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May 04, 2024
 

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Ko Hirano
For Ko Hirano's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 5, 2015
Park-Abe reconciliation comes on heels of TPP, China-Japan thaw
The recently sealed Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact, Washington's urging for better relations with Tokyo and a thaw in ties between Japan and China appear to be why South Korea's leader decided to meet with her Japanese counterpart at last.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 4, 2015
Despite talks with Abe, Park unlikely to concede on history
Although the leaders of Japan and South Korea agreed this week to take prompt action on the issue of Korean women and girls forced into wartime Japanese brothels, it remains uncertain whether they will settle the dispute by year's end.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 8, 2015
Abe to battle for broader foreign support for SDF changes
Fresh from winning support from a handful of foreign countries for Japan's new security laws, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is now pursuing broader international backing for the changes. He has meetings planned with a range of foreign leaders in coming weeks.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 20, 2015
Foes of security laws eager to sue government, punish ruling bloc in Upper House election
The public's division over the defense bills is likely to remain and could undermine confidence in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 15, 2015
Influence of others set tone for Abe statement
In a move to maintain consistency in Japan's official interpretation of wartime history rather than sticking to his personal views, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe retained all key phrases used in a 1995 landmark apology in a statement he issued Friday to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 9, 2015
Abe quandary: How to court Putin and still maintain sanctions over Crimea
While Japan maintains sanctions on Russia over the crisis in Ukraine, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is preparing for a visit to Japan by President Vladimir Putin this year for two reasons — to move forward the stalled territorial negotiations and the other to drive a wedge between Moscow and Beijing.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 8, 2015
China escapes G-7 blame in sea row
The leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized countries release a statement expressing 'strong opposition' to massive land reclamation in disputed waters in the South China Sea, but without naming China specifically, and call for a thorough implementation of the cease-fire in Ukraine.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
May 29, 2015
North Korea, Japan seem far apart on abduction report as deadline nears
With no progress reported in North Korea's investigation into the fates of Japanese nationals it abducted decades ago, Tokyo is stepping up calls on Pyongyang to declare its findings "promptly and honestly."
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 22, 2015
Abe's omissions in Jakarta were 'unwise' step backward, historian says
A speech by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday omitted key wording previous Japanese leaders have used in referring to Japan's actions before and during World War II, fueling speculation he will deliver a watered-down statement in August to mark 70 years since the war's end.
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2015
Japan unwilling to let up on abduction issue
Tokyo will continue pressuring North Korea to release its first report on the new probe into the abduction issue and may revive sanctions if it doesn't.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 10, 2014
Japan urged to take the lead in addressing historical issues
European scholars have called on the Japanese government to ensure consistency in its statements about wartime history, irrespective of the outcome of Sunday's election.
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2014
Japan's technology sought to turn Myanmar into major rice exporter
Myanmar is hungry to adopt Japanese farming techniques so it can modernize its antiquated rice industry and export its way out of poverty.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 11, 2014
Japan in tightrope diplomacy with North Korea over abductees, missiles
Further missile tests by Pyongyang could undermine Tokyo's assurances that negotiations with North Korea on the abduction issue will not impair coordinated action with the U.S. and South Korea.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Mar 17, 2014
Tokyo on horns of dilemma responding to Ukraine crisis
Japan faces a dilemma over how to respond to the crisis in Ukraine following the vote Sunday by residents of Crimea, a majority of whom are ethnic Russians, in favor of seceding and joining Russia.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 4, 2014
Talks with North bring hope
An informal intergovernmental meeting between Japanese and North Korean officials in Shenyang on Monday has rekindled hope for addressing issues of concern between the two countries, including Pyongyang's abductions of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 18, 2014
U.S. urges pragmatic rapprochement
Backed by U.S. engagement, Japan and South Korea appear to have started initiatives to, in Washington's words, “put history behind them and move the relationship forward” in the face of an increasingly assertive China.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2013
Calmer heads need to prevail, Chinese experts warn
With tensions over the Senkaku Islands showing no signs of subsiding, Beijing appears determined to keep sending vessels into the waters near the Japan-administered chain to stake its claim to the area.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 7, 2013
U.S. concerns eased ahead of China talks
The Abe administration's rejection of Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto's revisionist views has apparently eased U.S. concerns that Japan was giving China an easy opening to exploit and drive a wedge between Washington and Tokyo.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 23, 2013
Japanese automakers target China's youth
Despite the bilateral dispute over the Senkaku Islands, young Chinese consumers appear more concerned with product quality and safety rather than Beijing's relations with the countries making the products.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 5, 2013
China's choice signals focus on Tokyo
The Communist Party of China will appoint Wang Yi, a former ambassador to Japan who heads the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, China's Cabinet, as foreign minister, an apparent sign of willingness by the leadership to improve relations with Japan, according to sources.
Biden calls ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ along with rivals China and Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in Syracuse, New York, on April 25.
Yen swings stir talk that Japan is in the FX market once again
An electronic screen in Tokyo displays the yen exchange rate against the U.S. dollar and the graph showing its recent swings, on Thursday.
Harajuku strives to reclaim its former glory — and surpass it
Laforet Harajuku, which celebrated its 45th anniversary last year, has been a witness to the district's evolution over the years.
Weak yen fattens tourist wallets in Japan
People visit the Ameya Yokocho market in Tokyo's Ueno district during the Golden Week holiday on Tuesday.
Japan's May 1 intervention may have cost ¥3.66 trillion, BOJ data suggests
An electronic screen displays a graph showing Japanese yen exchange rates surging against the dollar amid signs of intervention by authorities, in Tokyo on Thursday.
Kishida sets sights on energy and climate in South America trip
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will use a policy speech in Sao Paulo to set out his vision for ties between Japan and South America, almost 10 years after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe advocated for stronger ties between the two in the same city.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
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.

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

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces
By Stephen Mansfield

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