Eric Johnston - The Japan Times

JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE

Aug 21, 2016

Osaka urged to spend more on arts ahead of Olympic extravaganza

A call by an influential Kansai business group for the Osaka prefectural and municipal governments to increase their budgets for art and culture has sparked debate between the governor and business circles over how to best do that.

JAPAN / View from Osaka

Aug 20, 2016

The content of culture: In Osaka, who should pay?

A report released by a Kansai business group earlier this month notes the amounts for the art and culture budgets of Osaka prefecture and Osaka city are well below national averages on a per person level, and has a lot of tongues wagging about Osaka being run by a bunch of philistines.

JAPAN

Aug 12, 2016

Shikoku MOX plant restarts amid outcry over fresh quake fears

Shikoku Electric restarts the Ikata No. 3 reactor on the narrow Sadamisaki Peninsula as protesters seek court injunctions over safety fears renewed by the quakes in Kyushu.

JAPAN

Aug 9, 2016

Overseas media outlets praise Emperor's efforts for peace, reconciliation

Overseas media reaction to Monday's recorded video address by Emperor Akihito, in which he indicated a desire to abdicate, praised his efforts at peace and reconciliation in Okinawa and parts of Asia.

ENVIRONMENT

Aug 6, 2016

Climate change threatens nation's agriculture

Dark clouds cast gloom over future domestic food production as global temperatures rise

JAPAN

Aug 5, 2016

Far-reaching quakes put Ehime's atomic evacuation plans in doubt

When two earthquakes of magnitude 6.5 and 7.3 struck Kumamoto Prefecture in April, the shock was felt not only in Kumamoto but also about 170 km away, in the small town of Ikata, Ehime Prefecture, home to a nuclear power plant.

JAPAN / Politics

Aug 3, 2016

Abe's defense minister pick sparks concern over relations with South Korea

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's choice for the key post of defense minister, Tomomi Inada, is a politician known for her strong nationalistic views.

JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE

Jul 24, 2016

Kyoto pushes to retrieve share of Imperial action to honor deep cultural roots

When a young Emperor Meiji moved to Edo from Kyoto in 1868, many of Kyoto's noble families were strongly opposed to his leaving what had been Japan's capital and home to the Imperial family since 794.

JAPAN / Politics / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE

Jul 24, 2016

Osaka Ishin no Kai seeks less-provincial name as identity crisis festers

Bowing to long-standing criticism that it must change its name in order to win over more voters, Osaka Ishin no Kai will select a new party name next month.

JAPAN

Jul 21, 2016

Greenpeace reports jump in radioactive contamination in Fukushima waterways

The radioactive contamination in Fukushima's riverbanks, estuaries and coastal waters was at a scale hundreds of times higher than pre-2011 levels.

JAPAN / View from Osaka

Jul 16, 2016

Regional votes reveal cracks in political landscape

The overwhelming victory of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito coalition in the July 10 Upper House election overshadowed regional results that suggest growing numbers of voters in certain parts of Japan aren't as dedicated to the LDP as it first appears.

JAPAN

Jul 12, 2016

Court rules a third time against Takahama reactors

The Otsu District Court decides that Kansai Electric Power Co. must keep its Takahama No. 3 and 4 reactors in Fukui Prefecture shut down indefinitely.

JAPAN / Politics

Jul 10, 2016

In first election without Hashimoto, Osaka Ishin wins at least six seats in Kansai stronghold

Osaka Ishin no Kai won two of the Osaka district's four seats and another in neighboring Hyogo Prefecture, as well as at least two proportional seats, inching Prime Minister Shinzo Abe closer to the two-thirds majority needed for a referendum on constitutional revision.

JAPAN / Politics

Jul 10, 2016

Okinawan minister Shimajiri ousted from Upper House by former Ginowan mayor

In a setback for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, state minister for Okinawa affairs Aiko Shimajiri lost her Upper House seat to a challenger backed by the prefectural governor and a coalition of activists opposed to U.S. bases there.

JAPAN

Jul 7, 2016

Travel survey bumps Kyoto from world's top tourist spot

City officials say huge crowds visiting its popular temples, shrines and gardens as well as its major downtown shopping districts, might be the cause.

JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2016

Jul 6, 2016

Osaka Ishin struggling ahead of Sunday's Upper House poll

Just before the Upper House election campaign kicked off on June 22, Osaka Ishin no Kai leaders were plotting their schedules for the days leading up to Sunday's poll.

JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS

Jul 5, 2016

Okinawa takes wait-and-see attitude on changes to Japan-U.S. SOFA

Tuesday's announcement by Tokyo and Washington that an agreement has been reached that more narrowly defines those classified as civilians employed by the U.S. military in Japan was greeted with caution by top Okinawan officials, who are taking a wait-and-see attitude.

BUSINESS

Jul 1, 2016

OECD tax-dodging confab concludes with agreement to draft blacklist criteria

In effort to crack down on corporations and individuals that evade taxes overseas, representatives from 82 countries agreed to draft criteria that could be used to put non-cooperative nations and jurisdictions on an international blacklist.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Jul 1, 2016

Osaka enforces Japan's first ordinance against hate speech, threatens to name names

Ethnic Korean residents applaud as Japan's first ordinance against so-called hate speech takes effect in the city of Osaka.

BUSINESS

Jun 30, 2016

Nations discuss corporate tax avoidance at OECD meeting in Kyoto

Representatives of more than 80 countries and jurisdictions met in Kyoto on Thursday for a two-day conference aimed at going after corporate tax avoidance in the first-ever effort of its kind to include developed and developing countries.

author

Meta

Podcast

Longform

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

In your social network

In your inbox

In your social network

In your inbox