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 Reiji Yoshida

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Reiji Yoshida
Reiji Yoshida is a staff writer and deputy manager of the Domestic News Division. Since joining The Japan Times in 1993, he has intensively covered domestic politics, diplomacy and defense issues as well as the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis.
For Reiji Yoshida's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2020
Suicide note reignites Moritomo scandal that rocked Abe administration
The wife of a former Finance Ministry official who killed himself filed a lawsuit against the ministry and the former chief of its financial bureau, seeking damages of u00a5110 million.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 4, 2020
Abe reaches across aisle for COVID-19 emergency law as Japan cases top 1,000
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met separately with top opposition leaders Wednesday, seeking nonpartisan cooperation to swiftly enact a special emergency law.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 2, 2020
Japan's Luminous Cruising blames coronavirus as it files for bankruptcy
A cruise ship company in Kobe was effectively bankrupted by the coronavirus crisis on Monday after filing for protection from creditors under the corporate rehabilitation law.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2020
SDF on Diamond Princess get more protection after 'chaos' claim in video
The Defense Ministry has bolstered protective measures for its medical staff on the Diamond Princess, applying a stricter protocol for using gear on the infected cruise ship, Defense Minister Taro Kono said Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2020
COVID-19 spread on Diamond Princess before quarantine, report suggests
Transmission toward the end of the quarantine period occurred mostly among crew or within passenger cabins, the report also said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2020
Expert stirs controversy with video on 'inadequate' virus controls on Diamond Princess
Controversy was stirred among the public and at the Diet Wednesday, after an infectious disease expert posted a now-deleted video online in which he claimed to have seen inadequate anti-virus contamination measures on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2020
Ten Kyodo News staff rode vehicle driven by man confirmed to have COVID-19
A man in his 60s confirmed to have been infected with the COVID-19 virus drove a total of 10 Kyodo News staff members in a hired vehicle from late January to early February, the news service said Tuesday, confirming that it had notified member organizations.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jan 31, 2020
Virus poses stark challenges to Abe's tourism goals as Tokyo Olympics loom
The coronavirus outbreak is posing myriad challenges for the Japanese economy, including a key Abe administration policy initiative — the promotion of inbound tourism.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 17, 2020
Opposition grills LDP on risks facing Japan's SDF mission to Mideast
Any overseas SDF mission is politically sensitive, but U.S.-Iran tensions are so high that debate on the constitutional hazards has ensued even before the Diet has opened.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 10, 2020
Abe to visit Middle East as originally planned despite earlier media reports of cancellation
The prime ministeru2019s trip is still a go after U.S. President Donald Trump eased Japanese fears of full-scale war with Iran.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 8, 2020
Abe to cancel Middle East trip after Iran attacks U.S. forces in Iraq, government source says
The decision to cancel the visit came after Iran launched missiles targeting Iraqi bases hosting American troops in response to the U.S. killing last week of a top Iranian general.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / Outlook 2020
Jan 2, 2020
Japan faces a diplomatic balancing act in 2020 as it seeks to manage ties with the U.S. and China
In the spring, President Xi Jinping is set to come to Japan, the first visit by a Chinese president in nine years.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2019
Japan’s Cabinet adopts plan to send SDF to Mideast amid Iran tensions
The u201cinvestigation and researchu201d mission will send the destroyer Takanami into an area where tensions over Iranu2019s nuclear program are high and an attack could drag Japan into war.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2019
Iran's Hassan Rouhani urges Abe to strengthen bilateral economic ties during Tokyo visit
On the 90th anniversary of diplomatic ties, the first Iranian president to visit since 2000 urges more concrete steps to promote the bilateral relationship.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 18, 2019
Hopes low for Japan-Iran summit, with Tokyo hemmed in by competing interests
Itu2019s unlikely Japan will be able to bypass U.S.-imposed sanctions and resume importing crude oil from Iran in accordance with Tehranu2019s apparent wishes, experts say.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 13, 2019
Abe postpones talks with India's Modi due to unrest in Assam over citizenship law
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has postponed a three-day visit to India, the government said Friday, as violent protests continue over a controversial citizenship law in Gauhati, a northeastern Indian city in Assam state where Abe had planned to meet his counterpart, Narendra Modi.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2019
Former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, a political titan who spanned eras, dies at 101
The enduring statesman, who bolstered the military alliance with the U.S. and privatized the Japanese National Railways, led Japan onto the world stage in the 1980s.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 25, 2019
In Japan, Pope Francis urges rethink of reliance on nuclear energy
Meeting survivors of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster that triggered the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear crisis, Pope Francis has a poignant message.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 24, 2019
Pope Francis says in Nagasaki speech money used for nuclear weapons better spent on eradicating poverty
Pope Francis strongly criticizes the concept of nuclear deterrence and warned of arms races while calling on world leaders to instead use money and resources to cope with environmental issues and poverty.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 23, 2019
GSOMIA lives, but what's next for Japan and South Korea ties?
After South Koreau2019s surprise announcement to remain a party to a key intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, wartime labor, the issue at the heart of strained bilateral ties, remains far from being resolved.

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A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world