author

 
Menu
Search
 
May 20, 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.
For Alex K.T. Martin's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
JAPAN
Jul 9, 2009
New Minamata relief law enacted
The Diet enacted a new law Wednesday that expands relief to victims of Minamata disease by loosening the redress requirements for one of the worst industrial pollution cases in Japanese history.
JAPAN
Jul 4, 2009
New Minamata redress bill swiftly clears Lower House
A new law offering relief to Minamata disease patients cleared the Lower House Friday, a day after the ruling and opposition camps officially agreed to loosen the eligibility requirements for patients seeking compensation.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jul 3, 2009
Hatoyama gaffe exposes opposition rifts
When Democratic Party of Japan President Yukio Hatoyama let slip on FM radio on June 15 that a coalition with the Social Democratic Party and Kokumin Shinto (People's New Party) was paramount — but only until the DPJ wins next year's Upper House election and acquires a single-party majority —...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2009
Move reveals Aso's lack of power
Prime Minister Taro Aso's decision to bolster his depleted Cabinet appeared to be strategy as usual and his apparent inability to change the Liberal Democratic Party leadership is a sign party bigwigs still hold sway, but neither may matter in the looming general election, pundits said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2009
Upper House mulls transplant law
The Upper House began deliberations Friday on two amendments to the organ transplant law.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2009
Kids can be donors: Lower House
The Lower House passed a bill Thursday recognizing brain death as legal death, scrapping the age limit for organ transplants and paving the way for transplants for children under 15.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2009
No. 3 son readied to succeed Kim
Kim Jong Un, third son of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, is currently holding a low-ranking position within the National Defense Commission in preparation to succeed his father, according to recently obtained information from sources in Beijing close to the Pyongyang leadership.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2009
Pyongyang purge seen speeding helm change
As speculation mounts that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has selected third son Kim Jong Un to succeed him, information obtained Wednesday suggested a purge has begun of people close to Kim Jong Nam, the dictator's first son and former heir apparent to the hermit regime.
JAPAN
Jun 3, 2009
Letter to Obama likens North's gulags to Nazis
U.S. President Barack Obama, who will pay his respects Friday at the infamous Buchenwald Nazi concentration camp in Germany, has been sent an open letter from a Japanese citizens' group calling for the international community to denounce North Korea's notorious gulag system and not just focus on Pyongyang's...
JAPAN
Jun 2, 2009
DPJ submits bill to cut back on culture of hereditary politicians
The Democratic Party of Japan submitted a bill to the Lower House Monday aimed at cutting back on what many in the public believe is the unfair advantage enjoyed by so-called hereditary politicians.
JAPAN
May 29, 2009
Immigration bills threaten rights of foreigners: critics
Representatives of municipalities and human rights groups voiced their opposition Thursday to government-sponsored immigration bills they say will lead to violations of foreigners' rights and excessive control over them.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 27, 2009
DPJ won't hike tax, Okada says
The consumption tax would likely not be raised for the next four years if the Democratic Party of Japan wins the upcoming general election, DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada declared in an interview Tuesday.
JAPAN / History
May 21, 2009
Apologize on record, ex-POW urges
Former prisoner of war Raymond Heimbuch told members of the Democratic Party of Japan at a hearing Wednesday that he wants an official apology from the Japanese government extended to him and to other POWs.
JAPAN
May 21, 2009
Signs in North point to Kim's third son being heir
Students in North Korea are singing songs in praise of Kim Jong Il's third son and potential successor, Kim Jong Un, a recently obtained report said, indicating that a full-scale power shift may be on as news of the North Korean leader's ailing health fuels speculation over who will lead the reclusive...
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 20, 2009
Launch of DPJ executive lineup draws flak for Ozawa role
New Democratic Party of Japan President Yukio Hatoyama officially launched his executive lineup Tuesday, with Katsuya Okada, his rival in the party leadership race, as secretary general and former DPJ boss Ichiro Ozawa as deputy party chief in charge of election strategy.
Japan Times
Events / WHERE IT'S AT
May 19, 2009
Bike ride puts new spin on fund-raising
On a cloudy Friday morning late last month, 11 bicycle riders gathered on the playground of Meisei Gakuen school for the deaf in Shinagawa, Tokyo, to kick off a 1,250-km fund-raising bike ride to support the children attending the school.
JAPAN
May 16, 2009
Bill would allow organ harvesting from children with parental OK
As pressure mounts to revise the controversial organ transplant law, lawmakers across party lines submitted a fresh bill Friday to the Diet on top of the three bills that are already being deliberated.
JAPAN
May 15, 2009
Ozawa to still play key role, rivals vow
Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama and deputy chief Katsuya Okada, the two candidates running in Saturday's DPJ presidential race, said Thursday resigning President Ichiro Ozawa will still serve in a key post.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 14, 2009
Okada, Hatoyama enter race
Democratic Party of Japan Vice President Katsuya Okada and DPJ Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama declared Wednesday they will enter the race to replace President Ichiro Ozawa, who announced his resignation earlier in the week under a cloud of scandal.
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.
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.
Fuchu Prison adapting to foreign prisoners
From the outside, the light-brown complex that is Fuchu Prison in western Tokyo could easily be mistaken for a city hall.
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.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Things may look perfect to the outside world, but today's mom is fine with some imperfection at home.
How 'Reiwa moms' are reshaping motherhood in Japan
By Mai Yoshikawa

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Spotlighting a Niigata castle town through sushi
Spotlighting a Niigata castle town through sushi

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER