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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 / Society
Mar 29, 2017
Families of 'karoshi' victims lambaste overtime cap recommendations as legalizing unhealthy working hours
Families of people who have died from overwork blasted a report adopted Tuesday by a government labor reform panel, saying its call for creating a monthly overtime cap of 100 hours could effectively legalize long working hours at the expense of workers' health.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Mar 24, 2017
Entrepreneurs use their diseases as springboard for business success
Despite calls for diversity in the workplace and "work-style reforms" being debated in the government, Japan has yet to come up with a way to fully utilize the talent of all who wish to work, especially those with rare and incurable diseases.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 24, 2017
Kyoto University professor does the math and finds that sperm swim to a beat
We know that the upshot of sex between a man and a woman is more than 50 million sperm racing to reach one egg, though exactly how sperm swim through a woman’s body and how just one survives the journey to fertilize an egg is full of mystery.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2017
Huge number of articles on DeNA info websites found to have plagiarism, copyright issues
A three-month probe uncovers problems with around 20,000 articles uploaded on 10 health and lifestyle information websites run by DeNA Co.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 9, 2017
Patent authority rules against Nintendo, lets go-kart firm keep MariCar trademark
The Japan Patent Office in January dismissed an objection filed by Nintendo Co. over the MariCar trademark registered by a Tokyo-based go-kart service company, it was learned Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / FOCUS
Mar 8, 2017
New guidelines tackle misuse of antibiotics amid rise of superbugs
Public health officials have begun tackling the misuse and overuse of antibiotics, as the prevalence of superbugs, or bacteria resistant to antibiotics, reaches alarming levels worldwide.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 27, 2017
Tax break for OTC drugs seeks to get Japanese managing their health, not swarming clinics
Buying medicine at a drugstore can now save you taxes.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 24, 2017
20% of Tokyo's children from impoverished households: survey
A fifth of the children in the capital are from households in dire financial straits struggling to survive, a survey finds.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2017
Japan's buckling health care system at a crossroads
U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to repeal “Obamacare” has left many people here wondering: How does Japan compare?
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2017
Japan's health care system edges foreign care in expat survey
Just over half of non-Japanese residents feel Japan's health care system is generally better than that in their home countries, a trend particularly pronounced among U.S. citizens, with 3 out of 4 rating it more highly, an informal Japan Times survey has found.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2017
Japanese offer mixed views of foreign health care
Japanese people who have received medical care overseas have mixed views of other countries' health systems, according to an online straw poll conducted by The Japan Times.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 7, 2017
U.S. patients could end up paying the price if travel ban bars foreign doctors, Japanese researcher says
U.S. President Donald Trump's travel ban for citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries could end up impairing the health of Americans, according to a new study led by a Harvard University-based Japanese researcher.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 3, 2017
Schools close, hospitals swell as influenza spikes
Japan sees a surge of 400,000 influenza cases in just one week as patients rush to get doctor's notes instead of resting.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 21, 2017
When pollen attacks! Experts reveal new approaches to combating hay fever
With the allergy season just around the corner, we examine the latest attempts to stem one of the country's most irritating problems.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2017
Apa takes flak from China over books in its inns denying Nanking Massacre
Major hotel chain operator Apa Group is facing fierce criticism after two students who stayed at one of its hotels in Tokyo posted a video about a book written by its CEO, which claims the 1937 Nanking Massacre committed by the Imperial Japanese Army was "fabricated by the Chinese side."
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jan 12, 2017
Japanese city to use vein data to identify lost dementia sufferers
In a possible first for Japan, the city of Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture, will start an experiment to register the vein data of elderly residents with dementia so they can be instantly identified if they wander off and are found without an ID.
JAPAN
Jan 12, 2017
Fukushima hospital finds temporary replacement after only doctor dies
A Fukushima hospital that suddenly found itself in crisis following the death last month of its only full-time doctor has found a temporary replacement for late director Hideo Takano.
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2017
Number of foreign visitors to Japan tops 20 million mark for first time
The number of foreign visitors to Japan hit a whopping 24.03 million last year, but the growth rate has started to slow down.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 6, 2017
Death of doctor in Fukushima disaster zone hospital throws patients’ futures into question
The only hospital to brave Fukushima's radiation woes loses its only full-time doctor, throwing its patients' fates into doubt.
JAPAN / GEARING UP FOR THE GAMES
Jan 5, 2017
Advanced tech used by Paralympic athletes could throw perception of disabilities into question
On Dec. 10, some 40 elementary school children showed up for a running workshop at Shin-Toyosu Brillia Running Stadium, a brand new indoor track facility opened the day before in Tokyo's waterfront Toyosu district.
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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.
We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.

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