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 Ayako Mie

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Ayako Mie
Ayako Mie covers Japanese politics and policies for the Japan Times. She started her career as a reporter at Tokyo Broadcasting System in 2001. In 2008, she went to journalism school at University of California, Berkeley as a Fulbright scholar. On returning to Japan in December 2010, she worked for the Washington Post as a special correspondent.
For Ayako Mie's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 29, 2013
Defense institute seeks integrated efforts with U.S.
Amid the changing security situation in East Asia, Japan should be equipped with more flexible and integrated defense capabilities and enhanced coordination among the Self-Defense Forces, the Japan Coast Guard and the U.S. military, according to the 2013 East Asian Strategic Review released Friday.
JAPAN
Mar 29, 2013
LDP takes aim at English education, seeks to boost TOEFL levels
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is on a quest to reform the educational system in order to foster global talent to reverse the nation’s declining competitiveness on the world stage, and English-language studies have been especially targeted for improvement.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 27, 2013
Abe so far soothing U.S. fears, says ex-envoy
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has so far convinced the United States that he can exercise strong leadership to reshape Japan after a decade of political turmoil, but he should also be careful not to damage relations with South Korea, now strained by diplomatic tensions, a former U.S. ambassador to Japan...
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 23, 2013
Abe's TPP task force to be 100-strong
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced a week ago that Japan will join the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks, and when his Cabinet met Friday, he said his administration will launch a 100-member TPP task force to gear up for bargaining.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2013
Tokyo doctor adds disaster zone to practice
Ever since the 9-magnitude earthquake rocked the Tohoku region two years ago, Tokyo doctor Naoko Ishii and her husband, Hajime, have been quasi-residents of the Ogatsu district of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 12, 2013
Orphans need special trauma care
Hundreds orphaned by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami remain vulnerable two years later because of insufficient government support.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2013
Protesters rail against Abe, reactors
More than 10,000 demonstrators take to the streets of Tokyo, calling for an immediate phaseout of atomic energy and railing against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's pronuclear stance.
Japan Times
JAPAN / TOHOKU TRAPPED IN TIME
Mar 8, 2013
Traumatized port struggles to stay together, move on
When the Kinoya fish processing company in Ishinomaki opened its brand new flagship factory last month, it gave employees a ray of hope that it would recover from the 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that destroyed much of the city.
Japan Times
JAPAN / TOHOKU TRAPPED IN TIME
Mar 8, 2013
Fishermen look to revamp industry
Tohoku's fishermen are beginning to challenge the traditional fisheries system by establishing their own companies so they can have more control over prices and other aspects of the business.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 23, 2013
LDP spurns merger plea by tiny Kokumin Shinto
The Liberal Democratic Party has rejected a proposal by Kokumin Shinto (People's New Party) to merge and instead is demanding that the three-man opposition force disband and the lawmakers be considered individually for membership in the ruling party.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 22, 2013
Senkaku showdown taxing forces
The past few months have put the Japan Coast Guard and Air Self-Defense Force to the test, as they defend the nation's territorial waters and airspace around the Senkaku islets in the East China Sea, a flash point for potential military clashes with China.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 19, 2013
Abe's pick for BOJ chief coming soon
With Masaaki Shirakawa stepping down as governor of the Bank of Japan on March 19, three weeks earlier than scheduled, the process to select his successor is accelerating.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 16, 2013
Abe launches panel to study Japan version of national security council
Shinzo Abe kicks off a study panel tasked with establishing a Japanese version of the U.S. National Security Council, vowing to enhance the flow of information while consolidating command.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 16, 2013
Abe vows again to amend Article 9
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed again Friday to revise the Constitution, including amending war-renouncing Article 9 to allow Japan to exercise the right of collective self-defense.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 13, 2013
Japan presses for tougher sanctions
Denouncing the latest nuclear test by North Korea, Japan calls on the U.N. Security Council to impose more severe sanctions against Pyongyang.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 9, 2013
DPJ snubs ruling bloc's list of picks for key posts
The Democratic Party of Japan refuses to accept a list of 41 nominees for key government positions because the name of one person was leaked to the media.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 8, 2013
Article 9 panel revived in collective defense bid
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has reconvened a government policy advisory panel on security issues to review the move to reinterpret the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution so Japan can exercise collective self-defense.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 8, 2013
Lawmakers huddle to revise BOJ Law
Like-minded lawmakers across party lines have kicked off discussions toward amending the Bank of Japan Law to effectively lessen the central bank's independence and hold it more accountable for its monetary policy.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 8, 2013
China provocation slammed
Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera warns China that it may have violated the United Nations Charter when its warships locked their fire-control radars on a Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer and helicopter last month and calls for setting up a hotline between Tokyo and Beijing.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 7, 2013
Stocks soar on news of Shirakawa's early exit
With Bank of Japan Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa announcing his plan to step down three weeks before this term ends, the battle between the ruling and opposition camps over nominating his successor will only intensify.

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