Tomoko Otake - The Japan Times

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 / EXPLAINER

Sep 26, 2016

Plan to fix day care crunch belies decades of pent-up demand

The shortage of day care facilities is a long-standing issue in Japan, where the ranks of working mothers keep swelling, both out of choice and necessity.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Science & Health

Sep 14, 2016

Expensive drugs threaten to sink Japan's health care system

An aging population is not the only cause of headache for policymakers trying to keep the nation's medical costs down — now they have "superexpensive" drugs to deal with.

JAPAN / Society

Sep 10, 2016

Is Japan waking up to the menace of stalking?

Health professionals are trying to be more proactive in rehabilitating stalkers before their actions escalate to something more sinister.

JAPAN / Society

Aug 25, 2016

Infant deaths underscore accountability gaps in Japan's nurseries

When Yuki Kai went to pick up her 14-month-old son, Kento, from a nursery in Tokyo after his nap time, she found him dead.

Japan Times

BUSINESS / Companies

Aug 16, 2016

'Pokemon Go'-like app allows living to plan missives from beyond the grave

Now that the explosive popularity of "Pokemon Go" has brought augmented reality technology within the reach of ordinary people, a tombstone company in Chiba Prefecture is taking it beyond the grave.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Aug 12, 2016

In safety push, Nissan turns camera on hot car interiors

In a parked, unmanned car, the cap on a plastic soda bottle pops off and the cola fizzes out. A plastic toy puppy sags and topples over. A chocolate bar and gummy candies melt into slime.

JAPAN / Science & Health

Aug 11, 2016

IBM big data used for rapid diagnosis of rare leukemia case in Japan

In a possible first in Japan, doctors have used artificial intelligence to diagnose a rare type of leukemia and identify life-saving therapy far faster than if they had examined the genetic data manually.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Aug 10, 2016

A third of Japan unaware of Mountain Day as holiday makes its debut

Nearly a third of people have never heard of Mountain Day, according to a new survey, as the newest official public holiday is set to be celebrated for the first time on Thursday.

JAPAN

Aug 1, 2016

Plan for new Korean school in Tokyo threatened by Koike election

Yuriko Koike could complicate already strained Japan-South Korea ties if she follows through with her promise to kill a plan to lease a property in Shinjuku Ward for use as a Korean school.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Jul 27, 2016

Cervical cancer vaccine suit filed over side effects

Sixty-three women and girls who reported side effects from cervical cancer vaccines sued the government and drugmakers on Wednesday as a sharp divide remained over the risks the medicine poses.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Jul 27, 2016

Medical marijuana advocate dies of cancer while on trial

A liver cancer patient who was fighting drug possession charges dies after spending his last days in court lobbying for medical use of marijuana in Japan.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Jul 26, 2016

Sagamihara killings reveal shortcomings in law to control knives

Tuesday's stabbing rampage in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, has highlighted the difficulty of reigning in crimes involving knives, despite a recent revision to the Firearm and Sword Control Law.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Jul 22, 2016

Tokyo gamers get first taste of 'Pokemon Go' after weeks of waiting

People young and old rushed to try out "Pokemon Go" on Friday, snaring monsters on the streets of Tokyo and searching for them in trains and offices as the GPS-crossover game finally launched in Japan.

JAPAN / Science & Health

Jul 22, 2016

Five-year survival rate for cancer patients improving, report shows

The five-year survival rate for people diagnosed with cancer from 2006 till 2008 was 62.1 percent, up 3.5 percentage points from the preceding three years, according to the latest statistics released by the National Cancer Center.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Jul 21, 2016

Warnings issued ahead of Japan release of 'Pokemon Go'

Excitement for the imminent Japan launch of "Pokemon Go" has reached such fever pitch that government authorities and business executives are warning prospective gamers against accidents even before its release.

JAPAN

Jul 20, 2016

In first, Tepco admits ice wall can't stop Fukushima No. 1 groundwater

The much-hyped ice wall at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant can't stop groundwater from entering its leaky, wrecked reactor buildings, Tokyo Electric admits.

Japan Times

JAPAN / EXPLAINER

Jul 19, 2016

Plastic debris in oceans a growing hazard as toxins climb the food chain

Plastic is part of the fabric of everyday life, from bags to bottles to synthetic clothing. In 2014, global production amounted to 311 million tons, up from 225 million tons in 2004, according to manufacturers group Plastics Europe.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Jul 19, 2016

Ex-JET teachers eyed to help improve English-language tourist information

Former Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme participants (JET program) could be tapped to improve English-language information at cultural landmarks under a proposal being considered by the Cultural Affairs Agency.

JAPAN / Science & Health

Jul 15, 2016

Cancer diagnoses in 2016 expected to top 1 million for first time

A record 1.01 million people are expected to be diagnosed with cancer this year, the first time the figure has topped the 1 million mark, the National Cancer Center said Friday.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Jul 6, 2016

Shinzato denies rape, says prejudging by public denies him 'fair trial' in Okinawa

An American man charged with raping and murdering a 20-year-old Okinawan woman says he did not intend to kill her.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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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