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 Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2006
One bad apple set to spoil Osaka's 'buraku' aid barrel
projects because the system of distributing funds could easily be abused," he said. "Local political leaders at that time bear much of the blame for Osaka's current scandals." Osaka pumped billions of yen into social welfare projects run by Konishi for more than three decades in line with its policy...
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2006
One bad apple set to spoil Osaka's 'buraku' aid barrel
More than six months after mobster Kunihiko Konishi was arrested for decades of embezzlement, Osaka is set to scrap two dozen city projects to aid the plight of the local 'buraku" community of descendents of the feudal outcast class.
Japan Times
LIFE
Dec 10, 2006
Politics at the grass roots
Judging by the society pages of certain publications in Japan, politicians at both the local and national levels seem to spend a lot of their time being photographed with ambassadors, captains of industry, assorted aristocrats, passing film stars and all manner of other folk.
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2006
JNFL's MOX-benignity claim hit
KYOTO -- Six Japan-based peace and antinuclear groups Thursday called on the International Atomic Energy Agency to clarify comments made by the head of Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd. that it is impossible to remove plutonium from MOX fuel, a claim that runs counter to IAEA assertions and the consensus of international...
JAPAN
Nov 21, 2006
Okinawa economic woes trump base ills for voters
V-shaped runway plan. In other words, nearly 658,000 Okinawan voters voted against the plan. In addition, unlike the election in 2002, where (Keiichi) Inamine won by nearly 170,000 votes, this time the margin of victory for Nakaima and the conservatives was only 37,000 votes, which suggests the base...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 20, 2006
Voters weighed both base issue and local economy
NAHA, Okinawa Pref. -- It was more than just the U.S. military bases. As Okinawans went to the polls Sunday to vote in the gubernatorial election, the local economy was also on their minds.
JAPAN
Nov 20, 2006
Nakaima wins Okinawa race
Hirokazu Nakaima, a ruling coalition-backed former vice governor and chairman of a power utility, was elected Sunday governor of Okinawa in a campaign closely watched for its impact on the proposed realignment of U.S. military bases in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ACCORD STILL IN LIMBO
Nov 10, 2006
Back to square one after Okinawa poll?
OSAKA -- In early 2005, senior U.S. officials had become fed up with Okinawa.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ACCORD STILL IN LIMBO
Nov 9, 2006
Okinawa race again base-centric
First in a series on the Nov. 19 Okinawa gubernatorial election
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2006
Son of ex-Burma leader speaks at asylum trial
OSAKA -- The son of Burma's first prime minister testified Wednesday in Osaka District Court on behalf of a male relative fighting for political asylum in Japan, saying if the government forces him to return to the country now called Myanmar he will be executed.
CULTURE / Books
Oct 15, 2006
From the center of Korean conflict
KOREA WITNESS: 135 Years of War, Crisis and News in the Land of the Morning Calm, edited by Donald Kirk, Choe Sang-Hun. Seoul: EunHaeng NaMu, 2006, 13,000 won/$13.83 (paper). To adventurous Western writers and journalists in the late 19th century, the opening of Japan in 1868 was an opportunity too good...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 11, 2006
Sanctions seen having little impact
OSAKA -- Although calls in Japan for tough economic sanctions against North Korea will no doubt grow following Monday's nuclear test, economists say stopping the flow of goods between the two countries would have more political meaning than economic.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 28, 2006
Japan Times staffer gets award for rescuing boy
KYOTO -- Simon Bartz, an employee of The Japan Times, was one of four people honored by Kyoto police and rescue officials Wednesday for his role in saving the lives of two 7-year-old boys on Sept. 20.
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2006
Foes fear Monju accident, natural or otherwise
. But they remain both expensive and less than 100 percent reliable, and will continue to be for some time. You'll still need a backup energy source. With Monju, not only will Japan have such a source, but also one that will help the country reduce greenhouse gases caused by the burning of coal and gas,"...
JAPAN
Sep 22, 2006
Tougher financial sanctions on North being sought
have testified that billions of yen in cash have been sent to North Korea in this manner. One Japanese man living in Osaka, who worked for two decades at a North Korean-funded trading company in Japan, said Tuesday's ban will have only a short-term effect.
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2006
Trouble looms as foreign labor floods in
OSAKA -- It's 2030, and Japan is facing an unprecedented social problem. For the past quarter-century, ever since the population began declining, the government has encouraged the hiring of foreign laborers. But measures to control immigration have failed, and in some towns and villages foreigners now...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2006
Second Kansai runway no cure
OSAKA -- Kansai International Airport has earned international praise for its clean lavatories and other services, but its goal of being a major Asian hub appears to be sinking and the controversial, costly, hard-fought second runway set to open in less than a year appears unlikely to turn things around....
JAPAN
Aug 24, 2006
Shiga governor backs antidiscrimination law
OSAKA -- Shiga Gov. Yukiko Kada said Wednesday she generally supports the creation of a national law to ban racial discrimination.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2006
Osaka rights funds, 'buraku' kingpin, mob enjoy shady ties
OSAKA -- Calls for fundamental changes in how Osaka funds human rights activities are mounting following new allegations of fraud and discoveries of further links involving a disgraced former official representing the "burakumin" community and underworld figures.
JAPAN
Jul 27, 2006
Ethanol latest bid to boost Okinawa
OSAKA -- In May, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi met with Defense Agency chief Fukushiro Nukaga and trade minister Toshihiro Nikai to discuss Okinawa's future.

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