Motoko Rich is an American journalist who is the Tokyo bureau chief for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. She covers Japanese politics, society, gender, culture, security and the arts, as well as news and features on the Korean peninsula.

Early life and education

Rich was born to Junko and Peter Rich of

Petaluma, California Petaluma is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, located in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Its population was 59,776 according to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

. She grew up in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, Tokyo, and Northern California and attended Casa Grande High School. She majored in English literature at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

and graduated

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

with a Bachelor of Arts degree and received a master's degree in English from the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

Career

Rich worked as a reporter for ''

The Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'' in London. She then moved to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

and worked for ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'', eventually moving to New York City. In 2003, she joined ''The New York Times'', where she covered a broad range of topics including real estate, the economy, books and education. In 2016, Rich succeeded Martin Fackler as the Tokyo bureau chief for ''The New York Times''. She has reported on various issues affecting Japan and the region, such as the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

, the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the

Abdication of Emperor Akihito The 2019 Japanese imperial transition occurred on 30 April 2019 when the then 85-year-old Emperor Akihito of Japan abdicated from the Chrysanthemum Throne after reigning for 30 years, becoming the first Emperor of Japan to do so since Emperor ...

, the

assassination of Shinzo Abe On 8 July 2022, Shinzo Abe, a former prime minister of Japan and serving member of the Japanese House of Representatives, was assassinated while speaking at a political event outside Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara City, Nara Prefecture. Abe wa ...

North Korea–United States relations Relations between North Korea and the United States have been historically hostile. The two countries have no formal diplomatic relations. Instead, they have adopted an indirect diplomatic arrangement using neutral intermediaries. The Embassy of S ...

, South Korea–Japan relationships, and

China–Japan relations China–Japan relations, or Sino- Japanese relations, refer to the diplomatic, economic, and historical ties between the two nations, separated by the East China Sea. Historically, Japan was heavily influenced by Chinese culture, but after the Me ...

. She is a co-winner of the

Gerald Loeb Award The Gerald Loeb Awards, also referred to as the Gerald Loeb Awards for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism, is a recognition of excellence in journalism, especially in the fields of business, finance and the economy. The award was e ...

winners for Images/Graphics/Interactives (2016–2018).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rich, Motoko American women writers Yale University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Living people The Washington Post people The New York Times journalists Gerald Loeb Award winners for Images, Graphics, Interactives, and Visuals Casa Grande High School alumni Writers from California People from Petaluma, California