author

 
 
 Eric Johnston

Meta

Eric Johnston
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 29, 2014
'Third force' couldn't overcome co-leaders' differences
The collapse of the political marriage of convenience between Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) co-leaders Toru Hashimoto and Shintaro Ishihara was long in coming, surprised no one, and suggests that, when it comes to Japanese political mergers at least, Rudyard Kipling was correct when he...
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 28, 2014
Kepco could defy courts and restart Oi reactors despite legal block
Last week's ruling by the Fukui District Court blocking the restart of two reactors at the Oi power plant in Fukui Prefecture continues to create controversy, with operator Kansai Electric Power Co. saying it may defy the decision and fire up the reactors if three conditions are met even as safety concerns mount.
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
May 25, 2014
Kyoto law puts 'upskirt' photography in focus
Each spring, Kyoto is at its busiest. The cherry blossoms bring in multitudes of tourists, and the start of the new academic year means not only thousands of local students returning to the classroom, but also busloads of junior high and high school students from around the country arriving at hotels...
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
May 25, 2014
Mobile-fixated girls easy prey for photo-snapping pervs
With more than 167,000 students studying at 49 universities, junior colleges and technical schools, and with large numbers of high school students visiting on trips, it's no surprise that Kyoto Prefecture can feel like a giant campus.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
May 22, 2014
Oi ruling may fuel anti-nuclear push
Wednesday's court ruling blocking restarts of the No. 3 and 4 reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Oi plant may embolden opponents of nuclear power nationwide.
JAPAN
May 17, 2014
Why Kansai's corporate captains are trumpeting TPP
Several years ago, at the Kansai Economic Seminar, an annual snoozefest of pompous platitudes and pretentious, paternalistic pontificating by the old men who run Kansai's major corporations, one senior leader called for entering the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations.
JAPAN
May 13, 2014
Inamine to lead anti-base group to Washington
Nago Mayor Susumu Inamine will lead a delegation of Okinawa residents and politicians to Washington on Thursday, as tensions rise between the mayor and the central government over the plan to build a U.S. military replacement base in the city's Henoko district.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
May 10, 2014
Going nuclear: How close has Japan come?
We examine the historical debate on the country's nuclear ambitions
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 9, 2014
Bid to stop Oi reactor restarts fails
The Osaka High Court rejected an appeal Friday by Kansai-area citizens who were seeking an injunction to prevent the restart of the Oi No. 3 and 4 reactors in Fukui Prefecture.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
May 7, 2014
Kada bows out of Shiga race
Shiga Gov. Yukiko Kada announces she will not seek a third term but will instead team up with a Lower House member to form a local, anti-nuclear political party.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2014
Populist Hashimoto a true 'yankii'?
In Japanese politics, someone labeled a 'yankii' is something of a populist who disdains cosmopolitanism and intellectual elitism. But does that apply to outspoken Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto?
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Apr 27, 2014
Atrophied Osaka changes mindset toward entrepreneurs
Japan's young entrepreneurs flock to Tokyo because Kansai is too conservative or paranoid to embrace new thinking, but Osaka is working to change all that.
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Apr 27, 2014
Off-the-radar Kansai offers advantages to startups
Ever since St. Francis Xavier arrived in Kagoshima in August 1549, official Japan has preferred foreigners of a certain type: prestigious leaders who are status-quo-oriented and have a large organization backing their ventures here.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 24, 2014
Summit kept to script that sidestepped many issues
High-level summits like Thursday's between U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are mostly scripted affairs, with a clearly defined agenda revolving around the most pressing, or politically important, issues.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 24, 2014
Abe Futenma plan hailed by Nakaima
Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima welcomed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's announcement Thursday that he would seek U.S. President Barack Obama's cooperation in closing U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa within five years.
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Apr 19, 2014
America: the superpower ally that's far, far away
Japan is, at heart, politically as well as geographically, a country of small towns. One of these is home to the Japanese-American political relationship.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2014
Hyogo blocks release of nuke crisis study data
Hyogo officials are blocking the release of data from a simulation run last year predicting what would happen to surrounding prefectures in the event of a meltdown crisis at one of Fukui Prefecture's four atomic plants.
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2014
Congress top obstacle to TPP deal
Failure by Japanese and U.S. negotiators to reach a Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement is making headlines across Japan and raising concerns about the implications for U.S. President Barack Obama's trip here later this month.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Apr 8, 2014
Australian FTA limits Obama's TPP options
The Japan-Australia free trade deal that lowers or ends tariffs on Australian beef and dairy exports to Japan and on Japanese exports of machinery, consumer electronics, auto parts and food products to Australia, now puts pressure on the United States — and President Barack Obama in particular —...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 7, 2014
Kyoto re-elects Yamada to top post
Incumbent Kyoto Gov. Keiji Yamada, 60, easily won re-election Sunday night, defeating rival Nozomu Ozaki, 59, by over a quarter of a million votes in a lackluster race.

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'