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April 05, 2025
 

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Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
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 / 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 / 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
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 / 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 / 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
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 / 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
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.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2021
Three aging reactors in Fukui Prefecture given OK for restart
The prefecture's decision could set a precedent that leads to more aging reactors getting restarted instead of being scrapped.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 26, 2021
LDP’s triple by-election loss a long-term worry for Suga
Opposition victory in Hiroshima could fuel further questions about a vote-buying scandal there, with any revelations having a knock-on effect on September's LDP presidential race.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2021
U.S. summit tests Biden and Suga's ability to lead on climate change
The global warming summit represents a chance to further cement commitments by the U.S. and Japanese leaders while promoting multilateral efforts to meet Paris Agreement goals.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 20, 2021
Walter Mondale, former U.S. vice president and ambassador to Japan, dies at 93
Mondale's time in Japan was marked by tough negotiations over bilateral trade issues, especially those related to semiconductors and insurance.
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2021
Osaka to seek another state of emergency declaration over virus
The decision to request a declaration is expected to be formalized at a prefectural task force meeting Tuesday.
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2021
New agency intended to put Japan’s child policies under one roof
Currently at least five different government bodies are in charge of policies related to children, often causing confusion among parents.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 12, 2021
For Suga and LDP, worries build over Hiroshima poll in election year
A vote-buying scandal that forced the resignation of the previous representative has rocked the local political establishment and sparked voter anger.
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2021
Osaka declares local medical emergency as coronavirus cases hit record 878
“We've seen a rapid spread of infections, including the spread of virus variant infections. There's a danger the medical system will collapse,” Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2021
Spread of U.K. strain casts shadow over Kansai COVID-19 measures
In Osaka, new rules have faced questions and criticism over their enforcement and whether or not the policies will actually reduce the number of coronavirus infections.
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.
3D printer used to construct train station building in Japan
A train station building (front) is assembled from parts printed using 3D printer technology, in Arida, Wakayama Prefecture, on Wednesday.
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.
Japan promises 'bold and speedy' response to Trump’s surprise 24% tariffs
U.S. President Donald Trump unveils new U.S. tariffs at the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
Tokyo’s KK Line to close for decadelong overhaul as public greenway
People enjoy running and yoga on Tokyo Expressway’s KK Line, a 2-kilometer elevated expressway cutting through the capital’s commercial Ginza district, when it was opened as a pedestrian space in May last year.
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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