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Michiko Munakata
For Michiko Munakata's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2013
'Obachan' group aims to jolt politics
Osaka, the epicenter of a political movement bent on change that has shaken the status quo, is home to another initiative to trumpet the unheard voices of women.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2012
Search for work renders tattoos taboo
While tattoos have long been associated with the underworld, especially large elaborate motifs depicting dragons and other mythical creatures, more discreet designs have become fashionable among the young in recent years.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2012
Grandparents seek visitation rights
While many divorced noncustodial parents in Japan have no choice but to battle acrimoniously to gain access to their children, the situation is also often painful for their own parents, who as grandparents have become separated from their grandchildren.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2011
Polish film resonates with elderly widows
A Polish film about a woman in her early '90s has become a big hit with middle-aged and elderly Japanese women, apparently reflecting a social trend in which women increasingly aspire to spend their twilight years without relying on anyone's help.
JAPAN
May 21, 2010
Women shake up male-dominated restaurants
Traditionally, restaurant kitchens are among the most male-dominated workplaces in Japan.
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2010
DPJ wavers on maiden names law
Unlike former conservative Liberal Democratic Party governments, the ruling Democratic Party of Japan has long backed a plan to allow a husband and wife to keep their respective surnames.
JAPAN
Feb 13, 2010
Poor aged moms grope to help adult offspring financially cope
While it is true that parenting is lifelong work, in Japan, some elderly mothers are struggling as they try to help their grownup sons and daughters make ends meet despite their own financial difficulties.
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2010
Campus nurseries help new moms cope
Sayaka Shibata, 31, a graduate student in a medical research lab at the University of Tokyo, might not have returned to the lab after maternity leave if the university did not open an on-campus nursery.
JAPAN
Sep 22, 2009
Will DPJ policy push women into work?
Even before she begins her career, Shiho Umeki, 22, has always planned to reduce her work after getting married, just like her mother before her. That was until the Democratic Party of Japan won the Aug. 30 election.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2009
Ex-Tokyoite now Oman's educator 'in desert'
Suad Mohammed Al-Mudhaffar, originally Mihoko Morita hailing from the Tokyo suburb of Tachikawa, went to Oman after her divorce together with her daughter to teach Japanese culture there.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 12, 2007
Singles find community in 'social apartments'
A three-story former dormitory built 16 years ago for unmarried employees of a brokerage has been reborn as a "social apartment" for 44 singles.
JAPAN
Feb 8, 2007
Closer to the grave: urbanites rebury ancestors
, a Tokyo-based national association of 400 gravestone dealers, said the number of inquiries about reburials is soaring. Some of those interested in reburial note that they have no intention of returning to their countryside birthplaces after living in the city for more than 40 years.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2005
Ota schools turn to innovation to educate Latino children
One city is taking up the daunting challenge of enabling children of foreign workers to achieve a high level of scholastic ability in the Japanese language.

Longform

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