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August 21, 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 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.
JAPAN
Mar 3, 2022
Kishida announces raising of daily arrival cap to 7,000
Considering there are about 150,000 foreign students waiting to enter Japan, Kishida said the government will create a program allowing them to come using vacant seats on weekday flights.
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2022
Kishida announces that Japan will accept Ukrainian refugees at an early date
Around 660,000 refugees had fled Ukraine to neighboring countries in the six days since Russian soldiers invaded the country, according to the UNHCR.
JAPAN
Mar 1, 2022
Japan opens borders for the first time in three months
It may be a while before airports such as Haneda, Narita and Kansai are flooded with new arrivals, as Japan still has a cap of 5,000 people allowed to enter the nation every day.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2022
Japan looks to extend quasi-emergencies in Tokyo and nine other prefectures
Areas where a high proportion of beds for COVID-19 patients are occupied could see the measure extended by about two weeks.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Feb 24, 2022
Japan relaxes its border restrictions
Japan's strict border policies are finally relaxing — at least a little bit — and from March, new entrants will be allowed to come to the country once again.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Explainer
Feb 21, 2022
What you need to know about Japan's upcoming eased border restrictions
March will bring sweeping changes to the country's border rules — covering quarantines to those eligible for entry — but navigating government websites for answers can be tricky.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 17, 2022
It's official: Japan eases entry restrictions for foreign students, business travelers and other nontourists
The move comes amid growing concerns over economic and reputational costs, and as Kishida indicates exiting the sixth wave.
JICA to designate four Japanese cities as 'hometowns' for African nations
The Japanese flag (left) with the flag of the African Union
103-year-old remembers Soviet attack right after WWII
Shoichi Takahashi holds a photo of himself when he was younger, in Otaru, Hokkaido, on May 17.
Schools get students involved in revision of unreasonable ‘black rules’
At Yawata Junior High School in Nagoya, there are no more rules on clothing and hairstyles. Students are free to wear either the school's uniform or clothes of their own choosing.
Tokyo crowned No.1 'workation' spot
Workations were a burgeoning trend in the corporate world for years before the COVID-19 pandemic turbocharged it.
Japanese man suspected of ordering double murder in Manila
Two suspects arrested over the killing of two Japanese last week are held in restraints in Manila on Tuesday.
Tokyo crowned No.1 'workation' spot
Workations were a burgeoning trend in the corporate world for years before the COVID-19 pandemic turbocharged it.
Candidates preparing to make final pitches for Sawamura Award
Hawks pitcher Livan Moinelo has a 1.13 ERA in 19 starts this season.
Winning warship bid gives Japan confidence boost as Tokyo eyes more exports
Australia’s decision to select Japan's upgraded Mogami-class warship, seen in this computer-generated image, has been “well received across Japanese industry," a Defense Ministry official said.
In Paris, chefs Chizuko Kimura and Kei Kobayashi make their mark
Chef Kei Kobayashi is France's only Japanese chef with three Michelin stars.
In preserving Japanese hospitality, ‘details are everything’
Beniya Mukayu, a traditional "ryokan" inn located in Ishikawa Prefecture, considers itself at "the heart of onsen towns, local residents, farmers, fishermen, sake brewers and artisans" — all of which need new, sustainable methods of serving visitors to survive into the future.

Podcast

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

Longform

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers
By Tomoko Otake

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