author

 
Menu
Search
 
April 26, 2025
 

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 / AT JAPAN'S EXPENSE
Jan 3, 2011
Japan not alone in demographic conundrum
Second in a series
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 28, 2010
Kabuki going strong, 400 years on
The media frenzy over kabuki star Ichikawa Ebizo's drunken midnight brawl in Tokyo last month may be a testament to how, 400 years after its birth, the genre remains a highly popular form of entertainment integral to Japanese culture.
Japan Times
JAPAN / READERS' FUND
Dec 23, 2010
Women in Afghanistan receive free literacy, IT lessons
Second in a series
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 11, 2010
Japan, EU encouraged to share consumer safety info, knowhow
Protecting the safety and interests of consumers is essential in an age of rapid globalization, and both Japan and the European Union could benefit from exchanging practical information and experiences, journalists and experts agreed during a recent conference.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2010
Kabuki star apologizes for drunken brawl
Kabuki star Ichikawa Ebizo, injured during a midnight brawl in a Tokyo bar late last month, apologized Tuesday for disappointing his fans and promised to keep away from alcohol.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 7, 2010
Dead American's kin seek justice
Family and friends of Hoon "Scott" Kang say the 19-year-old's death in Tokyo in August left too many questions unanswered and are seeking ways to shed more light on the case.
JAPAN / LIVING IN LUXURY
Dec 3, 2010
Tycoon's mansion now campus landmark
One of the final works of English architect Josiah Condor before his death in 1920 was the Tokyo manor of Duke Tadashige Shimazu, a house built in Italian Renaissance style that has become the symbol of Seisen University.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2010
UNESCO selects Nicol woodland
The UNESCO branch in Japan announced Wednesday that writer and environmentalist C.W. Nicol's Afan Woodland Trust has been registered as one of its "future heritage sites."
JAPAN / Q&A
Nov 27, 2010
Don't let parcel plot spoil gift-giving plans
Those who plan on sending Christmas gifts to the United States this holiday season may want to think twice now that parcel delivery companies are restricting U.S.-bound mail at the behest of airlines complying with new U.S. counterterrorism measures.
JAPAN
Nov 20, 2010
Cram school buys out Shane English School
Cram school operator Eikoh Inc. said Friday it has acquired Shane English School to strengthen its English-language education for elementary school children ahead of the planned compulsory teaching of the language for fifth- and sixth-graders.
JAPAN
Nov 20, 2010
Mongolia leader here for loan, ties
Japan and Mongolia can benefit by strengthening their strategic partnership and combining Japan's advanced technology with Mongolia's abundant natural resources, Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj said Friday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Nov 17, 2010
Media bent on derailing ruling DPJ: van Wolferen
The domestic media's penchant for focusing on political power games instead of policies is hampering the ruling Democratic Party of Japan's attempts to govern, veteran correspondent and Japan expert Karel van Wolferen said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Nov 3, 2010
Noda to opposition: Cooperate on budget
Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda in a financial policy speech Tuesday called for the opposition camp to cooperate and help swiftly pass the supplementary budget for fiscal 2010.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Oct 26, 2010
LDP by-election win may be slap at DPJ but little else
Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Nobutaka Machimura's victory Sunday in the Lower House by-election in Hokkaido for the Hokkaido No. 5 constituency has dealt another blow to the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, which suffered a huge setback in the July Upper House election.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2010
Okada urges less heat in Senkaku row
Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Katsuya Okada cautioned both Japan and China not to resort to extreme nationalism following the recent bilateral spat in connection with the Senkaku Islands.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 13, 2010
No easy way out of 'twisted' Diet
The Democratic Party of Japan has faced a divided Diet since its ruling coalition lost its Upper House majority in July's election. While the DPJ-led coalition retains a majority of seats in the more powerful Lower House, the opposition now controls the other chamber, giving it the power to veto the...
JAPAN
Oct 2, 2010
Kan vows measures to protect economy
Prime Minister Naoto Kan vowed Friday to fix the suffering economy with a stream of measures aimed at putting the brakes on deflation and coping with the strong yen.
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2010
Rocky road ahead for Kan as DPJ addresses economy
The top priority for Prime Minister Naoto Kan and the Democratic Party of Japan during the extraordinary Diet session Friday will be to clear a supplementary budget to kick start the feeble economy.
JAPAN
Sep 25, 2010
Friction cited in move to free Chinese skipper
Japan was set to release a Chinese fishing boat captain as early as late Friday because his detention over a territorial dispute has strained bilateral relations, the transport ministry said.
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2010
DPJ bumps up extraordinary Diet session to Oct. 1
The government and the ruling Democratic Party of Japan decided Wednesday to convene an extraordinary Diet session on Oct. 1 instead of Oct. 6.
Japan unveils new overtourism countermeasures
The majority of tourists in Japan tend to stay in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto, resulting in overcrowding in popular tourist spots and a strain on transportation systems.
South Korea couple beat same-sex barriers to parenthood
South Korean lesbian couple Kim Kyu-jin (left) and her wife, Kim Sae-yeon, pose with a "pregnant woman" badge during an interview in Seoul last month.
Toyoko Kids: The lonely street children of Tokyo
Many young people who feel neglected at home flock to the Toyoko area to find a community where they can fit in.
Opportunities await the bold in the Year of the Wood Dragon
2024 marks the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac, with the year predicted to be a good time for fresh starts.
Don’t worry about global population collapse
Most projections show the world will hit peak humanity in the 21st century as people choose to have smaller families and women gain power over their own reproduction.
Amid uncertain tariffs, is now the time to buy a new iPhone?
An Apple store in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward in September. Prices for the newest iPhone models start at around ¥100,000 ($700) in Japan.
Built in a flash, Osaka Expo pavilions wrestle with sustainability
Kengo Kuma & Associates oversaw the construction of the Malaysia pavilion, which is encased in interwoven rows of bamboo that appear to ripple.
Japan weighs using U.S. rice imports as tariff negotiation tool with Trump
A restaurant owner pours California-grown Calrose rice into a rice cooker at his restaurant in Tokyo
Is Japan’s parliament ready to welcome more youth to its ranks?
Lower House lawmaker Kai Odake in his Tokyo office on Wednesday
Crow meat, goat tartare: Mauvaise Herbe raises its game
Crow meat, shaped into a ball and attached to a foot of the bird, is one of the peculiar offerings of game at Mauvaise Herbe.

Podcast

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

Longform

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

Tsukuba massif granite, one of the world’s few heritage stones
Tsukuba massif granite, one of the world’s few heritage stones

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER