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May 20, 2024
 

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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.
For Alex K.T. Martin's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / Taking the Lead
Apr 1, 2018
Zozotown founder Yusaku Maezawa follows eclectic path
Andy Warhol's iconic Campbell's Soup cans, a painting by Takashi Murakami and a word sculpture by Jack Pierson are some of the pieces decorating the head office of Start Today Co., operator of Japan's largest online fashion mall, Zozotown.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / Taking the Lead
Mar 22, 2018
Lawson chief bets on health, tech as future of convenience
Back in 2014, Sadanobu Takemasu was asked by his boss to go to Lawson, the convenience store chain known for its white milk can logo on a blue signboard.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / Deep Dive
Mar 19, 2018
1995 Aum sarin attack on Tokyo subway still haunts, leaving questions unanswered
Hitoshi Jin describes his younger brother spending the booming 1980s "cult surfing," exploring what new religions had to offer to fill the gaping spiritual void left by a childhood scarred by an abusive father.
Japan Times
JAPAN / 3/11: Rebuilding Tohoku
Mar 10, 2018
Kamaishi mounts a soft-power recovery to revive tsunami-hit community
The city of Kamaishi is quietly combating its population decline with PR, career-advancement and tourism measures designed to revive its tsunami-battered community.
Japan Times
JAPAN / 3/11: Rebuilding Tohoku
Mar 8, 2018
Tohoku communities slow to regroup as tsunami-hit cities rebuild on higher ground
Takashi Ito's family-owned book and stationery store is one of the 20 or so shops occupying a new mall that opened last year in Rikuzentakata, a tsunami-ravaged city in Iwate Prefecture once known for the towering pine trees that lined its scenic coast.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 12, 2018
Japan's staff-heavy banks downsize and turn to technology for survival
These are tough times for banks.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Feb 11, 2018
Kind act sprouts into grass-roots movement to feed kids
Hiroko Kondo is credited with coining the term kodomo shokudō: makeshift eateries for disadvantaged kids that morphed into a national grass-roots movement to address the growth of poverty in Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 6, 2018
Nikkei plunges over 1,600 points as Wall Street rout spreads
Tokyo stocks on Tuesday saw their largest decline since 2016 as Wall Street's sell-off delivered heavy blows to investor risk appetite.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 2, 2018
Kaz Hirai to end six-year Sony reign on high note
Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai, the man credited with the electronics giant's turnaround, will assume the chairmanship and be replaced by his right-hand man.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 29, 2018
Financial watchdog raps Coincheck over lax security following massive hack
The government's financial watchdog takes administrative action against the cryptocurrency exchange hit last week by the largest-ever theft of digital money.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 26, 2018
Rakuten and Walmart take aim at Amazon, with alliance for groceries and e-books in Japan and U.S.
E-commerce giant Rakuten and retail behemoth Walmart form a partnership to launch e-content sales and a Japanese grocery delivery service via Seiyu.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 17, 2018
Japan's Recruit Holdings announces entry into vacation rental market
Recruit Holdings Co. announces its entry into the vacation rental market ahead of a new law giving the green light to private short-term minpaku lodging services.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jan 16, 2018
Docomo experiment to take bite out of food waste woes
The move is part of an ongoing effort by Japan Inc. to reduce the immense quantity of food discarded by food companies and retailers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 12, 2018
Vegetable prices surge as last year's typhoon and bad weather catch up to supermarkets
Crops damaged by Typhoon Lan and chilly weather in 2017 are causing prices for lettuce, cabbage and radishes to soar.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2018
Time-honored Showa Era club in Ginza closes after a nine-decade run
A time-honored night club considered one of the symbols of Tokyo's upscale Ginza shopping district closed its doors Wednesday after a nearly nine-decade run.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets / TSE DATA & REPORT
Jan 9, 2018
Nikkei posts new 26-year high as analysts predict gains to continue
Expect the 225-issue Nikkei average's upward momentum to continue, analysts say, as the benchmark index hit a new 26-year high Tuesday on the back of gains in U.S. shares and a solid corporate earnings outlook.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 4, 2018
Japan's banks secure access to police agency database to help screen for yakuza and other 'anti-social forces'
Starting Thursday, Japanese Bankers Association members will be able to screen individual loan seekers using the National Police Agency's database of organized crime members.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 28, 2017
Japan's first 'official' same-sex couple announce separation
Japan's first official same-sex couple terminated their partnership on Christmas Day.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2017
Tokyo's Kabutocho financial district gets creative in bid to revive its quiet streets
It's a Monday night in late November and Ryutei Ichiya, a kimono-clad 34-year-old rakugo comic raconteur, is performing a skit in front of a crowd of over 100.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2017
Japan's glut of abandoned homes: Hard to sell but bargains when opportunity knocks
Realtor Yuken Kon specializes in properties most of his peers steer clear of.
America wasn’t made for walking, and it’s killing them
A 2010 study found that U.S. adults averaged 5,117 steps daily and that this was lower than the averages found in similar studies in Switzerland, western Australia and Japan.
Rare sequel to 'My Neighbor Totoro' to play at Cannes
A screening of "Mei and the Baby Cat Bus," which is being billed as a "mini-sequel" to the Studio Ghibli classic "My Neighbor Totoro," is set to take place at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday.
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.
Saudi crown prince seeks soft power in game hub Japan
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman welcomes Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, last July.
Japan survey finds 30% of student interns experience sexual harassment
The proportion of recent graduates in Japan who have worked as interns have experienced sexual harassment during their internship was 30.1%, according to a labor ministry survey, up 4.6 percentage points from the previous survey in fiscal 2020.
Seoul's eclectic Art OnO shines light on Japan's artists and galleries
Art OnO, which took place from April 19 to 21 in Seoul, featured a modest number of 36 participating galleries from 15 countries.
Want to be a voice actor? Stay 'true to the character'
SungWon Cho is a veteran with more than 10 years of experience portraying characters in anime, cartoons and video games.
Local theater in Japan is more than a hobby — it’s a community
Japan Times contributor Laura Pollacco (front right) was offered the role of one of her all-time favorite heroines, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Bennet, in the Tokyo International Players’ production of “Pride and Prejudice.”
Can AI-generated inventions be patented? A Tokyo court says no.
The Tokyo court's ruling comes amid ongoing debates on how to regulate generative AI and is part of a transnational class action lawsuit.
Massimo Bottura: 'The Japanese let ingredients express themselves'
Italian chef and restaurateur Massimo Bottura is increasingly focusing on passing on his knowledge to chefs such as Antonio Iacoviello.

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