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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
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2007
Tokyo Motor Show offers peek at future
CHIBA — With oil prices hitting new highs, producing eco-friendly and fuel-efficient cars has become the norm for most carmakers.
BUSINESS
Oct 24, 2007
Motor show glitz belies car market glut
The Tokyo Motor Show, which opens to the public Saturday, is one of the world's biggest auto exhibitions and a place to show off global carmakers' research and development efforts and state-of-the-art technologies.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 16, 2007
No-tell love hotels cash in catering to the carnal
In any town bigger than a hamlet, you are sure to find a patch of gaudy hotels styled after rococo palaces, Grecian temples, even rocket ships. Some sport a miniature Statue of Liberty on the roof, others lurid neon signs.
BUSINESS
Oct 12, 2007
No change as BOJ keeps rate at 0.5%
The Bank of Japan Policy Board agreed Thursday to maintain its benchmark interest rate at 0.5 percent for the eighth straight month as prospects for the global economy remain uncertain in the wake of the U.S. subprime mortgage loan crisis.
JAPAN / Q&A
Sep 29, 2007
All eyes on Japan Post as privatization begins
Japan Post will be reorganized Monday, paving the way for it to become a private company for the first time in its more than 130-year history. The following are questions and answers on how the privatization will affect Japan's postal services.
Japan Times
Reference / Special Presentations / WITNESS TO WAR
Sep 22, 2007
Nemuro raid survivor longs for homeland
Shohei Yamamoto still has to choke back tears when he talks about the day he was expelled from his village of Shibetoro on Etorofu Island off northern Hokkaido, two years after Japan was defeated in World War II.
BUSINESS
Sep 20, 2007
BOJ leaves key interest rate unchanged
The Bank of Japan Policy Board decided Wednesday to keep its key interest rate at 0.5 percent, after the U.S. Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate the day before.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / TAKING A CHANCE
Sep 20, 2007
Soccer pitchman scores big in small-market Niigata
Sunny but not too hot, the weather on the afternoon of May 6, 2001, was perfect for watching a soccer match. But there were only 4,800 people on hand to see Albirex Niigata take on Yokohama FC in the 18,671-seat Niigata City Stadium.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / TAKING A CHANCE
Sep 7, 2007
Ramen shop boss inherits, sheds recipe for disaster
Monday, May 26, 1997, is a day forever etched in the memory of Naoki Kusano.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2007
J:COM poised to show HBO hits on TV, for fee
Starting Oct. 1, viewers in Japan will be able to tune in to such popular Home Box Office programs as "The Sopranos" and "Band of Brothers" via Jupiter Telecommunications Co.'s cable TV service.
BUSINESS
Sep 1, 2007
Toyota announces goal of 10 million units in '09
Toyota Motor Corp. announced Friday that it plans to become the first carmaker worldwide to sell more than 10 million vehicles in 2009 thanks to vigorous sales in emerging economies, including China.
JAPAN
Sep 1, 2007
New minister looks to close the rural economic gap, aid LDP
post to be a bridge between the central and local governments," Masuda said in a recent interview. The 55-year-old former Construction Ministry bureaucrat is also state minister in charge of decentralization.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 30, 2007
McCafe aims for slice of coffee shop pie
McDonald's fans thronged Wednesday to be the first to taste cappuccinos, croissants and vegetable soups at McCafe, the fast-food giant's new chain of cafe-style eateries.
BUSINESS
Aug 25, 2007
Nova sees sales plunge for quarter
Nova Corp., the nation's largest language school chain, said Friday its sales for the April-June period plunged 31.9 percent to ¥9.3 billion, reflecting the difficulty the troubled firm is experiencing in luring new students.
BUSINESS
Aug 24, 2007
Wary BOJ leaves interest rate untouched
The Bank of Japan Policy Board agreed Thursday to keep its benchmark interest rate at 0.5 percent as the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis earlier this month added to uncertainties over the Japanese economy.
BUSINESS
Aug 21, 2007
Baby boomers' pension demands met with new bonds issues
With nest eggs that hold the promise of fresh demand, the many baby boomers starting to retire this year may be a boon for manufacturers, travel agencies and banks, but it is another story for the financially troubled local governments on the hook for paying retirement allowances to their employees....
BUSINESS
Aug 15, 2007
Seiyu undercuts forecast, logs loss of ¥6.9 billion
Seiyu Ltd., a subsidiary of U.S. retail giant Wal-Mart, said Tuesday it posted a group net loss of ¥6.9 billion in the January-June period due to weak clothing sales and sluggish growth in tenant sales.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 14, 2007
'Izakaya' morale-boosting ritual catches on
Twenty-five minutes before the 5 p.m. opening, staff at Teppen, a Japanese-style bar in Tokyo's Shibuya district, and employees of other businesses gather around the counter for a daily meeting.
BUSINESS
Aug 4, 2007
Toyota April-June sales top GM's for first time
Toyota Motor Corp. said Friday that it generated a record ¥6.5 trillion in group sales for the April-June quarter, up 15.7 percent from the previous year and topping General Motors Corp. for the first time ever in the period.
BUSINESS
Jul 25, 2007
Victor, Kenwood ready for merger
Victor Co. of Japan, a struggling subsidiary of electronics giant Matsushita, said Tuesday it will officially start negotiations as early as next month to merge with Kenwood Corp. in 2008, possibly in the form of creating a joint holding company that will hold all shares of the two firms.
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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