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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 Times
JAPAN / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Apr 19, 2015
For foreign caregivers, role remains ambiguous
Does Japan really want to accept foreign caregivers?
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 16, 2015
Hotel group inks trial covering bathers' tattoos with stickers
The no-tattoos policy at many of Japan's public bathhouses might become a thing of the past if one hotel group's experiment with stickers to cover guests' body art gains traction.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 10, 2015
Okinawa activists establish fund to fight Futenma base move
Money matters in politics. This is something Okinawans locking horns with the central government over the plan to relocate U.S. Marine Corp Air Station Futenma seem to have cottoned on to, setting up a private-sector fund to promote their anti-base cause.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2015
Sandwiched between Yokota, Narita airspace, ever-busy Haneda looks to route some flights over metropolis
Faced with an urgent need to expand the capacity of Haneda airport ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the government is planning to break a longtime taboo: routing flights low over densely populated residential areas of the capital and its suburbs.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 13, 2015
Math enthusiasts to mark once-in-a-century Pi Day
Saturday marks Pi Day, the day to commemorate the mathematical concept of pi — which refers to the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. Many math scientists and students around the world celebrate pi every March 14, as its first three digits are 3, 1 and 4.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Feb 17, 2015
Voiceless minority: People lacking family registry live on the outside, buried in red tape
Osaka native Haruko Kubota has waged a lifelong struggle to be "certified" as a living resident.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2015
Conflict-zone scribes fear fallout from intrepid journalist's death
The tragic death of Kenji Goto highlights a dilemma that the journalism community in Japan has long struggled with: how much of a risk reporters should take on when working in dangerous conflict zones.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2015
Journalists criticize Abe's response to hostage crisis
As the hostage drama continues over two Japanese held by the Islamic State group, journalists versed in Middle Eastern affairs are questioning how the Abe administration is handling the crisis.
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2015
Respected journalist Goto aims to tell world of Syrians' suffering
Kenji Goto is among a rare breed of journalists who, while reporting from conflict-ridden Syria, has never regarded himself as a war reporter. Instead, he has tried to capture the voices of ordinary citizens whose fates have been irreversibly changed by war.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / Q&A
Dec 9, 2014
'Right to be forgotten' on the Internet gains traction in Japan
The Internet has made fact-checking easy and people routinely use it for this end, for example, to Google client names and personal backgrounds before their first business meeting, or to take a quick glance at a potential new hire's reputation.
JAPAN
Oct 17, 2014
Ruling denying welfare for foreign residents finds homegrown, biased support
The landmark Supreme Court ruling in July that found permanent residents of Japan legally ineligible for public assistance is already having an impact. Moves are afoot both at the national and local levels to try to scale back or remove welfare payments to foreign residents.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Sep 17, 2014
No use fighting the tide of online journalism, experts say
Major news organizations in Japan have been somewhat insulated from the seismic shift taking place in online journalism around the world. Helped by their still strong, if waning, presence in print, Japan's five national newspaper companies, each boasting millions of copies in daily circulation, have...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / DEALING WITH DEMENTIA
Jul 2, 2014
Dementia burden weighing on more families
Despite government efforts to improve the lives of people with dementia, the illness takes a heavy toll on patients and those who care for them.
Japan Times
JAPAN / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Jun 15, 2014
'Womenomics' push raises suspicions for lack of reality
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may be a political hawk who believes Japan can once again become a macho state that can hold its own against regional threats, but as he looks for money and muscle he is turning to an unlikely source: women.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 23, 2014
Duolingo chief shakes up language learning
While in his teens, growing up in a family running a candy factory in Guatemala, Luis von Ahn said he often fantasized about creating a gym anyone could join for free.
JAPAN
May 8, 2014
Riken stands behind STAP paper probe
The Riken institute states that it will not reopen its probe into the so-called STAP cell papers, leaving biologist Haruko Obokata guilty of research misconduct.
JAPAN / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Apr 20, 2014
'STAPgate' shows Japan must get back to basics in science
On Jan. 30, as NHK kicked off its evening news program with upbeat music, footage aired of a young woman with immaculately coiffed brown hair wearing pearl earrings and her trademark "kappogi," a Japanese-style white apron.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 11, 2014
Pain in the body may start in the mind
Good diagnosis takes persistent questioning and good analytical skills. It's a bit like a detective piecing together a puzzle from seemingly unrelated bits of information.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2014
Obokata says STAP cell discovery not fabrication, claims Riken dissuaded her from giving her side of story earlier
Apologetic but resolute in the face of intense international scrutiny of her stem cell research, Haruko Obokata stood by her claim Wednesday that she had discovered so-called STAP cells.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 1, 2014
Obokata falsified data in STAP papers: probe
A probe into possible “research misconduct” by the authors of two potentially revolutionary papers on pluripotent stem cells turns up two instances of deliberate falsification.
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

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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