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December 04, 2024
 

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Takamitsu Sawa

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Takamitsu Sawa
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 7, 2020
Plan to phase out inefficient coal plants breaks no new ground
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hiroshi Kajiyama said in early July that the government will work out a program to phase out inefficient coal-burning thermal power plants — by either suspending or scrapping these plants. METI later followed up on the move by launching a panel of experts to...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 13, 2020
Can Japan get out of its downward spiral?
To turn the nation around, Japan needs more effective political leadership.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 16, 2020
No end in sight to the debate over Japan's school year
Starting the academic year in April poses yet another obstacle in the nation's effort to internationalize its higher education.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 27, 2020
Stay-home request spurs a reading revival
In many urban areas of Japan, people were recently urged to stay home for weeks on in the fight to contain the spread of COVID-19. Most big bookstores in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto were closed through the end of the Golden Week holidays, making it difficult to buy books.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 19, 2020
What we’ll miss when bookstores disappear
Nothing can fully replace holding a real book in your hands.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 13, 2020
Japan's post-3/11 and future energy landscape
Seeking to raise the share of renewable energy as close as possible to 100 percent could resolve many problems.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 17, 2020
Strong liberal arts education is key to success in Society 5.0
A liberal arts education is crucial to the development of the skills required for success in Society 5.0.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 21, 2020
Japan going the wrong way in English-education reform
English-language education in Japanese schools should focus on reading and writing rather than conversation to build a strong foundation.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 13, 2019
Achieving human liberation through AI
AI is none other than a mechanized slave in that it liberates humans from labor for production.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 13, 2019
Cheap power the key to AI-based business
It is imperative that Japan reform its power industry to make electricity more affordable for industries relying on AI.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 16, 2019
Reforming education for Society 5.0
It will be impossible to nurture human resources suitable for Society 5.0 unless drastic curriculum reforms are carried out to make universities an arena for a liberal arts education.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 22, 2019
How AI and robots can lead us to utopia
AI could conceivably eliminate the need for human labor in production and allow people to immerse themselves in intellectual activities.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 6, 2019
Japan lags in AI use and internet literacy
The speed of change in the Fourth Industrial Revolution is extremely high, and Japan is falling behind.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 14, 2019
Fix Japan's misallocation of human resources
Medical schools at universities are becoming unprecedentedly popular among high school students seeking to advance to higher education. Many high schools' websites exhibit not only the number of graduates who have successfully entered well-known national, public and private universities, but also how...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 16, 2019
Demand in doubt for fully autonomous cars
Fully automous cars are coming, but how many people will be willing to pay for them?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 19, 2019
The distribution revolution
Internet shopping provides benefits to both sellers and consumers, and should be regarded as the main player in the third revolution in the distribution of goods.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 12, 2019
Foreign student numbers don't tell whole tale
The government's goal of strategically attracting outstanding students from abroad under its plan to accept 300,000 foreign students is far from accomplished.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 14, 2019
Democracy in a self-contradictory trap
Populism is the Achilles heel of democracy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 20, 2019
Winds of change sweep auto industry
Automakers are engaged in a fierce batttle for survival.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 18, 2019
The global decline of Japanese universities
Dark clouds hang over the future of Japanese universities due to the government's failure to recognize the importance of education and research.
Japan’s 2024 buzzword of the year urges a reevaluation of past norms
Sadao Abe, who played the role of a time-traveling Showa Era teacher transported to present day in a popular TV drama, receives the 2024 buzzword of the year award for the word "futehodo," the nickname of the series.
Australian says romance scam tricked her into smuggling drugs into Japan
Donna Nelson says her life was turned upside down when she learned that the man she was falling for had tricked her into smuggling 2 kilograms of methamphetamine into Japan.
Trump says will 'block' Nippon Steel from taking over U.S. Steel
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump says he will "block" a planned takeover of U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel.
Japan witnesses warmest fall on record
Hibiya Park in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Saturday. Warm weather has delayed the country's autumn foliage season — when tourists flock to see leaves turn vibrant reds and yellows.
South Korea's Yoon backs down after parliament rejects martial law
Soldiers try to enter the National Assembly building in Seoul, after South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law late Tuesday evening.
Can Japan's scientific community rebound from a Nobel nosedive?
The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo is a popular place to foster curiosity in the natural sciences.
Europe eyes 'boots on the ground' in Ukraine as possible peace deal option
A serviceman with the Ukrainian Army's 24th mechanized brigade fires a machine gun during an exercise, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the country's Donetsk region on Friday.
Seven strangers and an algorithm: Can this new dinner app help you make friends?
Timeleft uses an algorithm to match its users with five or six strangers in an effort to prompt “human connection” over dinner at a restaurant. It determines the attendees with the help of a simple personality quiz available when you sign up for the service. 
Don’t worry, you can still use your Japan health insurance card — for now
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.
The Geisha bean is the leading lady of Tokyo's coffee scene
Discovered in the 1930s, the Geisha coffee plant came to worldwide fame in the early 2000s and now represents some of the best coffee on the planet — Tokyo's top cafes included.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo is a popular place to foster curiosity in the natural sciences.
Can Japan's scientific community rebound from a Nobel nosedive?
By Tomoko Otake

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