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April 05, 2025
 

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Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 2, 2020
South Korea ruling on wartime labor to have major implications for Seoul-Tokyo ties
Bilateral ties will almost certainly worsen if the Nippon Steel shares are sold to compensate laborers from the war, with tariffs eyed as potential retaliation.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 2, 2020
Autumn snap election speculation recedes amid Japan's coronavirus resurgence
An election win this fall could help Abe pick a successor or extend his term past 2021, but it would also prove highly unpopular in the middle of a pandemic.
JAPAN
Jul 29, 2020
Osaka questions arbitrary ban on five-person outings amid virus resurgence
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura admits that the request was a political decision with no clear scientific rationale.
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2020
Osaka governor spearheads national effort to enforce business shutdowns over coronavirus
As COVID-19 numbers surge amid murky data disclosure, Hirofumi Yoshimura is gaining support for legal power to inspect and punish entertainment firms.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2020
Japan's controversial Go To Travel campaign kicks off as criticism and concerns grow
The plan, which has faced a barrage of criticism over the government's rollout, comes amid growing fears it could lead to increased coronavirus infections outside Tokyo.
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2020
In second Go To Travel reversal, government changes course on cancellation fees
The decision comes just four days after officials said they were not considering reimbursing the cost of canceled Tokyo trips under the troubled discount campaign.
JAPAN / Politics / View from Osaka
Jul 18, 2020
Unlike Tokyo's Koike, Osaka Gov. Yoshimura enjoys freer hand in coronavirus fight
Osaka's leaders understand very well that their counterparts in Kanto face unique challenges that they do not.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jul 17, 2020
Will barring Tokyo help contain virus or just blunt Japan travel campaign?
With Tokyo, which has the largest population of all prefectures, excluded from the plan for the time being, it is unclear how much ripple effect it will have.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 16, 2020
Japan's new coronavirus panel aims for more clarity and balance
The subcommittee on the novel coronavirus faces the challenge of finding the right balance between protecting health and the economy.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 10, 2020
Japan's coal closure plan a historic milestone, but what’s next?
The nation will still face pressure to further reduce reliance on the fossil fuel, both domestically and abroad.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 9, 2020
Cash and politics may stymie any push for strike capabilities in Japan
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is discussing the issue and is expected to put forward its conclusions later this month.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 5, 2020
Powerful Japanese medical group has history of political prescriptions
Here's a closer look at the group, its political connections and what the recent change in its leadership might mean for the Liberal Democratic Party.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 1, 2020
Japan's new plastic bag charge: What it means for consumers and the environment
The new rule is aimed at reducing the amount of plastic that ends up in the country's rivers, forests, streams and, ultimately, surrounding oceans.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 26, 2020
Japan Black Lives Matter marches reflect shared sense of justice, U.S. envoy says
'Perhaps some people feel that it's important to hold the ideal America up in the mirror and hold it to account,' says Osaka-Kobe Consul General Karen Kelley.
JAPAN / History / EXPLAINER
Jun 23, 2020
The Battle of Okinawa: Fierce fighting at the end of World War II
By the end of the battle, around 100,000 Japanese soldiers had died, either killed in combat or by suicide.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Jun 21, 2020
Defense Ministry blunders and local opposition ruin Japan's Aegis Ashore plans
The controversial project was long troubled by doubts about whether it was even needed, and by whom.
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Jun 21, 2020
Has Black Lives Matter’s Osaka march inspired new generation of rights activists in Japan?
The vast majority of participants at a Black Lives Matter march on June 7 appeared to be under 40 — with many likely in their teens and 20s.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jun 21, 2020
Tokyo and Osaka governors vie for national attention
As Yuriko Koike gears up for re-election in the Tokyo gubernatorial race, comparisons are being drawn between her and Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 20, 2020
Osaka's second merger push faces pitfalls from pandemic, Abe's poll woes
Osaka voters will once again face a referendum on merging the city's 24 wards following a decision on a plan that would create four large, semiautonomous wards.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jun 16, 2020
Former South Korean 'comfort women' support group hit by criticism and probe
The lawmaker who previously led the group faces calls to step down after being accused of misusing funds.
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.
Tottori takes a bold leap forward in the arts
The city of Kurayoshi in Tottori Prefecture celebrated the opening of its public art museum with festivities such as a parade that drew 1,000 revelers.
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.
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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