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 Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2017
Kansai Electric decides to scrap two Oi reactors over safety concerns
Kansai Electric Power Co. formally notified the Fukui Prefectural Government on Friday that it will decommission the Oi No. 1 and No. 2 reactors.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2017
Kansai Electric to decommission Nos. 1 and 2 reactors at Oi plant in Fukui Prefecture
The decision, expected to be officially endorsed Friday, will bring to 14 the number of reactors earmarked to be scrapped since the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Dec 16, 2017
20 years on, the Kyoto Protocol initiated awareness
In the midst of serious news about North Korean missiles and constitutional revision, as well as a steady diet of BLT (bright, light and trite) stories and corporate propaganda that clog our intellectual arteries, it's easy to lose track of what developments are critical to life itself.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2017
Osaka city assembly urges central government to pressure San Francisco to remove 'comfort women' memorial
The Osaka city assembly has called on the central government to pressure San Francisco to remove a statue to wartime "comfort women" — a euphemism used to refer to the women and girls who were forced to work in Japanese military brothels before and during World War II.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2017
Charles Jenkins, U.S. defector to North Korea and husband of former Japanese abductee Hitomi Soga, dies at 77
Jenkins, who spent nearly 40 years in North Korea as a prisoner, lived in Japan with his family after his release in 2004.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Dec 9, 2017
Open waters: Opening of ports 150 years ago remains a watershed moment in the nation's history
The year 2018 marks the 150th anniversary of the Meiji Restoration, which ended about 250 years of self-imposed isolation and marked the beginning of Japan's efforts to become a major international power.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2017
Osaka regales top World Expo official, but concerns linger over hosting 2025 event
In an attempted display of local enthusiasm for the 2025 World Expo, Osaka rolled out the red carpet this week for a senior official from the organization that will decide next November who will host the event.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 4, 2017
20 years after Kyoto Protocol, where does world stand on climate?
On Dec. 11, 1997, representatives from over 150 nations gathered in Kyoto to hammer out what would become the world's first international agreement to control and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 29, 2017
LDP backs away from election promise of 'free education' election promise
Ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers tasked with drawing up proposed constitutional amendments approved a plan Tuesday that does not include a guarantee to make all education free.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 26, 2017
Kansai biz leaders give Tokyo their project-funding wish list
Of the many Japanese autumn traditions, one not found in tourist guidebooks is the drawing up of wish lists by influential business organizations from Hokkaido to Okinawa.
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Nov 26, 2017
In pitching 2025 Expo bid, Osaka must sell itself over Paris, and Africa may hold the key
Imagine you're in Osaka in 2025. After arriving, you're welcomed by people on the streets, where you stop by a takoyaki vendor for a quick octopus dumpling snack before heading out to see the sights. Walking around Osaka, you'll feel safe in the presence of police officers offering snappy salutes and...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 23, 2017
Osaka mayor to terminate six-decade ties as San Francisco designates 'comfort women' memorial city property
The Osaka mayor will end a six-decade sister city relationship with San Francisco after the mayor of the U.S. city approved designation as city property a memorial to “comfort women.”
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Nov 18, 2017
Osaka may be facing political headwinds in its quest to host World Expo 2025
"Look and see which way the wind blows before you commit yourself." — "The Bat and the Weasels," Aesop's Fables
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2017
Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui heads to Paris to boost bid for 2025 World Expo
Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui departed for Paris on Tuesday to lobby for Osaka's bid to host the 2025 World Expo.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2017
For Japan's casinos to work, keep the yakuza out and deal with problem drinking: experts
As the nation debates how to establish and operate casinos via integrated resorts, it must take measures to keep the yakuza out and manage not only problem gambling but also develop a responsible drinking policy for the casino floor, a group of U.S. experts said in two new reports.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 8, 2017
Nippon Ishin no Kai calls emergency meeting to decide future leadership
Nippon Ishin no Kai will hold an emergency meeting Nov. 25 to discuss whether it is time to elect new leaders as the party struggles with internal dissension following its poor performance in the Oct. 22 Lower House election.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 3, 2017
Abe and Trump to rekindle friendship, but not all see rapport as positive for Japan, survey says
While Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump are said to have a good personal relationship, 43.7 percent of those who responded to a recent survey by The Japan Times viewed it as bad for Japan, while 14.1 percent said it was bad for the U.S.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 31, 2017
Diplomatic experts urge Trump to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table
Diplomatic experts from Japan, the United States and South Korea are calling on U.S. President Donald Trump to seek ways to get Pyongyang to return to the negotiating table, possibly in the so-called six-party talks framework that includes the three nations plus North Korea, China and Russia.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Oct 29, 2017
Osaka threatens San Francisco ties over sister city's 'comfort women' memorial
The 60-year sister city relationship between Osaka and San Francisco looks to be heading for retirement if Osaka Mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura and his allies in the city who oppose San Francisco's new "comfort women" memorial get their way.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Oct 29, 2017
Nippon Ishin ponders its fate after brutal defeat in Lower House election
Five years after Nippon Ishin no Kai first appeared on the national stage with promises of changing the country through an Osaka-based revolution, the party's future is in doubt following a crushing defeat in the Oct. 22 Lower House election.

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Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?