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April 03, 2025
 

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Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 11, 2022
Unification Church ties likely to weigh on Cabinet despite Kishida's bid for stability
The changes to the Cabinet lineup may do little for the Kishida administration's falling popularity ratings and could impact its efforts to deal with primary policy issues.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 31, 2022
Kishida to call for nuke-free world in historic address at U.N. treaty conference
The prime minister, who represents a district in Hiroshima, is also expected to call for greater transparency among nuclear powers regarding their stockpiles and capabilities.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Jul 27, 2022
Possible sale of Nagasaki theme park adds to uncertainty around casino project
With the sale timeline and conditions, as well as a potential buyer, being unclear, plans for a casino on the site of Huis Ten Bosch have been thrown into uncertainty.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 20, 2022
Abe's faction faces uncertain future following his assassination
With Abe no longer in charge and no clear successor waiting in the wings, the caucus is experiencing internal dissent.
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2022
Kishida sets high nuclear power target that Japan may struggle to meet
Unclear plans for restarts, combined with the threat of legal challenges and the need for inspections at operational facilities, could stymie efforts to bring more power stations online.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2022
Japan expands eligibility of fourth COVID-19 vaccine
Despite rapidly rising cases of the BA.5 omicron subvariant, the government says it won't take further action beyond encouraging social distancing.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 13, 2022
Former executives ordered to pay Tepco ¥13 trillion over Fukushima disaster
Presiding Judge Yoshihide Asakura said the possibility of a major tsunami-related accident could have been avoided if measures to prevent flooding had been taken.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 11, 2022
Japan's opposition parties ponder leadership after election drubbing
Any celebrations of relief for CDP, or success for Nippon Ishin, may be tempered by concerns over who will take over the reins in the years ahead.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 9, 2022
Lower House redistricting plans in focus after Abe’s death
The ruling LDP is facing tricky political questions in the late PM's home prefecture of Yamaguchi, with the answers likely to impact a Lower House district realignment plan.
JAPAN
Jul 7, 2022
Japan’s oldest and youngest political parties court disaffected voters
Despite similarities in their platforms, the two parties' voting blocs come from completely different generations.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 5, 2022
Rising cost of farming casts shadow over Upper House race in Hokkaido
Higher fertilizer and animal feed prices are putting the prefecture's key agriculture sector under pressure, making inflation an even bigger issue there than the rest of the nation.
JAPAN / New Normal 2.0
Jun 27, 2022
Japan prepares for bounce in tourism, but pre-pandemic demand still far off
Destinations such as Niseko in Hokkaido are gearing up for 'revenge travel' by domestic and foreign tourists, but caution over COVID-19 limits the expected rise in numbers.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 27, 2022
Hokkaido sake brewer looks to post-COVID gastro-tourism market
While Kyoto and Hiroshima are likely be the go-to choices for many first-time visitors to Japan, Hokkaido could be a tempting travel experience for those visiting again.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 2022
Nippon Ishin and DPP face struggle to differentiate themselves in election
Past cooperation with each other — and with the LDP — is weighing on the two opposition parties ahead of the Upper House election on July 10.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 23, 2022
In Japan's Upper House poll, CDP battles to stay relevant
Seven months after a disastrous Lower House election, the largest opposition party finds itself with low poll numbers and questions swirling about what will happen if it again loses seats.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 9, 2022
Japan's Lower House rejects no-confidence motions against PM and speaker
While the outcome was never in doubt, the votes may indicate a larger split between the opposition parties.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 8, 2022
Opposition CDP submits no-confidence motions ahead of election
CDP leader Kenta Izumi has lambasted Lower House speaker Hiroyuki Hosoda over sexual harassment allegations and targeted Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's response to price hikes.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 30, 2022
New Australian leader Anthony Albanese focuses on countering China's Pacific influence
Heading into the election, the Labor Party platform emphasized that its defense and foreign policy would start with increased cooperation with the Pacific islands.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
May 24, 2022
The IPEF, already a tough sell for Biden at home, seen as limited in scope
American businesses continue to look on jealously at an existing major Asia-Pacific trade pact, which they say offers greater precision and economic impact.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 23, 2022
Biden launches Indo-Pacific Economic Framework with 13 nations including Japan
The IPEF is an attempt by the U.S. to reassert its economic leadership in the region after it withdrew from a major Asia-Pacific trade pact in 2017 under Donald Trump.
As ‘Buy Canadian’ grows, more U.S. firms say retailers turning away products
Empty shelves with "Buy Canadian Instead" signs are seen in the American Whiskey section of the BC Liquor in Vancouver, British Columbia, on March 10.
Trump unveils 10% global tariff, with Japan levy set at 24%
Trump tosses a MAGA hat to the crowd during an event in which he unveiled new tariffs in the White House on Wednesday.
A Canadian made a weekend trip to Costco a Japanese pastime
Under the watchful eye of Ken Theriault, Costco representative director and Japan country manager, the American membership-model wholesaler has flourished in Japan.
Meiji says sayonara to bottled milk, a staple of Japan's bathhouses
Meiji bottled milk lined up in a fridge at Kosugiyu, a bathhouse in Tokyo. The sticker urges patrons to enjoy the milk one last time before it’s gone.
Japan, South Korea and China vow to strengthen trade ties amid looming U.S. tariffs
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoji Muto (left), South Korean Trade Industry and Energy Minister Ahn Duk-geun (center) and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao during a trilateral meeting in Seoul on Sunday
Haruki Murakami TV adaptation revisits 30 years of watershed moments
Though Haruki Murakami's trademark whiff of offbeat existentialism is threaded throughout NHK's "After the Quake," the final episode — conceived as a sequel to the story "Super-Frog Saves Tokyo" — is the most stylized, featuring an anthropomorphic talking frog (voiced by Non) and his erstwhile associate Katagiri (Koichi Sato).
A new human trafficking trend emerges from Myanmar scam centers
Victims of scam centers who were tricked or trafficked into working in Myanmar gather at a compound inside KK Park, a fraud center on the country's border with Thailand, after a multinational crackdown in February.
Meiji says sayonara to bottled milk, a staple of Japan's bathhouses
Meiji bottled milk lined up in a fridge at Kosugiyu, a bathhouse in Tokyo. The sticker urges patrons to enjoy the milk one last time before it’s gone.
A Canadian made a weekend trip to Costco a Japanese pastime
Under the watchful eye of Ken Theriault, Costco representative director and Japan country manager, the American membership-model wholesaler has flourished in Japan.
On defense, Japan may avoid Trump's worst impulses — for now
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth chat after reviewing an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Sunday.

Podcast

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

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan
By Johan Brooks

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