Kakumi Kobayashi - The Japan Times

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Kakumi Kobayashi

For Kakumi Kobayashi's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

Japan Times

JAPAN

May 30, 2008

Fretting safety, Yokosuka public awaits atomic-powered carrier

After seeing off the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk this week, Yokosuka now has to brace for the arrival of its replacement — the first nuclear-powered U.S. vessel to be based in Japan.

Japan Times

JAPAN

May 29, 2008

Flexibility key for marines' Guam move: Rice

The top commander of the U.S. forces in Japan suggested last week that a more flexible approach by both the military and the Japanese government would help to achieve the planned relocation of a U.S. Marine Corps contingent to Guam from Okinawa by 2014.

JAPAN

May 22, 2008

New space policy result of regional tensions

In a significant departure from Japan's decades-old adherence to the nonmilitary use of space, the Diet passed a new law Wednesday allowing use of space for national security purposes, avoiding discussion on whether the law is valid under the war-renouncing Constitution.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Apr 19, 2008

Carefully balanced ruling delivers another setback to Fukuda, LDP

The first court ruling to declare the Air Self-Defense Force mission in Iraq unconstitutional has left Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda further embattled as the government and politicians scrambled to make sense of the disjointed decision.

JAPAN

Mar 22, 2008

Talks on moving Futenma base still not concluded

While Guam steps up preparations to host marines when their presence in Okinawa is downsized, possibly by 2014, tough negotiations are continuing between the prefecture and central government on the planned relocation base that must be operational before the move takes place. At issue in the discussions is the placement of runways to be built at the relocation site in Nago for the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan in line with a 2006 Japan-U.S. agreement on the reorganization of the U.S. military in Japan.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Mar 22, 2008

Guam grapples to gear for forces buildup

Guam is struggling as it faces mounting challenges to prepare for the planned military buildup on the island, including the relocation of U.S. Marines from Okinawa, and the prospect that in less than a decade, U.S. forces-related personnel will raise its population by nearly 25 percent.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Mar 6, 2008

Okinawa's U.S. ire remains low-profile

Protests in Okinawa over a recent series of alleged crimes by U.S. servicemen have been low-profile, in contrast to last summer when a nonpartisan movement gathered momentum to protest the government's position on World War II history.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Mar 1, 2008

Myanmar constitution worries Gambari

U.N. special envoy on Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari urged the country's junta Thursday to "reconsider" and incorporate greater freedoms in a draft constitution it compiled for a referendum planned for May and said he intends to discuss the matter with Myanmar leaders in his visit to the country next week.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Jan 8, 2008

Defense Ministry's inaugural year one to forget

When the Defense Agency was upgraded to a full ministry in January, after decades of subordinate status since its establishment in 1954, 2007 was supposed to be a landmark year for defense bureaucrats and the Self-Defense Forces.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Jan 5, 2008

Fukuda next to inherit Futenma stymie

The long-unresolved plan to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma within Okinawa will probably weigh on Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's administration this year just like it did on his predecessors, with the same dearth of results.

JAPAN

Dec 21, 2007

Will missile shield increase U.S. sway?

The government is upbeat following the successful interception of a target in space by a U.S.-made ballistic missile, saying the result will pave the way to completing a nearly ¥1 trillion project to build a missile shield for Japan.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Oct 4, 2007

DPJ faces dilemma as MSDF support grows

Opposition camp leader Ichiro Ozawa is facing his first big challenge since his party marked a historic victory in July's Upper House election — a widening gap between public support for Japan's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean and his resistance to it.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Jul 20, 2007

LDP best skip Okinawa economic pitches

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party, playing on the need to boost the local economy, won the two most recent elections in Okinawa, which suffers from a high unemployment rate and lacks significant industries other than tourism.

Japan Times

JAPAN

May 23, 2007

Chinese doctor lends a hand at understaffed regional hospital

A 34-year-old Chinese doctor is helping a short-staffed hospital in Morioka under a rare project led by the Iwate Prefectural Government, which is responding to a chronic shortage of physicians in the prefecture.

JAPAN

Feb 13, 2007

Japan faces dilemma as talks' focus shifts to aid

As the six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear program shift the focus to providing energy and other economic benefits to Pyongyang, Japan is being pushed to face a tough decision. To maintain diplomatic unity or to pursue domestic interests -- that is the question. At stake is how much Japan will commit itself in a joint aid package to encourage North Korea to abandon its nuclear arms program. At the same time, it must clear the large hurdles Tokyo has created with its stated policy of refusing to provide economic benefits unless it gets a clear guarantee of prospects for resolving the abduction issue.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Feb 13, 2007

Six-nation negotiators scramble to reach accord

Negotiators for the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear programs continued talks late into the night Monday, while a South Korean news report said that progress has been made and they may draw up a revised draft agreement later the same day.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Jan 10, 2007

Shanghai deviates from university norm

When Naoya Karita finished high school in March 2005, he felt he had two choices -- one was to attend a popular university near his hometown and the other was to go to a school in Shanghai.

JAPAN

Dec 1, 2006

Film on Korean identity woes released in South

, yet feeling awkward about the country he supports. The filmmaker said in a recent interview in Tokyo that she loved her parents but chose to take South Korean nationality in 2004 because she felt uncomfortable with the North Korean regime, which has left many people destitute and starving.

JAPAN

Aug 29, 2006

Ishihara crime fight serving Big Brother, stoking xenophobia?

A former deputy chief of Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara's task force on public safety is questioning some of the projects the metropolitan government has been promoting.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Aug 20, 2006

Following arson attack, Kato warns of 'dangerous' nationalism emerging

Veteran lawmaker Koichi Kato, victim of an arson attack on one of his houses last week following his criticism of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni Shrine, is warning that signs of "dangerous" nationalism are increasing in Japan.

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

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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