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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
Nov 16, 2005
Japan boosts U.S. ties at own risk
The United States has been Japan's most important ally since World War II and the U.S. nuclear umbrella of the Cold War came to define their security alliance.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 10, 2005
'68 tax treaty needs revision: Belgian leader
Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt on Wednesday proposed that Tokyo and Brussels revise their tax treaty to boost Japanese investment in Belgium.
JAPAN / CABINET INTERVIEW
Nov 3, 2005
Aso planning to run for LDP president
Foreign Minister Taro Aso, a potential successor to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, said he will run for president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party next September if he can get the required 20 party members to nominate him.
JAPAN / CABINET INTERVIEW
Nov 2, 2005
New defense chief promises less local burden from U.S. bases
The government will reduce the burden on communities with U.S. military bases by facilitating cooperation between the Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military, Defense Agency chief Fukushiro Nukaga said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Oct 31, 2005
Force realignment plan criticized
Top Japanese and U.S. officials boasted that Saturday's interim report on U.S. military realignment in Japan will realize the two principles they set out to achieve -- maintaining a deterrent force in the Asia-Pacific region and reducing the burden of host communities.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2005
Nuclear carrier to replace Kitty Hawk
, said if the nuclear-powered carrier collides with other vessels, a possible scenario in Tokyo Bay where a great number of ships come and go, it could cause a great disaster.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2005
Ban urges Koizumi to end visits to Yasukuni
South Korea's foreign affairs and trade minister on Friday urged Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi not to visit contentious Yasukuni Shrine again, according to a Japanese official.
JAPAN
Oct 28, 2005
Ban slams shrine visit, casts doubt on summit
shakes hands with his South Korean counterpart Ban Ki Moon before their meeting in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Oct 28, 2005
Vow to 'fully execute' leaves Tokyo in Futenma dilemma
, head of the Naha Defense Facilities Administration Bureau, sits with Okinawan Gov. Keiichi Inamine at the start of their meeting to discuss the new plan to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station.
JAPAN
Oct 27, 2005
Japan, U.S. agree on new Futenma site
relocation (plan) because of a lot of opposition," Koizumi said. "We need to carry out (the new plan) as soon as possible." The defense chief called for cooperation from Okinawans, saying Japan had done its best to protect the environment.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2005
Issues involved in U.S.-Japan base talks
The following questions and answers deal with the deadlock between Japan and the United States over the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture -- the main topic of bilateral working-level talks that began Monday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2005
U.S. realignment talks in danger
Defense Agency chief Yoshinori Ono said Friday that Japan and the United States might not hold realignment talks next week if the two sides fail to agree on where to move the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa.
JAPAN
Oct 20, 2005
Suzuki spars with Foreign Ministry
cases," he said. At the time, Suzuki was said to wield considerable influence over the Foreign Ministry's policymaking process. He was also attacked for allegedly manipulating bids for government-backed construction projects on Kunashiri, on of the Russian-held islands.
JAPAN
Oct 19, 2005
Envoys overseas get 2.9 million yen for housing; here they get 200,000 yen
Foreign Ministry officials stationed overseas are granted an average of 2.9 million yen in housing benefits a year while ministry officials in Tokyo get only 200,000, yen according to a document endorsed Tuesday by the Cabinet.
JAPAN
Oct 14, 2005
Japan pitches new Futenma plan
than the U.S. proposal," Nukaga said. However, according to Nukaga, the U.S. side was reluctant to accept the plan since it was proposed in the final stages of negotiations.
JAPAN
Oct 5, 2005
Bill OK'd to extend MSDF's mission
The administration Tuesday endorsed a bill that would extend for one more year the antiterrorism law allowing the Maritime Self-Defense Force to refuel U.S.-led coalition vessels in the Indian Ocean.
JAPAN
Oct 4, 2005
Shortwave eyed to reach out to abductees
will begin broadcasting the names and ages in Japanese of people it believes were abducted for about 30 minutes a day possibly starting this month. "If the Japanese in North Korea listen to the broadcasts, they will know we are still trying to bring them home," said Sadaki Manabe, a senior member of...
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2005
U.S. eight years behind on rent for embassy
The United States hasn't paid the rent for its embassy in Tokyo since 1998, according to a government document released by the Cabinet on Friday.
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2005
Officials need manual to deal with Muneo
The Foreign Ministry has drawn up an instruction manual detailing how bureaucrats should deal with corrupt Lower House member Muneo Suzuki, notorious for his past meddling in ministry affairs, officials said Friday.
BUSINESS
Oct 1, 2005
Japan, China grope for way to share drilling for gas
Japan and China kicked off a two-day working-level meeting Friday on contentious gas projects in the East China Sea with hopes that they can agree to jointly tap the resources.
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’

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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