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April 06, 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
Sep 11, 2015
Authorities knew of flood risk; detailed simulation done 10 years ago
The land ministry knew the Kinugawa River was prone to flooding and created a detailed simulation of watershed damage 10 years ago, it emerged Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 10, 2015
How Japan's devastating rainstorm came about
Torrential rain that caused flooding and the evacuations of tens of thousands of people across the Kanto region on Thursday was the result of a mass of humid air unable to escape the area, a pileup of thunderclouds — and possibly climate change, experts said.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 8, 2015
Professor admits leaking bar exam questions to student
In a sign of systemic flaws in the nation's law schools, the Justice Ministry files a criminal complaint against a law professor for leaking bar exam questions to one of his students.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 4, 2015
Ibaraki clinic 'named and shamed' for maternity harassment
The labor ministry says the dermatology clinic in Ibaraki Prefecture defied numerous instructions not to dismiss an employee on the grounds of her pregnancy.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Sep 2, 2015
Olympics logo scandal highlights power of the Internet critic
As news broke Tuesday that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics organizing committee would scrap its official logo after weeks of plagiarism allegations surrounding the designer Kenjiro Sano, users of the popular 2channel gossip website posted a flurry of messages congratulating themselves.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Sep 2, 2015
Tokyo craft store meets demand for LGBT rainbow goods hard to find in Japan
At first glance, Nijiiro Komachi (Rainbow Beauty) looks like any craft shop, with colorful handmade earrings, necklaces, illustrated postcards and metal badges adorning the shelves and walls. The store in Tokyo's Kichijoji district, however, has a unique mission: to support sexual minorities in Japan....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 18, 2015
Kanagawa man in critical condition after Bangkok bomb blast
A 31-year-old man from Kanagawa Prefecture is in critical but stable condition following Monday evening's bomb blast in central Bangkok.
JAPAN / History / 70 YEARS AFTER THE WAR'S END
Aug 7, 2015
Nagasaki's 'providential' nightmare shaped by religious, ethnic undercurrents
August is high season for tourism in Nagasaki. One morning last week at the Nagasaki Peace Park, the venue for an annual televised ceremony to commemorate the Aug. 9, 1945, atomic bombing of the city, throngs of tourists wearing name tags hanging from their necks were shuffling in and out of buses, snapping pictures in front of the iconic Peace Statue.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 5, 2015
Tokyo Olympics logo designer says he's 'shocked' by plagiarism claim
The designer of the emblem for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games said Wednesday that he was "shocked" and "pained" that a Belgian theater logo designer had accused him of plagiarism.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 23, 2015
Genome project aims to diagnose patients with rare diseases
In a potential ray of hope for thousands of people with undiagnosed conditions, the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development will refer such patients to a centralized network of specialists for genome analysis.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 20, 2015
U.S. trans fat ban prompts call for better Japan labeling
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's move last month to phase out artificial trans fats over three years from all processed foods has made few ripples in Japan, where there are currently no regulations on the oil.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 19, 2015
Tokyo hospitals to add five foreign doctors for expats
The government will allow five non-Japanese doctors to practice at four hospitals in Tokyo from around December. Their patients will be limited to non-Japanese who agree to pay full costs themselves.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Jul 19, 2015
Japan's hospitals weigh overseas branches, medical tourism in search for profit
Affluent foreigners represent attractive market, but Japan's health care industry is inexperienced in reaching out to foreigners.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jul 17, 2015
Young single Japanese less keen to have children
More single people in their 20s say they don't want any children, think it's costly and exhausting to raise them, and show little interest in kids in general, according to a new survey.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 14, 2015
Hamp case gave oxycodone a bad name, say doctors
The high-profile arrest of former Toyota Motor Corp. executive Julie Hamp last month over importing oxycodone might fuel prejudice in Japan against the narcotic painkillers and other strong pain-relieving drugs, experts fear.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 14, 2015
Explaining Japan's tough drug rules
Some medications available through prescription or over the counter in the U.S. are prohibited in Japan and cannot be brought into the country.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jun 25, 2015
Nintendo's virtual warriors secure same-sex marriage victory
In a sign of the growing embrace of diversity in virtual reality, Nintendo Co. said Thursday its Fire Emblem fantasy role-playing game series now allows characters to have same-sex relationships.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 24, 2015
Canadian sailor has Japan solo circumnavigation in sight
A Canadian ex-executive who once served as dean and president of Temple University Japan is getting closer to making history — as probably the first foreigner to sail solo around Japan.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 20, 2015
'Trying to conceive through science is a roller-coaster ride'
When Maiko Okada visited a fertility clinic in Tokyo for the first time five years ago, she was totally unprepared for the roller-coaster ride of emotions she would subsequently experience.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jun 19, 2015
Gender equality goal for 2020 elusive: white paper
The government's goal of having women in 30 percent of all leadership positions in Japan by 2020 is looking unrealistic, the 2015 gender equality white paper says.
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.
Nissan says it will not take new U.S. orders for Mexican-built Infiniti SUVs
A Nissan manufacturing complex in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Nissan says it will not take new orders from the United States for two Mexican-built Infiniti SUVs following new auto tariffs levied by the U.S.
Japan digs deep to address 'national crisis' caused by Trump tariffs
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office on April 1. He has said that Japan is facing a "national crisis" following the introduction of new tariffs by the United States.
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.
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.
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
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