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April 29, 2025
 

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Kanako Takahara

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Kanako Takahara
Kanako Takahara is a staff writer who has covered national politics, diplomacy, business and the economy at The Japan Times. A graduate of Sophia University, she is currently a national news editor.
JAPAN
May 16, 2022
From Tran Anh Tuan to Masaki Ito: A Vietnamese refugee's journey to Japanese citizenship
When Masaki Ito saw Ukrainians who had fled their war-torn country arriving in Japan on TV, it brought back strong memories of his own arrival from Vietnam 40 years ago.
JAPAN
May 13, 2022
Japan granted refugee status to a record 74 people in 2021
The government also granted residential status out of humanitarian consideration to a record 580 people, most of whom were from Myanmar.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
May 12, 2022
When will Japan open to tourists?
Kanako Takahara joins to discuss when Japan might reopen to international tourism, and what form that reopening might take.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 3, 2022
The ¥22 trillion question: When will Japan reopen to foreign tourists?
Kishida is facing increased pressure from businesses to make what experts say is a political decision.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2022
Third time’s the charm? Kei Komuro fails to pass New York bar for second time
Komuro, who aims to take the exam again in July, has said he was five points short of passing.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2022
Japan’s stealth reopening: Parents of foreign residents get OK to visit
With the cap on daily arrivals raised to 10,000, the number of visas issued to first- and second-degree family members of Japanese citizens and residents continues to grow.
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2022
Japan to expel eight Russians, including diplomats, as Kishida announces new sanctions
Kishida revealed a sweeping new round of sanctions against Moscow, declaring that Japan will phase out imports of Russian coal and ban imports of Russian machinery, lumber and vodka.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2022
Japan says it will ‘lift entry ban on 106 countries,’ but tourists still can’t enter
Confusing government statement raises false hope for return of international tourists
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2022
Japanese national in Poland opens home to Ukrainian refugee families
Until three weeks ago, Yugo Azuma was just another graduate student in Poland, but after the invasion of Ukraine he felt compelled to come to the aid of those fleeing the country.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 23, 2022
Zelenskyy hails Japan's stand against Russia and warns of nuclear threat to Ukraine
The charismatic Ukrainian leader sought to appeal to his audience by alluding to key moments in Japan's modern history, such as the atomic bombings at the end of World War II.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 23, 2022
One month into war, a Ukrainian family reunites in Japan
Kanako Takahara explains Japan's efforts to help these refugees, and why the government here isn't calling them by that name.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2022
Tears, relief and the 'smell of Ukraine': A daughter's reunion with her mother in Japan
“I don't have anything to fear now that I'm with my family,' Maria Dovbash, 71, said following an arduous seven-day journey to Tokyo from the war-torn Eastern European country.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Mar 17, 2022
Japan’s latest quake evokes memories of 3/11. Was it an aftershock?
The 7.4 magnitude quake that hit Tohoku shook a region that's still recovering from the devastation of the March 2011 disaster. Experts are split on whether the quakes are closely linked.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2022
Japan to revoke Russia's most favored nation trade status
The U.S., EU and U.K. have announced similar moves following a G7 leaders' statement describing actions to deny the preferred trade status to Moscow.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 15, 2022
Japan looks to offer enhanced support to help Ukrainian refugees settle
Making use of help offered by firms and municipalities, measures would include providing accommodation, daily supplies, language education, job-hunting support and education for children.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2022
Japan's COVID-19 panel approves eased criteria for lifting quasi-emergency
The move comes as quasi-emergency measures in place in 18 prefectures, including Tokyo, Osaka and Aichi prefectures — are set to expire on March 21.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2022
Israel, Sweden and Chile are recommending a fourth COVID-19 jab. What about Japan?
If fourth doses in Japan are administered six months after third shots, a second booster rollout could begin as early as this summer.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Mar 10, 2022
Are Ukrainians who flee 'refugees' or 'evacuees'? For Japan, it's complicated.
Many governments and organizations describe Ukrainians escaping Russia's invasion as refugees, but Tokyo is using a term that more closely translates to 'people who have been evacuated.'
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2022
From housing to jobs to education, support grows for Ukrainians fleeing to Japan
Yokohama and Osaka Prefecture are among the local governments looking to help evacuees by providing housing and other services.
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2022
Japan hits Russia and Belarus with more sanctions over Ukraine invasion
Relations between Japan and Russia — from diplomacy to business — are quickly growing fragile as Tokyo joins Western countries in putting pressure on Moscow.
China seizes disputed reef near key Philippine military outpost
China Coast Guard officers unfurl a national flag on Sandy Cay reef, near the Philippine-held Thitu Island, in disputed waters of the South China Sea this month in this screen shot taken from Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami
A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
California says it overtakes Japan to become world’s No. 4 economy
Vehicles travel along the 110 freeway in downtown Los Angeles. California's GDP has overtaken Japan's to become the world's fourth largest economy, according to the U.S. state.
Arunima Mazumdar: ‘Japanese literature has a niche but deeply engaged readership in India’
Arunima Mazumdar, a New Delhi-based communications professional, began sharing her love of Japanese literature online in 2022. The platform has grown into a robust community known as Dokusha Book Club.
Counting the reasons why there are so few American cars in Japan
Tesla's store in Tokyo's Shibuya district. While sales of American cars in Japan appear to be shrinking, Tesla's presence in the country is growing.
U.S. secretary of the navy weighs ‘dual-use’ shipbuilding with Japan
John Phelan at a Senate confirmation hearing for U.S. secretary of the navy in Washington in February
Expo '25 gives the world a masterclass in mascots
2025 Osaka Expo mascot Myaku-Myaku dances on the stage during the event's official opening ceremony on April 12.
Japan struggles with gray zone of AI deepfakes exploiting children
AI-generated content — including those made using pictures of real people, which are known as “deepfakes” — is not explicitly covered under Japan's current legal framework, nor are human-drawn illustrations that depict child abuse.
‘Wildcat Dome’ challenges Japan's historical narratives
On the surface, "Wildcat Dome" tells a personal story of damaged children — now adults — bound together by tragedy. Underneath, there’s a constant undercurrent of political consequence, invisible and pervasive like radioactive particles.
Reclaiming Sanya, one meal at a time
Magokoro Yoshihira (center) is the managing director of Yui Associates, which operates the neighborhood fixtures of Sanya Cafe and Juyoh Hotel. Yusuke Takahashi (left) met Yoshihira during a difficult period in his life and now works as the cafe’s chef. Nancy Anne (right) has worked for over 10 years at Juyoh Hotel and enjoys the multicultural environment.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami
By Alex K.T. Martin

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