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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

Jan 9, 2004

SDF Iraq role seen as barometer for future

Defense Agency chief Shigeru Ishiba said Thursday that the Self-Defense Forces mission in Iraq will be a major test of Japan's efforts to play a larger role in helping to maintain global peace and stability.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Jan 3, 2004

Kato back -- but he's not his old self

Two months after his Diet comeback in November, Koichi Kato seems to be in two minds over whether to keep a low profile until he is no longer dogged by scandal -- or else reclaim his outspoken political identity.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Dec 30, 2003

Japan set to waive most of Iraq's debt, Koizumi tells U.S.

In a significant policy shift, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi signaled Monday that Japan is prepared to waive a "vast majority" of Iraq's foreign debt.

JAPAN

Dec 18, 2003

Terror threat spurs ministry panic

The Foreign Ministry was thrown into confusion Wednesday when Press Secretary Hatsuhisa Takashima told a news conference that the Japanese Embassy in Baghdad had been evacuated -- a remark he later retracted.

JAPAN

Dec 16, 2003

Russian prime minister discusses pipeline

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov called Monday for Japan's cooperation in developing oil in eastern Siberia that would supply a planned pipeline linking the region with Japan -- or China.

Japan Times

BUSINESS

Dec 13, 2003

Arroyo upbeat about FTA with Japan

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo expressed optimism Friday toward the conclusion of a free-trade agreement with Japan, as the Philippines has no intention of entering Japan's sensitive rice market.

JAPAN

Dec 12, 2003

Japan, ASEAN leaders agree to boost ties

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed Thursday to expand security, political and economic ties.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Dec 11, 2003

ASEAN leaders arrive in Tokyo ahead of landmark two-day summit

Southeast Asian leaders arrived in Tokyo on Wednesday to participate in a two-day summit with Japan that will focus on trade and security.

JAPAN / ANALYSIS

Dec 10, 2003

First troop deployment to conflict area since WWII a foreign policy watershed

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi signaled a historic foreign policy shift Tuesday when he authorized sending Self-Defense Forces units to Iraq, becoming the first Japanese leader since World War II to dispatch troops to a nation effectively at war.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Dec 9, 2003

Maintaining diversity said key to building Asian bloc

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Japan will try to value Asia's diversity in a bid to create an East Asian Community.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Dec 7, 2003

Thousands pay respects to diplomats slain in Iraq

Some 3,500 people paid their last respects at the funerals Saturday of two Japanese diplomats killed in an ambush in Iraq, with many sobbing as friends and colleagues of the two men offered eulogies.

JAPAN

Dec 6, 2003

U.N. should play active role in Iraq, Kawaguchi tells Annan on phone

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi on Friday urged the United Nations to play an active role in Iraq's reconstruction process, in the wake of the assassination of two Japanese diplomats in the country last weekend.

JAPAN

Dec 5, 2003

Time to send people to the frontline in Iraq, Kawaguchi says

Despite the recent fatal ambush of two Japanese diplomats in Iraq, Japan should send Self-Defense Forces troops to the country to help speed up its reconstruction, Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Thursday.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Dec 3, 2003

Allow SDF to protect embassies overseas: Aisawa

The government should consider revising the Self-Defense Forces Law to allow SDF troops to guard Japanese embassies overseas, Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa said Tuesday.

JAPAN

Dec 2, 2003

Churchill invoked amid tributes to slain diplomats

Foreign Ministry officials paid a tearful tribute Monday to two colleagues who were assassinated Saturday in an ambush in northern Iraq.

JAPAN

Dec 2, 2003

Web surfers flock to Iraq diary of late envoy

The final diary entry penned by Katsuhiko Oku, a diplomat who died in an ambush Saturday in Iraq, was posted on the Foreign Ministry's Web site Monday.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Dec 1, 2003

Diplomats' vehicle riddled with bullets

The four-wheel-drive vehicle used by the two Japanese diplomats killed in Iraq on Saturday had a "great number of bullet holes," reflecting the violence of the attack, according to the Foreign Ministry.

JAPAN

Dec 1, 2003

Despite deaths, Koizumi determined to send SDF

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi indicated Sunday that the deaths of two Japanese diplomats in Iraq, possibly at the hands of terrorists, will not change his plan to send troops to the war-torn country.

JAPAN

Nov 29, 2003

Imprisoned Falun Gong member returns to Japan

A resident of Japan who had been detained in China for her activities in the Falun Gong spiritual movement thanked those who supported her Friday.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Nov 27, 2003

Jamaican planner given Japan-as-role-model tour

The Ameyoko food market in Tokyo's Ueno district may be just another yearend shopping stop for most people.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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

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