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July 04, 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
Nov 19, 2003
Japan told to lower farm trade barriers
Japan and other major industrialized nations should open up their agricultural markets to give developing countries the opportunity to sell their goods on an equal footing, according to Ian Goldin, vice president of the World Bank.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2003
Security key factor in future Japan-ASEAN tieup
Although the relationship between Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has largely been an economic affair until now, it will cover political and security concerns in the years to come, according to ASEAN Secretary General Ong Keng Yong.
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2003
Japan will ink ASEAN peace pact
Bowing to strong overtures from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Japan has decided to sign a regional nonaggression treaty, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Nov 18, 2003
Japan asked to aid Falun Gong devotee held in China
The government is being asked to pressure China over an arrest it made last year in connection with the Falun Gong spiritual movement.
JAPAN
Nov 18, 2003
Kelly, Japanese officials mull North Korea issues
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly and Mitoji Yabunaka, a senior official at the Foreign Ministry, held an "intensive discussion" Monday in Tokyo focusing on how North Korea may be given security assurances.
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2003
Japan wants North Korea talks moved to new dates
Japan has asked China to avoid holding the next round of six-way talks on North Korea from Dec. 10 through Dec. 13 as it would clash with another summit, Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2003
Taiwan's spas bubbling over with popularity
TAIPEI -- Chu Chien-huei stretches her arms in a hot tub full of orchid petals on a sunny day at Spring City Resort, a hot spring hotel in Peitou, with her 5-year-old daughter at her side.
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2003
Bilateral talks must include abductions: Fukuda
Bilateral talks over compensating North Korea for Japan's colonial rule of the peninsula must also include the abduction issue, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Nov 8, 2003
Baghdad embassy staff to stay despite Spain exit
Japan has no intention of withdrawing its embassy officials in Baghdad despite Spain's decision to do so in the wake of continuous rebel attacks in Iraq, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Friday.
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2003
U.S. has proposed peace accord to North
The United States has proposed to North Korea a multinational peace agreement on the Korean Peninsula on condition that Pyongyang abandon its nuclear arms program.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2003
Japanese woman bids for asylum in North Korea
A Japanese woman has sought asylum in North Korea after entering the country illegally during a trip to China in August, Foreign Ministry officials said Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 24, 2003
Taiwan power rivals must win or perish
TAIPEI -- With five months to go before Taiwan's presidential election, the campaign is heating up between the incumbent, President Chen Shui-bian, leader of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, and the opposition Kuomintang's (KMT) Lien Chan.
JAPAN
Oct 9, 2003
Ex-envoy spills beans on slush fund, Iraq war
The Foreign Ministry funnels 2 billion yen a year into a discretionary fund handled by the Cabinet Secretariat, it was alleged Wednesday.
JAPAN
Sep 29, 2003
Motegi says he will address Okinawa-SOFA issue
Toshimitsu Motegi, the new minister in charge of Okinawa and affairs related to the Northern Territories, says he will review what Japan can do to improve implementation of the accord that governs U.S. military activities in the country.
JAPAN / CABINET INTERVIEW
Sep 24, 2003
Kawaguchi eyes bigger SDF role
The government should pursue a more flexible interpretation of the Constitution's war-renouncing Article 9 and allow the Self-Defense Forces to make a greater contribution to global peacekeeping efforts, according to Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi.
JAPAN
Sep 19, 2003
Panel calls for reinterpretation of the antiwar Constitution
In light of the nuclear threat posed by North Korea, the government should alter its interpretation of the Constitution and allow Japan to exercise the right of collective defense, according to a report compiled Thursday by an advisory panel to Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 18, 2003
Pyongyang given ultimatum on anniversary of summit
The government's top spokesman reiterated Wednesday that Japan will not resume normalization talks with North Korea unless it allows the family members of abductees who returned last year to also come to Japan.
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2003
Japan opposes latest Israeli decision
Japan on Friday came out against Israel's decision to oust Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, saying the move will only escalate the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2003
Defector describes childhood of pain
A North Korean who was once detained in the notorious Yodeok concentration camp called on South Korea, Japan and other nations to join hands to pressure the Kim Jong Il regime.
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2003
Japan vows 'sincere' response to China gas leak
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told China's No. 2 leader Friday that Japan will deal "sincerely" with last month's poison gas leak from barrels abandoned by the Imperial Japanese Army in China at the end of World War II.
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.
Onosato's yokozuna promotion causes rare quirk in new sumo rankings
Newly promoted yokozuna Onosato holds a copy of the latest banzuke ranking in Anjo, Aichi Prefecture, on Monday.
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. 
Over 900 earthquakes strike Tokara islands in space of two weeks
A screenshot shows many quakes occurring in the Tokara islands over the past 30 days, in this image taken from the U.S. Geological Survey website.
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."
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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