Deep Dive, a podcast that goes below the surface of Japan

Usually thronged with people, the Golden Gai area of Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward is now empty as the government advises against visiting bars and foreign tourist numbers have plummeted amid the coronavirus pandemic.

DEEP DIVE Apr 15, 2020

Episode 47: The current state of Japan's emergency

by Oscar Boyd and Satoshi Sugiyama

STAFF WRITERS

In this episode, Japan Times politics reporter Satoshi Sugiyama discusses how far the powers of Japan's central and regional governments extend under the state of emergency.

DEEP DIVE Apr 8, 2020

Episode 46: What's it like to be tested for COVID-19 in Japan?

by Oscar Boyd and Joe Oliver

STAFF WRITERS

In this episode Joe Oliver recounts his experience of being tested in Tokyo's SDF military hospital in Setagaya, including the notorious PCR test that goes up your nose.

A screen in Osaka reports the death of comedian Ken Shimura, who had been hospitalized after being infected with the new coronavirus.

DEEP DIVE Apr 6, 2020

Episode 45: Ken Shimura — Japan loses a comedy legend

by Oscar Boyd and Patrick ST. Michel

STAFF WRITERS

On March 29, Ken Shimura, one of Japan's most celebrated comedians, passed away after testing positive for COVID-19. JT entertainment writer Patrick St. Michel discusses Shimura's life and death with host Oscar ...

The giant Olympic rings are seen in the dusk through a steel fence at the waterfront area at Odaiba Marine Park after postponing Games due to the outbreak of coronavirus disease in Tokyo on March 25.RE

DEEP DIVE Mar 25, 2020

Episode 44: The Tokyo 2021 Olympics

by Oscar Boyd and Ryusei Takahashi

STAFF WRITERS

On Tuesday 24 March it was announced that the Tokyo Olympics will be postponed until sometime 2021. Staff writer Ryusei Takahashi on what we know so far.

Japan produces an estimated 9 million tons of plastic waste each year, with disposable packaging and food containers accounting for more than 40 percent. But how exactly does plastic consumption impact us on a personal level?

DEEP DIVE Mar 18, 2020

Episode 43: The no-plastic challenge isn't easy in Japan

by Oscar Boyd and Andrew McKirdy

STAFF WRITERS

Japan uses more single-use plastic per capita than any other nation besides the U.S. To see how difficult it is to live a life without it, JT staff writer Andrew ...

A pedestrian passes the countdown clock for the 2020 Olympic Games outside Tokyo Station on Wednesday.

DEEP DIVE Mar 11, 2020

Episode 42: Will the coronavirus cancel the Tokyo Olympics?

by Oscar Boyd, Ryusei Takahashi, Jason Coskrey and Dan Orlowitz

STAFF WRITERS

The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games are set to start on July 24, bringing millions of fans and tens of thousands of athletes and support staff from around the world to ...

DEEP DIVE Mar 3, 2020

Episode 41: How can Japan's coronavirus response improve?

by Oscar Boyd and Brad Glosserman

STAFF WRITERS

As Japan struggles to contain the outbreak of coronavirus, Brad Glosserman assesses the response so far and talks about where the country could and should be doing better. Hosted by Oscar Boyd. The ad ...

Warmest regards: Hilmneh Tegegn hasn't seen his children in over a decade. When he left Ethiopia, his wife was pregnant with their third child at the time.

DEEP DIVE Feb 26, 2020

Episode 40: An 11-year-long fight for asylum in Japan

by Oscar Boyd

STAFF WRITERS

We speak with Hilmneh Tegegn Tesfaw, who for the last 11 years has battled Japan’s immigration system as he’s tried to claim asylum and earn refugee status.

DEEP DIVE Feb 19, 2020

Episode 39: What makes the J. League such a thrill to watch?

by Oscar Boyd and Dan Orlowitz

Staff writers

As the J. League season kicks off, Japan Times soccer (*cough* football) correspondent Dan Orlowitz tells us what makes the Japanese game so exciting to watch and what we can ...