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

DEEP DIVE Feb 13, 2020

Episode 38: Aboard the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship

by Oscar Boyd and Ryusei Takahashi

Staff writers

Japan Times staff reporter Ryusei Takahashi has talked to passengers about their experiences on the ship.

Women in kimono wear face masks to help prevent the spread of the SARS-like Wuhan coronavirus as they read their fortunes at Sensoji Temple in Tokyo on Monday.

DEEP DIVE Feb 4, 2020

Episode 37: Japan and the new coronavirus — what we know so far

by Oscar Boyd and Satoshi Sugiyama

Staff Writers

We pulled Japan Times reporter Satoshi Sugiyama out of the Prime Minister's Office, where he's covering the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus, to give us an update on the situation in ...

Apollo Gas employee Naoto Watanabe on a tour around a solar farm near the city of Fukushima.

DEEP DIVE Jan 29, 2020

Episode 36: Has Fukushima found a future in renewables?

by Oscar Boyd and Alex Martin

STAFF WRITER

Fukushima Prefecture has announced plans to go 100 percent renewable by 2040, making it the most ambitious prefecture in Japan when it comes to the adoption of green technologies.

Fishermen Yasushi Matsumoto (left) and Katsuyuki Sakaguchi have grown up on the island and have been working at Katsumoto Fisheries for much of their lives.

DEEP DIVE Jan 16, 2020

Episode 35: Japan's first climate emergency

by Oscar Boyd

Staff writers

On Sept. 25, 2019, Iki Island in Nagasaki Prefecture became the first place in Japan to declare a climate emergency. Jesse Chase-Lubitz and Oscar Boyd head to the island to ...

Had Carlos Ghosn's plans to incorporate rival Fiat-Chrysler into the Nissan-Renault alliance come to fruition, he might have created the world's largest carmaker and reasonably expected to be remembered as a business visionary. For the foreseeable future, however, he will be known above all as something very different: a fugitive.

DEEP DIVE Jan 10, 2020

Episode 34: The great escape of Carlos Ghosn

by Oscar Boyd and Satoshi Sugiyama

Staff Writers

JT staff writer Satoshi Sugiyama discusses how he managed that escape as well as Ghosn's first public press conference since he was first arrested in November 2018.

DEEP DIVE Dec 24, 2019

Episode 33: Have yourself a merry little podcast!

by Oscar Boyd and Julia Bergin

STAFF WRITERS

Japan Times contributor Julia Bergin and editor Shaun McKenna join Oscar Boyd for a holiday special full of KFC, mulled wine and Christmas cheer.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Monday as the Diet session came to a close.

DEEP DIVE Dec 12, 2019

Episode 32: What's the secret to Prime Minister Abe's longevity?

by Oscar Boyd and Sakura Murakami

STAFF WRITERS

What has allowed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to stay in office for such a long time?

DEEP DIVE Nov 28, 2019

Episode 31: The youth climate movement in Japan is doing better than you think

by Oscar Boyd

staff writer

Fridays for Future leader Takuro Kajiwara and 350.org field organizer Hinako Arao tell of their experiences as two of Japan’s most prominent climate activists.

People in Shibuya dress up as Chinese President Xi Jinping for Halloween.

DEEP DIVE Nov 20, 2019

Episode 30: #StandwiththePooh — The Hong Kong protesters in Japan

by Oscar Boyd and Julia Bergin

STAFF WRITERS

The Hong Kong protests have been escalating recently, but what of the pro-democracy Hong Kongers living in Japan?

This house in the Kumamoto town of Mashiki came crashing down when a powerful earthquake struck the area in April 2016.

DEEP DIVE Nov 14, 2019

Episode 29: Is Tokyo ready for the next big earthquake?

by Oscar Boyd and Daniel Hurst

STAFF WRITERS

There is a 70 percent chance of a devastating magnitude 7 earthquake striking Tokyo in the next 30 years. Daniel Hurst joins Oscar Boyd to discuss how ready Japan's capital ...