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May 16, 2024
 

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Minoru Matsutani

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Minoru Matsutani
For Minoru Matsutani's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2012
Omron smartphone app comes close to instantaneous text translations
Omron Software Co. has developed a smartphone application that translates short English, Korean and Chinese written phrases into Japanese in less than a second.
Japan Times
JAPAN / NUCLEAR AWAKENING
Jan 5, 2012
Disasters kick-started dormant volunteer spirit
The March disasters generated an outpouring of volunteerism unseen since — let alone matched by — what followed the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake.
BUSINESS
Dec 8, 2011
Entire Olympus board to resign over loss coverup
Olympus Corp. said Wednesday all of its current board members will step down and new independent committees will determine the specific involvement of former and current executives in the company's coverup of huge losses.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2011
'Nadeshiko' buzzword of year, 3/11 terms next
"Nadeshiko Japan," the nickname of the women's national soccer team, has been awarded a high-profile prize for being the No. 1 buzzword of the year.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2011
Bhutan royals trip masks rights issues
The recent visit by Bhutan's king and queen helped raise the country's profile in Japan and even spurred interest in travel to the country, but few Japanese seem to be aware that Bhutan, often portrayed as an idyllic Himalayan getaway, has forced more than 70,000 Nepalese to leave the country as refugees, many of them stripped of their citizenship.
JAPAN
Nov 26, 2011
Watanabe instrumental in forging cozy political-news media relationship
Tsuneo Watanabe, chairman and chief editor of the Yomiuri Shimbun who doubles as chairman of the Yomiuri Giants baseball team, is one of the most influential figures in Japan as he reigns not only over the nation's biggest media empire but also acts as a political fixer.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 25, 2011
Ichihashi book on life on lam to be made into flick
A movie based on the book written by Tatsuya Ichihashi, whose slaying of a British English teacher in 2007 set off a nationwide manhunt, will debut next year, the publisher and film producer said Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2011
Yamagata's cherry pit pillows said therapeutic
A tourism association in Yamagata Prefecture is selling pillows containing cherry pits that can be heated or chilled and used to soothe aching shoulders or throbbing heads.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 18, 2011
Cookouts along Tama drawing flak
For the people of Tokyo, the wide banks of the Tama River are among the most popular places to have a barbecue.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2011
Soap linked to 471 cases of wheat allergy
A mail-order soap has caused at least 471 people to suffer wheat allergy reactions, including unconsciousness, and the distributor and manufacturer are trying to recall millions of the bars while the health ministry is alerting consumers to the dangers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 9, 2011
Olympus admits hiding losses since 1990s
Olympus Corp. President Shuichi Takayama said Tuesday the company concealed huge losses on securities investments since the 1990s and used recent acquisitions of Gyrus Group PLC and three Japanese companies to cover the off-the-book losses.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Nov 8, 2011
Late-night restaurants ripe for robbery
"Gyudon" beef-on-rice restaurants belonging to the Sukiya chain have become a favorite target of robbers.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Q&A
Nov 4, 2011
Science far from conclusive on low-level radiation risks
The March 11 nuclear accident at the Fukushima No. 1 plant has transformed what used to be a long-standing academic debate into an urgent issue for millions of ordinary people: Will long-term exposure to low-level radiation cause any health problems?
BUSINESS
Oct 28, 2011
Olympus damage control: Vast adviser fees legit
Olympus Corp., whose shares plummeted about 50 percent after its ousted former president publicly criticized it for dubious money transactions, claimed Thursday there is nothing illicit about the advisory fee it paid in acquiring a British medical equipment firm.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CABINET INTERVIEW
Sep 20, 2011
Hiraoka urges 'active' debate on executions
Japanese should think about how developed nations view their country's policy on executions, Justice Minister Hideo Hiraoka said in a recent interview.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 11, 2011
Not enough whole body counters to go around
The health department in Kashiwa, a city in Chiba Prefecture with multiple radiation hot spots, has received numerous inquiries from worried residents wanting to find out their internal radiation levels.
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2011
Leukemia claims Tepco worker
A man in his 40s who worked for a week in August at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s radiation-leaking Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant has died of acute leukemia, but it was not caused by exposure to fallout, Tepco said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 30, 2011
K-pop striking chord with the young
Korean pop groups began gaining popularity and media exposure in Japan last year, singing and dancing on TV shows and appearing in commercials.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 26, 2011
Spooked consumers snapping up cheap Geiger counters
Geiger counter manufacturers and retailers are offering more affordable models to cash in on continued consumer radiation fears six months into the Fukushima triple meltdown crisis.
JAPAN
Aug 10, 2011
Tepco posts ¥572 billion loss since April
Tokyo Electric Power Co. posted a group net loss Tuesday of ¥571.7 billion for the three months from April due to costs to stabilize the radiation-emitting Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant and increases in fuel expenses for thermal power generation.
Japanese stripper bids to have her porn movies taken off internet
Plaintiff Miyuki Ariga (left) speaks at a news conference along with her lawyer, Yoshitomo Morohashi, after filing a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court on Monday.
In Japan, 68,000 people over 65 projected to die alone at home this year
As Japan grapples with its population's rapid aging, supporting people who live and age alone is looming larger on the policy agenda.
Japan’s carmakers look to China tech to claw back market share
Toyota CEO Koji Sato says the company plans to expand AI-related investments, and this year will focus on building a strong foundation for software-defined vehicles.
Ishin struggles to set itself apart from other parties
Nippon Ishin no Kai Secretary-General Fumitake Fujita (right) speaks beside Yui Kanazawa, the party's candidate in the Tokyo 15th district by-election on April 28. Nippon Ishin lost in this by-election as well as another in Nagasaki held on the same day.
Is Modi’s party heading for a stunning election loss?
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign tactics have escalated, including anti-Muslim rhetoric and fearmongering, reflecting his ruling party's desperation.
New Taiwan president to set tone for ties with China at inauguration
Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te arrives at the CyberSec 2024 Exhibition in Taipei on Wednesday.
Ishin struggles to set itself apart from other parties
Nippon Ishin no Kai Secretary-General Fumitake Fujita (right) speaks beside Yui Kanazawa, the party's candidate in the Tokyo 15th district by-election on April 28. Nippon Ishin lost in this by-election as well as another in Nagasaki held on the same day.
In Japan, 68,000 people over 65 projected to die alone at home this year
As Japan grapples with its population's rapid aging, supporting people who live and age alone is looming larger on the policy agenda.
In a rare event, the Northern Lights show up in Hokkaido
The Northern Lights in Nayoro, Hokkaido, on Saturday
Is black the new green for Japan’s flagging tea farmers?
George Guttridge-Smith brews tea at Kyoto Obubu Tea Farm in Wazuka, Kyoto Prefecture, where he serves as head of international development.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Things may look perfect to the outside world, but today's mom is fine with some imperfection at home.
How 'Reiwa moms' are reshaping motherhood in Japan
By Mai Yoshikawa

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