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May 01, 2025
 

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Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 8, 2019
Kansai execs have big dreams of transport projects ahead of G20, Osaka Expo and possible casino
With the 2025 World Expo secured for Yumeshima district in Osaka Bay and growing confidence the man-made island will also host one of Japan's first casino resorts, Kansai's business leaders are stepping up efforts to win local approval and central government funding for major transportation infrastructure...
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Feb 7, 2019
University in Osaka aims to hone hotel staff with omotenashi to serve Japan's foreign guests
One of the key factors driving Japan's unprecedented tourism boom is its culture of hospitality — epitomized by the concept of omotenashi, which can be roughly translated as "wholeheartedly looking after guests."
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 6, 2019
With the G20 facing numerous challenges, do the summit's engagement groups have the answers?
In the run-up to the Group of Twenty Leaders’ Summit in Osaka in late June, several related meetings of what are known as engagement groups are scheduled to take place in Tokyo and around the country. One of the more influential engagement groups is T20, or Think 20, whose members include influential...
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2019
Gender, aging and climate to feature at Osaka G20, but Japan wants strong message on stable global growth
As host of this year's Group of 20 leaders' summit, a key official said Monday that Japan's most important task will be to chair a gathering that concludes with a strong message promoting stable worldwide economic growth.
JAPAN
Jan 30, 2019
U.S. OKs planned $2.15 billion sale of two Aegis Ashore missile-defense systems to Japan
The U.S. agreed Tuesday to sell two Aegis Ashore missile-defense systems and other military equipment to Japan at an estimated cost of $2.15 billion.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 28, 2019
Japan-U.S. law enforcement fingerprint data-sharing pact kicks off, raising privacy concerns
Earlier this month, Japan and the United States began sharing fingerprint data among their law enforcement agencies under a bilateral agreement.
JAPAN / Society / Beyond Tokyo
Jan 27, 2019
Japan's aging hunters look for fresh blood to solve boar woes
When the world rang in 2019, it also prepared to usher in the Year of the Boar. But in Sasayama, a picturesque, historical city of about 42,000 nestled in rural Hyogo Prefecture about an hour by train from Osaka Station, the wild boar is a symbol of pride, part of a famous local dish and a bane to farmers....
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Jan 20, 2019
A Japanese city plans to ban plastic shopping bags, but can it push its larger neighbors to follow suit?
International concern over the environmental damage done by the use of plastic in various forms is now the topic of political and economic discussions across the planet. Dealing with plastic waste, especially in the ocean, is one of the long-term issues that Japan has promised to address at this year's...
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2019
Osaka officials meet residents near G20 site to discuss traffic restrictions and other measures ahead of June meeting
Residents near the venue for the June 28-29 Group of 20 leaders' summit will face traffic restrictions immediately before and after the meeting, Osaka officials said Wednesday evening, but the exact measures are still being worked out.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 9, 2019
New Year's party skipped as tensions run high between Osaka's ruling coalition partners
As Osaka enters 2019 with a full political schedule, including local and national elections and the Group of 20 Leaders' Summit, relations between ruling coalition partners Komeito and Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka), a local political party, remain tense, creating potential political problems in both...
JAPAN / Society
Jan 9, 2019
Abe's plan to battle Japan's regional brain drain draws mixed reviews
Like other major cities around the world, Tokyo acts as a magnet for the rest of the country, attracting people whose energy and talents spark new businesses and forms of art and culture, which, in turn, attract even more people.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 26, 2018
Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui reveals deal with Komeito to hold referendum on merging city wards
Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui revealed Wednesday that his Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka) political group had signed a deal with Komeito, in April 2017, to hold a referendum on merging the city's wards during the current terms of the prefectural and municipal assembly members, which expire in April 2019.
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Dec 23, 2018
Most Kyoto firms have no plans to add foreign workers, survey finds
The government may be planning to bring in nearly 345,000 foreign workers by 2023, but in Kyoto, a recent survey shows most firms outside the hospitality sector have no plans to discuss adding overseas laborers to their workforce.
JAPAN / Politics / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Dec 23, 2018
With six months to go until G20 summit in Osaka, Japan sets out its agenda
With six months to go until the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, the basic agenda has been set for discussion on issues of global importance.
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Dec 15, 2018
From G20 to 2025 Expo, many challenges lay ahead for Kansai
In the moments after Osaka was awarded the 2025 World Expo on the early morning of Nov. 24, there was jubilation, back-slapping, and wide smiles. More than a few eyes glittered at the thought of what senior business leaders hoped would be a major cash cow. You could almost hear the clicking of soroban...
JAPAN
Dec 11, 2018
Osaka officials kick off preparations for 2025 World Expo
Within weeks of being awarded the event, Osaka leaders on Tuesday kicked off preparations for the 2025 World Expo.
JAPAN
Dec 11, 2018
Japan's two Aegis Ashore anti-missile candidate sites run into local opposition
Located in northwestern Honshu on the Sea of Japan coast, Akita Prefecture has long been thought of in Tokyo and especially western Japan as remote — part of poet Matsuo Basho's famed "The Narrow Road to the Deep North."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2018
Japan gets mixed assessment from U.N. over efforts to curb greenhouse gases
The United Nations warned Tuesday that current national commitments to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions are insufficient to meet a 2030 reduction goal, and that unprecedented and urgent action is required by all nations — especially from members of the Group of 20 — to ensure global warming...
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 26, 2018
Citing G20 security issues, Osaka shuts down over 80% of private lodging operations
Between June and September, over 80 percent of Osaka minpaku private lodgings have been ordered closed by the city, Osaka Mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura said earlier this month.
JAPAN / Politics / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Nov 26, 2018
Time running out for Osaka leaders seeking to push city-prefecture integration plan
When Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui and Osaka Mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura left for Paris early last week for one final lobbying effort for the 2025 World Expo, they left behind a city and prefecture that remain deeply divided over their most basic political goal — the integration of Osaka Prefecture and the...
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami
A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
Shohei Ohtani's example could change Japan's views on paternity leave
Shohei Ohtani and Mamiko Tanaka announced the birth of their first child on April 19.
Nearly half of workers in Japan engage in ‘quiet quitting’
"Quiet quitting" is most common among the younger generation, with 46.7% of respondents to a survey in their 20s identifying with the practice, reflecting a less-motivated workforce more focused on work-life balance.
Delta routes new Airbus plane to Tokyo to sidestep Trump tariffs
Delta Air Lines signage on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York on April 9. The airline is flying a new Airbus SE plane through Japan to skirt U.S. import tariffs.
Single, or not? Japanese dating app launches relationship verification system
Tapple, one of Japan's most popular dating apps, has launched the nation's first feature to verify a user's single status via their My Number card.
CDP submits bill proposal on separate surnames, but challenges remain
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan lawmakers speak to reporters in parliament on Wednesday after submitting a bill in the Lower House to allow married couples to retain different surnames.
Puzzling decisions and opaque rankings are all part of sumo's charm
Chiyoshoma (right) battles Churanoumi during the New Year Basho in Tokyo in January. The Mongolian's drop down the sumo rankings ahead of the May tournament was one of the biggest surprises of the latest banzuke.
North Korea's Kim sets sights on nuclear-armed navy
An unidentified weapons system is fired from the deck of North Korea's latest destroyer, the Choe Hyon, during two days of tests on Monday and Tuesday in this undated photo released Wednesday.
Single, or not? Japanese dating app launches relationship verification system
Tapple, one of Japan's most popular dating apps, has launched the nation's first feature to verify a user's single status via their My Number card.

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One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami
By Alex K.T. Martin

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