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July 12, 2026
 

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Alex K.T. Martin

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Alex K.T. Martin
Alex K.T. Martin is a Tokyo-based journalist and senior writer at The Japan Times. He was previously a reporter at The Wall Street Journal’s Tokyo bureau. He has earned honors from the Society of Publishers in Asia and the World Association of News Publishers for stories on the Japanese wolf and the impact of the Fukushima nuclear disaster on wildlife.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 1, 2009
Human Rights Watch coming to Tokyo
Civilians are killed as the Sri Lankan military closes in on the Tamil Tiger rebels.
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2009
Pot crimes hit new record
Cannabis-related crimes have surged to a new record, stoking public interest following a spate of high-profile arrests related to marijuana use.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2009
Pacifist, cultural critic Kato remembered
There are many labels to describe Shuichi Kato, who died Dec. 5 at age 89.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2009
Shoe shiner buffs his trade into fine art
The chic, antique-filled interior of his store, the soft jazz playing in the background and Yuya Hasegawa’s fancy suit are all there to serve a single purpose: to boost the esteem of his job.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 3, 2009
Bank transfer fraudsters have that grift of gab
Subway posters, newspaper ads, TV commercials and automatic teller machines nationwide bear warnings against “furikome sagi” — remittance fraud — a scourge that bilks the vulnerable out of billions of yen every year.
Japan Times
Events / WHERE IT'S AT
Jan 27, 2009
East of Tokyo grooves to the samba rhythms
Although the weather was cold and cloudy, sweat was pouring from those who made it over to the Barbaros New Year Party 2009, an event hosted by G.R.E.S. Barbaros, 17-time winner of the Asakusa Samba Carnival and one of the largest dance teams in the nation dedicated to the Brazilian musical genre.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2009
2channel founder ponders next step after forum’s sale
A short message recently posted on Hiroyuki Nishimura’s personal blog sent shock waves across the online community. In a single sentence dated Jan. 2, he announced that he had sold 2channel, his wildly popular Internet forum.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHO'S WHO
Jan 20, 2009
Missionary devotes lifework to helping Tokyo homeless
Jean Le Beau says his decision to pursue a life dedicated to the benefit of others was inspired in high school when he read the story of Father Damien, a 19th-century Roman Catholic missionary from Belgium who spent his life caring for lepers cast out of normal society and quarantined on the Hawaiian...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2009
Palestinian aid worker blogs on Gaza strife
An aid worker living in Gaza has been sending in blog entries to the nongovernmental organization he works for, reporting on the dire situation his family and fellow Gaza residents are experiencing amid an Israeli military drive that has reportedly killed more than 1,000 so far, the international NGO’s...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2009
NPO told to stop feeding homeless
The nonprofit organization Sanyukai, which aids the homeless in Tokyo’s Sanya district, has been ordered by the metropolitan government to stop handing out its weekly free meals along the Sumida River because local residents are complaining, the volunteer group’s chief said Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2009
Teachers beset by unruly parents
When the 27-year-old rookie elementary school teacher in Kanagawa Prefecture began receiving phone calls from the mother of one of his students demanding an apology from the parents of their child’s alleged “bullies,” he thought it was just a misunderstanding by an overprotective parent.
Japan Times
JAPAN / THE MANY FACES OF CITIZENSHIP
Jan 3, 2009
Benefits in offing for those allowed multiple citizenship
Second in a series
JAPAN
Dec 31, 2008
S. Korean tourists wither with won
The sharp appreciation of the yen and the dramatic fall of South Korea’s won has had a big impact on tourism on both sides of the Sea of Japan.
JAPAN
Dec 31, 2008
Exchange rate woes putting foreign students in a bind
The strong yen and tumbling South Korean won are making life difficult for people whose income depends on the two currency’s exchange rates.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2008
Komazawa University axes exec over losses
Komazawa University in Tokyo said Friday it dismissed its executive administrative director, Nobuo Miyamoto, on Thursday following a reported ¥15.4 billion loss from derivatives trading.
JAPAN
Dec 18, 2008
New U.S. travel authorization plan has airlines on edge before launch
A new border control system the United States will start using to screen short-term foreign travelers in January remains relatively unknown less than a month before launch, and people in the airline and tourism industries are worried the lack of awareness will wreak havoc at airports nationwide.
Japan Times
JAPAN / READERS' FUND
Dec 17, 2008
NGO fetes 15th school it’s built in Cambodia
Fourth in a series
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2008
U.S. human rights activist calls for end of North Korean gulag
American human rights investigator David Hawk said Sunday in Tokyo there should be a plan for dismantling North Korea’s notorious political prison camps, not just the country’s nuclear facilities.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2008
One man’s theory, another’s laugh
Conspiracy theories, occultism, UFOs and pseudoscience. Society abounds with the conjectures of people thinking far, far outside the box.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2008
Tamogami essay fits ‘outrageous’ conspiracy theory mold
As a board member of The Academy of Outrageous Books, Shunichi Karasawa sees parallels between the controversial essay written by sacked Air Self-Defense Force chief Toshio Tamogami, an apologist for Japan’s wartime aggression, and classic “outrageous” conspiracy theories.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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