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 Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 22, 2015
Abe forced to walk a fine line in oil-rich Middle East
The seizure of two Japanese nationals by the Islamic State militant group is raising questions about Japan's Middle East policies and the effectiveness of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's brand of personal diplomacy.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2015
Kobe pauses 20 years after killer quake
A crowd of nearly 14,000 gathered at a park early Saturday to light candles in remembrance of those who died. As incense wafted through the air, the dark, chilly morning was pierced by a moment of silence at exactly 5:46 a.m.
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Jan 17, 2015
Reflections on the Kobe quake two decades on
This year, thousands of Japanese around the country celebrated Coming-of-Age Day. In Kobe, however, the occasion was especially poignant, as those who will turn 20 this year were just days old or, most likely, born after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of Jan. 17, 1995. The first generation of adults...
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2015
Disaster experts warn of need for 'risk-informed' development policies
Disaster plans that combine risk reduction with the need to quickly erect new buildings and infrastructure are becoming crucial to rebuilding from natural disasters.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2015
Hanshin's disaster aid to Tohoku provides many lessons
After the Great East Japan Earthquake, few helped Tohoku quicker than Hyogo and the city of Kobe, showing how their wisdom can play a role in the future disasters.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2015
State secrets law could constrain researchers
The spirit of Japan's new state secrets law may officially be about protecting national security, but lawyers say it could affect a broad range of academic research as well.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 13, 2015
Hashimoto's plan for reorganizing Osaka city government to get public vote
A group of Osaka legislators tasked with discussing municipal integration formally approved a plan Tuesday that would merge the city's 24 wards into five semi-autonomous zones, each with its own elected head.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 7, 2015
Hashimoto vows to quit if Osaka merger plan fails
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto said Wednesday he would quit politics if voters rejected his merger proposal for the city in a referendum likely to be held on May 17.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 7, 2015
Okinawa development budget may be smaller than requested, Tokyo warns
The central government, irked by the election of a new Okinawa governor opposed to its plan to build a new military base in the Henoko district of Nago, has indicated that the prefecture's development budget for fiscal 2015 could be less than it originally requested.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2015
Kepco faces decision on aging Fukui reactors
Kansai Electric Power Co. says it will soon decide the fate of 11 aging reactors, while Japan Atomic Power Co. maintains that the nation's oldest reactor will not operate beyond 2016 and is likely to be decommissioned.
JAPAN
Jan 2, 2015
Hashimoto aiming for May 17 referendum on Osaka integration plan
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto has called on a municipal-prefectural committee examining his plan to integrate the city of Osaka to approve it at its next meeting on Jan. 13.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 2, 2015
Nuclear motive suspected in feed-in tariff reforms
Renewable power in Japan wavers as critics flag “reforms” to the feed-in tariff system as a bid to discourage the scorching growth of renewable energy providers.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 30, 2014
Komeito backtracks on Osaka merger referendum
In a surprise move, the Osaka chapter of Komeito will cooperate with Mayor Toru Hashimoto to hold a referendum on whether to integrate the Osaka city and prefecture.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Dec 24, 2014
Hashimoto makes a strategic exit, freeing up possible alignment of Ishin and DPJ
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto has dropped out of national politics, at least for now, to concentrate on his plan to integrate Osaka city and prefecture and to cease being an obstacle, he says, to a grand realignment of like-minded opposition politicians.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Dec 21, 2014
Ishin-DPJ tieup, Kepco's greed to play key roles in April polls
In terms of domestic politics, the recent Lower House election was merely a prelude to next April's nationwide local elections.
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Dec 21, 2014
In no-surprise poll, parties' main players re-elected in Kinki
In an election that produced no surprises, it's little wonder the biggest political names in the six prefectures that make up the Kinki region (Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Nara and Wakayama) were all returned to the Diet, though one or two had a close call.
Japan Times
LIFE
Dec 20, 2014
Public protest in Japan: Power to the people?
"Freedom of assembly and association as well as speech, press and all other forms of expression are guaranteed." — Article 21, Constitution of Japan
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Dec 20, 2014
Rage against the capital's (bureaucratic) machine
As the Dec. 14 Lower House election demonstrated, media analysis of political campaigning typically focuses on personalities and parties. In recent years, official manifests serve as TV talking points as pundits — be they boorish young comedians or serious, sober-minded, gray-haired fellows — debate...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 15, 2014
Election results a mix of good and bad for Hashimoto's Ishin no To
For Ishin no To (Japan Innovation Party), the Lower House election was a mixture of good and bad as the party held onto virtually all of its seats , courtesy of the proportional representation system, amid predictions it would lose big.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 14, 2014
Proportional representation gamble stems Ishin no To losses
A last-minute appeal by Ishin no To (Japan Innovation Party) for proportional representation votes appears to have prevented larger-than-predicted losses in Sunday's Lower House election.

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