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 Yoko Ishikura

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Yoko Ishikura
For Yoko Ishikura's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 8, 2019
Setsubun: Killing two birds with one bean
Changing food consumption patterns takes time, and weighing the significance of Setsubun can trigger the first step forward.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 16, 2019
The critical importance of staying connected
Preparing for what has been touted as the '100-year life' is not a task for elderly people or the government alone.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 13, 2018
December: A month to decide what to stop doing
It is time for us to reflect on our routine activities and why we do what we have been habitually doing.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 7, 2018
Can foreign labor make Japan great again?
Exposure to workers from different countries and backgrounds will help Japanese people develop a global mindset.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 17, 2018
The need for a skill-based approach to jobs
Keidanren's easing of recruiting limitations represents a small step toward better hiring practices in Japan.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 23, 2018
Stop talking about innovation and act
Japanese waste too much time talking about innovation instead of risking failure and blazing new trails.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 15, 2018
Start lifetime learning now
We need to depart from the conventional thinking that a majority of learning takes place when we are young and mainly at school.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 10, 2018
Shareholder meetings: What's your version?
Regardless of our employment status, it is imperative for us to constantly think how we can increase our value.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 12, 2018
What umbrellas can teach us about diversity
Noticing the differences between one's own country and others, however small they may be, can be the first step to realizing that diversity exists.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 13, 2018
Open doors are the key to the future
Encouraging the free flow of people both at the individual and organizational level makes perfect sense.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 9, 2018
How do you start your introduction: firm, school or you?
Is the entrenched practice of organizational identification discouraging many Japanese from seeking their own identity and purpose?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 11, 2018
Are we addressing the core labor issues?
Corporate Japan must change its 20th-century mentality toward work.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 12, 2018
The absence of the dame moto mentality
Telling a Japanese person to 'go for it' is unlikely to get the response you want.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 11, 2018
People of Japan, take a clear stance
Japanese are all too often reluctant to offer an opinion — on anything.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 11, 2017
Do you know your own productivity?
Becoming more productive is a goal that everyone can achieve with the right effort.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 13, 2017
Be proactive and design a 100-year life yourself
Visualize the life you want in retirement, and start acting now to make sure it becomes reality.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 8, 2017
Freeing Japanese from English trauma
Recently, I have seen two trends going on regarding English communication skills in Japan. One is the heightened interest in developing English skills among young children. The other is the high expectation for auto-translation, particularly for English-Japanese.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 2, 2015
Asia urgently needs greater mobility for skilled workers
It is imperative that ASEAN lays out an ambitious road map toward freer movement for the region's high-skilled citizens.
Japan Times
JAPAN / DAVOS SPECIAL 2015
Jan 21, 2015
Transitioning from spectator to participant at Davos meeting
The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum is underway in Davos-Klosters in Switzerland from Jan. 21. The theme of this year's meeting is "The New Global Context" for decision making.

Longform

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces