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November 22, 2024
 

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Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
Upper House lawmaker Muneo Suzuki speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 10, 2023
Hokkaido lawmaker leaves Nippon Ishin over visit to Russia
Calls from within the party to punish Suzuki had been growing, especially after he told Russian media he was sure Moscow would win its war with Ukraine.
Sapporo Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto speaks to reporters in Sapporo on Friday.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 6, 2023
Sapporo to push back Winter Olympics bid to 2034 or later
Sapporo mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto will meet with the Japanese Olympic Committee next week to request the change.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends a news conference after his Cabinet reshuffle in Tokyo on Sept. 13.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 2, 2023
Late fall emerges as possible timing for snap election in Japan
A decision on a snap poll could be determined by debate over an economic stimulus package and a supplementary budget bill to pay for it.
Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori gives an interview in Tokyo on July 4.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 29, 2023
Yoshiro Mori's image as LDP kingmaker rubs up against reality
While he remains a strong presence in the LDP, his actual ability to get his way on policy and personnel matters may not be as strong as it first appears.
Masatoshi Akimoto asks questions at a Lower House budget committee session in February 2022.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 27, 2023
Ex-LDP member's indictment puts spotlight on green energy goals
A Lower House member and the former president of a major offshore wind-power company were each charged with bribery by Tokyo prosecutors.
Liberal Democratic Party election strategy committee Chair Yuko Obuchi speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Sept. 13.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 21, 2023
Scandal-tainted Yuko Obuchi's appointment could backfire on Kishida
Obuchi still faces questions over a nearly decade-old political funds scandal, and last week she was hit with fresh allegations of financial impropriety.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida poses with his new Cabinet in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 14, 2023
Kishida's Cabinet reshuffle is about keeping friends and rivals close
The Cabinet reshuffle and Liberal Democratic Party senior leadership changes reflect a leader concerned with factional politics and potential rivals.
New Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa is seen in formal attire to attend an attestation ceremony after a Cabinet reshuffle in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 13, 2023
In Kishida's Cabinet reshuffle, two changes stand out
It will be the first time in 20 years that a woman has been foreign minister, while the new defense chief arrives amid dramatic shifts in defense posture.
Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi (left), Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and economic security minister Sanae Takaichi attend a Cabinet meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 12, 2023
Kishida to shake up Cabinet, but keep veterans and rivals in key posts
Reports indicated that Kishida would replace Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and defense chief Yasukazu Hamada.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi (left), Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and LDP Vice President Taro Aso attend a party executive meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 8, 2023
Next LDP leadership race looms over Kishida's reshuffle plans
The prime minister looks set to retain two veteran Liberal Democratic Party leaders in their posts in a Cabinet and LDP leadership reshuffle.
Lawmaker Masatoshi Akimoto makes a speech advocating for renewable energy, in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture in March 2021.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 7, 2023
Ex-LDP member and offshore wind advocate arrested over bribery
Masatoshi Akimoto is suspected of receiving ¥60 million from Masayuki Tsukawaki, then-president of Japan Wind Development.
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura (center left) attends a meeting on the Osaka Expo in Tokyo on Aug. 31.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 6, 2023
Nippon Ishin’s political path in focus amid differing party views
There are growing differences over the party’s future direction, including whether to remain an opposition party or consider joining the ruling coalition.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (second from right) and Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi agree to cooperate in elections for Tokyo districts.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 4, 2023
LDP and Komeito patch up rift over Tokyo candidacies
Whether the agreement can heal the growing rift between the two parties and lead to support at the polls is still unclear.
Atsuyoshi Koike (second from left), president of Rapidus, and IBM Senior Vice President Dario Gil (second from right) during a news conference in Tokyo in December.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 1, 2023
Rapidus breaks ground on key Hokkaido chip factory
Rapidus aims to position itself as a prominent worldwide supplier of cutting-edge 2-nanometer-wide semiconductors.
Saury are unloaded at a port in Akkeshi, Hokkaido, this month.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 29, 2023
Hokkaido hit hard by China's ban on Japan seafood imports
Chinese demand for products like scallops and sea cucumbers provides a crucial source of revenue for the prefecture.
The release of treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the sea in the town of Okuma, in Fukushima prefecture, began Thursday.
JAPAN / Explainer
Aug 24, 2023
A closer look at the Fukushima water discharge plan
The IAEA, the Japanese government and many nuclear experts say this process is safe and consistent with what other countries are doing.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a ministerial meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 22, 2023
Japan to begin releasing treated Fukushima water Thursday
Despite fishing cooperatives' lingering worries of reputational damage, the government will go ahead with its plan.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (left) meets with Masanobu Sakamoto (right), head of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations, and other representatives at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 21, 2023
Japan's release of Fukushima treated water could start Thursday
The government is set to announce Tuesday when the release of tritium-laced water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant will begin.
Ryu Shionoya, who has become the chair of the leadership committee of the Liberal Democratic Party’s largest faction, speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 18, 2023
Abe faction decides leadership structure, but can it hold?
The agreement is an acknowledgment there is no clear successor to Shinzo Abe, and it may make negotiations with other factions harder.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits a company that makes temperature sensors, in the city of Toyama on Aug. 10.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 17, 2023
Kishida may call snap election to halt rise of rival Nippon Ishin
The prime minister, however, must first regain his standing in the polls to a level where he will feel more confident about holding an election.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Ishiba aggravates his own political failures with diplomatic faux pas
Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba is greeted at the APEC summit in Lima by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. The Japanese leader was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event.
Japan's 3.31 million visitors in October set monthly record
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in December 2023. Famous autumn leaf colors contributed to increased tourism demand last month from many markets across Asia, Europe and North America, the Japan National Tourism Organization has said.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
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.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

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