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May 05, 2024
 

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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.
For Kanako Takahara's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Yuko Obuchi (left), picked as the Liberal Democratic Party's new election campaign chief, poses for a photo with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other LDP executives at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / Notebook
Sep 13, 2023
What Kishida’s reshuffle says about female participation in politics
Political family ties of most of the female appointees speaks to the difficulty women face in entering the political arena.
Julie Keiko Fujishima (right), who stepped down as Johnny & Associates president on Tuesday, and new President Noriyuki Higashiyama give a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 7, 2023
Johnny's replaces president as it admits to abuse by late founder
The replacement comes on the heels of a scathing third-party report, which recommended that Julie Keiko Fujishima resign as president.
People line up Tuesday for a lottery to get a seat for the first trial hearing of Shinji Aoba, the suspect in the 2019 Kyoto Animation arson attack, at the Kyoto District Court.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 5, 2023
Suspect in 2019 Kyoto Animation arson attack admits setting blaze
The focus of the trial will now shift to the defendant’s motive and whether he can be held criminally responsible for the attack.
Former Prosecutor-General Makoto Hayashi (center) and two other experts speak about their investigation into Johnny Kitagawa's sexual abuse allegations, in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 29, 2023
Expert team reports on decades of sexual abuse by Johnny Kitagawa
The team urged Johnny & Associates President Julie Keiko Fujishima to step down after the family-run business left the issue unaddressed for decades.
The Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture
JAPAN
Aug 25, 2023
Tritium level near Fukushima plant well below Tepco standards
The plant operator said the level in the Pacific Ocean was below about 10 becquerels per liter in all 10 locations it surveyed.
Shin-Osaka Station is crowded with travelers as services resume on Thursday morning.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 17, 2023
Shinkansen lines resume, but travelers may still face long delays
Central Japan Railway is urging people to refrain from using the train service until stations become less crowded.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attend a memorial service marking the 78th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II at the Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 15, 2023
Japan marks 78th anniversary of the end of World War II
Members of bereaved families from 10 prefectures were unable to participate in the ceremony due to Typhoon Lan.
If you have a specific birth plan in mind, like giving birth at home, it's important to make sure the clinic you use offers that option.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 14, 2023
Giving birth in Japan? Here’s what you need to know.
Giving birth can be overwhelming — even more so if you don’t understand the local language or know the steps you need to take.
Visitors at the Todaiji temple in Nara in June
JAPAN / Society
Aug 10, 2023
China lifts pandemic-era ban on group tours to Japan
The decision marks the first time since January 2020 that groups of Chinese tourists will be allowed to visit Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 14, 2023
Man sentenced to 19-year prison term for stabbings and arson on Tokyo train
In delivering the ruling, the presiding judge said that the defendant had made extensive preparations in order to “kill as many people as possible.”
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 11, 2023
Japan's supreme court makes landmark decision on transgender rights
In the first Supreme Court decision over bathroom usage by sexual minorities, the body ruled it was unlawful to restrict the use of bathrooms by a transgender woman at the economy ministry.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 10, 2023
Shizuoka prosecutors to push for guilty verdict in Hakamata retrial
Prosecutors have said they plan to argue that the March retrial decision by the Tokyo High Court was “groundless.”
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / EXPLAINER
Jul 6, 2023
One year on, where do things stand with the man accused of killing Abe?
The former prime ministers death shook the nation to its core, and the man suspected of killing him is currently in detention awaiting trial.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 29, 2023
Man arrested after 18-year-old woman stabbed to death in Yokohama
The woman's family called the police when they found her collapsed and covered with blood in an apartment complex Thursday morning.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 26, 2023
Uncle of 6-year-old found dead in Kobe directed disposal of body
The grandmother of Nao Hosaka has told investigators that the boy's uncle instructed other family members to prepare the suitcase used to discard the boy's body.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2023
Japan's Justice Ministry compiles plan to prevent prison abuse
Following abuse by officers at Nagoya Prison, the ministry plans to provide officers with body cameras and change the system determining where inmates are detained.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2023
Japan likely to see hotter summer than usual due to 'super El Nino'
Due to the climate pattern, eastern and western Japan, along with Okinawa Prefecture and the Amami islands, are expected to be covered by warm air.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 16, 2023
Japan's top court holds hearing on transgender woman’s bathroom restrictions
The resulting ruling on the case, which will mark the first time the Supreme Court has weighed in on the working environment for sexual minorities, is expected on July 11.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2023
Two dead after shooting at Self-Defense Forces gun range in central Japan
An 18-year-old male suspect, a recent recruit of the Self-Defense Forces, was arrested at the scene.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 8, 2023
Fukuoka court rules same-sex marriage ban is in ‘state of unconstitutionality’
The ruling was the fifth among six lawsuits filed to date nationwide. Decisions have been split over the question of the ban’s constitutionality.
With eye on China, defense chiefs agree to bolster interoperability
From left: U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Australian defense chief Richard Marles, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro hold a joint news conference in Honolulu on Thursday.
Harajuku strives to reclaim its former glory — and surpass it
Laforet Harajuku, which celebrated its 45th anniversary last year, has been a witness to the district's evolution over the years.
Biden calls ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ along with rivals China and Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in Syracuse, New York, on April 25.
Debate on constitutional revision at a standstill despite Kishida's pledges
With less than two months left before the conclusion of the current session of parliament, any possibility that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida can deliver constitutional reform before the end of his term as Liberal Democratic Party president in late September, as he has promised, appears remote.
Japan's May 1 intervention may have cost ¥3.66 trillion, BOJ data suggests
An electronic screen displays a graph showing Japanese yen exchange rates surging against the dollar amid signs of intervention by authorities, in Tokyo on Thursday.
Kishida sets sights on energy and climate in South America trip
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will use a policy speech in Sao Paulo to set out his vision for ties between Japan and South America, almost 10 years after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe advocated for stronger ties between the two in the same city.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

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