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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.
BUSINESS
Mar 23, 2005
Spat over disputed isles slowing FTA talks: Machimura
Negotiations on a free-trade agreement between Japan and South Korea, already behind schedule, have been further stalled by the territorial dispute over a set of islets in the Sea of Japan, Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said Tuesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 19, 2005
Experts trade conflicting views on how to handle U.S. beef
Japan's 15-month-old import ban on U.S. beef has become a major diplomatic issue between Tokyo and Washington, and U.S. lawmakers are increasing pressure on Japan to lift the ban as soon as possible.
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2005
U.K. vow to fill Samawah security void after Dutch exit elates officials
move," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda told a regular news conference Friday morning. Although Britain has said its troops would work with Iraqi security forces in the province, some Japanese government officials have expressed doubts over the plan, pointing out that the foreign military presence...
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2005
Japan plays waiting game on Pyongyang abductions
Japan will wait for North Korea to make its next move while seeking cooperation from the United States and its Asian neighbors on resolving the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by the North, government officials said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2005
English teachers safe after tsunami: schools
Major English-language schools and local governments said Wednesday that all of their non-Japanese teachers who had been unaccounted for in the wake of last month's massive tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean are now safely back at work.
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2005
Latest sanction threat against North Korea likely an empty promise
Japan on Wednesday again threatened to impose economic sanctions on North Korea after the reclusive state formally dismissed Tokyo's protest against its probe into the fate of 10 missing Japanese.
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2005
No deal made to keep quiet about ashes: Machimura
Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura denied Tuesday that a senior Foreign Ministry official who visited Pyongyang in November agreed not to disclose the fact that Japan had received what North Korea claimed were cremated remains of abductee Megumi Yokota.
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2005
Hike in Tokyo-Seoul exchanges eyed
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi expressed hope Tuesday that exchanges of people between Japan and South Korea will top 5 million this year, the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
JAPAN
Jan 25, 2005
Eight from North enter Beijing school
A Japanese school in Beijing where refugees from North Korea have frequently sought sanctuary found another eight people in its compound Monday morning, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2005
Machimura says China ties beset by 'various concerns'
research activities by Chinese ships," he said. Machimura stressed the importance of securing Japan's natural resources, vowing to maintain exploration of continental shelves and marine resources around Japan.
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2005
Sake breweries near Tokyo offer foreigners tastings, tours in English
Many of the well-known brands of sake are made in the rural, now snow-deep regions of Japan, including Niigata Prefecture, but what may not be widely known is that there are about a dozen breweries in Tokyo alone.
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2005
Britain to protect GSDF when Dutch pull out of Iraq
British forces will provide security for the Ground Self-Defense Force troops in Samawah, southern Iraq, after the Dutch forces currently protecting them withdraw in March, visiting British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2005
Dozens of English teachers still missing
, which oversees the JET program, said the organization was unable to contact one of its teachers as of Friday night. The official added, however, that this person was headed for Cambodia and was unlikely to have been affected by the temblor or the massive tsunamis that ensued. A spokesman for Nova said...
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2005
Japan needs to train Iraqi officials to be self-reliant, diplomat says
Japan should help to train Iraqi engineers and local administrative officials who will play key roles in rebuilding the nation, according to a Foreign Ministry official who heads Japan's diplomatic office in the southern Iraq city of Samawah.
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2005
Time has come to end ODA to China, Yachi says
It's time to decide when Japan will terminate its official development assistance to China, the vice foreign minister said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2005
Home schooling finds foothold but not official favor
Mariko Komuro was of the firm belief that children should go to school even if they experienced problems -- at least until her 8-year-old son, Kazutoshi, began to feel sick and throw up in the morning on school days.
JAPAN
Dec 30, 2004
Kin of missing Japanese go to ID bodies in Sri Lanka
Relatives of seven Japanese believed killed by tsunamis in Sri Lanka headed for Colombo on Wednesday, while the Foreign Ministry said another body believed to be that of a Japanese woman has been found there.
JAPAN
Dec 29, 2004
Japan has tentative list of 11 dead
Four Japanese have been confirmed dead in Thailand and seven others are believed to have died in Sri Lanka in the massive tsunamis that hit South and Southeast Asia over the weekend, a senior Foreign Ministry official said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2004
Reports of Japanese fatalities yet to be confirmed
Foreign Ministry and embassy officials were trying Monday to confirm reports that several Japanese may have been killed in the massive tsunamis that hit South and Southeast Asia the previous day.
Dec 28, 2004
Reports of Japanese fatalities yet to be confirmed
Foreign Ministry and embassy officials were trying Monday to confirm reports that several Japanese may have been killed in the massive tsunamis that hit South and Southeast Asia the previous day.
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.

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