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Maya Kaneko
For Maya Kaneko's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
The new Japanese ambassador to China, Kenji Kanasugi, speaks during a news conference in Beijing on Tuesday after arriving at the Chinese capital earlier in the day.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 20, 2023
Japan's new China envoy vows 'tenacious' effort on Fukushima row
The 64-year-old envoy also pledged to strive for an early release of five Japanese nationals currently detained in China for alleged spying activities.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 20, 2023
Panasonic 'smart town' attracts well-heeled Chinese retirees
Facilities in the town's condos include toilets that can assess body fat and heart rate, as well as take and analyze urine samples.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 16, 2023
Japanese bookstore's revival in China deepens cultural ties
The original Uchiyama Shoten bookstore in Shanghai was a hub of literary exchange between Japan and China.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Nov 19, 2022
China restates vow for freer regional trade, but path forward unclear
Noting that 'only openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation is the right way forward for humanity,' Xi said that China will continue working toward joining the CPTPP.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2022
China's state-led economy could put Japanese firms in a tight spot
Critics say Beijing's 'COVID zero' policy, its pursuit of self-reliance in manufacturing, and the promotion of 'common prosperity' are all creating uncertainty in business circles.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Sep 30, 2022
Chinese JETs cherish links to Japan despite soured ties
On the 50th anniversary of Japan-China ties, Chinese participants on the JET Programme tout its ability to foster understanding between the two countries.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 29, 2021
Can 'miso drops' save Japan's small-scale miso breweries?
Consumption of miso has been on the decline with shoppers opting for mass-produced versions of the traditional food. Entrepreneur Motomi Takahashi wants to fix that.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 25, 2021
Political parties vow increased child aid, but need goes beyond money
As the pandemic continues to bring hardship to families, the upcoming general election is seeing issues of welfare and support pushed to the fore.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 3, 2021
Esports English lessons attract children stuck at home amid pandemic
With many afterschool and outdoor activities impacted by the coronavirus, some parents are signing their children up to educational gaming programs.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Oct 18, 2020
Suga's fertility push hailed, but not panacea for boosting birth rate
Couples welcome moves to bring treatment under national insurance, but urge against putting pressure on people to bear children.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 10, 2020
Chocolatier in Kyoto starts gift initiative for medical workers battling virus
The chocolatier's initiative is intended to comfort frontline health care workers, reduce its stock and support cacao farmers at the same time.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2020
Child care is mother of all lifelines for tsunami-hit Ishinomaki firm
A maker of cod roe products in Miyagi Prefecture has attracted young job-seeking mothers with an offer of on-site child care, in the process revitalizing a business and community that is still recovering from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Feb 27, 2020
Japan Inc. urged to change entrenched views of paternity leave
As one of the country's most high-profile politicians breaks new ground for a Cabinet minister by taking paternity leave, some lawmakers and businesses are aiming to change the way corporate Japan views time off for new dads.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Sep 15, 2019
The Vietnam Temple offers spiritual and practical support to Japan's Vietnamese community
A yellow-colored Buddhist temple adorned with flags and golden dragons on its pointed roofs in a quiet town outside Tokyo presents a stark contrast to the typically somber-looking Buddhist places of worship usually found in rural Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2019
Zama school gives helping hand to foreign students struggling with Japanese life
A public high school in Kanagawa Prefecture is providing a safety net to foreign students who face difficulties in their day-to-day lives, helping them with everything from the Japanese language to addressing family issues and preparing them for self-sufficiency.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Feb 10, 2019
Mom-friendly tomato farm bears more than just fruit
Drop Inc., a startup cherry tomato farming business in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, finds hiring mothers on flexible hours benefits business.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 4, 2019
Gunma charcoal artist uses DIY spirit to lead full country life
In a mountainous farming village near Oze National Park, a popular eastern Japan marshland frequented by hikers, an artist who crafts accessories and ornaments out of charcoal is using a DIY spirit to lead a full country life.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 25, 2018
As Japan endures record heat wave, large population of elderly at highest risk
When heat waves strike the nation, it is Japan's large population of elderly people who suffer the most — a situation that can only get worse as the society grays.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 6, 2018
Japanese have mixed opinions on execution of Aum leader Shoko Asahara and six accomplices
A wide-range of reactions were heard Friday to news of the executions of Shoko Asahara and six former senior members of the doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo — which carried out the deadly 1995 sarin nerve gas attack in the Tokyo subway system — with some saying it was good the sentences were finally carried out and others recalling the devastation inflicted by the group.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 20, 2018
Kumamoto company turns to brown rice paste in bid to revive Japan's abandoned farmland
Alarmed by an increase in abandoned rice paddies amid the Westernization of the Japanese diet and a graying population, a Kyushu dealer of major agricultural machinery-maker Kubota Corp. began producing rice flour in 2010 as an ingredient for bread and pasta to make up for declines in rice consumption.

Longform

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