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Keiichiro Otsuka
For Keiichiro Otsuka's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
A photo shows a section of the Michinoku Coastal Trail in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture.
LIFE / Travel
Jan 31, 2024
1,000-kilometer nature trek helping Tohoku once again hit its stride
An area struck by disaster and rich in nature pins its hope on good reviews overseas to get the tourism sector thriving.
Shirley Higuchi, author of the nonfiction book "Setsuko's Secret," poses for a photo in Washington last month.
JAPAN
Aug 11, 2023
U.S. author hopes book about WWII internment camp spurs interest in history
The author's mother and her family were incarcerated in a U.S. camp after the December 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 30, 2023
Japan-led maglev project in U.S. faces cost and regulatory hurdles
Central Japan Railway, a leading developer of the maglev, has promoted its readiness to help build a transportation system that would connect Washington and New York in one hour.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 14, 2023
Boeing delivers last 747, as JAL personnel join event as largest user
The U.S. aircraft giant handed over the final 747 unit — the 1,574th since production began in 1967 — to U.S. cargo airline Atlas Air at a factory in Washington state on Jan. 31.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 1, 2023
First-ever Japan-led sake brewery to open on U.S. East Coast
If sake can make it in the Big Apple, it can make it anywhere.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 1, 2016
Dreamliner strategy hit and miss for ANA
All Nippon Airways Co. is aggressively strengthening international operations with the 787 Dreamliner, but its heavy reliance on Boeing Co.'s high-tech plane appears to be a double-edged sword.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Jul 20, 2016
Console makers banking on virtual reality
Gaming console maker Sony Corp. is betting big on virtual reality, with a new headset and a slew of games set for release later this year, while rival Microsoft Corp. is also developing its own hardware to make use of the immersive technology.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 24, 2016
Marriott-Starwood merger to spark turf war in Japan
For major Japanese hoteliers, the impending merger between Marriott International Inc. and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. signifies the opening of a cutthroat turf war with what will be the world's largest hotel operator in their home territory.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 10, 2015
Honda's business jet certified fit to fly by U.S. regulators
Honda Motor Co. said Wednesday that its HondaJet has been certified as airworthy by U.S. regulators, giving the company the green light to soar into the aviation business.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 29, 2015
Japan's rail firms fear eclipse by China in U.S.
Days before Chinese President Xi Jinping made a high-profile visit to the United States last week, Beijing said six Chinese businesses would join forces with a U.S. company to build a high-speed rail link between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 9, 2015
Toyota unveils Prius hybrid with 10% greater fuel efficiency
Toyota Motor Corp. unveiled the new Prius, its leading hybrid car, in Las Vegas on Tuesday, saying it will be 10 percent more fuel-efficient than existing comparable vehicles.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 19, 2015
Mitsubishi Regional Jet may debut on ANA route from Nagoya
ANA Holdings Inc. is considering flying the Mitsubishi Regional Jet, the nation's first indigenously built small jet, on a domestic route to and from Chubu Centrair International Airport, a source at the airline group said Tuesday. The airport serves Nagoya city.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 13, 2015
Japanese sake brewers step up U.S. production in response to growing demand
Major Japanese sake brewers are stepping up U.S. production and considering further expanding capacity as their local units introduce new varieties that meet American tastes and complement Japanese cuisine.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Aug 6, 2015
ANA group spreads wings to pilot training as new revenue source
ANA Holdings Inc., the parent company of All Nippon Airways Co., is expanding training programs for pilots and air traffic controllers at its academies in the United States, Japan and Thailand, seeing opportunities in the global pilot shortage stemming from the growing number of budget airlines taking to the skies.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 4, 2015
Mitsubishi Aircraft opens U.S. facility, aims for 2,500 jets globally
Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. opened a U.S. facility Monday to advance the development of its regional jet, Japan's first indigenously built small jet, by facilitating flight testing and analysis, starting next year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
May 28, 2015
Resurgent Hitachi goes global after painful reforms
In February, Hitachi Ltd., the nation's largest maker of electric equipment and infrastructure systems, splurged on one of its priciest acquisitions. The target was the railway vehicle and signal businesses of Italy's Finmeccanica S.p.A., a deal estimated at over ¥250 billion.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 20, 2015
Mitsubishi MRJ jet marketing push takes off in U.S.
At an annual convention of the Regional Airline Association in Cleveland earlier this month, top Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. officials were eager to promote its Mitsubishi Regional Jet ahead of its maiden flight in Japan this fall.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Mar 20, 2015
Mitsui Fudosan, Mitsubishi Estate among foreign developers grabbing major N.Y. deals
Mitsui Fudosan Co., Mitsubishi Estate Co. and a handful of other foreign developers are taking stakes in major real estate projects such as high-rises and commercial properties in New York as the U.S. economy recovers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Mar 9, 2015
Takata's air bag response puts firm in NHTSA's cross hairs
With no breakthrough in sight regarding Takata Corp.'s faulty air bags and its handling of extensive recalls, U.S. transportation authorities are ratcheting up pressure on the embattled Japanese auto-parts supplier.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 11, 2015
Japanese manufacturers face stiff competition from China in U.S. rail car market
Japanese rail-car manufacturers are going up against increasing competition from Chinese rivals in the United States as they prepare for the opening of a bid expected later this year for cars that will be used on the planned high-speed rail link in California.

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A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world