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April 04, 2025
 

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Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
JAPAN
Oct 10, 2021
Osaka eases COVID-19 vaccine reservation requirement to speed up inoculations ahead of next wave
Although infections have been declining in both Tokyo and Osaka, the daily tally in Osaka started to exceed that of Tokyo late last month.
BUSINESS
Oct 5, 2021
New Kishida administration faces divisions over future energy mix
With pro-nuclear figures in key positions in the new Cabinet and COP26 not far off, the next few weeks are likely to see intense debate on the balance between nuclear and renewables.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / OBITUARY
Oct 4, 2021
David Jack: ‘One of the most inspiring people’ in Kansai
David Jack, who passed away last month due to a stroke, helmed Kansai Time Out, a lifeline for the non-Japanese community between 1977 and 2009.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 3, 2021
The four LDP executives who are key to Kishida's immediate success
How well the LDP does in the upcoming Lower House election will depend not only on Kishida but also four top party officials who were appointed Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / View from Osaka
Oct 1, 2021
Kishida's LDP victory prompts mixed feelings in Kansai
Kansai LDP chapters strongly backed the presumptive prime minister's main rival, but the business community was more in favor of Kishida, largely due to his support for nuclear power.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 29, 2021
In backing Fumio Kishida, LDP opts for 'stable realist'
Criticized as bland and indecisive following his loss in the September 2020 LDP presidential race, Kishida is seen as having grown tougher and more passionate this time round.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 24, 2021
Balance of nuclear and renewables looms large in LDP presidential race
While all candidates see some future for nuclear energy, they are divided on whether to increase its share of electricity generation and how to handle renewables.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Sep 22, 2021
The LDP's secretary-general: A combination of CEO and diplomat
The LDP presidential race has put renewed focus on the powerful position, with various party heavyweights looking to get rid of the long-standing incumbent.
BUSINESS / Longform
Sep 20, 2021
Kyoto is facing bankruptcy. What happens now?
Massive budget cuts have been proposed to stem the losses now that international tourism to the city has all but dried up.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 18, 2021
COVID-19 in focus as LDP hopefuls make their case in wide-ranging debate
The government's response to the coronavirus crisis, the constitutionality of lockdowns and the challenge the pandemic has posed for the medical system were central themes on Saturday.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 16, 2021
As Japan lags on gender equality, some debate needed for legal targets
At the recent International Conference for Women in Business, how to make progress, and whether voluntary targets are enough, formed the basis of much of the discussion.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Sep 14, 2021
The LDP's leadership race kicks into high gear this week: This is how it will go down
Support from rank-and-file members will be key for candidates, but if the election goes to a runoff, LDP lawmakers will have a bigger say.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 13, 2021
LDP leadership contender Kishida unveils initiatives to counter China
Kishida, taking a page from the Biden's administration's multilateral approach to dealing with Beijing, has called for Tokyo to work even more closely with other 'like-minded' democracies.
JAPAN / Politics / View from Osaka
Sep 10, 2021
Who you gonna call?: Parties with Osaka roots sad to see Suga go
With the upcoming change in LDP leadership, Nippon Ishin no Kai may lose its direct line to the Prime Minister's Office at a crucial time in Kansai politics.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 8, 2021
Abe ally Sanae Takaichi enters LDP race as underdog
The hawkish conservative backs increased nuclear power over renewables, similar economic policies to her mentor and laws to protect Japanese research.
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2021
U.S. climate envoy John Kerry visits Tokyo to build momentum for U.N. summit
Kerry's stop in the capital, where he met with senior Japanese politicians, is part of a worldwide effort to raise ambitions ahead of the meeting in Glasgow.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Aug 27, 2021
Off to the races: LDP presidential election campaign begins
A number of challengers to Suga are beginning to emerge, with Fumio Kishida currently being the prime minister's strongest rival.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Aug 23, 2021
Loss by Suga ally in Yokohama election rattles the LDP
The prime minister's position has become even more precarious, with questions growing within the LDP over whether he should lead the party into an upcoming general election.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 22, 2021
In major blow to Suga, opposition party-backed Takeharu Yamanaka wins Yokohama mayoral election
Takeharu Yamanaka's victory in the Yokohama mayoral also puts the brakes on the city's efforts to host a casino resort in the city's waterfront Yamashita Pier district.
JAPAN
Aug 18, 2021
Robert 'Skipp' Orr, key figure in U.S.-Japan relations, dies age 68
Orr enjoyed a long and distinguished career in business, government and academia, with positions at the Asian Development Bank, Boeing Japan and others organizations.
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.
U.S. tourist arrested after bringing a handgun into Japan
Hyogo police believe the handgun a U.S. tourist inadvertently brought into Japan slipped through security procedures at Kansai International Airport in Osaka Prefecture.
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.
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’s leader didn’t read the job description
Prime Minister and ruling Liberal Democratic Party leader Shigeru Ishiba is facing a political funding scandal that has damaged his reputation and sparked speculation that internal efforts to remove him are underway.
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).
Nintendo to launch the Switch 2 on June 5
The controllers for the Switch 2 will attach to the console magnetically rather than sliding on rails as with the original device.
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.

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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