author

 
 

Meta

Mizuho Aoki
Mizuho Aoki is a staff writer covering local news, including the current Tokyo gubernatorial race, education and aviation-related stories. She graduated from Hitotsubashi Universty with a degree in social science.
For Mizuho Aoki's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Oct 26, 2016
Ministry eyes Scandinavian plan to boost paternity leave and keep women working
A panel mulls including a quota system in a two-year parental leave plan that would require paternity leave to join.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 24, 2016
Tokyu to build two more skyscrapers in Shibuya over next two years
Tokyo's bustling Shibuya district is set to get new high-rise building complexes and a riverside promenade with open cafes and squares over the next couple of years, according to new images unveiled by Tokyu Corp. on Monday.
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2016
Japan still a developing nation in tourism: JTA chief
Despite the visitor boom, Japan is still an "undeveloped country" when it comes to tourism, Japan Tourism Agency chief Akihiko Tamura said Friday.
JAPAN
Oct 18, 2016
International forum on sports, the arts and business kicks off in Kyoto, Tokyo
An international conference on sports, arts and business kicks off in Japan on Wednesday as part of the government's efforts to create momentum leading up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and beyond.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 13, 2016
Health ministry unveils draft proposal to crack down on secondhand smoke ahead of 2020 Olympics
The government tables new rules to cut down on secondhand smoke amid a global trend toward cleaner air.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 28, 2016
Department store closures mark end of an era
On a recent weekday morning, the Sogo department store in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, is unusually crowded with shoppers flocking to a closing down sale before it shuts its doors for good on Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Sep 16, 2016
In sexless Japan, almost half of single young men and women are virgins: survey
In a survey of young people, around 42 percent of the men and 44.2 percent of the women who responded said they'd never had sex.
JAPAN
Sep 9, 2016
Fund started to help Fukushima thyroid cancer patients cover expenses
The 3/11 Children's Fund for Thyroid Cancer will start accepting donations from Sept. 20, aiming to raise at least u00a520 million.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Sep 5, 2016
English heads for elementary school in 2020 but hurdles abound
The Japanese school system's English-teaching regimen will undergo a major revamp in the near future as the government tries to nurture more worldly talent in an age of globalization.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2016
Lifting the lid on Japan's growing crowd of manhole cover spotters
Some tourists look around them but Hidetoshi Ishii prefers to look down.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2016
Government to loosen rules on using maiden names for My Number, residence cards
The government tackles another social problem as it attempts to create a more female-friendly work environment.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 19, 2016
New think tank in Japan offers tips on LGBT awareness, market potential
As the nation slowly turns its eye to the concerns and needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, more companies are starting to respect sexual minorities as employees as well as consumers.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 18, 2016
Blind man's death at subway station reignites call for safety barriers
The death of a blind man who tumbled onto the tracks of a Tokyo subway station revives calls to expedite the installation of platform gates.
JAPAN
Aug 10, 2016
The race is on for volunteer interpreters for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
Japan gears up for another kind of competition, namely the race to nurture volunteer interpreters for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 1, 2016
Former environment minister Yuriko Koike wins landslide election as Tokyo's first female governor
Former environment minister Yuriko Koike of the Liberal Democratic Party was elected Tokyo governor Sunday, winning a landslide victory to become the capital’s first female leader.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Jul 31, 2016
Tokyo NPO founder shows foreign residents how to survive disasters
No one can truly be prepared for a calamity like the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, even for Japanese who have gone through disaster drills regularly since childhood to learn how to react.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 28, 2016
Tokyo race front-runners seen as short on plans for day care, Olympics
As Tokyo residents gear up to vote in Sunday's gubernatorial election, candidates are making last-ditch bids for ballots.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 26, 2016
In Tokyo gubernatorial poll, more color than most know
What do a onetime Arabic translator, an advocate of decentralization and a former Tehran correspondent have in common?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 14, 2016
Campaign kicks off for Tokyo governor race
At the close of nominations at 5 p.m. on Thursday, 21 people had put their names forward to become the capital's next leader.
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2016
Tokyo to host 'Davos for women' in 2017
A leading global business and economic forum for women will come to Tokyo for the first time next year, founder Irene Natividad announced Wednesday, saying she hopes the event will empower women in Japan.

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree