Deep Dive from The Japan Times

If you were in Japan back in February, when the Pfizer vaccine was first approved, you’ll remember the frustratingly slow pace of the vaccine rollout, as many other countries around the world ramped up their vaccine programs at speed.  The slow pace continued through to the start of summer, but in August Japan distributed its 100 millionth dose of vaccine, and almost 50% of the country is now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Later this month, Japan is set to pass the U.S. when it comes to the percentage of its citizens fully vaccinated.  Of course there are still many people who have yet to receive a vaccine and it is vital that they do, but with around 1 million shots being given each day, Japan will soon be in the position where everyone who wants a vaccine will be able to receive one. Read more: Youth clobbered, elderly spared in Japan’s worst-ever COVID-19 wave (Lisa Du, The Japan Times) Japan reaches 100 million vaccine doses as focus shifts to youth (Sophie Jackman and Lisa Du, The Japan Times) With new leader to take reins, Japan eyes extending COVID-19 emergency in hot spots (The Japan Times) Moderna to recall COVID-19 doses in Japan over stainless steel contaminants (The Japan Times) Third man in Japan died after receiving recalled Moderna vaccine (The Japan Times) Canada, France and Singapore begin to recognize Japan’s vaccine passports (Magdalena Osumi, The Japan Times) Japan to issue digital COVID-19 vaccination certificates in December, report says (The Japan Times) On this episode: Lisa Du: Twitter | Articles Oscar Boyd: Twitter | Articles | Instagram Announcements: Subscribe to the show and sign up to the Deep Dive mailing list to be notified when new episodes come out. Get in touch with us at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show! Rate us, review us and share this episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. Follow us on Twitter, and give us feedback. This episode of Deep Dive may be supported by advertising based on your location. Advertising is sourced by Audioboom and is not affiliated with The Japan Times. Photo: A health care worker administers a dose of the Moderna Inc. Covid-19 vaccine in the city of Saitama last month. | BLOOMBERG

8 Sep 202129min

The Japan Times’ political correspondent, Satoshi Sugiyama, discusses Suga’s sudden resignation and who might replace him as prime minister. Read more:  A behind-the-scenes look at Suga’s shocking decision to quit the LDP race (Satoshi Sugiyama, The Japan Times) Suga's abrupt exit throws LDP race wide open (Satoshi Sugiyama, The Japan Times) Vaccine czar Taro Kono tops opinion poll to be Japan's next leader (The Japan Times) Could Japan soon have a female leader? Sanae Takaichi emerges as a contender (Tomohiro Osaki, The Japan Times) For Suga, the pandemic proved to be his undoing (Osamu Tsukimori, The Japan Times) On this episode: Satoshi Sugiyama: Twitter | Articles Oscar Boyd: Twitter | Articles | Instagram Announcements: Subscribe to the show and sign up to the Deep Dive mailing list to be notified when new episodes come out. Get in touch with us at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show! Rate us, review us and share this episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. Follow us on Twitter, and give us feedback. This episode of Deep Dive may be supported by advertising based on your location. Advertising is sourced by Audioboom and is not affiliated with The Japan Times. Photo: Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga arrives to meet with Andrew Parsons, president of the International Paralympic Committee, in Tokyo on Friday. | POOL / VIA REUTERS

6 Sep 202122min

Today we're joined by Josh Grisdale, who has cerebral palsy and uses an electric wheelchair in his daily life. He moved to Japan in 2007 and became a Japanese citizen in 2016.  Josh has used his intimate knowledge of getting around Japan in a wheelchair to set up and run the website Accessible Japan, which provides the latest accessible travel information for people coming to, staying and living in Japan.  Josh argues that creating a more accessible Japan is better for society as a whole, and that despite Japan being a world leader in physical mobility infrastructure, there's still plenty to improve across the country when it comes to inclusivity.  Read more:  Accessible Japan Behind the push to improve universal access in Japan (Mara Budgen, The Japan Times) What will be the legacy of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics? (Deep Dive) Tokyo robot cafe offers new spin on disability inclusion (The Japan Times) The Japan Times coverage of the Paralympics On this episode: Josh Grisdale: Twitter | Accessible Japan Oscar Boyd: Twitter | Articles | Instagram Announcements: Subscribe to the show and sign up to the Deep Dive mailing list to be notified when new episodes come out. Get in touch with us at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show! Rate us, review us and share this episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. Follow us on Twitter, and give us feedback. This episode of Deep Dive may be supported by advertising based on your location. Advertising is sourced by Audioboom and is not affiliated with The Japan Times. Photo: Accessible Japan founder Josh Grisdale visits Kyoto's Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine, one of the country's most popular tourist sites. | Josh Grisdale/Accessible Japan

1 Sep 202128min

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and with no fans to watch them, will the Paralympics lead to a more inclusive society in Japan or will they fail to make a lasting impression? Anoma van der Veere and Oscar Boyd discuss. Read more:  A study of the Tokyo 2020 ‘Game Changer Project’ between the Netherlands and Japan: leveraging disability sports in local communities in Japan (Anoma van der Veere) The Tokyo Paralympic Superhero: Manga and Narratives of Disability in Japan (Anoma van der Veere) Disability in Japan (Carolyn Stevens) 'Most important' Paralympics arrive at starting line in Tokyo (Jason Coskrey, The Japan Times) The Japan Times coverage of the Paralympics On this episode: Anoma van der Veere: Twitter | Papers Oscar Boyd: Twitter | Articles | Instagram Announcements: Subscribe to the show and sign up to the Deep Dive mailing list to be notified when we return. Get in touch with us at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show! Rate us, review us and share this episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. Follow us on Twitter, and give us feedback. This episode of Deep Dive may be supported by advertising based on your location. Advertising is sourced by Audioboom and is not affiliated with The Japan Times. Photo: Japan's Katsuya Hashimoto fights off Britain's Aaron Phipps during the fourth period of the wheelchair rugby semifinals on Saturday. | KYODO

25 Aug 202128min

Ten years in the making, the Tokyo Olympics ended with a grand closing ceremony at the National Stadium on Sunday, Aug. 8. Patrick and Oscar look back at the closing moments of the Games, the last few sporting achievements, the handover to Paris, and what to make of these tumultuous Olympics now that they're all over. Read more:  The Japan Times' coverage of the Olympic Games Curtain falls on a tumultuous Tokyo Games (Jason Coskrey, The Japan Times) Japan ends Tokyo 2020 with record medal haul (The Japan Times) How we saw it: The Athletes’ Olympics (Dan Orlowitz, The Japan Times) How we saw it: The Mental Health Olympics (Jason Coskrey, The Japan Times) How we saw it: The Japanese Women's Olympics (Kaz Nagatsuka, The Japan Times)  How we saw it: The Silent Olympics (Oscar Boyd, The Japan Times) Tokyo Paralympics likely to be held with no spectators (The Japan Times) On this episode: Patrick St. Michel: Twitter | Articles Oscar Boyd: Twitter | Articles | Instagram Announcements: Subscribe to the show and sign up to the Deep Dive mailing list to be notified when we return. Get in touch with us at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show! Rate us, review us and share this episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. Follow us on Twitter, and give us feedback. This episode of Deep Dive may be supported by advertising based on your location. Advertising is sourced by Audioboom and is not affiliated with The Japan Times. Photo: Fireworks light up the sky over National Stadium during the closing ceremony. | AFP-JIJI

13 Aug 202125min

Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Barshim share a gold medal in the high jump, skateboarding is dominated by more incredible Japanese teenagers, and it continues to be incredibly hot at these Olympic Games. Read more:  The Japan Times' coverage of the Olympic Games Japan's summer heat an Olympic challenge for competing athletes (The Japan Times) The man behind the Olympic 'anti-sex' beds speaks out (Dan Orlowitz, The Japan Times) Japan wins two more medals in skateboarding as Sakura Yosozumi takes gold (Oscar Boyd, The Japan Times) Shot-putter’s gesture renews controversy over podium protests at Tokyo Games (The Japan Times) Belarusian Olympic sprinter receives humanitarian visa from Poland (Magdalena Osumi, The Japan Times) On this episode: Patrick St. Michel: Twitter | Articles Oscar Boyd: Twitter | Articles | Instagram Announcements: Subscribe to the show and sign up to the Deep Dive mailing list to be notified when we return. Get in touch with us at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show! Rate us, review us and share this episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. Follow us on Twitter, and give us feedback. This episode of Deep Dive may be supported by advertising based on your location. Advertising is sourced by Audioboom and is not affiliated with The Japan Times. Photo: Daniil Medvedev takes a medical timeout for heat fatigue during an Olympic tennis match on July 28. | KYODO

6 Aug 202128min

From the opening ceremony to Naomi Osaka and Simon Biles' shock exits, it's been a busy week at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Read more:  Biracial representation, game soundtracks and shiny pecs: bright moments at a somber Olympic opening (Patrick St. Michel, The Japan Times) The Japan Times' coverage of the Olympic Games Osaka exits Games as Tokyo hits record coronavirus cases (The Japan Times) U.S. gymnast Simone Biles out of next Tokyo event, sharpening focus on mental health at Games (The Japan Times)  Japanese surfer Kanoa Igarashi earns silver as Amuro Tsuzuki takes bronze on stormy day in Chiba (Oscar Boyd, The Japan Times) On this episode: Patrick St. Michel: Twitter | Articles Oscar Boyd: Twitter | Articles | Instagram Announcements: Subscribe to the show and sign up to the Deep Dive mailing list to be notified when we return. Get in touch with us at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show! Rate us, review us and share this episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. Follow us on Twitter, and give us feedback. This episode of Deep Dive may be supported by advertising based on your location. Advertising is sourced by Audioboom and is not affiliated with The Japan Times.

30 Jul 202127min

In Part 2 of this two-part look at the long and tumultuous road to the Olympics, we discuss heat, corruption and the endless run of scandals that followed when the COVID-19 pandemic forced a one-year postponement of the Games. Read/see more:  Twists and turns: Retracing Tokyo’s tumultuous path to the Olympics (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times) Heat risks add to challenges for Tokyo's pandemic-hit Olympics (Oscar Boyd, The Japan Times) The Olympic opening ceremony that wasn’t (Patrick St. Michel, The Japan Times) The sexism scandal engulfing the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (Deep Dive) Keigo Oyamada quits Olympic opening ceremony role over past bullying (The Japan Times) Director of Olympics opening ceremony ousted over past comments on Holocaust (The Japan Times) More companies pull out of Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony (The Japan Times) The Japan Times' coverage of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (The Japan Times) On this episode: Patrick St. Michel: Twitter | Articles Oscar Boyd: Twitter | Articles | Instagram Announcements: Subscribe to the show and sign up to the Deep Dive mailing list to be notified when we return. Get in touch with us at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show! Rate us, review us and share this episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. Follow us on Twitter, and give us feedback. This episode of Deep Dive may be supported by advertising based on your location. Advertising is sourced by Audioboom and is not affiliated with The Japan Times. Photo: People protest against the Tokyo Olympic Games outside the Akasaka State Guest House, where International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach attended a welcome ceremony on Sunday. | REUTERS

23 Jul 202130min