author

 
Menu
Search
 
May 04, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Ko Hirano
For Ko Hirano's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
JAPAN / ELECTION 2012
Dec 18, 2012
North Korea, China pose diplomatic hurdles for Abe
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un entered his second year in power Monday, the first anniversary of the death of his father and longtime ruler Kim Jong Il.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2012
Instant noodles praised by makers as disaster item
Noodle makers around the world underscored at a meeting in Tianjin, China, recently the strategic importance their products play during natural disasters and other crises, including the ongoing nuclear crisis in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Apr 21, 2012
North sees Japanese wives as leverage
North Korea appears to be considering using home visits by Japanese women who moved to the isolated state with their Korean husbands in a 1959-1984 repatriation project as leverage to improve relations with Tokyo.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2012
North's planned rocket launch pits Japan, South Korea against China
Rising tensions over North Korea's planned rocket launch next week are expected to dominate the agenda when Foreign Minister Koichiro Genba meets with his Chinese and South Korean counterparts Sunday in China.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 2, 2011
North urges Noda to take action to improve ties
The North Korean official in charge of dealing with Japan has urged incoming Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda to work to improve bilateral relations, which he said are at their "worst" level because of Tokyo's sanctions on the North.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 27, 2011
Kobe quake memory stirs envoy's wife into action
Kosei Murata, the wife of the Belgian ambassador to China, was a junior journalist based in Japan when the Great Hanshin Earthquake slammed the Kobe area in January 1995.
JAPAN
May 6, 2011
Noda names disaster prevention as one of Asia's most important development issues
Japan called Thursday for "mainstreaming" disaster prevention in the Asia-Pacific development agenda in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan and set off a continuing nuclear crisis.
BUSINESS
Jan 21, 2011
Economic rise spells flexed muscle
BEIJING — China's ascension as the world's second-largest economy last year underlines its rise as a major global economic power and potentially a confident, more assertive political power.
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2010
Kan-Hu talks spurred by U.S. clout, shift in anti-Japan protests
YOKOHAMA — Chinese President Hu Jintao's acceptance of a meeting Saturday with Prime Minister Naoto Kan apparently reflects Beijing's desire to assuage anti-Japan feelings in the country and curb increased U.S. involvement in regional affairs, in particular in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Nov 4, 2010
Rumored China-Russia tieup testing DPJ's ability
BEIJING — As a fresh diplomatic tiff brews with Russia over President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to the disputed islands off Hokkaido, Beijing appears to continue playing hardball with Tokyo over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Oct 14, 2010
Flexibility urged toward Pyongyang, incoming leader
PYONGYANG — A call by a senior North Korean official for Japan to take a flexible approach on bilateral ties appears to reflect Pyongyang's hope for a shift in Tokyo's diplomacy as the North celebrates the official debut of its future leader.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Oct 7, 2010
Kan-Wen talks help ties: experts
BEIJING — With Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao holding an impromptu chat in Brussels, Chinese experts said Wednesday the process for mending the bilateral discord has begun.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Sep 21, 2010
China using standoff to test Japan
BEIJING — China's growing economic clout, Prime Minister Naoto Kan's diplomatic inexperience and strained Japan-U.S. ties are behind Beijing's unusually tough response to the arrest of a fishing boat captain near the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, according to some foreign policy observers.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2010
Kan needs time: China scholar
BEIJING — Frequent changes of leaders in the past four years have given Japan a negative image abroad, so Prime Minister Naoto Kan should continue in his post despite the ruling party's setback in Sunday's Upper House election, according to a Chinese scholar.
JAPAN
May 2, 2010
China seeks to match Japanese quality
SHANGHAI — With the Shanghai World Expo opening to the public Saturday for a six-month run, China appears eager to catch up with Japan in terms of the quality of its growth to achieve sustainable and balanced economic expansion.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Apr 5, 2010
Japan urged to mediate U.S.-China yuan row
BEIJING — With China facing pressure from the United States to appreciate the yuan to balance the trade imbalance, analysts are urging Japan to play the role of mediator.
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2010
Japan-China history report to break new ground
BEIJING — Historians from Japan and China are planning to release a report later this month on the outcome of a three-year joint history research project, including what could be a significant meeting of minds on the fighting in China between 1937 and 1945.
JAPAN
Oct 3, 2009
China wary of Hatoyama's 'East Asian community'
BEIJING — Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's proposal to create an "East Asian community" along the lines of the European Union has effectively sparked a leadership race between Japan and China in shaping the future of one of the most quickly developing regions in the world.
JAPAN
Sep 14, 2009
Hatoyama will be tested early on N. Korea issues
PYONGYANG (Kyodo) North Korea will pose a major diplomatic challenge for Yukio Hatoyama when he takes office as prime minister on Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2009
Asian youths call for ambitious climate pact
BEIJING (Kyodo) Alarmed by the slow progress in global negotiations on a new carbon-capping pact, young people in Asia are increasingly calling on China, Japan and other major greenhouse gas emitters to step up to the plate, emphasizing that transformation to a low-carbon economy would generate new jobs and other opportunities.
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

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

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