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 Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 23, 2017
Osaka mayor to terminate six-decade ties as San Francisco designates 'comfort women' memorial city property
The Osaka mayor will end a six-decade sister city relationship with San Francisco after the mayor of the U.S. city approved designation as city property a memorial to “comfort women.”
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Nov 18, 2017
Osaka may be facing political headwinds in its quest to host World Expo 2025
"Look and see which way the wind blows before you commit yourself." — "The Bat and the Weasels," Aesop's Fables
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2017
Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui heads to Paris to boost bid for 2025 World Expo
Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui departed for Paris on Tuesday to lobby for Osaka's bid to host the 2025 World Expo.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2017
For Japan's casinos to work, keep the yakuza out and deal with problem drinking: experts
As the nation debates how to establish and operate casinos via integrated resorts, it must take measures to keep the yakuza out and manage not only problem gambling but also develop a responsible drinking policy for the casino floor, a group of U.S. experts said in two new reports.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 8, 2017
Nippon Ishin no Kai calls emergency meeting to decide future leadership
Nippon Ishin no Kai will hold an emergency meeting Nov. 25 to discuss whether it is time to elect new leaders as the party struggles with internal dissension following its poor performance in the Oct. 22 Lower House election.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 3, 2017
Abe and Trump to rekindle friendship, but not all see rapport as positive for Japan, survey says
While Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump are said to have a good personal relationship, 43.7 percent of those who responded to a recent survey by The Japan Times viewed it as bad for Japan, while 14.1 percent said it was bad for the U.S.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 31, 2017
Diplomatic experts urge Trump to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table
Diplomatic experts from Japan, the United States and South Korea are calling on U.S. President Donald Trump to seek ways to get Pyongyang to return to the negotiating table, possibly in the so-called six-party talks framework that includes the three nations plus North Korea, China and Russia.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Oct 29, 2017
Osaka threatens San Francisco ties over sister city's 'comfort women' memorial
The 60-year sister city relationship between Osaka and San Francisco looks to be heading for retirement if Osaka Mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura and his allies in the city who oppose San Francisco's new "comfort women" memorial get their way.
JAPAN / Politics / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Oct 29, 2017
Nippon Ishin ponders its fate after brutal defeat in Lower House election
Five years after Nippon Ishin no Kai first appeared on the national stage with promises of changing the country through an Osaka-based revolution, the party's future is in doubt following a crushing defeat in the Oct. 22 Lower House election.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 27, 2017
Hashimoto cuts ties with Nippon Ishin after party's poor election showing
Toru Hashimoto, the former Osaka governor, mayor and co-founder of Osaka-based Nippon Ishin no Kai, has cut ties with the national party following its poor performance in the Oct. 22 Lower House election.
JAPAN / Politics / Decision 2017
Oct 18, 2017
In a small Nara city, Lower House vote set to test Kibo no To's strength against LDP
Ikoma, a small city of about 120,000 people, lies just over the border from Osaka in northern Nara Prefecture. It's known for its bamboo products, especially whisks used in the traditional tea ceremony. A cable car that travels up Mount Ikoma, opened in 1918, is said to be the oldest in Japan.
BUSINESS
Oct 14, 2017
Balance of power: Shift toward renewable energy appears to be picking up steam
Five years ago, Japan introduced a feed-in tariff system in a bid to promote the introduction of renewable energy on a large scale following the collapse of public trust in nuclear power due to the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, and subsequent triple meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1...
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Oct 14, 2017
Osaka-Tokyo regional split seen keeping Koike's, Hashimoto's camps at arm's length
The rise and — so far — fall in popularity of Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike's Kibo no To (Party of Hope) comes as no surprise in Osaka, where her ability to govern effectively, as opposed to deal with the media, has long been in doubt.
JAPAN / Politics / Decision 2017
Oct 12, 2017
Koike's Kibo no To takes a hit as popular Aichi Gov. Hideaki Omura cuts support
Aichi Gov. Hideaki Omura has withdrawn his support for Kibo no To in a blow to Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, who is also the fledgling party's chief. This setback comes less than two weeks after Omura agreed to cooperate with Koike and Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui, who serves as Nippon Ishin no Kai's co-leader....
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 6, 2017
Kibo no To and Osaka's Nippon Ishin in cautious collaboration with wide policy overlap
The basic platform of Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike's new Kibo no To (Party of Hope), with promises of freezing the scheduled income tax hike to reducing the salaries and number of Diet members, has a familiar ring for many members of the Osaka-centered Nippon Ishin no Kai, which has agreed to cooperate with...
JAPAN
Oct 5, 2017
'Comfort women' row threatens Osaka-San Francisco sister city relationship
The debate over statues memorializing “comfort women” is threatening to upend six-decade sister city ties between Osaka and San Francisco.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 30, 2017
Kibo no To and Nippon Ishin no Kai agree not to directly challenge each other in Tokyo and Osaka city districts
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike and Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui agreed Saturday that her new Kibo no To (Party of Hope) and his Nippon Ishin no Kai will not challenge each other in single-seat districts in their respective cities in the upcoming snap election.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Sep 28, 2017
Lawyerless Turk challenges Osaka car dealer's snub of non-Japanese patrons, wins redress
In a highly unusual case that has surprised Japanese legal experts, a Turkish national based in Osaka sued a local second-hand car dealer for discrimination and won, all without the services of a lawyer.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 27, 2017
Osaka court rules tattoo artist's work violated medical law, was not art or expression
An Osaka tattoo artist was found guilty Wednesday of violating the Medical Practitioners' Law in a case that drew international attention to Japan's tattoo culture.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 25, 2017
Osaka's leaders complain about San Francisco 'comfort women' statue to U.S. Ambassador Hagerty
In a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Japan William Hagerty on Monday, Osaka's leaders expressed solidarity with America over North Korea but concern that San Francisco, Osaka's sister city, erected a monument to the wartime "comfort women" who were forced into Japanese military brothels before and during...

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