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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.
BUSINESS
Feb 20, 2008
It's official: Toshiba pulls plug on HD DVD
Toshiba Corp. announced Tuesday it will completely shut down its HD DVD operations, ending a battle with Sony Corp.'s rival Blu-ray system to become the industry standard for next-generation DVDs.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 17, 2008
English-language papers offer unique take on Asia
English-language newspapers in East Asia provide unique perspectives on political, economic and cultural news in the region to a global community where English is the dominant tongue, speakers at a Tokyo symposium said Saturday.
BUSINESS
Feb 14, 2008
Subprime losses steadily eroding profits of Japan's financial firms
Subprime loan-related losses more than doubled to ¥600 billion at banks operating in Japan in the three months through December, the Financial Services Agency said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Feb 10, 2008
FSF urges financial firms to reveal bottom lines
The Financial Stability Forum, an advisory panel to the G7 composed of central bankers and regulators, urged financial institutions Saturday to spit out the bottom line on the losses they've taken from the U.S. subprime mortgage loan crisis.
BUSINESS
Feb 7, 2008
'Gyoza' scare scuttles JT-Nissin frozen food ties
In a surprise announcement, Japan Tobacco Inc. and instant noodle maker Nissin Food Products Co. said Wednesday that due to the widening "gyoza" dumpling scare, they have scrapped plans to merge their frozen food divisions.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 2, 2008
Gas levy vital for maintaining rural roads
Provisional higher tax rates for gasoline and cars are now the main bone of contention in the divided Diet. The Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc has submitted a bill to extend the rates, due to expire March 31, for another 10 years. Revenues from the levies are used to build and repair...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 2, 2008
No sure bets on next BOJ chief
Bank of Japan Gov. Toshihiko Fukui's voice became slightly tense as he answered questions from reporters at a news conference last month about the upcoming appointments of his successor and two new deputy governors.
JAPAN
Feb 2, 2008
Five whales harpooned; Australia threatens suit
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith urged Japan to stop hunting whales under the guise of scientific research and threatened to file a lawsuit over the matter Friday, the same day it was reported that Japan had harpooned five whales.
BUSINESS
Feb 1, 2008
Tainted 'gyoza' fiasco to hit industry, food prices
The widespread poisonings reported Wednesday involving pesticide-tainted frozen "gyoza" dumplings made in China will probably hit Japan's frozen food producers and importers hard, as sales predictably fall and costs to ensure food safety rise in the coming months.
BUSINESS
Jan 31, 2008
Major paper publishers start joint news Web site
A new Web site will be launched Thursday by the nation's three major newspaper publishers — Nikkei Inc., The Asahi Shimbun Co. and The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings — that will allow viewers to compare the content of their news, the publishers said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 25, 2008
Insurers' unrealized profits slashed by Nikkei slide
Stock investors in Japan may be breathing a sigh of relief after the key Nikkei index regained the 13,000 line Thursday. But economists say it is still hard to see Japan's financial sector rebounding to a healthy state in the near future as heavy selling of Tokyo stocks earlier in the week largely dented...
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2008
Prefectural lawmakers rally in praise of gas taxes
About 450 prefectural assembly members from the ruling and opposition parties staged a rally Wednesday in Tokyo to call on policymakers to maintain the current tax rates on gasoline, roads and motor vehicle tonnage.
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2008
Matsushita, and its products, to only go by Panasonic name
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. announced Thursday it will rename itself Panasonic Corp. and end the National brand so that its products will be exclusively referred to as Panasonic.
BUSINESS
Jan 9, 2008
Sharp to bring forward expansion of LCD plant
Sharp Corp. will increase in July the liquid crystal display production capacity of its Kameyama No. 2 plant in Mie Prefecture to 90,000 sheets a month from the current 60,000 to cope with growing demand, President Mikio Katayama said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / THIS FOREIGN LAND
Jan 5, 2008
Assistant language teachers in trying times
Last of four parts
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 29, 2007
Watami empire built on concept of family 'izakaya'
Until Miki Watanabe opened his first Watami "izakaya" pub in April 1992 in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward, such eateries were considered places for business workers and college kids to have a cheap drink and a few side dishes.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 25, 2007
Whaling — for nationalism or science?
When it comes to whaling, Japan digs in its heels, as do antiwhaling nations and conservation groups.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 25, 2007
Whaling — for nationalism or science?
When it comes to whaling, Japan digs in its heels, as do antiwhaling nations and conservation groups.
BUSINESS
Dec 15, 2007
Subprime woes dog the 'tankan'
The business confidence of major manufacturers dropped for the first time in three quarters in the Bank of Japan's latest "tankan" survey released Friday, reflecting pessimism as U.S. subprime-mortgage woes continue to cast a dark cloud over the Japanese economy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 11, 2007
Tenacity, chance imported Krispy Kreme craze
The long lines of people waiting for the taste of fresh glazed doughnuts don't seem to be getting any shorter at Krispy Kreme outlets in the Tokyo area, even after the U.S. doughnut chain's third store opened last month in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Japan to require flight passengers to keep power banks within sight
The transport ministry has announced new regulations requiring flight passengers to keep power banks within sight to mitigate fire risks while on board planes.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

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

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What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
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