Asia Editor @thetimes. Author GHOSTS OF THE TSUNAMI, PEOPLE WHO EAT DARKNESS etc. Winner @RathbonesFolio Prize 2018. I don't engage with the anonymous.
Feb 13, 2021 • 26 tweets • 3 min read
Strong earthquake in Tokyo.
We’re fine, but that was the strongest I’ve experienced since 11 March 2011.
Sep 2, 2020 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
@konotaromp's argument that foreign media organisations should adopt Japanese naming order (family name first, given name last) as they do for Chinese and Korean names deserves a serious response. Here is mine (thread):
Japanese naming conventions in English language newspapers were established over 100 years ago. The given name/family name order is followed almost universally by mainstream writers in books and the media (academics tend to go w/ Japanese order, to show how academic they are).
Apr 3, 2020 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
One of the most intensely discussed questions about Japan’s anti-virus strategy is why, despite having growing capacity, the authorities carry out so few tests. A meeting this morning with a senior official of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party offers a answer to the mystery.
The official answer is that Japan chooses to test people who are at particular risk or showing symptoms (not just people who are worried) and then aggressively isolates “cluster” infections when they occur.
Feb 20, 2020 • 14 tweets • 2 min read
A friend wrote to me asking for advice about travel to Japan. She's planning a trip in the spring with her family, and is understandably concerned about the coronavirus outbreak.
In case there are other people facing a similar decision, I post here my reply:
"Dear H,
I've got a couple of other friends contemplating family trips and facing the same dilemma as you. The short answer is that the virus has made almost no difference to everyday life here.
