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Eric Johnston

JAPAN / View from Osaka

Nov 16, 2019

Kepco's gift scandal casts shadow over Kansai and 2025 Expo

Earlier this fall, it was revealed that 20 Kansai Electric Power Co. officials, including the chairman and president, received nearly ¥320 million in cash and presents between 2006 and 2018 from a powerful, and now deceased, former deputy mayor and political fixer in Takahama, Fukui Prefecture.

JAPAN / Politics

Oct 3, 2019

Abe clears decks for debate on amending Japan's Constitution

When the extraordinary Diet session convenes on Friday, 15 government-sponsored bills are expected to be submitted — one of the lowest totals since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's second stint started — reflecting his administration's determination to focus its energy on revising the Constitution.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Sep 22, 2019

Japan expected to repeat little more than past promises at U.N. Climate Action Summit

Japan may not bring much more than past promises to U.N. Climate Action Summit.

JAPAN

Sep 18, 2019

FactCheck Initiative Japan NPO uncovers dodgy claims from Abe and others ahead of July vote

FactCheck Initiative Japan, a Tokyo-based nonprofit organization that analyzes information provided by politicians, has found issues with a number of claims that were made in relation to the July 21 Upper House election.

JAPAN

Sep 17, 2019

Osaka mayor Ichiro Matsui offers to take in tainted Fukushima water and dump it into Osaka Bay

Ichiro Matsui, the mayor of Osaka and head of Nippon Ishin no Kai, said Tuesday that water tainted by radioactive tritium from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant could — if proven environmentally safe — be sent to Osaka and dumped into Osaka Bay.

JAPAN / View from Osaka

Sep 14, 2019

Sizzling summer threatens Tokyo 2020, Osaka Expo

The summer of 2019 brought record-breaking heat. Early to mid-September, until last week, felt like late July in Kansai, Tokyo, Nagoya and parts of Kyushu and Shikoku. Only in a few areas of Hokkaido, where temperatures dropped into the low teens at night, were there clear signs autumn was arriving....

JAPAN / Politics

Sep 11, 2019

From paternity leave to the environment, Koizumi's words and actions now under more intense spotlight

Newly appointed Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, the third-youngest Cabinet minister in the postwar era, has been tapped by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for his youth and popularity with the media and the public.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Politics

Sep 10, 2019

Cabinet reshuffles provide a window into Japan's policy priorities

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is planning to reshuffle his Cabinet on Wednesday. When this action, combined with the reshuffle of Liberal Democratic Party executives, takes place, there is always huge media coverage on who will be appointed to what post and what it means for the administration.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Sep 9, 2019

At meeting in Kyoto, global body debates how to define and protect museums

What is a museum and how can its exhibits, which often include the world's most important cultural properties, be protected from natural disasters, including earthquakes?

Japan Times

JAPAN / Politics

Sep 1, 2019

All eyes on LDP factions as Abe plots Cabinet shake-up for final term

With Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expected to reshuffle his Cabinet later this month, attention is turning to who might get what posts, and from which Liberal Democratic Party factions any new ministers might be from.

Japan Times

WORLD / Science & Health

Aug 26, 2019

Inventor Boyan Slat's mission: Shrink Great Pacific Garbage patch 90% by 2040

Boyan Slat, 25, is an ambitious social entrepreneur. His goal: Reduce 90 percent of an estimated 80 million kg of plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean, covering an area more than three times the size of France, by 2040. And do it with a technology he likens to raking leaves.

JAPAN

Aug 23, 2019

Japan's UNESCO sites struggle to cultivate cultural cachet while keeping urban bustle at bay

An observation deck on the 21st floor of Osaka's Sakai City Hall provides visitors with a bird's-eye view of the surrounding area. In the midst of the urban jungle a few kilometers away, a large patch of greenery in the distance looks out of place amid the sea of modern buildings, like a public park...

Japan Times

JAPAN / Politics

Aug 22, 2019

Japan and G7 peers brace for fractious summit in France

Japanese media outlets had reported that this year's G7 was unlikely to issue a joint statement for the first time in its history.

Japan Times

JAPAN / View from Osaka

Aug 17, 2019

For Kyoto, international meeting of museum directors and creators is an opportunity to learn

From Sept. 1 to 7, Kyoto will host thousands of museum directors, curators and art historians from Japan and around the world for the general assembly meeting of the Paris-based International Council of Museums (ICOM).

Japan Times

BUSINESS

Aug 9, 2019

Casino resort frontrunner MGM says winning and building Osaka facility by 2025 is tough but doable

Over the next few months, the government is expected to debate the structure of a new regulatory committee that will oversee so-called integrated resort complexes containing casinos and draft a basic policy specifying the selection criteria for such facilities.

JAPAN

Aug 9, 2019

Shizuoka throws wrench in the works of Tokyo-Nagoya maglev shinkansen route

The current plan for the Tokyo-Nagoya maglev route, currently under construction, calls for Central Japan Railway Co. to begin operations by around 2027. The route will slash a trip between Nagoya and Shinagawa, which takes about 90 minutes on the fastest bullet trains today, to just 40 minutes.

JAPAN

Aug 9, 2019

Is Nara's future tied to a proposed maglev shinkansen route?

Although Nara has become a favorite of international tourists in recent years, the city, which served as the nation's ancient capital from 710 to 784, has historically been a bit off the beaten path.

JAPAN / Beyond Tokyo

Jul 26, 2019

In pursuit of a sustainable society, Nagano turns to AI to help craft policy

When times are good, there is less political pressure at the local level anywhere to be economically efficient or carefully scrutinize predictions that a new public works project or expensive industrial or tourism promotion scheme will lead to prosperity in 20 or 30 years.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS

Jul 22, 2019

Abe's push to amend Japan's Constitution faces uncertain future after Upper House vote

Undaunted by the failure to capture a two-thirds supermajority in the upper chamber, Abe pushes on with his goal to rewrite the charter, with an eye on Article 9.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS

Jul 21, 2019

After Upper House election, ruling bloc bets political cost of tax hike will be limited

The hike is expected to generate an additional u00a55.7 trillion in annual revenue, of which u00a52.8 trillion will be used to defray the national debt.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.

With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear

By Jason Coskrey

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