Eric Johnston - The Japan Times

JAPAN / EXPLAINER

Apr 23, 2018

Tourists, take note: As drones multiply in Japan, so do rules governing where they can be flown

Make a trip to any major electronics store today and you're bound to find a section selling drones. Once little more than toys for enthusiasts, today's commercially available drones come in all shapes and sizes and are used for all sorts of purposes, with prices ranging from thousands to hundreds of...

JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE

Apr 22, 2018

For foreign nationals over 150 years ago, Kyoto’s Fushimi was end of the line

Just before reaching Chushojima Station on the Keihan Line heading into Kyoto from Osaka, or just after crossing the Uji River on the almost parallel Kintetsu train that runs between Kyoto and Nara, two towers that look old and of European design flash briefly into view before disappearing among the...

JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE

Apr 22, 2018

Security issues worry Osaka residents ahead of 2019 G-20 summit

Beginning this month, both the city of Osaka and the prefecture began preparations to host next year's Group of Twenty leaders' summit, with political and business leaders forming task forces to help with local assistance and promotional efforts prior to the event.

JAPAN / Politics

Apr 14, 2018

Scandal-hit Abe moves to shore up base in Osaka ahead of LDP presidential election

Abe told members of the LDP's Osaka chapter Friday evening that he is opposed to a plan to merge the city's 24 wards.

JAPAN / View from Osaka

Apr 14, 2018

'Safe, secure and stable' mantra a winner at the polls

"The people all said, 'Sit down, sit down, you're rockin' the boat.'"

JAPAN

Apr 13, 2018

Britain to have three warships in Japan by year's end, envoy Mark Field says

Two more British warships will join a Royal Navy frigate in Japan by the end of the year to help enforce sanctions on North Korea, while plans are underway for British ground troops to conduct an exercise with their Japanese counterparts to assist in an international effort to enforce sanctions on Pyongyang,...

JAPAN

Apr 10, 2018

Japan's former chief negotiator for talks on North Korea warns that U.S. lacks expertise on Pyongyang

As discussions continue over when and where a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will take place, Japan's former chief negotiator for multilateral talks aimed at ending the North's nuclear program on Tuesday warned that the current U.S. administration has virtually...

JAPAN / Politics

Apr 8, 2018

Nishiwaki triumphs in Kyoto gubernatorial race, vows to continue policies of predecessor

Kyoto voters cast their ballots for the status quo and closer relations with Tokyo on Sunday, electing a candidate with strong ties to the central government who promised to continue the policies of the previous governor and who was backed by all major political parties except the Japanese Communist...

JAPAN

Apr 5, 2018

Kyoto turns to crowdfunding to maintain lesser known cultural assets

In an effort to get younger people more involved with preserving Kyoto's traditional culture, a local heritage association has begun a crowdfunding campaign that seeks small, individual donations for the repair of temples, shrines and cultural assets.

JAPAN / Politics

Apr 2, 2018

2019 G-20 summit to be held on June 28-29, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga announced

The 2019 Group of 20 leaders' summit in Osaka will take place on June 28 and 29, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga announced Monday.

JAPAN / Politics

Apr 2, 2018

Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui eyes second referendum on merger plan during nationwide elections in 2019

Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui announced Monday that a second referendum on whether to merge Osaka's wards might be held during the nationwide local elections in April 2019, six months later than the governor and his supporters originally hoped for.

JAPAN / Politics

Apr 2, 2018

Assemblies from Niigata to Tottori criticize handling of Moritomo probe as threat to democracy

Municipal and prefectural politicians are calling the document-tampering scandal a threat to Japan's democracy and ratcheting up calls for key figures to testify in the Diet.

JAPAN

Mar 29, 2018

Kyoto University says no to military-related research despite spike in Defense Ministry funding

In fiscal 2017, the Defense Ministry allotted u00a511 billion for military technology-related research, an 18-fold increase over the previous fiscal year.

JAPAN / History

Mar 27, 2018

Tsushima Island was key conduit of Japan's Edo Period trade with Korea

Japan's historic relationship with the Korean Peninsula has often been complicated by mutual misunderstanding and distrust, if not outright hostility. But on Tsushima, a Japanese island off the coast of the peninsula, efforts are being made to celebrate long-ago diplomatic missions with Korea that took...

JAPAN

Mar 27, 2018

Amid tourism rise, Tsushima Island could play evacuation role if tensions flare with North Korea

Within sight of the bright lights and bustling beaches of Busan, sleepy Tsushima Island has little in common with its neighbor located a mere 50 kilometers north, but the island of about 31,000 people has recently become a hot spot for South Korean tourists.

JAPAN / Politics / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE

Mar 25, 2018

Kyoto gubernatorial race puts focus on demographic and economic challenges to come

Faced with a rapidly aging society and a growing socioeconomic gap between its prosperous capital and the rest of the prefecture, Kyoto voters go to the polls April 8 to choose a new governor who will be either a well-connected insider or a complete outsider.

JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE

Mar 25, 2018

Osaka begins prep for largest international gathering in decades

With the summit for the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies coming to Osaka next year, preparations are underway to host the largest international gathering the city has seen in over two decades.

JAPAN / Politics

Mar 23, 2018

Kagoike certain Akie Abe spoke favorably to him about Moritomo land deal, lawmakers say after detention visit

Politicians pay a visit to the former head of Moritomo Gakuen to ascertain what Akie Abe knew and said about his school's nifty land deal with the government.

JAPAN / Politics / View from Osaka

Mar 17, 2018

Moritomo scandal threatens Osaka leaders too

"A man once thoroughly endued with these three qualities of lying, impudence, and ingratitude will, I believe, scarce want any other titles to preferment and grandeur." — Henry Fielding, from a satirical article on the traits of successful politicians, 1740

JAPAN

Mar 15, 2018

Foreign tourists set new record for hotel stays in Kyoto, with most visiting from China

A survey of 36 major Kyoto city hotels showed that foreigners accounted for 40.5 percent of their total guests in 2017, the highest figure recorded since the survey began in 2014.

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