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 Times

JAPAN

Jun 26, 2011

Red Cross: More Libya aid needed

Four months since a violent uprising swept Libya and split the nation in a civil war, fighting continues between forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi and the opposition seeking to drive him from power.

JAPAN / ANALYSIS

Jun 23, 2011

Japan, U.S. can't manage to shake Futenma headache

High-level security talks between Japan and the United States held Tuesday in Washington canceled the 2014 deadline to move the contentious Futenma air base in Okinawa and highlighted the main issue that is likely to continue complicating the bilateral relationship.

JAPAN

Jun 17, 2011

Don't count Ozawa out until he is

Over the decades he's been dubbed the "shadow shogun," "the destroyer" and "the backroom fixer" for his powerful influence in the political arena and penchant for shaking up governments with his "strong hand."

Japan Times

JAPAN

Jun 3, 2011

Peru trade minister applauds Japan EPA

The recent signing of the Japan-Peru free-trade agreement is beneficial for both nations in boosting trade and opening up investment opportunities, Peru's trade minister said Wednesday.

JAPAN / ANALYSIS

Jun 3, 2011

Kan buys time but cedes advantage to opposition

Prime Minister Naoto Kan handily prevailed over an opposition-backed no-confidence motion Thursday, in part because he compromised with foes within his Democratic Party of Japan to step down in the near future after he feels he has accomplished his disaster-response duties.

Japan Times

BUSINESS

Jun 1, 2011

Japan and Peru sign free-trade agreement

Japan and Peru signed a free-trade agreement Tuesday evening that will eliminate tariffs on goods accounting for about 99 percent of trade between the two countries in 10 years.

JAPAN / ANALYSIS

May 29, 2011

G-8 differ in reactions to Fukushima

While the Group of Eight wrapped up their two-day summit in Deauville, France, by agreeing on the need to better define international standards for nuclear safety, its member nations differ in their reactions to the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.

JAPAN

May 23, 2011

Kan, Wen, Lee bolster disaster plans

Prime Minister Naoto Kan and his Chinese and South Korean counterparts agreed Sunday to enhance cooperation on a range of programs — including nuclear safety and disaster management — in light of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

JAPAN

May 18, 2011

Vague plan for nuke evacuees

The government released a plan Tuesday outlining when people forced to evacuate due to the nuclear crisis in Fukushima Prefecture might be able to leave their shelters and go home, setting a tentative target of January.

JAPAN / EXPLAINER

May 17, 2011

When it comes to mighty Tepco, pride goes before the fall

Until quite recently, landing a job at Tokyo Electric Power Co., Japan's largest and most powerful electric utility, meant a lifetime of steady employment and generous paychecks, a status envied and often likened to that of a civil servant.

Japan Times

JAPAN

May 7, 2011

In search of a nuclear disposal site

Roughly 300 km northwest of Finland's capital, Helsinki, is the island of Olkiluoto, home to two nuclear power plants and the potential site for one of the world's first permanent underground high-level nuclear waste repositories.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Apr 15, 2011

Military flexes relief might, gains newfound esteem

In a famous speech former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida gave at the National Defense Academy's graduation ceremony in February 1957, he had insightful advice to give about joining the Self-Defense Forces.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Apr 8, 2011

Farmers struggle amid tsunami aftermath

SENDAI — Clearing out the piles of mud and rubble that have ruined his expensive farm machinery and covered the first floor of his house, Kiichi Endo let out a short sigh thinking of the years it will take before he can grow crops again on soil damaged by seawater.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Apr 7, 2011

JET post best, not 'pityfest'

SHICHIGAHAMA, Miyagi Pref. — There is a picture folder in Marti McElreath's Facebook account that chronicles her time in Shichigahama, a town located on a small peninsula in Miyagi Prefecture less than an hour's drive from Sendai and where she has been working since last summer under the Japan Exchange...

Japan Times

JAPAN

Apr 6, 2011

Relief workers must adjust quickly

Numerous relief organizations, volunteer groups and concerned individuals have offered support by distributing goods and lending a helping hand in the earthquake- and tsunami-hammered Tohoku region.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Apr 1, 2011

Tsunami-ravaged Ishinomaki slowly sets off on long road to recovery

Self-Defense Forces vehicles kick up clouds of dust as they make their way through narrow streets cleared through the piles of crushed houses, shops and fishing boats scattered like broken toys by the massive tsunami that killed thousands and flooded nearly half of this once beautiful city.

JAPAN

Mar 25, 2011

No. 3 cooling pump test-run readied

Work to restore key equipment at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant's crippled reactors continued Thursday, despite reports of smoke rising from reactors No. 1 through 4.

JAPAN

Mar 24, 2011

Tepco puts focus on reactivating cooling pumps at reactors 3, 4

Work continued Wednesday to restore electricity to key equipment at the crippled nuclear reactors in the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, a day after electricity was restored to all six reactors via outside power sources.

JAPAN

Mar 23, 2011

All reactors linked to outside power

Work to restore electricity and crucial cooling systems at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant resumed Tuesday, a day after workers were forced to evacuate when unidentified smoke spewed from reactors No. 2 and No. 3.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Q&A

Mar 20, 2011

Lowdown on nuclear crisis and potential scenarios

Frantic efforts to cool down the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant's overheating reactors and spent fuel rods are continuing, as workers rush to prevent highly toxic radiation from being released into the atmosphere.

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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