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Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 15, 2019
LDP picks former assemblyman Yanagimoto to take on Osaka Ishin's Ichiro Matsui in mayoral race
Former Osaka municipal assemblyman Akira Yanagimoto of the Liberal Democratic Party has been tapped to run against Ichiro Matsui, the governor of Osaka Prefecture and head of Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka), in next month's Osaka mayoral race, with the focus on whether to abolish Osaka's 24 wards and...
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 11, 2019
Ex-Vice Gov. Konishi tapped by LDP to run for Osaka governor after actor Takuro Tatsumi says no
After a frantic scramble, local political and business leaders remain concerned about who will support him.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 8, 2019
Osaka's governor-mayor duo quit in audacious bid to swap posts in name of merger referendum quest
Frustrated by their failure to merge Osaka's wards, Gov. Ichiro Matsui and Mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura shock political circles by quitting to run for each other's positions next month.
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2019
Japan ranks at bottom of G20, and in lowest quarter globally, for percentage of female MPs
Japan ranked 165th out of 193 countries for its percentage of female politicians holding seats in lower or single parliamentary chambers, a report by the Inter-Parliamentary Union shows.
JAPAN
Mar 4, 2019
As pool of candidates in rural Japan dwindles, Kochi village to allow councilors to retain side jobs
Faced with a rapidly shrinking population of elderly residents reluctant to run for seats on the local council, the village of Okawa, Kochi Prefecture, passed a referendum Monday designed to make it easier serve on the council while concurrently holding side jobs.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 25, 2019
After strong 'no' vote, Okinawans look to highlight case against Henoko base plan in Tokyo and Washington
“Now that the clear opposition of the Okinawa people has been conveyed, it's up to individuals in the rest of Japan to consider our wishes,” an activist says.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 24, 2019
More than 70% in Okinawa vote no to relocation of U.S. Futenma base to Henoko
More than 70 percent of voters in Okinawa on Sunday voted against a plan to relocate U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from Ginowan to Henoko — a coastal area in the northeastern part of the main island — in a closely watched prefecture-wide referendum that was the first of its kind on the issue....
Reference / EXPLAINER,Q&A
Feb 24, 2019
Okinawa's referendum on relocating the U.S. Futenma base to Henoko: Why now and what's the point?
On Sunday, Okinawa Prefecture's 41 cities, towns and villages held a referendum on whether to relocate U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from Ginowan, in the central part of the main island, to a replacement facility being built beside Camp Schwab off the coast of Henoko. It was the first prefecture-wide...
JAPAN / Beyond Tokyo
Feb 24, 2019
As the world drowns in plastic, Kameoka in Kyoto and other cities across Japan fight back
Plastic pollution in the ocean has become one of the world's most urgent environmental problems. Footage of vast fields of floating plastic debris between California and Hawaii — now commonly known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — have driven home the gravity of the problem, with scientists and...
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Feb 16, 2019
Osaka in the spotlight ahead of G20 and elections
January and early February in Kansai, and Japan as a whole, is a busy time for local leaders. New Year's greetings are exchanged by (mostly) elderly men at stuffy buffet parties in luxury hotels. Their job is to stand around holding a white paper napkin-covered drink and toast to, well, something, after...
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 14, 2019
Campaign kicks off for Okinawa referendum on U.S. base relocation plan
The voter turnout rate is crucial to how the results of the referendum will be perceived in Tokyo and Washington.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 8, 2019
Kansai execs have big dreams of transport projects ahead of G20, Osaka Expo and possible casino
With the 2025 World Expo secured for Yumeshima district in Osaka Bay and growing confidence the man-made island will also host one of Japan's first casino resorts, Kansai's business leaders are stepping up efforts to win local approval and central government funding for major transportation infrastructure...
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Feb 7, 2019
University in Osaka aims to hone hotel staff with omotenashi to serve Japan's foreign guests
One of the key factors driving Japan's unprecedented tourism boom is its culture of hospitality — epitomized by the concept of omotenashi, which can be roughly translated as "wholeheartedly looking after guests."
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 6, 2019
With the G20 facing numerous challenges, do the summit's engagement groups have the answers?
In the run-up to the Group of Twenty Leaders’ Summit in Osaka in late June, several related meetings of what are known as engagement groups are scheduled to take place in Tokyo and around the country. One of the more influential engagement groups is T20, or Think 20, whose members include influential...
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2019
Gender, aging and climate to feature at Osaka G20, but Japan wants strong message on stable global growth
As host of this year's Group of 20 leaders' summit, a key official said Monday that Japan's most important task will be to chair a gathering that concludes with a strong message promoting stable worldwide economic growth.
JAPAN
Jan 30, 2019
U.S. OKs planned $2.15 billion sale of two Aegis Ashore missile-defense systems to Japan
The U.S. agreed Tuesday to sell two Aegis Ashore missile-defense systems and other military equipment to Japan at an estimated cost of $2.15 billion.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 28, 2019
Japan-U.S. law enforcement fingerprint data-sharing pact kicks off, raising privacy concerns
Earlier this month, Japan and the United States began sharing fingerprint data among their law enforcement agencies under a bilateral agreement.
JAPAN / Society / Beyond Tokyo
Jan 27, 2019
Japan's aging hunters look for fresh blood to solve boar woes
When the world rang in 2019, it also prepared to usher in the Year of the Boar. But in Sasayama, a picturesque, historical city of about 42,000 nestled in rural Hyogo Prefecture about an hour by train from Osaka Station, the wild boar is a symbol of pride, part of a famous local dish and a bane to farmers....
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Jan 20, 2019
A Japanese city plans to ban plastic shopping bags, but can it push its larger neighbors to follow suit?
International concern over the environmental damage done by the use of plastic in various forms is now the topic of political and economic discussions across the planet. Dealing with plastic waste, especially in the ocean, is one of the long-term issues that Japan has promised to address at this year's...
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2019
Osaka officials meet residents near G20 site to discuss traffic restrictions and other measures ahead of June meeting
Residents near the venue for the June 28-29 Group of 20 leaders' summit will face traffic restrictions immediately before and after the meeting, Osaka officials said Wednesday evening, but the exact measures are still being worked out.
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.
Nissan says it will not take new U.S. orders for Mexican-built Infiniti SUVs
A Nissan manufacturing complex in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Nissan says it will not take new orders from the United States for two Mexican-built Infiniti SUVs following new auto tariffs levied by the U.S.
Japan digs deep to address 'national crisis' caused by Trump tariffs
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office on April 1. He has said that Japan is facing a "national crisis" following the introduction of new tariffs by the United States.
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.
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.
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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