Alex K.T. Martin - The Japan Times

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Alex K.T. Martin

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Alex K.T. Martin

Alex K.T. Martin is a Tokyo-based journalist and senior writer at The Japan Times, primarily focusing on feature stories. Previously he was a Tokyo correspondent for The Wall Street Journal.

JAPAN / Q&A

May 12, 2009

Historic change puts justice in public hands

With the "saibanin" lay judge system set to take effect May 21, Japan is gearing up for an important transition in its judicial system, in which citizens begin serving as de facto jurors in district court trials involving serious crimes.

JAPAN

May 6, 2009

Calls to revise organ law grow as lawmakers debate various plans

When Yasuto Katagiri asked New York's Columbia University in February to perform a heart transplant on Hoku, his 2-year-old son suffering from a rare form of heart disease called restrictive cardiomyopathy, the university had to turn him down because its 5 percent limit for accepting foreign transplant...

JAPAN

May 2, 2009

American missing on volcanic island is award-winning poet, assistant professor

The missing American man last seen Monday on Kuchinoerabu Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, is an award-winning poet and assistant professor at a U.S. university, according to his family and the school.

JAPAN

May 2, 2009

Power struggle rages in North over Kim's heir

As succession speculation abounds amid reports of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's deteriorating health, a recently obtained confidential report has shed new light on a power struggle taking place in the reclusive state.

JAPAN

May 1, 2009

American hiker believed missing on volcanic isle off Yakushima

A man in his 40s has been missing since Monday, when he was last seen at the head of a mountain trail on Kuchinoerabu, a volcanic island 12 km off Yakushima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, Yakushima police said.

Japan Times

Events / WHERE IT'S AT

Apr 28, 2009

Tokyo 2.0 a buzzing hub for online communities, entrepreneurs

For one night every month, Roppongi's artsy underground event space SuperDeluxe turns into a networking hub for the Internet junkies dwelling in the capital's vast urban sprawl.

Japan Times

JAPAN / EXPLAINER

Apr 21, 2009

The past, present and future of fortunetelling

From the traditional "omikuji" — sacred lots — people draw at shrines and temples to learn their New Year's fortunes, to the horoscopes displayed on commuter train video screens to distract strap-hangers, Japanese society is immersed in fortunetelling.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Apr 10, 2009

Japan Web site a life-time labor of love

When Stefan Schauwecker first launched japan-guide.com in 1996 while still a student in Canada, the Web site only featured an A to Z section on Japanese culture — "just a basic intro to Japan, a guide to look up cultural stuff and a little bit of history," the Swiss native recalled.

JAPAN

Apr 3, 2009

Launch plan sets off surveillance frenzy

As tension mounts ahead of North Korea's plan to launch a rocket over this country, Japan, the United States and South Korea are deploying several high-tech surveillance ships to monitor what the three allies suspect will actually be a ballistic missile test.

JAPAN

Mar 28, 2009

SDF gets intercept order

Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada ordered the Self-Defense Forces on Friday to shoot down any part of a North Korean rocket that might fall toward Japanese territory.

JAPAN

Mar 27, 2009

When push comes to shove, can Japan shoot down missile?

First of two parts

Japan Times

JAPAN

Mar 19, 2009

China, tourism feature in huge 'anime' convention

The Tokyo International Anime Fair 2009 kicked off Wednesday to a cheerful start, featuring a mix of both domestic and overseas companies presenting their newest products and exploring new marketing methods ranging from "anime" tourism to online broadcasting.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHO'S WHO

Mar 17, 2009

Headmaster studies layers of the Japan onion

When Timothy Carr arrived in Japan in 2003, the punctuality and caution he saw people investing in the maintenance of order immediately struck him as fascinating.

Japan Times

JAPAN / MIXED MATCHES

Mar 7, 2009

Couple's married life off to auspicious start

When Joyce Lam took Koji Kobayashi to meet her parents in Hong Kong in January 2008, they reminded her that, as the Year of the Golden Pig, 2007 was the most auspicious year to tie the knot in 60 years.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Mar 4, 2009

Future of 'anime' industry in doubt

After graduating from Tokyo Animator College, Yuko Matsui began working at a midscale animation production agency.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Mar 1, 2009

Human Rights Watch coming to Tokyo

Civilians are killed as the Sri Lankan military closes in on the Tamil Tiger rebels.

JAPAN

Feb 21, 2009

Pot crimes hit new record

Cannabis-related crimes have surged to a new record, stoking public interest following a spate of high-profile arrests related to marijuana use.

JAPAN

Feb 12, 2009

Pacifist, cultural critic Kato remembered

There are many labels to describe Shuichi Kato, who died Dec. 5 at age 89.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Feb 11, 2009

Shoe shiner buffs his trade into fine art

The chic, antique-filled interior of his store, the soft jazz playing in the background and Yuya Hasegawa's fancy suit are all there to serve a single purpose: to boost the esteem of his job.

JAPAN / EXPLAINER

Feb 3, 2009

Bank transfer fraudsters have that grift of gab

Subway posters, newspaper ads, TV commercials and automatic teller machines nationwide bear warnings against "furikome sagi" — remittance fraud — a scourge that bilks the vulnerable out of billions of yen every year.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.

Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.

By Tomoko Otake

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

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