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October 31, 2025
 

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Tomoko Otake

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Tomoko Otake
Tomoko Otake is a senior writer with a strong interest in health, medical and social issues. A native of Nara Prefecture, she obtained an M.A. in journalism from The University of Montana.
JAPAN
Sep 2, 2022
Japan drafts plan to punish hospitals and people for skirting pandemic rules
The government is planning to revise a related law to mandate that people suspected of having COVID-19 isolate at home.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 30, 2022
Japan OKs third Pfizer shot for children and AstraZeneca COVID treatment
Children between the ages of 5 and 11 will be able to get the booster shot five months or more after they received their second dose.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2022
Mapping Ukraine’s war damage, one image at a time
University of Tokyo professor Hidenori Watanave has used satellite images and crowdsourced photos to track the damage caused by Russia's invasion.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 24, 2022
Japan to drop pre-arrival testing for vaccinated travelers next month
To ease the burden on medical institutions, paperwork will also be simplified for doctors in areas with large COVID-19 numbers.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Aug 22, 2022
With COVID-19 cases still high, Japan debates how best to monitor them
The present system is being reviewed by health authorities, as it places an enormous administrative burden on medical institutions.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 21, 2022
Japan looks to sewage to gain new insight into state of pandemic
Following the example of other countries, Japan is carrying out pilot projects that monitor wastewater for levels of COVID-19.
JAPAN / Explainer
Aug 5, 2022
How to self-test for COVID in Japan, and which antigen kits to use
Two kinds of antigen test kits are available, but most municipalities only accept those identified as being for medical use. Here's a guide on where and how to get them.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Aug 3, 2022
Japan's biggest COVID wave yet pushes medical system near to its limit
Despite data suggesting that many patients now only develop mild symptoms, the nation's health care system is strained more than ever before.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 2, 2022
Japan study shows protein in blood post-infection may predict COVID severity
Patients with particularly elevated levels of MYL9 are at greater risk of severe illness, Chiba University Hospital researchers have found.
JAPAN
Jul 29, 2022
Japan to let prefectures declare new anti-COVID measures but won't curb social activities
Governors will now be able to declare that their prefectures are in need of measures to counter the BA.5 subvariant when their health care systems are severely strained.
JAPAN / Science & Health / EXPLAINER
Jul 28, 2022
Everything you need to know about BA.5, the dominant strain spreading across Japan
Amid a seventh wave of infections, daily case numbers have been reaching unprecedented highs, with the nation logging 969,000 cases over the seven-day span to Sunday.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2022
Japan moves to prevent spread of monkeypox after confirming first case
Health minister Shigeyuki Goto has said that the ministry will continue to search for more information about the first patient, including the route of transmission.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2022
Japan confirms first monkeypox case as it steps up preparation for outbreak
The patient, a Tokyo resident in his 30s, had traveled to Europe in mid-June and had contact with someone who was later diagnosed with the disease.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2022
As COVID wave grows, Japan beefs up response but won't limit business activities
With the seventh wave reaching unprecedented heights, the government is ramping up the number of hospital beds available and expanding the scope of those eligible for fourth vaccine shots.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 20, 2022
Health ministry panel delays decision on emergency approval for Shionogi’s COVID pill
The delay is a blow to one of Japan's largest drugmakers and also raises questions about the process for drugs to gain fast-track approvals in times of emergency.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 17, 2022
Ocean acidification threatens some of Japan’s favorite seafood
The process driven by climate change poses a threat to the future of the fishery and aquaculture industries, researchers say.
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2022
Japan lawyers push back against Unification Church's donation claims
The spotlight has fallen on donations to the church following claims by suspect in the shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 11, 2022
Unification Church says Abe shooting suspect’s mother is follower
The suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, reportedly harbored a grudge against Abe over what he believed were the former prime minister's ties to the group.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 11, 2022
Women win record 35 of 125 seats in Japan's Upper House election
A record high 181 women ran in the Upper House poll, where half of the chamber's seats were up for grabs.
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2022
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe assassinated
A suspect was arrested after Abe, one of the most consequential leaders in Japan's postwar history, was shot while campaigning in the city of Nara on Friday.
Takaichi buys time and builds trust with ‘near-perfect’ Trump summit
U.S. President Donald Trump walks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi aboard the USS George Washington aircraft carrier during a visit to the U.S. Navy's Yokosuka base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Tuesday.
Trump trims fentanyl-linked China tariffs after 'amazing' Xi meeting
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping greet each other as they arrive for talks at the Gimhae Air Base, next to the Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, on Thursday.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell
Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
Kyushu banzuke sets the stage to cement 2025’s sumo narratives
Onosato ahead of his bout against Aonishiki at The Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Oct. 18
Takaichi pushed back on U.S. request to ban Russian gas imports, sources say
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reportedly turned down a request from the U.S. to cease imports of liquefied natural gas from Russia.
Oasis returns to Japan after 16 years — and fans can still sing every word
Liam Gallagher commanded the stage with effortless charisma during Oasis' Tokyo Dome set on Saturday.
At Japan Mobility Show, BYD gears up to conquer Japan's EV market
BYD Auto Japan President Atsuki Tofukuji unveils the Racco at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Oasis returns to Tokyo: Rain, rapture and rock
Fans wait to get into the Oasis show at Tokyo Dome on Saturday. While lining up in the rain, some broke into impromptu versions of the British rock group's hits.
Kyushu banzuke sets the stage to cement 2025’s sumo narratives
Onosato ahead of his bout against Aonishiki at The Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Oct. 18
Tokyo Film Festival opens with global stars and a spotlight on Asian storytelling
Director Junji Sakamoto (left) walked the Tokyo International Film Festival red carpet with Sayuri Yoshinaga (center) and Non (right), who both play mountaineer Junko Tabei, the first woman to summit Mount Everest, in the biopic "Climbing for Life."

Podcast

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

Longform

Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo
Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo

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