author

 
Menu
Search
 
May 14, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
Jun Hongo

Meta

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 / TOHOKU TRAPPED IN TIME
Mar 8, 2013
A quick blow, then lingering death for devastated towns
One of the defining images from the Great East Japan Earthquake is of a tsunami-hit tourist bus stranded on the roof of the two-story community center in the Pacific coastal district of Ogatsu, Miyagi Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 8, 2013
Nation on 'right path' to beat deflation, Shirakawa says
Departing Bank of Japan Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa said Thursday that the country is on the "right path" to ending its decades-long deflation.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2013
New tsunami alerts set to debut
The Meteorological Agency's revised tsunami warning system starts up at noon Thursday to better alert the public over the threat of massive waves hitting land.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2013
Tepid water helps Abe maintain?
The economy may be heating up, the weather outside may be chilly, but Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sticks to the middle of the road: lukewarm water.
Japan Times
Reference / Q&A
Feb 21, 2013
Take care with ticks to avoid potentially fatal illness
The health ministry confirmed Tuesday that the tick-borne disease thrombocytopenia syndrome, or SFTS, was responsible for the death of an adult male in Hiroshima last summer, bringing the number of known domestic fatalities to four. Nine other similar deaths are being investigated.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 16, 2013
Tojo's granddaughter, Yuko, dies at 73
Yuko Tojo, the granddaughter of executed Class-A war criminal Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, dies of interstitial pneumonia at age 73.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 16, 2013
Probe details coach's abuses against boy who killed himself
Details of the brutal physical and verbal abuse an Osaka high school boy suffered at the hands of his basketball coach before committing suicide in December are revealed in a report compiled by an external panel.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 15, 2013
BOJ stands pat on monetary easing, ups assessment
The Bank of Japan on Thursday put off additional monetary easing while raising its assessment of the economy, saying it appears to have stopped weakening.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2013
Land parliamentary secretary resigned over sex scandal involving a minor
The abrupt resignation of the land ministry's parliamentary secretary, was the result of a sex scandal involving a minor, according to the weekly magazine Shukan Shincho.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 4, 2013
Somali, 18, denies being lead hijacker
An 18-year-old Somali accused of trying to hijack an oil tanker operated by a Japanese firm pleaded guilty Monday but denied playing a key role in the attack.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 4, 2013
Aso bids for accord on budget
Finance Minister Taro Aso on Monday asked the opposition for prompt cooperation in passing the bill on the supplementary budget to "solidify the recovery of Japan's economy."
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 2, 2013
Eased limits now allow sale of U.S. beef below 30 months
Japan eases its limits on U.S. beef imports, permitting retailers to begin selling meat from cattle less than 30 months old.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2013
AKB48 idol begs for fans' mercy after breaking dating ban
A member of AKB48 stirs up an online frenzy by getting a crew cut and posting an apology for breaking the all-girl group's rule against romantic relationships.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Feb 1, 2013
Two sides to corporal punishment practices in Japan
The December suicide of an Osaka high school basketball team captain who had been physically punished by his coach cast a harsh light on corporal punishment in Japan, and this week's admission by the All Japan Judo Federation that Olympic female judoka had been physically abused and harassed by their head coach served to underscore just how widespread the practice is.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Jan 29, 2013
Guarded optimism for debt-raising budget
Cabinet members are looking to the bright side, stressing that issuance of government bonds in fiscal 2013 won't exceed tax income for the first time in four years.
BUSINESS
Jan 25, 2013
Shirakawa says BOJ alone can't attain inflation target
Reaching the newly adopted 2 percent inflation target will require a "substantial effort," including government policies that will boost economic growth, Bank of Japan Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa said Friday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 25, 2013
Firms starting to see value in hiring grads who have studied overseas
With many Japanese companies taking advantage of the strong yen to globalize their business, some job-placement agencies are launching new services to meet the demand for global-minded personnel.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 23, 2013
BOJ agrees to uphold Abe's 2% inflation target
The Bank of Japan on Tuesday adopted a 2 percent inflation target, caving in to pressure from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, while calling for closer coordination and implementation of bold measures to fight deflation in a joint statement released with the government.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 22, 2013
The blunt, blue-blooded Aso is back
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may be the face of the new government led by Liberal Democratic Party, but Finance Minister Taro Aso is also a force in the LDP to be reckoned with.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 17, 2013
Abe seeking monetary soulmate as next governor of BOJ
Having agreed on a ¥20 trillion economic stimulus package and a hefty ¥13.1 trillion supplementary budget, the next big task for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Cabinet will be nominating the right person to head the Bank of Japan.
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.

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

Things may look perfect to the outside world, but today's mom is fine with some imperfection at home.
How 'Reiwa moms' are reshaping motherhood in Japan
By Mai Yoshikawa

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Live like a lord or lady for a night at Ozu Castle
Live like a lord or lady for a night at Ozu Castle

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER