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September 16, 2025
 

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Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
JAPAN / History
May 2, 2004
U.S. looks to expand Japan's military role
OSAKA -- On Nov. 19, 1953, then U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon mounted the podium at a special meeting of the Japan-America Society in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2004
U.S. seeks reconstruction aid from SDF in Afghanistan
OSAKA -- With the security situation in Afghanistan worsening, the U.S. State Department's coordinator for the country voiced hope for increased Japanese participation, including military assistance for reconstruction efforts at the local level.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2004
Ohta quizzed over ties with arrested meat exec
OSAKA -- The arrest of Mitsuru Asada, vice chairman of the Osaka Prefecture Meat Cooperative Association, has sent shock waves through Osaka's political community and has put Osaka Gov. Fusae Ohta, who admits having met Asada on several occasions, on the defensive.
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2004
Scrap rat-on-foreigners Web site: Hyogo
KOBE -- Hyogo Prefecture has become the first local government to call on the Justice Ministry to abolish a contentious Web site that asks Japanese to report via e-mail any foreigners they suspect to be illegal aliens.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2004
Osaka to keep funding pro-Pyongyang schools
OSAKA -- Osaka municipal officials said Monday that the city will continue to provide financial support for schools affiliated with the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryun), despite calls for the policy to be reconsidered.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2004
Volunteer offers consultation to women trafficked to Japan
KOBE -- A volunteer probation officer and court interpreter in Kobe has begun a telephone consultation service for foreign women trafficked to Japan and forced into prostitution.
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2004
Kepco inks accord with COGEMA on MOX supply
OSAKA -- Kansai Electric Power Co. reached an agreement Friday with COGEMA, France's state-owned nuclear fuel reprocessing company, to sign a contract possibly this summer for manufacturing mixed oxide-uranium fuel.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2004
Ex-North Korean spy wants hand in collapse of Kim's empire
KITAKYUSHU -- On Aug. 30, 1993, four North Korean agents slipped over the 38th parallel into South Korea. Disguised as South Korean soldiers, their mission was to spy on U.S. and South Korean forces near Panmunjun.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2004
Net, Kansai hotlines offer precautions
OSAKA -- Municipalities in the Kansai region have set up telephone hotlines and are providing information via the Internet on precautions against the bird flu virus, which infected six crows in Kyoto and Osaka prefectures.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2004
Kin of abductees spooked by specter of Kerry in White House
OSAKA -- November's U.S. presidential election will be watched with great interest and concern by relatives and other supporters of Japanese nationals abducted to North Korea, who wonder what implications a Democratic victory might have for their cause.
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2004
Tanba kids stay cool amid bird flu as parents, merchants fret
TANBA, Kyoto Pref. -- As the bell rings to end the day, students at Komono Junior High School file out.
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2004
Bird flu drives chicken from Kansai menus
OSAKA -- Chicken was off the menu in many parts of the Kansai region Monday following reports that meat from chickens infected with the bird flu virus had been sold in the area's restaurants and supermarkets.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 2004
Kansai in dire need of airport guidance
OSAKA -- With Kobe airport due to open next year, joining Kansai International Airport and the domestic hub in Itami, Kansai's business and government leaders have formed a committee to figure out how to effectively operate the region's three airports.
Japan Times
JAPAN / LABOR PAINS
Feb 12, 2004
Osaka firms turning to foreign workers
OSAKA -- The Imazato district of Osaka has long been home to a large concentration of small and midsize enterprises.
BUSINESS
Feb 7, 2004
Airport issues unresolved as forum ends
KYOTO -- The Kansai region's top business leaders concluded their two-day annual Kansai Economic Seminar on Friday, calling for further regional cooperation aimed at attracting industries and promoting tourism and conventions.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 3, 2004
Osaka gubernatorial election characterized by voter apathy
OSAKA -- In an election marked by extreme voter apathy, Fusae Ohta was re-elected Sunday to a second term as Osaka governor by a huge majority.
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2004
Rokkasho in dark, or wary, about ITER
OSAKA -- Just weeks before a decision is made on whether Japan or France gets to host the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project, Japanese officials are conducting a last-ditch international campaign to secure support.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2004
Osaka's governor candidates target bureaucracy, economy
OSAKA -- Candidates for the Feb. 1 Osaka gubernatorial election, who began their campaigns Thursday, are focusing on reducing bureaucratic waste and promoting economic revitalization, plans long supported by local business organizations.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 26, 2003
Slip into slo-mo Shiga-style
OMIHACHIMAN, Shiga Pref. -- Tired of group-tour hell? Does a four-cities-in-five-days' trip to Europe, or being herded like hyperactive cattle through the temples of Kyoto make you wish you could take a vacation from your vacation?
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2003
Osaka movers, shakers fear orgy hurt China ties
OSAKA -- Osaka business and government leaders voiced concern Monday about relations with China in the immediate future due to the uproar over a September orgy involving visiting employees of an Osaka-based firm and Beijing's demand that three of them who allegedly organized the prostitution spree be...
SDF spots China’s biggest aircraft carrier for first time
The Fujian aircraft carrier is seen in Shanghai in May 2024 as it leaves for its first sea trial.
Why more hotels in Japan are offering room-only service
Nipponia Hotel Ise Kawasaki Merchant Town in Ise, Mie Prefecture
Is America ready for Japanese-style 7-Elevens?
Convenience stores are a fixture of Japanese life and 7-Eleven, a chain that began in the U.S. in 1927, opened its first store in Japan in 1974 — and then became wholly Japanese-owned in 2005 through parent company Seven & I Holdings.
Final weeks of World Expo in Osaka likely to see large crowds
With one month left to go, crowds are expected to swell at the World Expo in Osaka during its final weeks.
Japan's elderly population down at around 36.2 million
The estimated number of people age 65 or older in Japan stands at 36.19 million as of Monday, accounting for record 29.4% of the country's total population, according to the internal affairs ministry.
Strikes on Qatar and Poland shake U.S. sway among friend and foe
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Museum of the Bible in Washington on Sept. 8. Israeli strikes in Qatar and Russian drone incursions into Poland have challenged the U.S. leaders claims of global respect.
Japan's major art events converge this fall
Shinji Ohmaki’s “Tokinokage” exhibited at Fuji Textile Week 2021 shows the use of fabric as art.
An aesthetic escape to Hakone’s art-drenched hills
Between traditional examples of fine art and sleek, modern exhibitions that blend with nature, Hakone offers a unique escape from Tokyo's urban sprawl.
Niinami’s ouster quick but not unusual as corporations protect reputation
Takeshi Niinami resigns as chairman and CEO of Suntory Holdings.
As Manila modernizes its military, new opportunities emerge for Tokyo
A Brahmos missile system is displayed during a rehearsal for a military parade in New Delhi in January. The Philippines will soon receive its second batch of the supersonic cruise missiles from India.

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Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
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