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July 06, 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 / EXPLAINER
Jul 24, 2007
Japan baseball stars first shine bright at Koshien
When Japanese baseball stars like Hideki Matsui and Daisuke Matsuzaka joined Major League Baseball teams in the United States, fans could easily trace their trajectory backward to their roots in the sport.
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2007
Murakami: investor activist turned greenmailer?
Convicted of insider trading Thursday and more than a year after he stepped down as a high-profile fund manager, it still isn't clear how to define Yoshiaki Murakami.
BUSINESS
Jul 13, 2007
BOJ keeps interest rate same, but with one dissenting vote
The Bank of Japan's Policy Board decided Thursday to maintain its benchmark interest rate at 0.5 percent despite a dissenting vote by one member to raise the rate to 0.75 percent.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 10, 2007
Publisher gets writers to open up, bets on element of surprise
It was an amazing scoop, surprising even the tabloids.
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2007
Citibank Japan opens with eye on retirees
Citibank Japan Ltd., a new subsidiary formed Sunday by U.S. financial giant Citigroup Inc., has kicked off operations targeting wealthy retail banking customers, the company said Monday.
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2007
'Tankan' shows big makers still optimistic
Business sentiment for big manufacturers remained optimistic in the Bank of Japan's latest "tankan" survey released Monday, fueling market speculation the central bank will raise the interest rate as early as next month.
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2007
TBS wins proxy fight to get takeover-defense measures
Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. scored a victory in a proxy fight Thursday with Rakuten Inc. as its shareholders approved the broadcaster's plan to introduce takeover-defense measures that could foil the Internet mall operator's attempt to increase its stake in TBS to more than 20 percent.
BUSINESS
Jun 28, 2007
Skeptical shareholders get apology from Fujiya
Fujiya Co. President Yasufumi Sakurai apologized Wednesday to shareholders for the confectioner's food sanitation problems that forced the suspension of operations at nearly 900 retail outlets and restaurants.
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2007
Pressure building for transparency in mobile fees
A government panel Tuesday urged mobile phone operators to introduce a new fee system by 2010 that clearly separates communications charges from the cost of handsets so consumers know what they're paying for.
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2007
Windsor Hotel prepares for second wind
The Windsor Hotel Toya in western Hokkaido has a lot of things going for it.
BUSINESS
Jun 19, 2007
TBS' Rakuten snub reflects protected world
Hiroshi Inoue, president of Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc., does not hide his displeasure when he talks about online shopping mall operator Rakuten Inc.'s attempt to make the broadcaster its affiliate.
BUSINESS
Jun 16, 2007
Unknowns impeding rate hike: Fukui
The Bank of Japan will raise its benchmark interest rate only after it gains more confidence in its outlook for the Japanese and global economies, BOJ Gov. Toshihiko Fukui said Friday.
BUSINESS
Jun 12, 2007
FSA orders megabank BTMU to improve poor investment trust service
The Financial Services Agency ordered the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ on Monday to improve its business practices after a probe by authorities exposed poor treatment of investment trust services customers.
BUSINESS
Jun 7, 2007
Rakuten seeks disclosure order for TBS deals
Rakuten Inc. made another move to make Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. its affiliate Wednesday when it petitioned the Tokyo District Court to order TBS to disclose its share transaction records.
BUSINESS
Jun 6, 2007
TBS affiliates say no to Rakuten
Local broadcasters affiliated with Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. voiced strong opposition Tuesday to Internet mall operator Rakuten Inc.'s bid to make TBS an affiliate.
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2007
Resona opens arms to foreign tieups
Foreign firms may be considered for business tieups as the Resona banking group seeks to shore up its banking operations, the newly appointed president of Resona Holdings Inc. said Thursday.
BUSINESS
May 31, 2007
Revenues tumble at major life insurers
Premium revenues for the nation's major life insurers dropped in business 2006, reflecting fallout from revelations of an industrywide failure to properly pay out benefits, according to their earnings reports released Wednesday.
BUSINESS
May 29, 2007
BTMU ties with Disney for online bank service
Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ and Walt Disney Japan launched a new online banking service Monday using Disney characters in its interface to attract female customers and families.
BUSINESS
May 29, 2007
Food prices rise as more crops go into producing biofuels
The increasing demand for biofuel, which is derived from biomass — usually plants — has taken a bite out of supplies of crops and other farm products worldwide. The redirection of crops from mouths to fuel tanks is reflected in the rise of prices of ordinary food items in Japan.
BUSINESS
May 25, 2007
Fujiya descends into 8 billion yen net loss
Fujiya Co. announced Thursday it posted a whopping net loss of 8 billion yen in the 2006 business year, down from a 1.8 billion yen loss the year before, after being hit by a sanitation scandal that forced the famous confectioner to suspend operations in about 890 shops and restaurants nationwide.
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’

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning
Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

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