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September 01, 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
May 31, 2017
Prime Minister Abe unveils government push to solve day care crunch
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Wednesday his government will create 220,000 new day care spots, bringing the number of children on the waiting list for nurseries to zero by 2020.
JAPAN / Society
May 31, 2017
Soccer star Honda's tweet on government suicide data draws criticism by some, praise by others
Soccer star Keisuke Honda has caused a stir on social media with an impassioned "motivational" tweet he posted in response to a news report about Tuesday's government white paper on suicide.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
May 31, 2017
Japan violating anti-smoking treaty by bowing to tobacco industry, expert says
The government's move to ban smoking in indoor public places ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has hit a snag due to staunch resistance from lawmakers in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party trumpeting smokers' rights and the need to protect the tobacco industry.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
May 30, 2017
Suicides down, but Japan still second highest among major industrialized nations, report says
The nation's suicide rate is the sixth highest in the world and the second worst among eight major industrialized countries, a government report released Tuesday said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 24, 2017
Japanese residents of Manchester shaken by terrorist attack
Japanese residents in Manchester, England, expressed shock that the deadly terrorist attack at a concert hall took place in a city known for welcoming different cultures.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
May 24, 2017
Experts say Japan should examine male infertility amid falling birthrate
In mid-December, when news emerged that the number of newborn babies in Japan in 2016 would likely fall below 1 million for the first time since the government started collecting data in 1899, it sparked a renewed debate on how to reverse the downtrend in the fertility rate.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 17, 2017
Continuing streak, Japan leads world in life expectancy, WHO report says
People in Japan continue to outlive those in other countries, marking the world's longest average life expectancy of 83.7 years, according to the latest World Health Organization report released Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
May 17, 2017
Looking beyond abstinence, Kanagawa facility opens Japan's first 'controlled drinking' program
Have a drinking problem? Don't worry, you can keep drinking while working to get over it.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 15, 2017
Medical big data to be pooled for disease research and drug development in Japan
Last month a bill aimed at facilitating medical research through the use of patient records stored at medical institutions cleared the Diet.
JAPAN / Society
May 11, 2017
Labor ministry names and shames businesses that exploit workers despite warnings
In a first, the labor ministry publishes the names of 334 “black companies” warned about excessive overtime or other violations online, including Dentsu, Panasonic and Japan Post.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
May 10, 2017
Yamagata town to test using dogs to detect cancers
Dogs are not only loving companions. They could also be our most reliable weapon against cancer.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
May 5, 2017
Professor examines Lolita complex by first looking at his own experience
Lolita complex, the sexual attraction to young, pubescent girls, is woven into the fabric of everyday life in Japan. Turn on the TV and you'll see group after group of scantily-clad teenage and preteen girls singing or dancing to music. Peek in any bookstore and you'll find a section of photo books featuring...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
May 3, 2017
Developer taps power of design to create dementia-friendly housing in Setagaya
Despite all the talk about the swelling ranks of people with dementia in Japan and what to do with them, there has been little discussion so far about housing designs that meet their needs.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
Apr 26, 2017
Todai-linked venture developing technology for speedy home flu test
Every winter, people running a fever and complaining of muscle pain swarm the nation's clinics, suspecting one thing: the flu.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
Apr 19, 2017
Language barriers at Japanese medical institutions put foreign patients at risk: expert
Here's a little-known, unnerving truth about health care in Japan: for non-Japanese, the death rate is higher than that for Japanese.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 12, 2017
JAL and ANA say overbooking violence would never happen in Japan
The violent video of a passenger being forcibly removed from an overbooked United Airlines flight on Sunday has gone viral around the world, including in Japan, sparking outcry and concern that a similar incident could happen here.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
Apr 12, 2017
Tottori venture touts simulated patient for budding medical professionals
It looks and feels like a real person. It can cough, has a gag reflex and will even cry “ouch!” if handled roughly.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Apr 10, 2017
Japan's population projected to plunge to 88 million by 2065
The population of Japan is expected to plunge to 88.08 million in 2065, a roughly 30 percent fall from the 2015 level, according to a government-affiliated research institute.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Apr 10, 2017
Robotics whiz envisions prosthetic limbs for all
A high school teacher in a black coat enters the classroom. "Good morning," he says to the students before starting his lecture, with his right hand busily scribbling something on a blackboard and his left holding a physics textbook.
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
Apr 5, 2017
When it comes to health info, online 'fake news' can have serious repercussions
A recent "fake news" scandal involving IT giant DeNA Co. shows how quickly bogus health information can make the rounds online.
Top Japan trade negotiator canceled U.S. trip over rice, report says
Ryosei Akazawa
‘Mount Fuji Lawson’ becomes a symbol of Japan’s overtourism problem
A couple poses for a wedding photo in front of a Lawson in the town of Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Aug. 25.
Philippine bid to acquire used Japanese warships gains steam
Tokyo is looking to transfer Abukuma-class vessels to the Philippines as part of broader efforts to boost the defense capabilities of like-minded neighbors amid growing Chinese military assertiveness in the region.
Japan to launch broad review of immigration policies amid rise in foreign nationals
Foreign tourists at Narita Airport in June. A report released Friday stresses that Japan is at a turning point and that current ad-hoc measures on immigration are no longer sufficient.
The Nobel Prize and a testy phone call: How the Trump-Modi relationship unraveled
U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greet one another at the start of a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington in February.
How Tokyo's Ueno Zoo helps their animals cope with extreme heat
A polar bear at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo on Thursday. The Arctic animals are among the most vulnerable species to Japan's scorching summer heat and zookeepers have to take a number of precautions in order to keep them safe.
Japan to launch broad review of immigration policies amid rise in foreign nationals
Foreign tourists at Narita Airport in June. A report released Friday stresses that Japan is at a turning point and that current ad-hoc measures on immigration are no longer sufficient.
Sip a bespoke coffee for ¥4,000
At Kuro Mame, baristas customize the coffee according to the guest's preferences.
Japan is warming up to tattoos — just not permanent ones
Tattoos have a complex history in Japan, but new types of temporary ink are letting locals curious about body art experiment without the commitment.
YouTube Music Weekend is where Japan’s internet-born performers go global
Headlining the second day of YouTube Music Weekend is Vocaloid artist Kikuo, who, with 1.46 million YouTube subscribers, is one of the most popular artists in the genre.

Podcast

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

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past
By Alex K.T. Martin

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