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 Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2013
Hokkaido opposition to TPP surges
On a late March afternoon in central Sapporo's "raccoon trail," a covered shopping arcade, business is particularly brisk. While Honshu's main cities celebrate under the cherry blossoms, several meters of snow remain piled up beside icy sidewalks — with more expected.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 9, 2013
Hashimoto to sue Asahi for story on family past
Osaka Mayor and Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) chief Toru Hashimoto plans to sue the weekly Shukan Asahi and daily Asahi Shimbun, claiming they violated his human rights when the magazine ran an article six months ago touching on his family background.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 4, 2013
Nippon Ishin, LDP ally on separate paths
As Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) gears up for this summer's Upper House election, its relationship with New Komeito, especially over constitutional revision, has come under increased pressure.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 30, 2013
Nippon Ishin unveils new platform at convention
Nippon Ishin no Kai introduces candidates for the Upper House election and a new platform that calls for revising the 'Occupation Constitution' at its first-ever convention.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 26, 2013
Curse or cash cow: Japan ready for casinos?
Lawmakers are seriously considering legalizing casinos so Japanese can roll the dice without having to travel to gambling houses in the United States, East and Southeast Asia.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2013
Abe exploiting chink in base opposition?
Tokyo's request to begin landfill work in Okinawa was a calculated move that came amid signs that opposition to a contentious U.S. military base might be softening.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2013
Prefectures dally over nuclear evacuation plans
If a disaster were to occur at one of Japan's 50 nuclear reactors, the most critically needed personnel in the minutes and hours immediately afterward might be bus drivers.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2013
Japan urged to send out global SOS over No. 1 plant
Two years after the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami, the herculean task of decommissioning the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant is the subject of growing international involvement.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 13, 2013
Angling to revise Article 96, Abe cozies up to Ishin no Kai's Osaka branch
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is drawing closer to the Osaka faction of Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) and its allies as concerns about the health of Shintaro Ishihara, 80, head of the party's Diet faction, mount and Nippon Ishin members look to the July Upper House election.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2013
Nuclear evacuees bide time in Kyoto but fret over future
On a cold afternoon in late February, a group of mothers and children gathered at a makeshift community center near JR Momoyama Station in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto. In one room, volunteers were setting up dolls for the Hina Matsuri doll festival as a couple of kids played, watched carefully by their parents....
Japan Times
JAPAN / TOHOKU TRAPPED IN TIME
Mar 10, 2013
Plummeting debris estimates belie pleas for disposal aid
In the weeks after March 11, 2011, what to do with the mountains of debris that had once been people's homes and possessions before the quake and tsunami, and how to do it quickly, cheaply and safely, became the top priority of the cleanup effort in Tohoku.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 5, 2013
Rift-plagued Nippon Ishin eyes 200 for poll
Although more than 200 people nationwide have expressed interest in running as Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) candidates in the July Upper House election, internal tensions have once again raised questions about the party's stability.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 27, 2013
Nippon Ishin gunning for Kansai domination
Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) is moving forward with plans not only to field candidates nationwide in this summer's Upper House election but also run against Kansai politicians who oppose its efforts to create a new regional system.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 19, 2013
Push to change Constitution gains parties' favor
Political efforts to change a key part of the Constitution that would make it much easier to revise other articles continue to strengthen in the ruling and opposition parties.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 13, 2013
Nippon Ishin to start hunt for July candidates
Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) will start seeking candidates Saturday for this summer's Upper House election and plans to announce the first round of selections at a party conference March 30.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 8, 2013
Kansai biz forum hails LDP, frets over nuke plants
At their annual gathering that wrapped up Friday, Kansai's corporate leaders warmly welcomed the Liberal Democratic Party's return to power, vowing to would do whatever they can to assist the new government in enacting a wide range of economic, financial, social and diplomatic initiatives.
Japan Times
Reference / Q&A
Feb 8, 2013
Chinese smog bomb floats toward Japan
Smog in China has reached alarming levels as its rapid industrialization spews ever-more toxic particles into the air.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 6, 2013
Hashimoto backs antibullying rules
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto plans to support two ordinance proposals that would establish an independent investigation team and give the mayor's office more authority to look into incidents of school bullying and corporal punishment.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2013
Osaka votes down health-damages ordinance
Members of Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto's local party, Osaka Ishin no Kai, and New Komeito, which form the ruling coalition in the municipal assembly, voted against an ordinance proposal Monday that would have clarified the city's financial responsibilities in the event of health problems created by incinerating...
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 1, 2013
Abe can expect little sympathy from nominal allies during Okinawa visit
When Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits Okinawa for a meeting Saturday with Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima and other local politicians, he'll be sitting down mostly with fellow Liberal Democratic Party members or those who won with LDP support.

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