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 Tomohiro Osaki

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Tomohiro Osaki
Tomohiro Osaki is a staff writer in the Domestic News Division. A graduate of Sophia University in Tokyo, he likes to explore under-reported realities of Japanese youth, with a tendency toward the taboo.
For Tomohiro Osaki's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2020
Nightlife districts demonized over infection fears while grappling with coronavirus impacts
Heated media coverage has zeroed in on Kabukicho, catapulting the area to a new level of notoriety.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 2, 2020
Abe's proposal to shift the academic year to September faces increased opposition
The LDP's repudiation of a move to a September start is a further setback for the prime minister, who initially welcomed such a change.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 31, 2020
Japan's new contact-tracing app: 'security blanket' or effective tool?
Minimally intrusive and conditional on consent, the app's privacy concerns are minimal, with widespread penetration its largest obstacle to success, observers say.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 27, 2020
Japan's new virus contact-tracing app promises privacy in bid for reach
Officials hope the app will serve as a deterrent against a second wave of infections considered to be a growing risk in Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
May 26, 2020
Let's discuss the drop in suicides
A Japan Times article provides some lessons in English with regards to a sudden drop in sucides in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
May 17, 2020
Japan's drop in suicides may not hold as fallout from pandemic grows
The fallout from COVID-19 is still taking a toll on jobs and increasing the risk of domestic violence and child abuse, officials and experts say.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 15, 2020
Japan industry groups offer guidance on how to coexist with COVID-19
The guidelines offer a glimpse into how firms might survive as their customers adopt what's been dubbed a 'new lifestyle.'
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 13, 2020
Japan's 'virus vigilantes' take on rule-breakers and invaders
Officials have reported instances of cars with out-of-prefecture license plates being tailgated and vandalized, and their drivers targeted with verbal abuse.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 11, 2020
Japan shouldn't rush decision on academic year, scholars caution
Recent opinion polls by the media show the public is rather skewed toward supporting a September start for the academic year.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 10, 2020
Ibaraki — Japan’s ‘least attractive prefecture’ — struggles to shed label
When the Ibaraki Prefectural Assembly broached the subject of renaming Ibaraki Airport as “Tokyo North Airport” last year, the debate touched a raw nerve for residents in the much-maligned prefecture.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 9, 2020
Japan's hotels in a bind as mild and asymptomatic coronavirus patients opt to heal at home instead
Despite legislative attempts to persuade mild and asymptomatic patients to isolate in hotels, most cooperating facilities are nearly empty.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 2, 2020
Japan's medical system overloaded but virus experts see signs of hope
The public update noted that the downtrend in infections is giving hospitals a breather but that personal protective equipment remains lacking.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Apr 29, 2020
Japan's health care system teeters on the brink as coronavirus takes a toll on hospitals
Those with knowledge of the situation are stressing the need for measures such as boosting testing capacity, building field hospitals and making more active use of disaster-response professionals.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2020
A cut above: Tokyo barber launches 'telecut' service as COVID-19 hits business
Mr. Brothers Cut Club of Harajuku has launched what could be the industry's first online haircut service.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2020
Strength in numbers: A more open approach to tracking the virus in Japan
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Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 16, 2020
Japanese police warn that criminals are making most of virus outbreak
The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan is cautioning against a rise in phone calls from fraudsters pretending to be city officials.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2020
Japan YouTubers focus on youth to raise awareness of social distancing
More and more YouTubers in Japan are using their fame to raise awareness of social distancing and the hashtag #stayhome to help officials drive home the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic to its youth, a demographic seen as prone to complacency.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 5, 2020
Japanese news conferences illustrate government's struggle to grasp social distancing
With the pandemic showing no signs of abating, government and ministry officials are scrambling to rectify the high-risk nature of their news conferences.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2020
Abenomask? Prime minister's 'two masks per household' policy spawns memes on social media
Social media has expressed shock at what they see as a tone-deaf policy.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 1, 2020
Cardboard and plastic: Tottori Prefecture goes low-tech to protect officials from COVID-19
In a nation famed for its cutting-edge robots and toilets, one prefecture is going defiantly low-tech in its effort to defend its officials against COVID-19.

Longform

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