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November 23, 2024
 

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Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 27, 2017
Hashimoto cuts ties with Nippon Ishin after party's poor election showing
Toru Hashimoto, the former Osaka governor, mayor and co-founder of Osaka-based Nippon Ishin no Kai, has cut ties with the national party following its poor performance in the Oct. 22 Lower House election.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / Decision 2017
Oct 18, 2017
In a small Nara city, Lower House vote set to test Kibo no To's strength against LDP
Ikoma, a small city of about 120,000 people, lies just over the border from Osaka in northern Nara Prefecture. It's known for its bamboo products, especially whisks used in the traditional tea ceremony. A cable car that travels up Mount Ikoma, opened in 1918, is said to be the oldest in Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 14, 2017
Balance of power: Shift toward renewable energy appears to be picking up steam
Five years ago, Japan introduced a feed-in tariff system in a bid to promote the introduction of renewable energy on a large scale following the collapse of public trust in nuclear power due to the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, and subsequent triple meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1...
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Oct 14, 2017
Osaka-Tokyo regional split seen keeping Koike's, Hashimoto's camps at arm's length
The rise and — so far — fall in popularity of Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike's Kibo no To (Party of Hope) comes as no surprise in Osaka, where her ability to govern effectively, as opposed to deal with the media, has long been in doubt.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / Decision 2017
Oct 12, 2017
Koike's Kibo no To takes a hit as popular Aichi Gov. Hideaki Omura cuts support
Aichi Gov. Hideaki Omura has withdrawn his support for Kibo no To in a blow to Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, who is also the fledgling party's chief. This setback comes less than two weeks after Omura agreed to cooperate with Koike and Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui, who serves as Nippon Ishin no Kai's co-leader....
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 6, 2017
Kibo no To and Osaka's Nippon Ishin in cautious collaboration with wide policy overlap
The basic platform of Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike's new Kibo no To (Party of Hope), with promises of freezing the scheduled income tax hike to reducing the salaries and number of Diet members, has a familiar ring for many members of the Osaka-centered Nippon Ishin no Kai, which has agreed to cooperate with...
JAPAN
Oct 5, 2017
'Comfort women' row threatens Osaka-San Francisco sister city relationship
The debate over statues memorializing “comfort women” is threatening to upend six-decade sister city ties between Osaka and San Francisco.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 30, 2017
Kibo no To and Nippon Ishin no Kai agree not to directly challenge each other in Tokyo and Osaka city districts
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike and Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui agreed Saturday that her new Kibo no To (Party of Hope) and his Nippon Ishin no Kai will not challenge each other in single-seat districts in their respective cities in the upcoming snap election.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Sep 28, 2017
Lawyerless Turk challenges Osaka car dealer's snub of non-Japanese patrons, wins redress
In a highly unusual case that has surprised Japanese legal experts, a Turkish national based in Osaka sued a local second-hand car dealer for discrimination and won, all without the services of a lawyer.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 27, 2017
Osaka court rules tattoo artist's work violated medical law, was not art or expression
An Osaka tattoo artist was found guilty Wednesday of violating the Medical Practitioners' Law in a case that drew international attention to Japan's tattoo culture.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 25, 2017
Osaka's leaders complain about San Francisco 'comfort women' statue to U.S. Ambassador Hagerty
In a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Japan William Hagerty on Monday, Osaka's leaders expressed solidarity with America over North Korea but concern that San Francisco, Osaka's sister city, erected a monument to the wartime "comfort women" who were forced into Japanese military brothels before and during...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Sep 24, 2017
Local, national agendas shade parties' prospects in expected snap poll
As Japan gears up for an anticipated snap election at the end of October, Kansai politicians and parties are staking out their positions on issues of national interest but with their eyes very much on local political needs.
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Sep 24, 2017
Kyoto's pricey lodging tax plan spurs fierce debate over necessity, tourism impact
A necessity for improving Kyoto's tourism infrastructure or a bad decision that might convince tourists to go elsewhere?
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Sep 16, 2017
Osaka, Okawa at the forefront of demographic changes altering power structures
On the surface, former Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto and Kazuhito Wada, the head of Okawa village, Kochi Prefecture, have little in common. Hashimoto is brash, confrontational and more interested these days in getting rich as a private citizen than in being a politician. Wada is quieter, a team player who...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2017
Depopulated Kochi village suspends idea of direct democracy
Just three months after the village of Okawa, Kochi Prefecture, drew national attention by announcing it might abolish its elected council due to a lack of qualified candidates and introduce direct democracy, the head of the sparsely populated municipality said Monday that talks on the issue would be...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 30, 2017
Theresa May arrives in Japan to allay Brexit fears and show solidarity against North nuclear threat
Formal talks between May and Prime Minister Abe are to begin Thursday and are expected to focus on issues surrounding Brexit, bilateral economic cooperation and increased defense ties.
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Aug 27, 2017
Competition to host Japan's first casino resort heats up
As the Diet prepares to debate the structure of integrated casino resorts this autumn, competition in Osaka and neighboring Wakayama to win the rights to host one of the first legal gambling complexes in the country is heating up.
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Aug 27, 2017
Shiga tops in volunteerism; Osaka finishes in last place: leisure survey
If you're the kind of person who prioritizes volunteer work, enjoys playing badminton and has an interest in studying, Shiga Prefecture might be your ideal home in Kansai.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2017
Japan, South Korea, China agree to jointly promote Asian culture during next three Olympic events
The culture chiefs of Japan, China and South Korea agree to use the next three Olympic events in the region to jointly promote East Asia's culture to the world.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 24, 2017
Student trip to Guam canceled amid North Korea missile fears
Concern over the North Korean threats has led to the cancellation of a school trip to Guam, while local governments hold or plan evacuation drills.
Japan approves ¥21.9 trillion stimulus plan
The policy chiefs of the Democratic Party for the People, Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito — Makoto Hamaguchi (left), Itsunori Onodera (center) and Mitsunari Okamoto — shake hands after reaching an agreement on an economic stimulus package on Wednesday.
Tokyo Metro’s overseas efforts begin in earnest with London deal
Tokyo Metro will soon have a role in the running of London's Elizabeth Line, a major train route serving the U.K.’s capital city and environs.
Saitama court bans demonstrations over anti-Kurd hate speech
Kurdish people in Japan in 2015. A court injunction has banned acts that defame the Japan Kurdish Cultural Association and are disrespectful, such as putting up banner flags or handing out fliers with hate speech like “Refugees should go back to their home countries.”
China reinstates visa-free travel for Japanese nationals
Beijing Daxing International Airport
U.S. aircraft carrier returns to Japan carrying navy’s ‘most capable fighter’
U.S. 7th Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Fred Kacher speaks to reporters shortly after the arrival of aircraft carrier USS George Washington at Yokosuka naval base in Kanagawa Prefecture on Friday.
Shohei Ohtani wins National League MVP award
Shohei Ohtani celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Padres during the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles last month.
The slow-burn success of ‘A Samurai in Time’
A 19th-century warrior gets struck by lightning and wakes to find himself in 21st-century Kyoto in Junichi Yasuda’s surprise hit “A Samurai in Time.”
Around a quarter of Japan married couples in their 20s met through dating apps
A survey released by an organization promoting “Good Couples Day” shows that 24% of couples in their 20s met their marriage partner through a dating app.
'Tokyo Swindlers': Get deep into the minds of real estate con artists
In Ko Shinjo's "Tokyo Swindlers," a group of con artists manipulates real estate giants into falsified deals within the highly competitive, quick market.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.

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