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 Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2019
Osaka braces for unprecedented security measures ahead of G20 summit
Heavy security restrictions go into effect in Osaka this week for the Group of 20 leaders' summit, with 32,000 police officers in the streets and officials warning visitors and residents of traffic delays, sealed trash cans and lockers in train stations, and restrictions on movement around major hotels....
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 16, 2019
G20 energy ministers agree at meeting in Japan to outlines of framework to tackle marine plastic waste
Environment and energy ministers from the Group of 20 agreed to the outline of a new international framework in order to tackle the problem of marine plastic waste.
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Jun 15, 2019
Amid U.S.-China trade war, Osaka braces for G20 summit
Ready or not Osaka, here it comes. The Group of 20 Summit, that is.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 15, 2019
G20 envoys assemble in Nagano to discuss climate change and plastic waste
Group of 20 nations' environment and energy ministers gather to search for innovative ways to combat emissions-driven climate change and eliminate plastic waste.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 6, 2019
Sakai voters poised to decide key mayoral race for Osaka Ishin and LDP ahead of Upper House poll
Voters in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, will head to the polls Sunday to elect a new mayor in a key local race ahead of next month's Upper House election, with an Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka) candidate reportedly the frontrunner in a closely contested campaign.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
May 27, 2019
Concern grows over how G20 security preparations will impact Osaka
Tokyo had a reported 25,000 police on the streets for Tump's visit. How many will Osaka need — and how distruptive will they be?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Beyond Tokyo
May 26, 2019
IT services touted as key to future of Japan's farming sector
Self-driving tractors, tomato-picking robots, camera-mounted drones to survey fields and spot crop damage, and satellite data from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to help farms keep track of climate and weather data.
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
May 18, 2019
Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito flip-flop on Osaka merger
Just over a month after local elections in which Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka) surprised even itself with resounding victories, the established parties' local chapters appear to be on the ropes.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 15, 2019
Japan IR Expo opens in Osaka as candidates step up efforts to win integrated casino resort licenses
With the cities of Osaka and Wakayama stepping up their efforts to win a legalized integrated casino resort, the Japan IR Expo opened Wednesday in Osaka.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
May 12, 2019
G20 farm ministers urge high-tech push, cross-sector cooperation to feed world's hungry
The Group of Twenty Agriculture Ministers Meeting concluded Sunday with calls to feed a growing global population and promote sustainable agriculture through new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, robotics and drones, and to increase cooperation among farmers, nonfarm businesses and academia....
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 12, 2019
OECD report recommends Japan embrace technological innovation, entrepreneurship to expand agricultural productivity
With Japanese food products becoming increasingly popular with foreign tourists, especially those from Asia, the country's agricultural sector has a bright future if it can change its policies to embrace technological innovation and entrepreneurship, an OECD report on the country's agricultural productivity...
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 8, 2019
A century later, Spanish flu pandemic still holds valuable lessons for Japanese and global health experts
On Oct. 26, 1918, just over two weeks before the end of World War I, readers of The Japan Advertiser, as The Japan Times was named at the time, woke up to the headline "Thousands Dying From Influenza Throughout the World," and an accompanying article detailing the havoc it was wreaking in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Beyond Tokyo
Apr 26, 2019
MICE work if you can get it: Kansai cities vie for a bigger slice of Japan's 'meetings industry' pie
About 20 minutes by car from Wakayamashi Station, across a bridge to a reclaimed island, lies Wakayama Marina City and the Porto Europa theme park. Its faux Spanish, Italian, and French buildings and European-style street designs give visitors the impression of being on a slightly dilapidated film set....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2019
At Tokyo C20, civil society leaders from around the world press to be heard at Osaka G20
Participants from 40 countries concluded a gathering in Tokyo calling for inclusion at the Group of 20 leaders' summit set to be hosted by Osaka this year.
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Apr 20, 2019
Osaka Ishin's success could have impact on regional politics elsewhere in Japan
History shows cities that flourish due to maritime trade have a reputation for some of the world's most colorful, complex, and corrupt local politics. That includes the port of Osaka, which was trading with China and the Korean Peninsula more than 1,000 years ago.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Apr 10, 2019
Japanese group ACE works to end child labor and foster education across developing world
In 1998, a march to protest child labor involving people in 107 countries made Yuka Iwatsuki realize that the issue, which she had been interested in since college, was a global movement. She also realized that there were no organizations in Japan leading the global fight.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 8, 2019
Osaka Ishin now firmly in control across prefecture, piling pressure on Komeito to back merger
Osaka Ishin has long championed the reform plan while Komeito, along with the LDP, have opposed it.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 8, 2019
Osaka leaders win in elections to swap roles, but merger prospects unclear
Osaka voters appear to have done little to shift the political landscape from where it was before polls opened Sunday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 5, 2019
G20 in Osaka offers chance for health and financial policymakers to stop fighting and join hands
To effectively tackle global health issues it's crucial that the Group of 20 nations use their June summit to overcome the barriers that have traditionally separated health experts and policymakers from financial and economic leaders.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 3, 2019
From casinos to nuclear power, local issues with national significance to play out at polls across Japan
Municipal mergers, integrated casino resorts, bullet trains and the future of nuclear power plants — local issues with national political repercussions — are expected to be taken up by candidates from Hokkaido to Kyushu in the coming weeks as the country prepares for a series of elections on April...

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