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July 16, 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 / Society
Feb 17, 2016
How Japan is tweaking the cost of health care
The price of health care is changing.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2016
Tokyo's Ota Ward approves first short-term, Airbnb-style home rentals
An online travel service provider gets government accreditation to start renting out private homes on the model popularized by Airbnb.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2016
Ministry tests smartphone app to navigate underground stations
The land ministry on Thursday started testing a smartphone app that provides detailed navigation services in underground areas around Tokyo Station.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 3, 2016
Exhibition showcases quest to pair patients with novel search for cure
People with obscure, degenerative nerve disorders with no known cures. A biologist exploring the use of fruit flies as an alternative to mice to test drug compounds. A designer who makes his own laser cutter. All of them have collaborated for a unique exhibition that could one day change the way new...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 1, 2016
Japanese team invents movable tongue prosthesis to enable speech for cancer victims
Dentistry researchers at Okayama University have come up with what could be the world's first movable tongue prosthesis to help oral cancer patients who have partially lost the ability to speak.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2016
Obokata breaks silence, suggests colleague bears blame for STAP debacle
A former star scientist with the Riken research institute who was accused of fraud in 2014 tells her side of the story.
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2016
Toshima Ward survey finds a fifth of residents willing to be resettled in Saitama
The Tokyo ward is accelerating moves to promote the resettlement of healthy seniors in Chichibu, where plans to create a retirement community are underway.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2016
Minato Ward to protect few remaining views of Tokyo Tower
The area that houses the Tokyo Tower takes steps to ensure that high-rises do not obliterate the few remaining views of it.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2016
Visitors to Japan surge to record 19.73 million, spend all-time high ¥3.48 trillion
A record 19.73 million people visited Japan in 2015, marking the first time in 45 years that the number of incoming travelers surpassed the outbound figure.
JAPAN
Jan 13, 2016
Japan's labor ministry to investigate why 2 million workers are on wrong pension program
The labor minister pledges to look into why around 2 million firm employees are members of a pension program for the self-employed.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 12, 2016
Japan revamps map symbols that baffle tourists
The Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) has released a set of new standard symbols for foreign-language maps after criticism that some of its current pictograms are hard to understand or are even offensive.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2016
Bad management to blame for Yokohama piling scandal, interim report says
A third-party panel probing the Asahi Kasei Construction Materials piling scandal concludes sloppy management encouraged data manipulation but avoids stating whether workers engaged in a coverup.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2016
'Zainichi' Koreans say North Korean nuclear test may fuel discrimination in Japan
Korean residents in Japan expressed anger and disappointment at North Korea, saying its test could fuel anti-Korean sentiment.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / DEMOGRAPHIC CHALLENGES
Jan 3, 2016
Options available to mitigate dangers of living alone with dementia
At first glance, it's hard to tell what's wrong with Keiko Sawada. As casual exchanges continue, however, it becomes increasingly clear the former bar hostess has serious memory problems.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 23, 2015
Tattooist's legal challenge could lift industry in Japan or send it underground
Tattooist Taiki Masuda is challenging a law that makes him a criminal for practicing what he considers a form of art.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 21, 2015
Joso disaster prompts ministry rethink of flood control, prediction policies
On Dec. 11, the land ministry released a new policy vision for dealing with floods in response to September's typhoon-triggered breach of the Kinugawa River, which inundated residential areas of Joso, Ibaraki Prefecture, stranding thousands for hours, and some for days.
JAPAN
Dec 18, 2015
Dye factory under scrutiny after five workers contract rare bladder cancer
Five men in their 40s and 50s who worked for a chemical company handling dyes and pigments have developed bladder cancer, the health ministry said Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 16, 2015
Plaintiffs express shock at bad precedent set by court's decision on shared surnames
Plaintiffs contesting family laws that require spouses to choose a single surname expressed shock and anger at Wednesday's Supreme Court ruling, saying it sets a bad precedent and will force more women to suffer the misery of having to change their name upon marriage.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 15, 2015
Leafy designs for new National Stadium seen as posing security headaches
The greenery-rich design proposals for the main stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics could pose security headaches, an expert said Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 11, 2015
State retirement communities, aimed at luring elderly from cities, take shape in Japan
Ten to 20 cities and towns will be named next year as sites for a state program to create new retirement communities for Japan's rapidly graying populace.
Who needs AI when you have Hatsune Miku?
Over the first six months of 2024, a handful of songs using Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku’s voice have enjoyed widespread attention, underlining a global interest in the character and the technology she represents.
Bloodied Trump survives assassination attempt at political rally
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is surrounded and evacuated by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Trump was rushed off stage at the rally after shots rang out.
Shooter came within inches of killing Trump, but left few clues as to why
An aerial view shows the stage where Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump had been standing during an assassination attempt the day before, and the roof of a nearby building where a gunman was shot dead by law enforcement, in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
After Trump shooting, U.S. presidential race might take a violent turn
United States Secret Service Counter Snipers stand guard on a rooftop during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Avoca, Pennsylvania, in 2020.
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.

Podcast

You can often see generations of families enjoying performances together at Fuji Rock Festival.
Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
By Tomoko Otake

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Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals
Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals

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