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April 26, 2024
 

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Akiko Okamoto
For Akiko Okamoto's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Masaya Shibasaki, 26, an employee of EXEO Group, reacts as he tries the Osaka Heart Cool-developed VR electrical device Perionoid, which simulates menstrual pain, on Thursday.
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2024
Japanese male office workers experience simulated menstrual pain
Companies are required to offer menstrual leave, but the time off doesn't have to be paid and around half of female workers never take it.
A recent surge in Tokyo share prices has been driven by foreign investors' enthusiasm for rising corporate profits, with Japanese investors still wary after more than three decades of market malaise.
BUSINESS
Feb 23, 2024
Japanese investors raise a glass to Nikkei record at Stock Pickers bar
Excitement among regulars at the intimate bar in Tokyo's Ginza district had been brewing since last week as the Nikkei approached its all-time high.
Rina Gonoi, a former member of the Self-Defense Forces, who has accused colleagues of sexually assaulting her during her time in the military, speaks in Yokohama on Friday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 11, 2023
Former Japanese soldier fights for justice in landmark sexual assault case
A former Self-Defence Forces member's yearslong fight for justice against the men she has accused of sexually assaulting her will reach a climax on Tuesday when a court delivers a verdict in a trial that has drawn international attention.
Supermarket owner Takashi Nakajima, 67, prepares raw fish to sell at his store, near the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Soma, Fukushima Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 22, 2023
For Fukushima shop owner, water release spells battle for survival
Japan said on Tuesday it would start discharging more than 1 million metric tons of the treated water on Thursday
A promotional poster for the film "Barbie" in Tokyo earlier this month
CULTURE
Aug 12, 2023
Hollywood blockbuster 'Barbie' opens in Japan after controversy
Tickets sold fast in Japan as fans flocked to the theatrical release, timed to coincide with the start of the Bon holiday period.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 16, 2023
In her own words: A Hiroshima bomb survivor learns English to tell her story
While talks by hibakusha have become a regular feature of Hiroshima's memorial sites, Teruko Yahata stands out for her presentations in English.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 2, 2022
Japan's low-cost soba noodles may become casualty of Ukraine war
A good part of the buckwheat that goes into the noodles comes from Russia, globally the top buckwheat producer.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2022
Japan researchers develop flavor-enhancing chopsticks to reduce salt intake
The device uses a weak electrical current to transmit sodium ions from food, through the chopsticks, to the mouth, where they create a sense of saltiness
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2021
How a student battled a culture of silence to help oust Tokyo's Olympic chief
In less than two weeks, Momoko Nojo's petition campaign gathered more than 150,000 signatures, galvanizing global outrage over sexist remarks by Yoshiro Mori.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 9, 2021
Traditional bars in the firing line of Japan's second COVID-19 emergency
With losses already built up and footfall down as people work from home, owners of Japan's traditional izakaya are being forced into crushing choices.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Aug 9, 2020
In milestone year, A-bomb survivor keeps up fight for nuclear disarmament
Terumi Tanaka was 13 when Nagasaki was bombed, and saw his relatives dying in the aftermath.
'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.
Over 40% of Japan's municipalities at risk of vanishing, study finds
Of 1,729 local municipalities nationwide, 744 have been identified as being at risk of disappearing.
Princess Aiko makes debut at imperial garden party
Princess Aiko attends an imperial garden party in Tokyo on Tuesday.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.
Japan's former PM Aso meets Trump for talks on security and economy
Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Taro Aso, vice president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, in New York on Tuesday. The Japanese government’s top spokesman on Wednesday played down the meeting as one conducted "in the capacity of one lawmaker" and “without the government’s involvement.”
For amateur sumo, a fresh start offers hope against time-wasting and gamesmanship
Wrestlers prepare for the start of a bout at the 2023 Sumo World Championships in Tokyo. Starting this month, placing one hand on the clay first is no longer allowed.
LDP veteran Nikai's youngest son expected to succeed him in Wakayama
Toshihiro Nikai, former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, announced in March that he would not run in the next Lower House election to take responsibility for the political funds scandal that rocked his party and his own faction.
New workers name Shohei Ohtani as 'dream boss' for two years running
Shohei Ohtani has been overwhelmingly voted as the “dream boss” for people who started working in April, according to a survey.
A craft beer crawl through Tokyo’s top bars, brewpubs and dives
If all you drink is Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, you're depriving yourself of some of the best craft beer Tokyo has to offer — and there sure is a lot of it out there.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.

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

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass
Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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