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April 05, 2025
 

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Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2021
Mayor gives Japan's first approval for restart of reactors over 40 years old
Takahama Mayor Yutaka Nose reached his decision after receiving assurances from the government that it would boost revitalization projects and the town's funding.
JAPAN / Explainer
Jan 28, 2021
'Japan’s Marine Corps': The nation's first responders for remote island defense
The Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade was established in 2018 to respond to security situations that require faster mobilization of land, sea, and air forces.
JAPAN / Explainer
Jan 25, 2021
With bid policy set, localities in Japan roll dice on casinos
Areas interested in submitting proposals now have a clear schedule of when they can do so, and a better understanding of what they can and can't do during the selection process.
JAPAN / Explainer
Jan 20, 2021
As U.N. nuclear treaty comes into force, Japan sees different path to nonproliferation
Nuclear weapons states, as well as Japan, have refused to sign the treaty, preferring arms control treaties that they hope will lead to the elimination of all nuclear weapons.
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Jan 16, 2021
Kansai's 2030 vision is to think like a penguin
Kansai Economic Federation, which includes some of Kansai's largest and most influential firms, hopes to tap patrons with the spirit of a “first penguin” to revive the region's fortunes.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Jan 15, 2021
Indictment of ex-minister Takamori Yoshikawa puts Suga in tight spot
With public support sinking over the pandemic and questions raised over his past statements on Abe's spring party scandal, prosecution of a trusted ally only adds to Suga's woes.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 14, 2021
Japan maintains 'pragmatic' line on Trump's incitement of Capitol siege
Even lawmakers in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party criticized their leaders after the government's top spokesperson described the situation in Washington as 'difficult.'
JAPAN / Explainer
Jan 12, 2021
Osaka expo plans quietly move forward despite cost and virus worries
There are concerns expo-related costs could greatly increase, like those for the Tokyo Olympics, and also over whether there will be adequate time to prepare.
JAPAN / Explainer
Jan 6, 2021
Legal revisions would add weight to Japan's COVID-19 response
Levying fines on businesses if they don't shut down or reduce their hours of operation runs the risk of a political backlash against the government.
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2021
Japan's carbon neutrality dilemma: More nuclear power or more renewables?
Suga's declaration the nation would achieve net zero by 2050 has touched off a debate over the best way to provide a safe, stable, secure and green energy.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Dec 30, 2020
Abe escapes charges but creates political problems for Suga
The former prime minister's apologies and explanation over a political spending scandal have tainted his legacy and only given rise to further questions.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Dec 24, 2020
Generational change and policy differences test LDP-Komeito political bonds
The Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito recently marked 21 years of alliance, having ruled Japan as a coalition for 18 of those years. But are they growing apart?
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2020
Ezra Vogel, Harvard professor and author of 'Japan as Number One,' dies at 90
In Japan and among international scholars of the country, the 1979 text penned by the U.S. expert on Japan and China became one of the late 20th century's most influential works.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2020
Kansai leaders declare state of emergency for New Year's period
Concerned about a spike in infections, and anxious to prevent a collapse of medical systems, governors are calling on residents to avoid returning to their hometowns over the holidays.
BUSINESS / View from Osaka
Dec 19, 2020
From Expo 2025 to tourists, Kansai’s hopes for the coming year
Economic recovery and making plans for a post-coronavirus world are set to be on the minds of residents and businesses in the region going into 2021.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 16, 2020
As negotiations stall, how much does Japan actually pay to host U.S. forces?
With Trump having lost the election and time running out to strike a deal, the Japanese government is looking at a one-year extension of the current agreement.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Dec 15, 2020
Heavyweight Nikai and his scandal-plagued LDP faction ruffling feathers
Allegations of bribery against two former farm ministers now threaten to weaken the Liberal Democratic Party's largest faction and its powerful leader.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Dec 14, 2020
Japan set to approve new ships and missiles but defer legal questions
Two new destroyers will fill the gap left by a canceled deployment of Aegis Ashore, while improved missiles will offer the ability to strike from beyond the range of enemies.
JAPAN / Explainer
Dec 9, 2020
Oi ruling could signal trouble ahead for nuclear reactor restart plans
An Osaka court has stunned the nuclear power industry with a ruling saying Kepco's calculations for standards involving earthquake safety were flawed.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Dec 8, 2020
In shift, Toyota unions seek ties with Japan's ruling bloc
The groups' move toward Komeito and the LDP could hurt opposition candidates from the CDP and other parties.
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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