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May 02, 2024
 

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Sakura Murakami
Reuters
For Sakura Murakami's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 13, 2019
Journalists get tour of Japan's Izumo amid debate over equipping ship with aircraft carrier capabilities
Journalists on Wednesday were given a guided tour of the Izumo — Japan's largest flat-topped helicopter carrier — for the first time since the Defense Ministry revealed a controversial plan late last year to convert it so that it could handle fixed-wing aircraft — which critics and some opposition lawmakers say could make it capable of offensive operations.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 25, 2019
Japan's Ainu recognition bill: What does it mean for Hokkaido's indigenous people?
In a first for Japan, a bill to legally recognize the Ainu as the indigenous people of Japan is about to be submitted to the Diet.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / FOCUS
Feb 22, 2019
Crown Princess Masako: A symbol of Japanese women's struggles in a male-dominated society
When Rika Kayama attended a violin concert at a Tokyo music hall in February last year, she was stunned to find a certain famous face in the crowd.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 8, 2019
Japan's opposition parties lay into ministry officials for extensive role in wage scandal probe
Lawmakers question the neutrality of the government's special “independent” probe into the wage data scandal after learning that bureaucrats, not outside experts, interviewed 25 of the 37 officials involved.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 27, 2019
Cabinet to keep Diet bills to a minimum with apparent eye on July Upper House election
Facing a critical Upper House election this summer, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appears to be laying the groundwork for a controversy-free five-month Diet session, which starts Monday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2019
Kei Komuro's family financial trouble resolved? Depends who you ask
Princess Mako's suitor — whose prospective engagement to her is currently up in the air over family financial trouble — claims the issue is resolved.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2019
Observation deck for Tokyo's renowned tuna auctions opens to public at new Toyosu market site
Visitors formed long lines before daybreak on Tuesday to catch a glimpse of Tokyo's renowned tuna auctions — now at the Toyosu wholesale fish market — as an observation deck opened to the public for the first time since the relocation from Tsukiji in October.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Jan 9, 2019
Episode 4: Japan's changing demographics
As Japan becomes a more ethnically diverse and multicultural country, aging communities are grappling with the complexities of how to live with new, young tenants from different cultures.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 4, 2019
Name of Japan's next Imperial era to be announced April 1, Abe confirms
Speaking at the Grand Shrines of Ise, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the tradition of revealing the name after the era starts will be skipped to minimize the public impact.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Help Wanted?
Dec 31, 2018
As Japan prepares for more foreign workers, Hamamatsu serves as precedent of interculturalism
Step into the municipal office of this city and you'll find pamphlets in multiple languages lining the walls, as people waiting in lines converse quietly in Portuguese.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Dec 10, 2018
Yuzuriha support center in Tokyo helps abuse victims get back on track
Open the door to a small studio tucked away on a street near Kokubunji Station in western Tokyo on a Friday evening, and you'll find a group of young adults making jam or Japanese ponzu citrus-based sauce as they chat quietly amongst themselves.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 20, 2018
Japan's ruling bloc votes down motion to remove head of judiciary committee amid clash over immigration bill
In the latest political clash over a controversial immigration bill, the ruling parties on Tuesday voted down a motion calling for the dismissal of the head of the Lower House's judiciary committee.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Nov 19, 2018
Wrangling over planned shake-up of Japan's immigration control law intensifies after government admits to data errors
A ruckus in the Diet over erroneous statistics leaves the government's Dec. 10 deadline for passage of new legislation in doubt.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 14, 2018
More than 345,000 foreign workers predicted to come to Japan under new visas: government
Some 345,000 blue-collar foreign workers may join the workforce through the first five years of a new working visa system set to be introduced in April — if it wins Diet approval.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 14, 2018
Episode 1: Dual nationality in Japan
Japan's Nationality Act forces young adults with multiple citizenships to choose their nationality by their 22nd birthday. The choice is so tough that many flout the law and instead choose to live in a legal gray zone. Oscar Boyd is joined by Japan Times staff writers Sakura Murakami and Cory Baird to discuss the issue.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 14, 2018
Abe says government will set 'cap' on number of foreign workers under new visa types
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday that the government will soon reveal estimates of worker shortages that will effectively function as a cap on the number of foreign workers to be admitted under a new visa system currently being deliberated by the Diet.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 7, 2018
With GOP's loss of House, should Japan anticipate a more hard-line Trump?
Tokyo may see President Donald Trump accelerate his war on what he considers “unfair” trade, as he seeks ways to fire up his political base.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2018
Japan's Cabinet approves bill to introduce new visa categories for foreign workers, to address shrinking workforce
The bill marks a departure from previous policy in allowing foreign individuals to work in blue collar industries for a potentially indefinite amount of time.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 30, 2018
Liberal Democratic Party's General Council approves draft immigration control bill despite members' concerns
The Liberal Democratic Party's General Council approved on Tuesday a government-drafted bill on immigration control, which will introduce new visa statuses for blue-collar and skilled workers, despite concerns within the party over whether the country can properly handle the possible influx of workers and the issues that may present.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2018
Awareness of Aichi Biodiversity Targets found to be lacking compared to climate change
The global community has less than two years to reach the Aichi Biodiversity Targets set for 2020, yet public awareness of biodiversity issues is still relatively low.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Did Japan intervene to prop up the yen? Analysts think it did.
A man walks past an electronic board displaying the exchange rate for the yen against the U.S. dollar (right) in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.
A peek inside the brains of ‘super-agers’
For a little more than a decade, scientists have been studying a subset of people they call "super-agers.” These individuals are age 80 and older, but they have the memory ability of a person 20 to 30 years younger.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree
By Alex K.T. Martin

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