Deep Dive from The Japan Times

This week on Deep Dive we get contributing writer and photographer Lance Henderstein to read us his article on traveling Okinawa during the rainy season.  
Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez...

A drugs scandal at Japan’s biggest university draws attention to a troubling statistic: Cannabis use among young people is on the rise. Yukana Inoue and Tomoko Otake join us to discuss Japanese attitudes toward marijuana. (This episode includes a segment that was originally broadcast May 17.) 
Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez...

The Johnny & Associates sexual abuse scandal is like the Harvey Weinstein and Michael Jackson scandals rolled into one. Karin Kaneko catches us up on how things are unfolding, while Alyssa I. Smith and Patrick St. Michel discuss the effect it may have on the Japanese music industry.   
Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez...

Good news and bad news out of Fukushima. First, the bad news: Anika Osaki Exum and Gabriele Ninivaggi join us to discuss the reaction to the treated wastewater release plan (China’s not happy). Then, Francesco Bassetti gets us caught up on the good news: There has been a boom in renewable energies there.   
Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez...

The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 was literally a picture of hell. Fires killed hundreds of thousands of people and sparked a witch hunt of Korean residents who were wrongfully blamed for the infernos. Alex K.T. Martin joins us to discuss the quake and how the scars left by the disaster shaped the course of Japan's future.   
Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez...

As the last trains leave the central hubs of Shinjuku and Shibuya for the suburbs, much of the city heads home. However, Tokyo never sleeps. Economics reporter Elizabeth Beattie comes on the show to discuss a story she wrote about the businesses that keep night-time Tokyo buzzing.  
 
Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez...

Japan’s new My Number identification cards were supposed to be a step forward for digitalization. Instead, numerous errors now risk exposing just how backwards we still are. Politics reporter Gabriele Ninivaggi joins us to discuss whether the whole debacle will have an impact on the ruling party.
Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez...

Cinema buffs in Japan have been treated to a final gift from Hayao Miyazaki — a new film! Japan Times critics Thu-Huong Ha and Matt Schley discuss what they thought of “The Boy and the Heron.”
Hosted by Thu-Huong Ha and produced by Dave Cortez...

Japan’s borders have opened to overseas tourists. That may be bad news for Mount Fuji, which is completely booked this summer, but it’s good news for Fuji Rock as the music festival pulls in some major international names. Drew Damron and Patrick St. Michel join us this week to discuss Japan’s two favorite Fujis. 
Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez...

As the population gets older do we risk losing the summer festivals that make Japan unique? Alex K.T. Martin joins Deep Dive to discuss this and other demographic-related woes the country faces. 
Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez.

On this episode: 
Shaun McKenna: Articles | Twitter | Instagram
Alex K.T. Martin: Articles | Twitter | Instagram 
Read more: 

• Inside Japan’s oldest village (Alex K...