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 Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 27, 2013
Nippon Ishin's future seen riding on Sakai mayor race
Sunday's mayoral contest in Sakai, one of Japan's most independent-minded cities, is expected to decide not only the fate of a plan to merge Osaka prefectural cities into a single administrative entity, but also the fate of national-level efforts to create a new opposition party.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 24, 2013
TPP, Hague treaty, Senkakus to top agenda for Kennedy
At her Senate hearing last week, Caroline Kennedy, tipped to be the next U.S. ambassador to Japan, faced numerous questions about the Trans-Pacific Partnership pact, tensions over the Senkaku Islands, and what she would do about nearly 400 cases of American children allegedly abducted to Japan.
JAPAN
Sep 14, 2013
Idling of Oi No. 4 unit to again halt all atomic power
With Sunday's shutdown of Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Oi No. 4 reactor for regular safety inspections, Japan will be without nuclear power for the first time since July 2012.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 11, 2013
Kansai not overly enthusiastic about Tokyo landing Olympics
As Tokyo continues to celebrate landing the 2020 Summer Olympics, some in Osaka are making noises about a future bid from the Kansai region.
JAPAN
Sep 9, 2013
City in California readies another resolution against Hashimoto
Another California city is preparing a resolution to condemn Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto for his comments in May that Japan’s use of sexual slavery during the war was a necessity.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 3, 2013
Sakai election, confused colleagues cloud Hashimoto's integration plan
Osaka Mayor and Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) co-leader Toru Hashimoto's most fundamental political goal, the integration of Osaka Prefecture and the city of Osaka, appears ever more in doubt as his opponents join forces in a key local election and his own party ranks express skepticism...
JAPAN
Aug 30, 2013
Japan under increasing pressure to accept outside nuclear help
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, just back from a trip to the Middle East and Africa, where he pitched Japanese nuclear technology, faces mounting international criticism that his administration is not taking the Fukushima crisis seriously.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2013
Fukushima spill snags reactor restart quest
The Fukushima No. 1 power plant's continued pollution of the Pacific is fueling growing domestic and international concern about radiation hazards, clouding plans by utilities and the government to quickly restart a dozen reactors.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 28, 2013
Gaffe-shy Hashimoto keeps media at bay
With a critical local election looming, Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) co-leader and Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto declares that a fundraising event and strategy session Friday will be closed to the media.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2013
Critics split on Kennedy's new role as U.S. envoy
Caroline Kennedy's appointment as the first female U.S. ambassador to Japan divides American experts on the bilateral security relationship.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2013
Volunteers work to clean up, reforest Kyoto's 'Poet's Mount'
Sitting on the northern side of the Hozu River gorge, on the western side of Kyoto, Mount Ogura has long been associated with the literary world, and is known as the "Poet's Mount."
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 12, 2013
Defense firms pushing to boost role
With pressure mounting from U.S. defense officials and the powerful Keidanren business group on the government to relax arms export restrictions, the military-industrial lobbies in Washington and Tokyo hope the future bilateral security relationship will incorporate their interests more robustly.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 12, 2013
Hashimoto advocate Sakaiya to advise Abe
Taichi Sakaiya, 78, the man credited with persuading Osaka Mayor and Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) co-leader Toru Hashimoto to trade the world of television punditry for the world of politics, has been appointed as an adviser to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2013
Nuke opponents feud over bombs vs. power
Every August, thousands of visitors from Japan and around the world gather in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to commemorate the dropping of the atomic bombs. In addition to the solemn ceremonies that draw survivors and VIPs, there are numerous side events dedicated to seeking the elimination of nuclear weapons....
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 23, 2013
U.S. worried election-emboldened, nationalist Abe may roil Asia waters
Sunday's overwhelming victory by the Liberal Democratic Party has created a dilemma for the United States, which wants closer economic and military ties with Tokyo even as it fears that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Cabinet now have free reign to pursue a hard-line diplomatic stance that will damage...
BUSINESS / BALANCING INTERESTS
Jul 22, 2013
Farmers stealing TPP spotlight from other key issues
While a great deal of political and media attention is focusing on what the Trans-Pacific Partnership might mean for Japan's agricultural sector, less is being devoted to how it could impact investor-state disputes and copyright laws, two controversial areas that present a growing challenge to forging...
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 22, 2013
Defiant Nippon Ishin pauses on resignations
After an election that saw only eight of its 44 candidates win seats in Sunday's Upper House election, Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) leaders were stressing the need for a unified opposition against the Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling coalition.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 22, 2013
Hashimoto in limbo after trouncing
The future of Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) co-leader Toru Hashimoto remained unclear Sunday evening following the party's poor performance in the Upper House election.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 19, 2013
Ishin's woes go beyond Hashimoto's gaffes
While Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) battles for seats in Sunday's Upper House election, it has given up on two key local races where the expected winners oppose its fundamental goals, further eroding support in its Kansai base.
JAPAN
Jul 12, 2013
Feelings about Japan depend on who's polled, and where
Public sentiment about the economy and the direction Japan is taking has improved somewhat since last year, according to a study by the Washington-based Pew Research Center.

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