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Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 22, 2008
Yellow dust storms getting worse
Each year, most of Japan's prefectures are affected by what is known as yellow dust, which appears as a yellow fog in the atmosphere for a few days, often in late winter and early spring. A mixture of des ert sand, arid topsoil and man-made pollutants from Central Asia, China and Mongolia, the annual...
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2008
China's foreign minister wraps up 'diplomatic' visit to Osaka, Nara
Politics was off the menu as Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi wrapped up his visit to Japan over the weekend with dinner Saturday in Osaka and lunch Sunday in the ancient capital of Nara.
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2008
Osaka English teachers may be cut by Hashimoto
OSAKA — Nearly three dozen native English teachers called Monday on Osaka Gov. Toru Hashimoto not to cancel an education program that places native speakers of English in the prefecture's schools and expressed concern that the teachers have only been offered four-month contracts.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2008
Hashimoto's cost-cutting plans under fire
OSAKA — If Osaka Gov. Toru Hashimoto has his way, employees now working on international human rights issues may become school security guards and a popular women's center will be sold off.
JAPAN
Mar 1, 2008
U.S. anticrime steps little comfort in Okinawa
OSAKA — With an unprecedented curfew on U.S. military personnel in Okinawa tentatively due to expire Monday, central government and prefectural officials are rushing to assure those living near U.S. bases that anticrime measures are being taken in the wake of the alleged Feb. 10 rape of a 14-year-old...
JAPAN
Feb 27, 2008
Osaka governor stays popular even as doubts mount
OSAKA — It's only been one month since Osaka Gov. Toru Hashimoto's landslide election victory Jan. 27. But for both his supporters and opponents, it feels a lot longer.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 13, 2008
For Fukui city of Obama, choice of U.S. candidate is a no-brainer
OSAKA — If you're traveling through Fukui Prefecture over the coming weeks, don't be surprised if you see signs, posters or even souvenir goods that say "Obama for Obama"
JAPAN
Feb 13, 2008
Latest U.S. troop incident mobilizes activists
OSAKA — Protests in Okinawa over the arrest of a U.S. Marine for the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl continued Tuesday with demonstrations outside U.S. military bases.
JAPAN
Feb 13, 2008
Election of new Iwakuni mayor may speed U.S. realignment
IWAKUNI, Yamaguchi Pref. — Sunday's mayoral election, in which Yoshihiko Fukuda, a former Diet member, narrowly defeated former Mayor Katsusuke Ihara, is expected to ease tensions between Tokyo and Iwakuni over the planned relocation of U.S. military aircraft to a base here.
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2008
U.S. base proponent takes Iwakuni mayoral race
IWAKUNI, Yamaguchi Pref. — Voters here Sunday put hopes for economic revitalization ahead of concerns about a U.S. military base by electing Yoshihiko Fukuda, a former Liberal Democratic Party member of the Lower House, as mayor.
JAPAN
Feb 9, 2008
Japan losing place on world stage, business leaders warn
KYOTO — Kansai's annual gathering of business leaders closed Friday in Kyoto, wrapping up two days of warnings that Japan is losing its place on the world stage due to the country's political situation and because its people have become too inward-looking.
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2008
Osaka governor sounds fiscal alarm
OSAKA — Toru Hashimoto, Osaka's new governor, officially started work Wednesday by declaring a state of fiscal emergency and warning prefectural residents that a rocky road lies ahead.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 29, 2008
G8: Meaningful or anachronistic forum?
Over the next six months, Japan will host a series of meetings of the Group of Eight countries, culminating in the Leaders' Summit at Lake Toya, Hokkaido, in July. Along with leaders of the G8 — Japan, the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Russia — the European Commission...
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2008
Substance now needed to bring real change
Lawyer and TV celebrity Toru Hashimoto, 38, became Japan's youngest governor Sunday, winning the Osaka gubernatorial election by more than 800,000 votes in a surprise landslide victory.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2008
Hashimoto elected governor of Osaka
OSAKA — Toru Hashimoto scored a landslide victory Sunday in Osaka's gubernatorial election, which was seen as having national implications.
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2008
Shaping the future as an immigrant nation
OSAKA — It is time Japan realized that in order to deal with its population decline, it must accept 10 million permanent immigrants rather than a small number of migrant laborers, said the country's most prominent advocate of a radical new immigration policy.
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2008
Hashimoto clings to lead in tight Osaka gubernatorial race
OSAKA — Down to the wire, Sunday's Osaka gubernatorial election continues to be a tight race, with 38-year-old lawyer Toru Hashimoto reportedly holding on to a slight lead over his rivals. But look for a dark horse as 40 percent of voters remain undecided.
JAPAN
Jan 25, 2008
Ambulance fiascoes become Osaka campaign issue
OSAKA — With just a few days to go until Osaka elects a new governor, the candidates are finding themselves facing an issue that is literally a life and death situation for all prefectural residents.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2008
Top Osaka candidates target education, debt, Kansai airport
OSAKA — The three main candidates in the race for the Jan. 27 Osaka gubernatorial election, which officially kicked off Thursday, have different positions on various policy issues, particularly on education, financial reform and the future of Kansai airport.
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2008
Education, fiscal reform fuel Osaka race
OSAKA — In a race with national implications, campaigning for the Jan. 27 Osaka gubernatorial election will kick off Thursday with three candidates.
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.
Counting the reasons why there are so few American cars in Japan
Tesla's store in Tokyo's Shibuya district. While sales of American cars in Japan appear to be shrinking, Tesla's presence in the country is growing.
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.
China seizes disputed reef near key Philippine military outpost
China Coast Guard officers unfurl a national flag on Sandy Cay reef, near the Philippine-held Thitu Island, in disputed waters of the South China Sea this month in this screen shot taken from Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
Could this be Japan’s year at the Kentucky Derby?
Christophe Lemaire rides Admire Daytona, who was bred in Japan, during the UAE Derby at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai on April 5.
Counting the reasons why there are so few American cars in Japan
Tesla's store in Tokyo's Shibuya district. While sales of American cars in Japan appear to be shrinking, Tesla's presence in the country is growing.
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.
U.S. secretary of the navy weighs ‘dual-use’ shipbuilding with Japan
John Phelan at a Senate confirmation hearing for U.S. secretary of the navy in Washington in February

Podcast

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

Longform

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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