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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
Oct 28, 2004
Foreign Ministry says it tried to warn Koda to get out of Iraq
The Foreign Ministry, in charge of ensuring the safety of Japanese citizens overseas, is powerless to stop them from entering Iraq, despite a series of kidnappings there involving Japanese and other people this year.
JAPAN
Oct 27, 2004
WFP better able to monitor food aid in North
The executive director of the World Food Program said Tuesday in Tokyo that while some restrictions remain, his organization has become slightly freer to monitor the distribution of food aid in North Korea.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2004
Machimura, Powell agree to boost military discussions
Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell agreed Sunday to hold strategic talks at the ministerial level to discuss the security situation in the Asia-Pacific region.
JAPAN
Oct 24, 2004
Tentative accord reached on U.S. beef
Japan and the United States on Saturday agreed in principle to resume U.S. beef imports as early as next spring, although a final accord on specific conditions for lifting the ban was left to further negotiations.
BUSINESS
Oct 23, 2004
Japan-U.S. beef talks to continue
Japan and the United States remained divided Friday over Tokyo's ban on U.S. beef imports, but agreed to continue discussions on the matter Saturday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 15, 2004
Cash for Iraq in short supply at confab
Donor countries on Thursday renewed their vow to support Iraq's reconstruction and the political process for a parliamentary election in January, but few offered fresh contributions to the war-torn country as they wrapped up a conference in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Oct 14, 2004
Iraq asks donor states to boost aid
Iraq's deputy prime minister on Wednesday called on the international community to increase the flow of aid and speed up the implementation of projects to help rebuild the war-torn country.
JAPAN
Oct 13, 2004
Violence in Iraq holding back foreign aid
When Mohammad Ali-Hassan, the governor of Al-Muthanna Province in southern Iraq, visited Tokyo last week, he thanked Japan for the aid it has given to his province, where Ground Self-Defense Force troops have been deployed.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 13, 2004
Aid should be flowing through grassroots groups: NGO
Japan should disperse more of its official development assistance for Iraq through nongovernmental organizations so people can receive aid more quickly, according to a senior member of a Tokyo-based NGO.
JAPAN
Oct 13, 2004
U.S. to resume helicopter flights
Japan on Tuesday gave the green light for the U.S. military to resume flights of CH-53D helicopters in Okinawa Prefecture, and the U.S. forces said the flights would resume as early as Wednesday.
JAPAN
Oct 11, 2004
Japan must open door to foreign workers, panel head says
The government needs to look at the broader picture and actively work to open the domestic labor market to unskilled workers so Japan is not alienated from the global community.
JAPAN
Oct 6, 2004
Missing pin caused copter crash: report
A missing cotter pin caused the U.S. Marine Corps helicopter crash on a university campus near the Futenma Air Station in Okinawa in August, according to a U.S. investigation report submitted Tuesday that laid the blame on poor maintenance.
JAPAN
Oct 2, 2004
Japan reports 50 years of its ODA amounted to $221 billion
Japan has provided some $221 billion in official development assistance to 185 nations since 1954, the Foreign Ministry said Friday in releasing its annual white paper on ODA.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2004
Emigrant to Paraguay returns to Japan as ambassador
It was 1958 when a 14-year-old Isao Taoka headed for Paraguay from Yokohama port with his parents and siblings as part of a government-backed emigration project.
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2004
Missing part only involved crashed chopper, U.S. says
The Aug. 13 crash of a CH-53D helicopter in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, was due to a problem specific to just that chopper, a senior U.S. Marine Corps officer said Friday, defending the U.S. military's resumption of flights of the same type of aircraft.
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2004
Koizumi to 'inspect' Russian-held islands
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Wednesday expressed his intention to visit eastern Hokkaido as early as next month to take a look at the Russian-held islands claimed by Japan.
JAPAN
Aug 19, 2004
Book puts war-contingency legislation to pictures
Adam Goodwin claimed it was purely by chance that he came across the Web site of a Japanese citizens' group publishing a picture booklet on Japan's war-contingency legislation and its perceived significance.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2004
A defiant Suzuki raps Koizumi's reform policies
Junichiro Koizumi's structural reform drive may have the backing of voters in big cities, but people in Hokkaido and other rural regions feel abandoned by the prime minister.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2004
A defiant Suzuki raps Koizumi's reform policies
Junichiro Koizumi's structural reform drive may have the backing of voters in big cities, but people in Hokkaido and other rural regions feel abandoned by the prime minister.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 10, 2004
China chided over soccer outbursts
Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi conveyed to Beijing's ambassador to Japan on Monday disappointment over the angry outburst by Chinese fans after Japan defeated China in the Asian Cup soccer finals.
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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