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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 / PARTY POWERS
Aug 1, 2009
Hatoyama disses LDP but is otherwise vague
With the pivotal Aug. 30 election looming, Democratic Party of Japan President Yukio Hatoyama said Friday the upcoming Lower House battle will offer the public an opportunity to hand down its judgment on the past four years of Liberal Democratic Party rule.
JAPAN / PARTY POWERS
Jul 29, 2009
Shii says JCP will play loyal opposition role
Japanese Communist Party President Kazuo Shii said Tuesday that if the Democratic Party of Japan takes control of the Lower House his party intends to be a “constructive opposition party” that will cooperate when policies overlap but will remain a vocal critic on points of disagreement.
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2009
DPJ platform vows to weaken bureaucrats
With a month to go before the Aug. 30 election, the Democratic Party of Japan unveiled its campaign platform Monday, featuring five main principles centering on a government led by politicians rather than bureaucrats.
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2009
DPJ’s Asao to go independent
Upper House lawmaker Keiichiro Asao said Friday he will leave the Democratic Party of Japan to run as an independent in Kanagawa’s No. 4 district, where the party has already fielded a candidate of its own in the Aug. 30 Lower House election.
Japan Times
JAPAN / PARTY POWERS
Jul 23, 2009
SDP’s Fukushima plays up differences with DPJ
With the campaign kicking off soon for the Aug. 30 election, Social Democratic Party President Mizuho Fukushima said Wednesday her party intends to appeal to voters by upholding its long-held positions — even if this keeps the SDP from joining a ruling bloc with the predicted winner, the Democratic...
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 14, 2009
For Hatoyamas, politics is considered birthright
Often compared to the Kennedy family for the impressive list of lawmakers and scholars hailing from its ranks, the Hatoyama clan is one of the nation’s most prominent political dynasties.
JAPAN
Jul 9, 2009
New Minamata relief law enacted
The Diet enacted a new law Wednesday that expands relief to victims of Minamata disease by loosening the redress requirements for one of the worst industrial pollution cases in Japanese history.
JAPAN
Jul 4, 2009
New Minamata redress bill swiftly clears Lower House
A new law offering relief to Minamata disease patients cleared the Lower House Friday, a day after the ruling and opposition camps officially agreed to loosen the eligibility requirements for patients seeking compensation.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jul 3, 2009
Hatoyama gaffe exposes opposition rifts
When Democratic Party of Japan President Yukio Hatoyama let slip on FM radio on June 15 that a coalition with the Social Democratic Party and Kokumin Shinto (People’s New Party) was paramount — but only until the DPJ wins next year’s Upper House election and acquires a single-party majority — both...
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2009
Move reveals Aso’s lack of power
Prime Minister Taro Aso’s decision to bolster his depleted Cabinet appeared to be strategy as usual and his apparent inability to change the Liberal Democratic Party leadership is a sign party bigwigs still hold sway, but neither may matter in the looming general election, pundits said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2009
Upper House mulls transplant law
The Upper House began deliberations Friday on two amendments to the organ transplant law.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2009
Kids can be donors: Lower House
The Lower House passed a bill Thursday recognizing brain death as legal death, scrapping the age limit for organ transplants and paving the way for transplants for children under 15.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2009
No. 3 son readied to succeed Kim
Kim Jong Un, third son of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, is currently holding a low-ranking position within the National Defense Commission in preparation to succeed his father, according to recently obtained information from sources in Beijing close to the Pyongyang leadership.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2009
Pyongyang purge seen speeding helm change
As speculation mounts that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has selected third son Kim Jong Un to succeed him, information obtained Wednesday suggested a purge has begun of people close to Kim Jong Nam, the dictator’s first son and former heir apparent to the hermit regime.
JAPAN
Jun 3, 2009
Letter to Obama likens North’s gulags to Nazis
U.S. President Barack Obama, who will pay his respects Friday at the infamous Buchenwald Nazi concentration camp in Germany, has been sent an open letter from a Japanese citizens’ group calling for the international community to denounce North Korea’s notorious gulag system and not just focus on Pyongyang’s...
JAPAN
Jun 2, 2009
DPJ submits bill to cut back on culture of hereditary politicians
The Democratic Party of Japan submitted a bill to the Lower House Monday aimed at cutting back on what many in the public believe is the unfair advantage enjoyed by so-called hereditary politicians.
JAPAN
May 29, 2009
Immigration bills threaten rights of foreigners: critics
Representatives of municipalities and human rights groups voiced their opposition Thursday to government-sponsored immigration bills they say will lead to violations of foreigners’ rights and excessive control over them.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 27, 2009
DPJ won’t hike tax, Okada says
The consumption tax would likely not be raised for the next four years if the Democratic Party of Japan wins the upcoming general election, DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada declared in an interview Tuesday.
JAPAN / History
May 21, 2009
Apologize on record, ex-POW urges
Former prisoner of war Raymond Heimbuch told members of the Democratic Party of Japan at a hearing Wednesday that he wants an official apology from the Japanese government extended to him and to other POWs.
JAPAN
May 21, 2009
Signs in North point to Kim’s third son being heir
Students in North Korea are singing songs in praise of Kim Jong Il’s third son and potential successor, Kim Jong Un, a recently obtained report said, indicating that a full-scale power shift may be on as news of the North Korean leader’s ailing health fuels speculation over who will lead the reclusive...
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.

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Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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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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