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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
Mar 31, 2011
DPJ withdraws child allowance bill as opposition digs its heels in
The Democratic Party of Japan-led government withdrew a bill Wednesday to provide monthly child allowances for the fiscal year that starts Friday, including increasing payments for children under 3, amid criticism from opposition parties that the money should be used to reconstruct the March 11 disaster...
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2011
Kan defends helicopter trip to nuke site, denies it delayed key venting
Prime Minister Naoto Kan denied Tuesday that his visit to the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant on March 12, the day after the killer earthquake and tsunami hit the Tohoku region, delayed a crucial step to avert an atomic crisis.
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2011
Mabuchi, axed from Cabinet, to be Kan adviser
Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Saturday appointed former transport minister Sumio Mabuchi, replaced in a Cabinet reshuffle in January after he was targeted with an Upper House censure motion, as his adviser on the nuclear crisis and disaster relief operations.
JAPAN
Mar 26, 2011
Tohoku disaster buys Kan time
It was only two weeks ago that Prime Minister Naoto Kan seemed on the verge of stepping down — his foreign minister, Seiji Maehara, had resigned, his popularity was at a historic low and a divided Diet had given him little hope of passing bills needed to enact the 2011 budget.
JAPAN
Mar 22, 2011
First food ban issued in nuke crisis
Prime Minister Naoto Kan placed an indefinite ban on spinach and another local vegetable produced by Fukushima and neighboring prefectures Monday after samples were found to be abnormally radioactive. He also suspended Fukushima milk.
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2011
Copters, trucks try to cool fuel rod pool
Ground Self-Defense Force choppers dumped water bags, a Tokyo police water cannon unsuccessfully tried to spray water and five enclosed GSDF firetrucks later took on the desperate attempt to cool spent nuclear fuel rods in a storage pool suspected of drying up at the Fukushima No. 1 atomic plant's No....
JAPAN
Mar 15, 2011
Reactor fuel rods fully exposed
The radioactive fuel rods at the No. 2 reactor of the Fukushima No. 1 power station were fully exposed at one point Monday, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said, raising the possibility that it suffered a partial core meltdown.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2011
Rather than hoof it, stranded rush to buy bicycles
Bicycles sold like hotcakes at supermarkets and bike shops after Friday's megaquake shut down train services in the Tokyo metropolitan area, attracting local residents — and people from farther afield — who wanted to cycle home instead of facing the prospect of walking for several hours.
JAPAN
Mar 12, 2011
Kan pledges full rescue response
Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the government is doing its utmost to ensure the public's safety and minimize the damage, including dispatching the Self-Defense Forces for rescue operations, following the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit the Tohoku region Friday.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2011
DPJ veteran signed petition to drop Takeshima claim
A senior Democratic Party of Japan member close to Prime Minister Naoto Kan signed a declaration last month that Tokyo should immediately give up its claim to sovereignty over the two South Korea-controlled islets, it was learned Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2011
LDP putting recovery at risk, Kan says
Prime Minister Naoto Kan called again Wednesday for the opposition camp to support the budget and related bills in the Diet, saying failure to do so will put the economic recovery at risk.
JAPAN
Feb 16, 2011
Kan vows to repatriate all dead soldiers from Battle of Iwojima
Prime Minister Naoto Kan pledged Tuesday to recover the remains of Japanese soldiers who died in the Battle of Iwojima, the majority of which remain unretrieved after more than 65 years.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 15, 2011
Secret funds shadowed by abuse
Paying ransom to win the release of kidnapped Japanese, buying off foreign dignitaries to reach backdoor deals and giving cash in exchange for secrets.
JAPAN
Feb 5, 2011
Edano to hold weekly press briefings for all reporters
The top government spokesman's news conferences will be open once a week to reporters outside members of the press club for Prime Minister Naoto Kan's office, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2011
Poll to precede any tax hike
Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Wednesday he has no plans to dissolve the Lower House for a snap election anytime soon but will do so before the government raises the consumption tax.
JAPAN
Jan 25, 2011
Preschool, day care integration plan eases
The Democratic of Japan-led government backed off a bit Monday from a push to integrate the operations of day care facilities with kindergartens and instead offered them financial incentives to merge.
JAPAN
Jan 25, 2011
Onus on all in Diet to fix system: Kan
Prime Minister Naoto Kan invited the opposition camp Monday to join a debate on social welfare and tax reforms as the 150-day Diet session opened, saying it is the responsibility of every lawmaker to address these pressing issues.
JAPAN
Jan 25, 2011
Opposition sees red over Yosano
Prime Minister Naoto Kan kicked off the year by sacking his right-hand man, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku, and appointing a one-time critic of him in Kaoru Yosano to the Cabinet, reaching out to the opposition to gain support for the fiscal 2011 budget.
JAPAN / CABINET INTERVIEW
Jan 22, 2011
Edano: Hike sales tax after the next election
The consumption tax should be raised after the next general election, which must be held before summer 2013, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano suggested Thursday.
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2011
Eda coy on executions; Edano diplomatic on China
Justice Minister Satsuki Eda, an opponent of capital punishment, remained noncommittal Friday about whether he will sign off on executions when a prisoner's time to hang comes.
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
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. 
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.
U.S. military apologizes over Okinawa sexual assault case
Col. Neil Owens (right), chief of staff for the 3rd Marine Division, bows in apology at the Okinawa Prefectural Government office in Naha 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.

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