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September 04, 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
Nov 17, 2015
Japan piling probe to expand to entire industry as data falsification fears grow
The infrastructure ministry says it will expand its probe into data management for piling work to the entire industry, as fears of manipulation involving building foundation piles continue to grow.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Nov 16, 2015
'Proactive pacifism' makes Japan a target for Islamic terrorists: experts
The terrorist attacks Friday in Paris highlight the need for Japan to be on high alert as it prepares to host such high-profile events as next year's Group of Seven summit and the 2020 Summer Olympics.
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2015
Asahi Kasei piling scandal grows to at least 50 workers, 266 sites
The company at the center of Yokohama's tilting condominium reveals that over 50 employees falsified data on at least 266 piling projects over the past decade.
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2015
Nominees announced for year's top buzzwords
The Jiyukokuminsha publishing house on Tuesday announced 50 nominees for this year's top buzzwords, covering everything from the "bakugai" (explosive shopping spree) carried out by Chinese tourists to "Goromaru pozu," referring to rugby star Ayumu Goromaru's characteristic clasping of his hands before...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Nov 1, 2015
Entrepreneurial lawyer takes legal services into Internet age
Becoming a lawyer used to be the ultimate status symbol in Japan. Bar exams were extremely hard to pass, so hard that once they obtained the license, lawyers were pretty much guaranteed a successful life afterward.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2015
Piling scandal probe may expand to other firms, minister hints
The infrastructure minister lashes out at Asahi Kasei Construction Materials for falsifying the piling records of building foundations and hints a state probe might expand to snare other contractors.
JAPAN
Oct 28, 2015
Koto Ward office building eyed for children's 'English village' learning center
The idyllic-sounding "English village" planned by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government as a learning tool to help local children overcome their apprehension about speaking English may be erected in an office building in Koto Ward near the waterfront in 2018.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / CABINET INTERVIEW
Oct 23, 2015
Kono flags crackdown on expat 'welfare cheats'
The government considers toughening eligibility requirements for welfare benefits in a move that could affect a number of foreign residents.
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2015
Asahi Kasei subsidiary worker linked to leaning Yokohama condo handled 41 projects over 10 years, firm reveals
An Asahi Kasei Construction Materials Corp. employee at the center of a tilting condo controversy oversaw 41 projects in nine prefectures over 10 years.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 20, 2015
Asahi Kasei vows independent probe over tilting condo building
Top executives of Asahi Kasei Corp., parent of the company that handled the piling work for a tilting Yokohama condominium building, apologize and say the company will do its best to discover the facts surrounding the case.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 19, 2015
Universal Studios Japan cracking down on ticket scalping
Rampant ticket scalping has angered the operator of the Universal Studios Japan to the point where the theme park will institute a zero tolerance policy starting Nov. 1.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 16, 2015
Recent Nobels aside, Japan faces future slide in scientific research
Japan was euphoric last week after Japanese scientists won Nobel Prizes on two consecutive days — first in medicine and then in physics.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Oct 15, 2015
Group petitions for revisions to labor laws to help keep new mothers in work
A Tokyo-based nonprofit organization fighting matahara, workplace discrimination against pregnant women and the intimidation of those trying for a child, is seeking revisions to the child care leave law on the grounds that it discriminates against nonregular workers.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 9, 2015
Technology key to clinching overseas projects, new infrastructure minister says
Japan should keep promoting its high technological standards when pushing for infrastructure projects overseas, despite a recent loss to China on bidding for Indonesia's first high-speed railway, the new land, infrastructure, transport and tourism minister said Friday.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 5, 2015
Shortcomings identified in new reporting system into hospital deaths
On Thursday, the government launched a new reporting system for deaths resulting from medical care. The iryojiko chosa seido (medical accidents investigation system), created based on last year's revisions to the Medical Care Law, is aimed at preventing recurrences of medical accidents and ensuring patient...
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Oct 4, 2015
Chance chat in Gaza alters a life
Kenji Sekine might have ended up as a wine importer at a supermarket chain in Tokyo had it not been for a chance encounter with a Palestinian boy during a trip to the Middle East in early 1999.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 30, 2015
Grandson of atomic bomb crewman writes of hibakusha horrors
The grandson of a U.S. serviceman who flew on both planes that dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 has devoted himself to a project almost unimaginable 70 years ago: spreading the stories of horror experienced by the hibakusha.
Reference / Q&A
Sep 25, 2015
Detecting breast cancer is not an exact science
Former professional wrestler-turned TV personality Akira Hokuto, 48, made headlines this week when she announced on Wednesday she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She had surgery to remove her right breast on Thursday.
JAPAN
Sep 24, 2015
Stadium officials 'failed to develop system to properly manage complex project,' report finds
Sports minister Hakubun Shimomura among those who failed to develop an organizational structure capable of handling the new National Stadium project, a report has found.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 24, 2015
Japan far from confronting hereditary breast cancer, but Jolie effect is helping
For years, Makiko Dazai had nagging questions about her sister's death from ovarian cancer in 2008.
Surrounded by Chinese bases, a tiny Philippine island stands firm
A Philippine Navy sailor looks at a China Coast Guard vessel just off the coast of Pag-asa Island in the disputed South China Sea last month.
Musk voices support for anti-immigration rally in Japan
Elon Musk has voiced support for anti-immigration protest in Japan, where a "Japanese First" party saw gains in recent elections.
Suntory CEO Takeshi Niinami resigns over alleged possession of illegal drugs
Takeshi Niinami, then-chief executive officer of Suntory Holdings, in May 2024
‘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.
Indian delegation to Shanghai summit will give China's parade a miss
Members of the Indian delegation, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi (third from left), attend a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, China, on Monday.
Xi — joined by Kim and Putin — delivers stark warning at military parade
Chinese leader Xi Jinping walks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing on Wednesday.
Tamagotchi hatches 100 million shipments worldwide thanks to ’90s nostalgia
The latest version of Tamagotchi, called Tamagotchi Paradise, is awarded the best digital toy at Tokyo Toy Show on Aug. 28.
Why Stalin didn’t invade Hokkaido still largely unknown, 80 years after WWII
During a survey to collect the remains of victims from the Taito Maru, one of the vessels involved in the Three Ships Incident, a metal helmet was found near the stern of the vessel on Aug. 5, 1984, at Rumoi Port. No human remains were discovered.
More sweltering days forecast for September after hottest summer on record
By the end of August, 8,341 people had been transported by ambulance for heatstroke in Tokyo alone.
Surrounded by Chinese bases, a tiny Philippine island stands firm
A Philippine Navy sailor looks at a China Coast Guard vessel just off the coast of Pag-asa Island in the disputed South China Sea last month.

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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