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April 07, 2025
 

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Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2017
Charles Jenkins, U.S. defector to North Korea and husband of former Japanese abductee Hitomi Soga, dies at 77
Jenkins, who spent nearly 40 years in North Korea as a prisoner, lived in Japan with his family after his release in 2004.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Dec 9, 2017
Open waters: Opening of ports 150 years ago remains a watershed moment in the nation's history
The year 2018 marks the 150th anniversary of the Meiji Restoration, which ended about 250 years of self-imposed isolation and marked the beginning of Japan's efforts to become a major international power.
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2017
Osaka regales top World Expo official, but concerns linger over hosting 2025 event
In an attempted display of local enthusiasm for the 2025 World Expo, Osaka rolled out the red carpet this week for a senior official from the organization that will decide next November who will host the event.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 4, 2017
20 years after Kyoto Protocol, where does world stand on climate?
On Dec. 11, 1997, representatives from over 150 nations gathered in Kyoto to hammer out what would become the world's first international agreement to control and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 29, 2017
LDP backs away from election promise of 'free education' election promise
Ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers tasked with drawing up proposed constitutional amendments approved a plan Tuesday that does not include a guarantee to make all education free.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 26, 2017
Kansai biz leaders give Tokyo their project-funding wish list
Of the many Japanese autumn traditions, one not found in tourist guidebooks is the drawing up of wish lists by influential business organizations from Hokkaido to Okinawa.
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Nov 26, 2017
In pitching 2025 Expo bid, Osaka must sell itself over Paris, and Africa may hold the key
Imagine you're in Osaka in 2025. After arriving, you're welcomed by people on the streets, where you stop by a takoyaki vendor for a quick octopus dumpling snack before heading out to see the sights. Walking around Osaka, you'll feel safe in the presence of police officers offering snappy salutes and...
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 23, 2017
Osaka mayor to terminate six-decade ties as San Francisco designates 'comfort women' memorial city property
The Osaka mayor will end a six-decade sister city relationship with San Francisco after the mayor of the U.S. city approved designation as city property a memorial to “comfort women.”
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Nov 18, 2017
Osaka may be facing political headwinds in its quest to host World Expo 2025
"Look and see which way the wind blows before you commit yourself." — "The Bat and the Weasels," Aesop's Fables
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2017
Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui heads to Paris to boost bid for 2025 World Expo
Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui departed for Paris on Tuesday to lobby for Osaka's bid to host the 2025 World Expo.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2017
For Japan's casinos to work, keep the yakuza out and deal with problem drinking: experts
As the nation debates how to establish and operate casinos via integrated resorts, it must take measures to keep the yakuza out and manage not only problem gambling but also develop a responsible drinking policy for the casino floor, a group of U.S. experts said in two new reports.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 8, 2017
Nippon Ishin no Kai calls emergency meeting to decide future leadership
Nippon Ishin no Kai will hold an emergency meeting Nov. 25 to discuss whether it is time to elect new leaders as the party struggles with internal dissension following its poor performance in the Oct. 22 Lower House election.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 3, 2017
Abe and Trump to rekindle friendship, but not all see rapport as positive for Japan, survey says
While Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump are said to have a good personal relationship, 43.7 percent of those who responded to a recent survey by The Japan Times viewed it as bad for Japan, while 14.1 percent said it was bad for the U.S.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 31, 2017
Diplomatic experts urge Trump to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table
Diplomatic experts from Japan, the United States and South Korea are calling on U.S. President Donald Trump to seek ways to get Pyongyang to return to the negotiating table, possibly in the so-called six-party talks framework that includes the three nations plus North Korea, China and Russia.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Oct 29, 2017
Osaka threatens San Francisco ties over sister city's 'comfort women' memorial
The 60-year sister city relationship between Osaka and San Francisco looks to be heading for retirement if Osaka Mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura and his allies in the city who oppose San Francisco's new "comfort women" memorial get their way.
JAPAN / Politics / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Oct 29, 2017
Nippon Ishin ponders its fate after brutal defeat in Lower House election
Five years after Nippon Ishin no Kai first appeared on the national stage with promises of changing the country through an Osaka-based revolution, the party's future is in doubt following a crushing defeat in the Oct. 22 Lower House election.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 27, 2017
Hashimoto cuts ties with Nippon Ishin after party's poor election showing
Toru Hashimoto, the former Osaka governor, mayor and co-founder of Osaka-based Nippon Ishin no Kai, has cut ties with the national party following its poor performance in the Oct. 22 Lower House election.
JAPAN / Politics / Decision 2017
Oct 18, 2017
In a small Nara city, Lower House vote set to test Kibo no To's strength against LDP
Ikoma, a small city of about 120,000 people, lies just over the border from Osaka in northern Nara Prefecture. It's known for its bamboo products, especially whisks used in the traditional tea ceremony. A cable car that travels up Mount Ikoma, opened in 1918, is said to be the oldest in Japan.
BUSINESS
Oct 14, 2017
Balance of power: Shift toward renewable energy appears to be picking up steam
Five years ago, Japan introduced a feed-in tariff system in a bid to promote the introduction of renewable energy on a large scale following the collapse of public trust in nuclear power due to the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, and subsequent triple meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1...
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Oct 14, 2017
Osaka-Tokyo regional split seen keeping Koike's, Hashimoto's camps at arm's length
The rise and — so far — fall in popularity of Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike's Kibo no To (Party of Hope) comes as no surprise in Osaka, where her ability to govern effectively, as opposed to deal with the media, has long been in doubt.
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.
'Hang tough, it won't be easy': Trump defiant on tariffs
U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he walks to deliver remarks on reciprocal tariffs during an event in the Rose Garden entitled "Make America Wealthy Again" at the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
Ishiba says he plans to speak to Trump about tariffs in coming days
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Nissan considers transferring some domestic production to U.S., report says
Nissan plans to reduce production at its Fukuoka factory and shift some manufacturing of its Rogue SUV to the United States to mitigate the impact of Trump's tariffs.
‘Let’s make it practical’: NATO chief eyes greater defense-industrial ties with Japan
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte plans to visit Japan on Tuesday and Wednesday — his first to the Indo-Pacific region since taking office in October, as he seeks to implement lessons from the ongoing war in Ukraine.
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.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

An ongoing shortage of rice has resulted in rising prices for Japan's main food staple.
Why Japan is running out of rice — and farmers to grow it
By Alex K.T. Martin

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