author

 
Menu
Search
 
July 27, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
Alex K.T. Martin

Meta

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 Times
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2022
Former PM Shinzo Abe in 'serious condition' after being shot in Nara
The former prime minister was attacked while giving a campaign speech ahead of Sunday's Upper House election.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Jun 27, 2022
What evil lurks in the shadow of anonymity?
Fueled by pandemic-induced stress, nameless netizens are directing myriad harmful and threatening messages on the internet with little fear of retribution.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / Longform
Jun 13, 2022
As COVID-19 fears subside, Japan debates the future of masks
How much longer before the nation reaches a tipping point when people start ditching their masks en masse?
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
May 30, 2022
Is Japan happy? Exploring the nation’s evolving views of well-being
Why does a prosperous nation known for its efficient transportation networks, accessible education and universal health care rank so low when it comes to personal views of happiness?
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / Longform
May 15, 2022
Documenting Okinawa's changing identity over the past half century
A photographer captures the changes that have taken place in the archipelago since it was returned to Japan 50 years ago.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 11, 2022
Researchers trace the evolutionary origins of the Japanese wolf
A study suggests the now-extinct Japanese wolf originated through the hybridization of ancient, giant Pleistocene wolves and continental wolf lineages tens of thousands of years ago.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Longform
May 9, 2022
Out of the box: Japan's vending machines get a modern makeover amid pandemic
The health crisis has highlighted the merits of the unmanned dispensers, leading to a flurry of new — and sometimes bizarre — products being offered by the electronic boxes.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Apr 27, 2022
Japan is losing people, but is it all bad?
Staff writer Alex Martin joins to discuss Japan's declining population, and why one town in Saitama thinks it's not all bad news.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / Longform
Apr 11, 2022
As the crow flies: A bird’s eye view of Japan’s urban ecology
Tokyo's once booming crow population has plummeted amid the COVID-19 pandemic. What does that mean for the world's largest city?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Mar 28, 2022
For some shrinking towns in Japan, depopulation isn't all bad news
For the first time, more than half of all municipalities in Japan will be designated by the government as wholly or partially underpopulated from April 1.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 16, 2022
Where is Japan's Great Resignation?
This week, senior staff writer Alex Martin joins to discuss the changing face of work in Japan, and why so few people seem inclined to switch roles.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / Longform
Mar 7, 2022
Is Japan on the brink of its own ‘Great Resignation’?
The pandemic has prompted millions across the globe to leave their jobs for more fulfilling, flexible roles. Should Japan's employers be worried?
Japan Times
LIFE
Mar 3, 2022
The game of life, reimagined for a superaging society
In Community Coping, players are tasked with preventing communities from collapsing by connecting troubled residents with the right experts.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Feb 14, 2022
How social norms have influenced Japan’s COVID-19 response
Without any legally enforceable lockdown measures, the watchful gaze of the public eye has kept the nation's citizens in check.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Feb 9, 2022
Raging river: Tracing the Arakawa, Japan’s most dangerous water source
While supplying Tokyoites with drinking water, the river has also been prone to deadly floods over the centuries — risks that are now being escalated by climate change.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / Longform
Jan 10, 2022
So close, yet so far: What will travel look like in 2022?
Japan's battered tourism operators are somewhat hopeful that travel will regain its footing this year while incorporating the lessons learned from the past two tumultuous years.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Dec 25, 2021
Child adoption slowly gains ground in Japan, though prospective parents still face obstacles
Child adoption slowly gains ground in Japan, though prospective parents still face a number of obstacles in trying to expand their families.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2021
Tokyo exodus: Is the capital losing its luster among businesses?
Firms are moving their headquarters out of the metropolis at a record-setting pace amid the proliferation of remote work and growing risks of natural disasters.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2021
Pair of quakes shake Japan and prompt fears of more seismic activity to come
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake jolted eastern Yamanashi at around 6:30 a.m., which was followed by a magnitude 5.4 temblor in Wakayama three hours later.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / Longform
Nov 29, 2021
On shaky ground: Is Tokyo prepared for the ‘Big One’?
A powerful earthquake that shook the capital in October has fueled fresh fears of an impending temblor that could devastate the world's largest city.
Japan's population continues to fall even as foreign resident count rises
The number of residents in Tokyo as of Jan. 1 rose by 0.03% from a year before, data shows, marking a year-on-year increase for the first time in three years, while the country's other 46 prefectures saw their populations continue to decline.
Japan’s minimum wage set for record ¥50 hike in major boost
Demonstrators rally to demand a big hike in minimum wages in Tokyo last week.
One dead, three missing as heavy rain batters Tohoku
Camera footage shows the Mogami River bursting its banks in Tozawa, Yamagata Prefecture, on Friday morning.
Yen melt-up nudges Japanese stocks into correction territory
Japanese stocks are down 10% from their July peak as the yen strengthens.
Yen rally could help end crushing wage decay in Japan
Some economists say a sticky weak yen trend would have a negative impact on Japan's real wage growth.
When did summer in Japan stop being fun?
Summer in Japan is now consistently brutal enough to drive you indoors and keep you there until autumn.
Japan’s minimum wage set for record ¥50 hike in major boost
Demonstrators rally to demand a big hike in minimum wages in Tokyo last week.
Japan loses top spot on strongest passport list to Singapore
Japan had the strongest passport for six years running from 2018, before being dethroned by Singapore on the 2024 list.
Why Japan's mysterious stash of classified funds escapes scrutiny
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (right) during a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Japan eyes gold — and the future — as Olympic men's soccer campaign begins
Japan midfielder Yu Hirakawa controls the ball during a match against the United States in Kansas City, Kansas, on June 11.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

JNTO promotes sustainable tourism initiatives
JNTO promotes sustainable tourism initiatives

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER