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April 29, 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:
Japan Times
JAPAN / LIGHTING THE OLYMPIC FLAME
Sep 23, 2013
Games planners target airport access
Upgrading Tokyo's dense infrastructure for the 2020 Games may be tricky, but a new subway line and an expansion for Haneda airport are on the drawing board.
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2013
Studies on mouse rehab music and onion tears win Ig Nobels
A study on how opera may prolong one's life and research into the complex mechanism of how chopping onions causes tears have earned two Japanese groups an Ig Nobel prize.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / 'SUMMER DAVOS' SPECIAL 2013
Sep 10, 2013
Abe hoping to prove to the world that Japan truly is back
Tokyo's victory for the right to host the 2020 Olympic Games is a reassurance to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's recent go-to catchphrase, "Japan is Back," with the slogan having appeared as the subtitle of the government's growth strategy and even as the title in one of Abe's policy speeches.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / 'SUMMER DAVOS' SPECIAL 2013
Sep 10, 2013
Advising visitors to truly see Japan with their own eyes
Last summer at age 66, Seiichi Kondo climbed Mount Fuji for the first time in his life. Friends warned it wouldn't be an easy expedition, and it wasn't. But conquering Japan's highest mountain was essential for what he was about to do next.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 9, 2013
Japan's April-June real GDP growth upgraded to annual 3.8%
An upward revision to Japan's gross domestic product gives the government yet another favorable signal for raising the sales tax next April.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Sep 5, 2013
Data show twisters form over Kanto in September
Damage to people and property by tornadoes made headlines over the past week, with the latest in Tochigi Prefecture injuring three people while destroying houses and other buildings.
Japan Times
Reference / Q&A
Aug 21, 2013
'Barefoot Gen' pulled as anti-war images strike too close to home?
The decision by the board of education of Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, to limit students' access to the manga series "Hadashi no Gen" ("Barefoot Gen") at school libraries continues to cause a stir. While some support the move, others say it disrespects the best-selling anti-war classic, which tells the story of a young boy who survives the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 16, 2013
Southern All Stars' latest hit delves into foreign relations
A chart-topping song by the Southern All Stars is stirring talk over its political content as Japan experiences heightened tensions with both China and South Korea over historical and territorial disputes.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2013
Tax hike backers seize on positive GDP data
Real gross domestic product rose an annualized 2.6 percent in the three months to June, bolstering the Abe administration's claim its economic policies are succeeding.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2013
Cyberterror threat stalks Japan's high-end toilet users
Cyberterrorists could strike at your most vulnerable and least expected moment because of a glitch in a smartphone-controlled high-tech toilet system manufactured in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2013
Tokyo beach reopens after five-decade effort
The seawater by Tokyo's Kasai Rinkai Park is only slightly cooler than body temperature, and its beach contains a mix of tiny gravel and seashell fragments instead of fine white sand.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 8, 2013
BOJ puts off more monetary easing
The Bank of Japan on Thursday put off additional monetary easing and maintained its assessment from the previous month that the economy is "starting to recover moderately."
JAPAN
Aug 2, 2013
23 residents sue to keep Setagaya off plates, claiming violation of their privacy
Residents of Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, are suing the central government to stop the introduction of license plates that they claim will violate their privacy and are being forced on them.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 29, 2013
Missing British expat left Tokyo with company cash?
A British expat who vanished in May and was feared a victim of foul play may have left Japan with some of his company's cash in hand.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2013
Hayao Miyazaki: Leave Constitution alone
Anime master Hayao Miyazaki blasted the government's push to revise the Constitution, saying that politicians without any understanding of history "shouldn't be messing" with the foundation of the country.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / BALANCING INTERESTS
Jul 24, 2013
High-end grape grower has no TPP gripe, just sees green
Grapes grown on Takanobu Watanabe's farm in Tomi, Nagano Prefecture, are still chartreuse this time of the year, as the summer heat boosts the berries' sugar content before veraison, the onset of ripening.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / BALANCING INTERESTS
Jul 24, 2013
Students getting down and dirty
School's out for summer — and students are leaving their books behind to hit the beach under the sun.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 22, 2013
Poll outcome may benefit economy
With the ballots tallied and the opposition crushed, observers predict the ruling bloc's landslide victory Sunday amid the third-lowest voter turnout ever for a House of Councilors poll will have a positive impact on the economy and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's stewardship of it.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2013
Tastes like chicken? New 'unagi' product uses fowl in place of eel
If your "unagi" (grilled eel) dish tastes eerily similar to chicken this summer, that may be because it is.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 15, 2013
Nintendo brought arcade games into homes 30 years ago
On July 15, 1983, Kyoto-based Nintendo Co. launched the Family Computer video game console, or "Famicom." Priced at ¥14,800, more than 63 million units of the iconic white, red and gold machine were sold worldwide, laying the foundations for today's gaming industry.
Number of homeless in Japan hits record low
Homeless people sleep on the street in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in August 2021.
Raising kids in Japan as a single parent? It takes a village.
Making things work as a foreign, single mother in Japan isn't easy, but these tips and tricks can help you through the hardest parts.
JAL cancels international flight after captain gets drunk at Dallas hotel
A Japan Airlines' flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled last week after its captain got drunk at a local hotel.
In Japan, regional revitalization fails to halt population decline
Sakiyama elementary school in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, in March .Over the past decade, the government has directed efforts toward policies designed to give young people incentives to base themselves in rural areas.
Putin’s war will soon reach Russians’ tax bills
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting in St. Petersburg on Friday.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.
Kyotographie's strong 12th edition shines light into the margins
Yassine Alaoui Ismaili, who goes by Yoriyas, turned to photography, shooting motion while in motion himself, after an injury forced him to give up his career as a professional breakdancer.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree
By Alex K.T. Martin

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