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 Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
JAPAN
Nov 27, 2015
Kepco files bid to extend life of aging Mihama reactor
Kansai Electric Power Co. formally submitted an application to the Nuclear Regulation Authority on Thursday for permission to extend the life of its aging Mihama No. 3 reactor for up to another two decades.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 23, 2015
Election wins energize Osaka Ishin
The landslide victories scored Sunday by Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka) in the gubernatorial and mayoral elections give its new national counterpart a strong advantage in recruiting for next summer's Upper House election and have the establishment parties on their heels.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 22, 2015
Matsui, Yoshimura claim win in Osaka double election
Osaka voters cast their ballots for continuity over change with Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui and outgoing Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto's hand-picked successor, Hirofumi Yoshimura, declaring wins in a double election.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 22, 2015
Osaka heads to polls in double election with national significance
Osaka residents went to the polls Sunday to cast their ballots in two key elections that are expected to have national political ramifications.
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Nov 22, 2015
Osaka group preps Kansai solution to Futenma base row
If a group of Osaka residents has its way, the U.S. Marine Corps base at Futenma in Okinawa may not end up in the northern part of the island, but in one of five spots in their prefecture.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 22, 2015
Cultural Affairs Agency transfer to Kyoto assumed as talks proceed
Kyoto's quest to host the Cultural Affairs Agency took a step forward last week, after education and culture minister Hiroshi Hase said talks in Tokyo on the issue would proceed under the assumption the move to Kyoto will take place.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 17, 2015
Ishin no Kai-backed candidates lead in polls ahead of double Osaka election
Four days before Sunday's Osaka gubernatorial and mayoral elections, candidates backed by Mayor Toru Hashimoto's Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka) are leading candidates pushed by the established parties.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Nov 16, 2015
TPP no done deal; hurdles include interpretation, legislative approval, U.S. election
The full text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement was released this month. The document is a wide-ranging accord between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam.
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Nov 14, 2015
Will Tokyo become Hashimoto's Wonderland?
"It's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then."
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 13, 2015
Mediation panel reviews latest move in Okinawa base spat
A third-party panel on Friday began reviewing the government's decision last month to suspend Okinawa Prefecture's decision to revoke permission for a landfill project at Henoko, where U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma is scheduled to be relocated.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 5, 2015
Three kick off race for Osaka governor
The campaign for the Osaka gubernatorial election, which takes place Nov. 22 along with the mayoral election, kicked off Thursday with three candidates.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2015
NRA's 'new management' call for Monju reactor proves divisive
Two decades after a sodium leak and fire shut it down and nearly six decades after it was first conceived, the Monju prototype fast-breeder reactor in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, suffered another blow Wednesday when the Nuclear Regulation Authority called for it to be turned over to another operator....
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 31, 2015
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto's new party debuts
With the launch of Osaka Ishin no Kai on Saturday, which aims to take control of the Lower House within five years, Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto kicked off his latest attempt to build an Osaka-based national political movement.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 29, 2015
Tensions rise between Osaka LDP, senior party officials after Suga-Matsui meeting
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga flared tensions after meeting with Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui, who is running against an LDP candidate in next month's polls.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Oct 25, 2015
Osaka elections pull LDP closer to old foes
The Osaka chapter of the Japanese Communist Party calls on its members to back LDP candidates in November's mayoral and gubernatorial elections.
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Oct 25, 2015
Kyoto advances nuclear-free agenda with Alaska LNG pact
The Kyoto Prefectural Government signed an agreement with Alaska last month to explore the possibility of importing liquid natural gas from the state to Maizuru, a port city on the Sea of Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 24, 2015
Ishin no To faction votes to dissolve party; legality of move questioned
Over 200 members of Ishin no To, led by the party's Osaka faction, staged a revolt, voting to dissolve the party.
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Oct 17, 2015
Kyoto forum's leaders warm up to renewables
Each autumn, the world's most influential scientists, engineers, business leaders and science policy experts gather in Kyoto for the Science and Technology in Society Forum. The STS Forum is the brainchild of Koji Omi, a former finance minister and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry bureaucrat and...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 8, 2015
Osaka's double election heats up after candidates finalized
The main candidates for next month's Osaka mayoral and gubernatorial races, both local elections with national political implications, have been finalized.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 6, 2015
TPP cements U.S.-Japan ties; Congress could undo pact
The conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement offers a major boost to the United States-Japan bilateral relationship and the promise of closer economic integration. It was agreed Monday after a marathon negotiating session in Atlanta.

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