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 Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2021
Yokohama election turns into test for government’s casino resort plan
With a longtime Suga ally entering the race and coming out in opposition to casinos, next month's mayoral vote has become a major challenge to the prime minister on his own turf.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 7, 2021
Osaka requests extension to quasi-emergency COVID-19 measures
In a letter to Suga, Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura noted that the weekly rolling average of new infections was increasing, especially for young people.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2021
Japan's metropolises urge government to prioritize vaccines for large cities
Facing the possibility of a coronavirus vaccine supply crunch, governors of major prefectures are lobbying the government to prioritize densely populated areas.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / View from Osaka
Jul 2, 2021
Amid overspending, Kyoto stares down threat of bankruptcy
Some might attribute the city's financial woes to COVID-19's impact on tourism, but the mayor puts the lion's share of the blame elsewhere.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 27, 2021
Population shift in Japan forces redrawing of electoral map, worrying powerful LDP figures
The plan to add representatives in urban areas at the expense of rural districts could hurt LDP heavyweights from Shinzo Abe to Toshihiro Nikai.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 24, 2021
Japan braces for surge in electricity use during scorching summer and Olympics
With many people expected to tune into the games from their air-conditioned homes, utilities are forecasting tighter reserve power ratios than usual.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2021
Uganda Olympic team member first to test positive for COVID-19 upon arrival in Japan
The discovery comes just over a month before the opening ceremony and amid concerns of another spike in infections once the games begin on July 23.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 17, 2021
Caught in the middle? Komeito and the China-Japan relationship
While many in the LDP have welcomed international pressure on China, the deteriorating bilateral relationship creates problems for the party's coalition partner Komeito.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 15, 2021
U.S. ambassadors to Japan: A litmus test for ties
Reports of a new U.S. envoy after a two-year vacancy fuel speculation and reflection on past appointees.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jun 14, 2021
G7 action on climate gets cautious welcome, but activists say more needed
Leaders of the G7 nations have pledged to stop financing new coal plants beyond their borders by the end of this year, but domestic use went unaddressed.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 11, 2021
Lawsuit seeks return of Ryukyu remains nearly a century after they were brought to Kyoto
The suit has also prompted discussion over the status of Ryukyuans, whom the government has not recognized as indigenous.
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Jun 4, 2021
Tokyo Games pose risk for Kansai's already strained medical system
In the Kansai region, people are anxious that those involved with the Tokyo Games may catch the virus and bring it back west.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / EXPLAINER
May 28, 2021
Bill on rehiring teachers fired for sexual acts with children clears Diet
A new law aims to make it more difficult for educators who lost their teaching licenses due to acts of sexual violence to work again.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 25, 2021
Suga stares down Japan's Olympic challenge
Whether or not to go ahead with the already-delayed Summer Games is a decision fraught with implications, and not only for public health.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 21, 2021
While new COVID-19 cases are decreasing, Kansai is not yet out of the woods
“Although we're finally starting to see a decrease in the number of Kansai-area infections, we have to see whether this trend will continue,' a prominent medical adviser said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 19, 2021
Widow of Japanese 'Don Juan' indicted for his murder
In Japan, suspects can be held for up to 23 days before being formally prosecuted or released, and Wednesday marked the 23rd day of Saki Sudo's detention.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 14, 2021
Time running out for Japanese prosecutors in 'Don Juan' murder case
While police say they have circumstantial evidence against Saki Sudo, no witnesses have come forward and there is an apparent lack of clear evidence.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 11, 2021
Referendum bill spotlights Japan's powerful constitutional committee
Revision is likely to be a major campaign issue in the next Lower House poll, but any changes presented to the public would have to be agreed to by the Commission on the Constitution.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
May 9, 2021
Abe rallies conservative base amid speculation over comeback
More than eight months after health issues forced him to resign as PM, Abe is moving to re-establish his power base among younger Liberal Democratic Party conservatives.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2021
As Osaka’s COVID-19 crisis worsens, Tokyo and Aichi offer to take patients
Hospitals have been forced to turn away patients who, in some cases, then had to spend hours in an ambulance before they could finally gain admission.

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