shelves with "Buy Canadian Instead" signs are seen in the American Whiskey section of the BC Liquor in Vancouver, British Columbia, on March 10.
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.
Meiji says sayonara to bottled milk, a staple of Japan's bathhouses
Meiji bottled milk lined up in a fridge at Kosugiyu, a bathhouse in Tokyo. The sticker urges patrons to enjoy the milk one last time before it’s gone.
Japan, South Korea and China vow to strengthen trade ties amid looming U.S. tariffs
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoji Muto (left), South Korean Trade Industry and Energy Minister Ahn Duk-geun (center) and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao during a trilateral meeting in Seoul on Sunday
The U.S. says Japan has a 700% tariff on American rice. Is that the case?
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt holds up a piece of paper with information about tariff rates at the White House on Tuesday.
Meiji says sayonara to bottled milk, a staple of Japan's bathhouses
Meiji bottled milk lined up in a fridge at Kosugiyu, a bathhouse in Tokyo. The sticker urges patrons to enjoy the milk one last time before it’s gone.
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.
On defense, Japan may avoid Trump's worst impulses — for now
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth chat after reviewing an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Sunday.
No longer a 'bridesmaid': Yuki Tsunoda prepares for the Red Bull pressure cooker
All eyes will be on Yuki Tsunoda as he makes his Red Bull debut at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend.
Tokyo tech failures lean into misfortune, mistakes and missteps
Tsuyoshi Domoto in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on March 28. As an entrepreneur, Domoto experienced plenty of setbacks but maintains a positive attitude and continues to pursue his dreams.

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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