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July 05, 2025
 

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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 / 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...
JAPAN
Jul 6, 2005
Japan hopes to sell 'G4' plan to African Union
Japan will try to work with the African Union to draft a joint resolution on United Nations reform that mirrors the goal of the so-called Group of Four in expanding the Security Council, Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2005
China seizes Japanese school's textbooks
Chinese authorities have confiscated 128 Japanese social studies textbooks ordered by a Japanese school in Dalian because they contain "inappropriate descriptions" of Taiwan and mainland China, government officials said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2005
German ambassador confident of UNSC success
Strong backing from developing countries is likely to be enough to get the "Group of Four" nations over the top in their effort to expand the U.N. Security Council, according to Germany's ambassador to Japan, Henrik Schmiegelow.
JAPAN
Jun 26, 2005
Stopping now would be caving in to China, making Japan look weak
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi should continue his annual visits to Yasukuni Shrine, to avoid giving the wrong impression that Japan will cave in to China's heavy-handed tactics, according to Mineo Nakajima, president of Akita International University.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2005
Explosion scare cranks up GSDF security concerns
Defense Agency chief Yoshinori Ono said Friday he has ordered Ground Self-Defense Force troops stationed in southern Iraq to step up security in the wake of an explosion that damaged the windshield of a GSDF vehicle.
JAPAN
Jun 18, 2005
Japan rejects U.S. plan for U.N. reform
Japan rejected a U.S. proposal on United Nations reform Friday despite receiving support for its quest to become a permanent member of the powerful U.N. Security Council.
JAPAN
Jun 15, 2005
Koizumi, Roh to meet Monday with aim of easing tensions
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will meet with South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun in Seoul on Monday in a bid to mend soured bilateral ties, the Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2005
Gaps dog history study with South Korea
Japan and South Korea released a full-scale report on their joint history research Friday, detailing huge gaps in perception on key events that have repeatedly caused friction between the two nations.
JAPAN
Jun 8, 2005
Japan's UNSC bid dealt blow by U.S.
Japan will probably postpone submitting a resolution to expand the U.N. Security Council in light of an objection aired last week by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Foreign Ministry sources said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 3, 2005
Lowly loincloth making a comeback
Tartan, paisley and geometric patterns in red, blue and other colors are catching the eyes of young shoppers in the men's clothing section of Mitsukoshi Ltd.'s Ginza store.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2005
Japan and Russia again fail to arrange date for Putin visit
Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov failed Tuesday to set a date for President Vladimir Putin's long-delayed visit to Japan as the two countries remained "poles apart" over the bilateral territorial row.
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2005
Postwar reconciliation with rest of Asia in peril
Bilateral relations between Japan and the United States during the four years Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has been in office have often been characterized as a "honeymoon."
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 21, 2005
Japan, Australia to mull FTA
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and his Australian counterpart, John Howard, agreed Wednesday that their two nations should study the pros and cons of a bilateral free-trade agreement for about two years.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 19, 2005
U.S. team to visit in bid to end beef ban
The United States will send a team of scientific experts on mad cow disease to Japan next week to discuss with their Japanese counterparts ways to resolve a 16-month import ban on U.S. beef at the earliest possible date, U.S. Ambassador Thomas Schieffer said Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2005
Common-sense solutions floated to ease tensions
Ahead of Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura's trip to Beijing on Sunday to meet his counterpart, The Japan Times interviewed Sino-Japanese relations experts Tomoyuki Kojima and Zhu Jianrong to hear their views on how the two nations can defuse mounting anti-Japan activities in China, blamed in part...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 12, 2005
Koizumi blames China for letting mobs run wild
China should be blamed for failing to protect the Japanese nationals from attack, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2005
Veiled North Korea sanction takes toll on port calls
Port calls by North Korean ships fell sharply in March after a revised law requiring vessels be insured against oil pollution took effect on March 1.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2005
Disclaimer on government textbook screenings
The way Japan's wartime past is described in history textbooks officially approved Tuesday does not necessarily reflect Japanese policy, according to Akira Chiba, assistant press secretary at the Foreign Ministry.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2005
U.S. military aircraft crash site roles spelled out
Japan and the United States agreed Friday on what roles authorities of the two countries would play if an accident involving U.S. military aircraft occurred in Japan.
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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