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Natsumi Mizumoto
For Natsumi Mizumoto's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 23, 2021
Johnny Depp film sees Minamata pollution issue as cautionary tale
The film 'Minamata,' which Johnny Depp produced and stars in, spreads awareness on the act of industrial pollution that devastated the southwestern Japanese coastal community of Minamata.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 5, 2021
Horror director Takashi Miike swaps slaughter for 'sparkle' in girl superhero drama
Takashi Miike's latest film seems out of step with his gore-filled oeuvre, but the director maintains that there are similar elements.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 2, 2021
The pandemic helped anison group JAM Project realize the dream wasn't over
Growing up beside Japan's huge animation industry, a music scene based on creating and performing the theme tunes and hit songs of popular anime works has come a long way in the past few decades, becoming a mainstream phenomenon at home and arousing growing interest abroad.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2014
Kumamoto hosting conference to push fair trade movement
An international conference of "fair-trade towns" opened with preliminary events Friday in the city of Kumamoto — the first time the gathering has been held outside Europe — as campaigners look to nurture the ethical consumption movement in Asia.
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2010
Pair of films shed new light on hibakusha
While disarmament experts and antinuclear campaigners may have heard about atomic-bomb survivors, a pair of documentaries about hibakusha that aim to connect with the younger generation were recently completed by two young directors from Costa Rica and Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2009
Preschool training takes off
KAGOSHIMA — Chubby Haruku Takarabe was the last of his 14 classmates to master walking on his hands across the gym. But now he can stand on his head, turn cartwheels on one hand and vault over the 110-cm-high box just like the rest of his fellow 5-year-olds.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 30, 2009
Dam cancellation leaves local residents high and dry
NAGANOHARA, Gunma Pref. — Leading a new life without a dam is an idea that people in this small mountain town in Gunma Prefecture had never thought of before, and many appear unable to think of it even after land minister Seiji Maehara suggested it during his visit there last Wednesday.
JAPAN
Sep 22, 2009
Will DPJ policy push women into work?
Even before she begins her career, Shiho Umeki, 22, has always planned to reduce her work after getting married, just like her mother before her. That was until the Democratic Party of Japan won the Aug. 30 election.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ELECTION 2009
Aug 19, 2009
If you want change, vote, young are told
In the heated election four years ago, young voters who normally skip the polls jumped on then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's reform bandwagon and helped his Liberal Democratic Party race to an overwhelming victory.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ELECTION 2009
Aug 5, 2009
DPJ will say anything to win: defector Asao
KAMAKURA, Kanagawa Pref. (Kyodo) While it is not unknown for a politician to ditch a party when it is on the verge of losing power, Keiichiro Asao's July 24 announcement to quit the up-and-coming Democratic Party of Japan and run for the Lower House this month as an independent appears suicidal.
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2007
Abe's stale diplomacy won breathing space, not momentum
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe looked briefly into space on Friday evening in Kuala Lumpur as he concluded his three-nation tour of Asia and turned his attention to Monday's crucial reshuffling of the Cabinet and his party's leadership. While the weeklong tour of Indonesia, India and Malaysia helped distance Abe from potential rivals and growing speculation about his favorite picks at home, it is unclear whether this helped his embattled administration or hurt it.
JAPAN
Aug 20, 2007
Abe heads out to visit Indonesia, India, Malaysia
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived Sunday in Indonesia on the first leg of a weeklong tour that will also take him to India and Malaysia before he comes back to reshuffle his Cabinet and the leadership of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2007
Peace activists mixed on election impact
Peace activists are divided but many are guardedly optimistic on what to expect after the crushing election defeat suffered by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 22, 2007
Residents still puzzled about shooting of Nagasaki mayor
A month has passed since Nagasaki Mayor Itcho Ito was assassinated and residents are still puzzled as to why two mayors of a city that promotes peace have been shot in the recent past.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 26, 2006
Ethnic minorities hope for better life post-Koizumi
Members of ethnic communities have expressed hope that the new administration, slated to be launched Tuesday by Shinzo Abe, will help improve their living conditions.
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2006
Next prime minister must find a NEET solution
, 20, takes part in a government-sponsored job training program in Fussa, Tokyo, in early August. KYODO PHOTO
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2006
Welfare recipients will need more than Abe's helping hand
Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe's pledge to create a society in which struggling people can receive second chances, while being assured of a public safety net, isn't getting through to those living on assistance.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2005
China's Yasukuni ire 'puzzles' Japanese
For Tokyo native Mie Kondo, 31, Yasukuni Shrine is no more than a scenic area she used to visit with her family and a sightseeing spot to which she still likes taking visitors.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 30, 2004
Koizumi facing uphill reform fight in '05: pundits
When a group of Liberal Democratic Party members put on a traditional story-telling show using picture cards on a chilly Tokyo street in late December to drum up support for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's postal privatization drive, many of their colleagues scoffed.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 11, 2004
Koizumi gets little face time with other leaders at ASEM meet
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's five-day trip to Hanoi through Sunday appears to have been a disappointment, with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao preferring to meet with European leaders rather than him.

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