Deep Dive from The Japan Times

In May, we talked to The Japan Times' Magdalena Osumi about Japan’s entry-ban list, which is stopping foreign residents from leaving or returning to Japan. Today, we hear an update from Magda, as some residents start to be allowed to return but many are left trapped. Hosted by Oscar Boyd. Read more: Japan to allow back foreign residents who left before entry ban (Magdalena Osumi, The Japan Times)...

The people alive today who survived the bombing of Hiroshima, and the subsequent destruction of Nagasaki, are known in Japanese as hibakusha . But 75 years on from the bombing, the number of survivors able to tell their stories is dwindling as they grow old and die. Japan Times contributor and Hiroshima resident Peter Chordas joins to discuss the effects of the bomb on the city, and how those surv...

This episode was made possible by Cicerone and its new guidebook "Hiking and Trekking in the Japan Alps and Mount Fuji," which features 27 walks and treks across the Japan Alps and in the Mt Fuji area. Order your copy now at bit.ly/hikingfuji .

The Japan Times' Alex Martin discusses the history of mask wearing and how it's changed from the Edo Period to the Spanish Flu to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hosted by Oscar Boyd . Read more:   The history behind Japan’s love of face masks (Alex Martin, The Japan Times) Masks helped keep Japan's COVID-19 death toll low, says expert panel (Bloomberg, The Japan Times) Face masks in a pandemic: From 'usel...

That's the theory put forward by our guest on Deep Dive this week, Matt Alt , the author of the recently published book, "Pure Invention: How Japan's Pop Culture Conquered the World." Taking its title from a quote by Oscar Wilde, "Pure Invention" is a cultural history of postwar Japan, told through the lens of the country's superstar inventions and how they spread across the globe. Hosted by Oscar...

Ryusei Takahashi gives us a run down on Yuriko Koike’s victory, as well as the growing number of cases of COVID-19 in the capital. Hosted by Oscar Boyd. Read/hear more:   Episode 54: Yuriko Koike and the race for Tokyo governor (Deep Dive) Koike cruises to win in Tokyo governor race, vowing to continue fight against virus   (Ryusei Takahashi, The Japan Times) Koike's Tokyo win may be springboard b...

Alexander Dmitrenko, head of Asia sanctions at law firm Freshfields and co-representative director of the Lawyers for LGBT & Allies Network (LLAN) , joins to discuss the case for same-sex marriage being made by his organization and the many others fighting for equality on the issue. Read/see more:  LLAN's viewpoint on marriage equality Fighting for the right to recognize same-sex marriage in J...

This week, staff reporter Ryusei Takahashi and domestic news head Kanako Takahara discuss the field of candidates,  incumbent Yuriko Koike's chances for reelection and the effects of COVID-19 on the campaign. Hosted by Oscar Boyd . Sign up to the Deep Dive mailing list and be notified every time a new episode comes out: jtimes.jp/deepdivesub . Get in touch with us at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Rea...

We hear from staff reporter Ryusei Takahashi about last weekend’s demonstrations in Tokyo, Black Lives Matter Kansai organizer Ayana Wyse about the Osaka marches and from Japan Times contributor Austin Freeman, who recounts his experiences of police harassment here in Tokyo. Read more:  Black Lives Matter Tokyo (Facebook) Black Lives Matter Osaka (Linktree) Protesters hit Tokyo and Osaka streets w...

The Japan Times' Alyssa Smith and Tom Hanaway have been writing recaps of Terrace House and join Deep Dive to discuss Kimura's death, and what it might mean for the show going forward. Later, TELL Ambassador BJ Fox joins to talk about the mental health services offered by TELL Japan. Hosted by Oscar Boyd . Read more:  TELL Japan Pro wrestler and ‘Terrace House’ star Hana Kimura dies at 22 (The Jap...

Japan is the only G7 member denying entry to long-term and permanent residents and has set no clear criteria for their return. Japan Times staff writer Magdalena Osumi joins to discuss. Hosted by Oscar Boyd . Read more:  Foreign residents stranded abroad by Japan's coronavirus controls (Magdalena Osumi, The Japan Times) Japan's re-entry ban list (The Japan Times) Japan to expand entry ban to visit...

In the U.S., the Asian giant hornet recently made its way into the headlines after it was recorded as an invasive species in the Pacific northwest region. Just this month, the New York Times dubbed them “murder” hornets. Matt Alt joins to discuss how a simple translation error might have given the hornet its new macabre nickname. Hosted by Oscar Boyd. Matt Alt is a Tokyo-based writer, translator a...

The Japan Times' Ryusei Takahashi tells us how recovering COVID-19 patients' lives have changed after those patients have been discharged. Hosted by Oscar Boyd . Sign up to the Deep Dive mailing list and be notified every time a new episode comes out: jtimes.jp/deepdivesub . Read more :  Loss, stigma, guilt: Life after recovering from COVID-19 in Japan (Ryusei Takahashi, The Japan Times) Japan to...

Newspick's Yuzuha Oka and The Japan Times' Chris Russell , Joel Tansey and Oscar Boyd discuss all things convenience store. Special theme music by composer Ben Wong, follow him on Soundcloud . Sign up to the Deep Dive mailing list and be notified every time a new episode comes out: jtimes.jp/deepdivesub . With everyone spending more time indoors than ever before, we've just made all of The Japan T...

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a monthlong state of emergency on April 7, giving his government and prefectural governments more powers to tackle the spread of COVID-19. Japan Times politics reporter Satoshi Sugiyama  joins to discuss. Also, Japanese astronaut Naoko Yamazaki on what she learned about isolation from her time aboard the International Space Station. Hosted by Oscar Boyd . Sign up...

In this episode Joe recounts his experience of being tested in Tokyo's SDF military hospital in Setagaya, including the notorious PCR test that goes up your nose. Hosted by Oscar Boyd . Visit The JT's dedicated COVID-19 site for all the latest updates on the coronavirus situation from around Japan: http://jtimes.jp/covid19 Sign up to the Deep Dive mailing list and be notified every time a new epis...

Japan Times entertainment writer Patrick St. Michel discusses Shimura's life and death, and whether it will change the discussion around coronavirus in Japan. Hosted by Oscar Boyd . Visit The JT's dedicated COVID-19 site for all the latest updates on the coronavirus situation from around Japan: http://jtimes.jp/covid19 Sign up to the Deep Dive mailing list and be notified every time a new episode...

Staff writer Ryusei Takahashi on what we know about the postponement of the Olympics so far. Hosted by Oscar Boyd . Visit The JT's dedicated COVID-19 site for all the latest updates on the coronavirus situation from around Japan: http://jtimes.jp/covid19 Sign up to the Deep Dive mailing list and be notified every time a new episode comes out: jtimes.jp/deepdivesub .  More :  Japan makes history by...

To see how difficult it is to live a life without it, JT staff writer Andrew McKirdy spent a week trying to avoid single-use plastic. Also on this episode, Mona Neuhauss of No Plastic Japan . Hosted by Oscar Boyd . Visit The JT's dedicated COVID-19 site for all the latest updates on the coronavirus situation from around Japan: http://jtimes.jp/covid19 Sign up to the Deep Dive mailing list and be n...

The Japan Times' Ryusei Takahashi , Jason Coskrey and Dan Orlowitz discuss. Hosted by Oscar Boyd . Visit The JT's dedicated COVID-19 site for all the latest updates on the coronavirus situation from around Japan: http://jtimes.jp/covid19 Sign up to the Deep Dive mailing list and be notified every time a new episode comes out: jtimes.jp/deepdivesub .  Read more: • Tokyo Olympics will most likely go...

Brad Glosserman talks about where the country could and should be doing better. Hosted by Oscar Boyd . The ad at the top of the episode was paid for and sponsored by Democrats Abroad Japan, a volunteer organization to help Americans overseas register to vote. They are having their primary right now and you can cast a remote ballot until March 10, 2020 at democratsabroad.org/primary Visit The JT's...

Today 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. We hear about his love for the country, his troubles with immigration officials, where he thinks Japan's asylum system is heading and his longing to be reunited with his family. Interview by Jesse Chase-Lubitz , hosted by Oscar Boyd . S...

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 expect from the upcoming season. Hosted by Oscar Boyd . Read more : • Dan Orlowitz' season preview: Squads, not stars, could define J. League's 2020 season • The Japan Times' reporting on the J. League • Articles by Dan Orlow...

Japan Times staff reporter Ryusei Takahashi has talked to passengers about their experiences on the ship. Hosted by Oscar Boyd . Correction : At 13:15 we discuss a story by the New York Post about two passengers who had wine delivered by done. It turned out to be a hoax . Read/hear more: • Coronavirus Outbreak Updates live blog (The Japan Times) • 44 more on Diamond Princess cruise ship test posit...

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 Japan so far. Hosted by Oscar Boyd  for The Japan Times. Read more: • Japan to step up coronavirus action as Abe takes flak for response (Satoshi Sugiyama, The Japan Times) • Virus poses stark challenges to Abe's tourism...