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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

Sep 29, 2005

Desertification in China, Mongolia a problem for Japan

The spreading desertification in China and Mongolia is no longer just someone else's concern; it's posing a health risk in this country and affecting Japanese businesses, a senior U.N. official in charge of efforts to curb the problem said Wednesday.

Sep 22, 2005

Firms betting on Russia amid political poker

A screen up front read "Welcome to St. Petersburg!" as top officials of Russia's second-largest city gave a presentation in Tokyo to lure Japanese investment.

JAPAN

Sep 21, 2005

Japan seeks abduction sincerity in renewed talks

Tokyo and Pyongyang have agreed to resume bilateral talks -- stalled since last November -- to resolve various issues, including the abductions of Japanese in the 1970s and 1980s, Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said Tuesday.

JAPAN

Sep 13, 2005

Reform mandate may help boost diplomacy, experts say

The sweeping victory by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Liberal Democratic Party may have given the reformist leader a strong mandate for reform, but political experts are hoping the decisive gains will also give him the power needed to resolve sensitive issues on the diplomatic front.

JAPAN

Sep 2, 2005

Election to bring diplomacy headaches

Kasumigaseki, Tokyo's bureaucratic hub, has been in a political vacuum since Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi dissolved the House of Representatives on Aug. 8 -- and diplomacy is no exception.

Sep 1, 2005

Defense Agency wants 5 trillion yen

The Defense Agency on Wednesday requested 4.89 trillion yen in the fiscal 2006 budget to increase the capabilities of the Self-Defense Forces to counter threats to national security, including acts of terrorism, missile attacks and natural disasters.

JAPAN

Aug 26, 2005

Camp Zama buildup feared inevitable

U.S. military brass in Japan reportedly contacted about 20 real estate agencies in Kanagawa Prefecture between late last year and early this year to ask them if they could build about 500 housing units near Camp Zama.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Aug 26, 2005

Kanagawa eyes base reductions in return for hosting U.S. Army

Kanagawa Gov. Shigefumi Matsuzawa has hinted he may accept a U.S. military realignment plan to transfer the Army's First Corps headquarters to Camp Zama if other U.S. military facilities in the prefecture are returned or reduced.

JAPAN

Aug 16, 2005

Koizumi repeats apology

Marking the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi expressed regret Monday for Japan's past deeds against its Asian neighbors and vowed to make sure they never happen again.

Japan Times

JAPAN / 60 YEARS,AND ONWARD

Aug 14, 2005

Islanders bemoan 60-year wait to return

FUKUI -- Shohei Yamamoto may not be a professional storyteller.

JAPAN

Aug 11, 2005

Snap election to delay realignment report: Ono

Defense Agency chief Yoshinori Ono said Wednesday that a joint interim report on realignment of the U.S. military in Japan, initially expected to be compiled in September, will be delayed to October due to the House of Representatives election on Sept. 11.

JAPAN

Aug 6, 2005

UNSC bid crippled as African Union refuses to join 'G4' in resolution

Japan's prospects of gaining a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council have been dealt a savage blow, with the African Union refusing to draft a joint resolution on UNSC expansion with Japan and three other nations.

JAPAN / 60 YEARS AND ONWARD

Aug 6, 2005

Koreans here inclined to assimilate to dodge racism

It was a big leap for Takae Hayama to switch from her Japanese name to her real name when she went to college.

JAPAN

Aug 3, 2005

China buildup on Defense Agency radar

Tokyo is monitoring China's rapid military buildup and remains on alert in the wake of recent incidents, including the intrusion of a submarine into Japanese territorial waters and frequent operations by its marine research vessels nearby, according to an annual report on defense released Tuesday.

JAPAN

Jul 21, 2005

Schieffer calls troop cut unrealistic

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer expressed reluctance Wednesday over downsizing the forces in Okinawa, saying the U.S. military presence is strategically important to the U.S. and Japan, and to the stability of the region.

JAPAN

Jul 13, 2005

Rice again warns North

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday that upcoming six-party talks to end North Korea's nuclear threat will fail unless Pyongyang indicates it is willing to abandon its nuclear weapons.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Jul 13, 2005

Nepal backs Japan UNSC bid, but not G4

Nepal backs Japan's bid to become a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council but has yet to decide whether to support a resolution on UNSC expansion Tokyo jointly submitted with Germany, Brazil and India, visiting Nepalese Foreign Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey said.

JAPAN

Jul 12, 2005

Japan says it will keep pushing abduction issue

Japan will ask North Korea to hold bilateral talks later this month on the sidelines of the six-party discussions seeking to end Pyongyang's nuclear threat, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said Monday.

JAPAN

Jul 9, 2005

U.K. attacks trigger official fears that Japan is next

Thursday's deadly terrorist bombings in London raised fresh concerns among Tokyo officials Friday that Japan might be the next target due to its support for the U.S.-led war on Iraq.

JAPAN / Q&A

Jul 8, 2005

Why is Japan so impatient to land a permanent seat in the UNSC club?

Japan moved a step closer toward its goal of becoming a permanent United Nations Security Council member Thursday, as the so-called Group of Four nations -- Japan, Germany, India and Brazil -- submitted a resolution on the matter to the U.N. Secretariat. The following are some basic facts on the UNSC...

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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

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