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May 14, 2024
 

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Jun Hongo

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Jun Hongo
Jun Hongo graduated from Boston University and joined The Japan Times in 2006. He covers a wide range of domestic news, including politics and business. He is an avid Red Sox fan.
For Jun Hongo's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Jun 19, 2012
Greek outcome only step in right direction
The yen fell against the euro and Asian stocks rose after proausterity New Democracy won the national elections in Greece on Sunday, but pundits warned that it is too early for Japan to breathe a sigh of relief.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 16, 2012
Tax hike's economic impact divides experts
Economists and experts remain split over whether raising the consumption tax would help restore the country's battered public finances or choke future economic growth.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / CABINET INTERVIEW
Jun 9, 2012
New financial services minister eyes stiffer fines for insider trading
The Financial Services Agency may impose heavier fines on those who engage in insider trading in light of a spate of recent cases, according to its new chief.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2012
Oi reactors' restart is vital, Noda stresses
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda stressed Friday that restarting the Oi nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture is crucial to meet the nation's energy needs this summer and to ensure sustainable economic growth in the longer term.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 8, 2012
Kosovo leader urges assistance
Japan's investment and skills are crucial to Kosovo's development, but the country also has much to offer Japanese businesses seeking opportunities in the region, visiting Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci told The Japan Times in an interview Thursday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 24, 2012
BOJ maintains rate as eurozone worries grow
The Bank of Japan maintained its zero interest rate policy Wednesday while offering a somber assessment of global financial markets, saying close attention is needed "mainly due to concern about the European debt problem."
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 23, 2012
Areas braced for mass turnout, traffic nightmare
The thousands of people who flocked Tuesday to Tokyo Skytree on its opening day saw police and municipalities scrambling to handle the throng.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2012
All seems in limbo until Greek polls
The butterfly effect triggered by Greek voters left its mark on Japan's economy last week as stocks took their sharpest drop of the year and the yen soared against the dollar amid deepening concern over the eurozone's debt crisis.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 22, 2012
Once one and only, Sony seeks to regain that status
Despite reporting a record ¥457 billion annual loss last year, Sony Corp. earlier this month said it would return to the black in fiscal 2012 with a ¥30 billion profit.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 16, 2012
Economic reliance on bases won't last, trends suggest
Koza Gate Dori is conveniently situated near one of the entrances to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, but a visit to the shopping street, where "for rent" signs are common and numerous stores are shuttered, makes it clear that residents aren't profiting much from the presence of the United States Air Force.
JAPAN
May 15, 2012
Cesium spikes in Tokyo Bay samples
Sludge samples taken at the mouths of two major rivers emptying into Tokyo Bay showed radioactive cesium contamination linked to the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant crisis grew by 1.5 to 13 times since August, a researcher at Kinki University said Monday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / 40 YEARS AFTER REVERSION
May 15, 2012
40 years after return, Okinawa still struggling to grow up
First of five parts When people turn 40, they have reached a milestone age and one that often entails various responsibilities beyond caring just for oneself.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 2, 2012
Fatigue problem for bus drivers: poll
Years before Sunday's fatal highway bus crash in Gunma Prefecture killed seven, a survey conducted by the internal affairs ministry illustrated that the sector was not immune to severe accidents, especially if drivers are fatigued.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 2, 2012
Okuda to lead JBIC in new direction
Upon assuming the presidency of Japan Bank for International Cooperation on April 1, Hiroshi Okuda told reporters that Japan today is lagging behind the rest of the world in both politics and economy by a wide margin.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2012
BOJ boosts asset buys to tune of ¥5 trillion
The Bank of Japan on Friday eased monetary policy by boosting the size of its asset purchase program by ¥5 trillion, saying the move will "better ensure the return of Japan's economy to a sustainable growth path with price stability."
BUSINESS
Apr 20, 2012
Trade deficit grows to record ¥4.41 trillion
Japan logged a record ¥4.41 trillion trade deficit in fiscal 2011 as the March 11 disasters, the strong yen, reliance on foreign energy and Europe's debt crisis all rattled the economy throughout the year, the Finance Ministry said Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Q&A
Apr 19, 2012
Tokyo's intentions for Senkaku islets
Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara's plan to have the metropolitan government purchase the Senkaku Islands continued to cause ripples Wednesday, with both China and Taiwan quickly issuing statements criticizing the move.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Apr 13, 2012
Postal privatization comes off back burner
The Lower House's passage Thursday of a bill to revise the Postal Privatization Law is a key development in an issue that was relegated to the back burner for years, experts said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 13, 2012
Japan open to talks on bolstering IMF
Japan is ready to hold talks with other nations, including the U.S. and China, on how to answer the International Monetary Fund's call for more resources to handle Europe's sovereign debt crisis, Finance Minister Jun Azumi said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2012
BOJ board votes to keep interest rates near zero
The Bank of Japan Policy Board unanimously agreed Tuesday to maintain the current virtually zero interest rate policy while revealing details of a new lending arrangement in dollars worth the equivalent of ¥1 trillion.
Japanese stripper bids to have her porn movies taken off internet
Plaintiff Miyuki Ariga (left) speaks at a news conference along with her lawyer, Yoshitomo Morohashi, after filing a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court on Monday.
Three men rearrested over brokering of overseas prostitution
A woman speaks of her experience of being sent to Macau by an overseas prostitution broker during an interview in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on April 8.
Ex-METI bureaucrat given 10-year sentence for drugging and raping women
The Tokyo District Court on Monday sentenced a former industry ministry bureaucrat to 10 years in prison for drugging six women with sleeping pills and then raping or groping them in 2022.
Money stolen via online transfers up fivefold in Tokyo
Special fraud cases in Tokyo in which stolen money was sent via online banking services grew some fivefold from the previous year in 2023.
How the discovery of a giant sword in Nara offers clues into ancient Japan
Archaeologists say a 1,600-year-old wooden coffin at the Tomio Maruyama tumulus in the city of Nara was kept in good condition probably because it was protected by a layer of clay and copper ions that had seeped out of the mirrors that were buried together.
In a rare event, the Northern Lights show up in Hokkaido
The Northern Lights in Nayoro, Hokkaido, on Saturday
Is black the new green for Japan’s flagging tea farmers?
George Guttridge-Smith brews tea at Kyoto Obubu Tea Farm in Wazuka, Kyoto Prefecture, where he serves as head of international development.
Japan's logistics firms seek partnerships to cope with driver shortage
Japan Post CEO Tetsuya Senda (right) and his Seino Transportation counterpart Satoshi Takahashi announce their companies' agreement on joint long-haul truck operations, in Tokyo on Thursday.
How the discovery of a giant sword in Nara offers clues into ancient Japan
Archaeologists say a 1,600-year-old wooden coffin at the Tomio Maruyama tumulus in the city of Nara was kept in good condition probably because it was protected by a layer of clay and copper ions that had seeped out of the mirrors that were buried together.
Unlike 10 years ago, Japan's new security bill sparks little debate
The Lower House starts discussing a security clearance bill on April 19 in Tokyo.

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