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October 29, 2025
 

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Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
JAPAN / Explainer
Jul 26, 2021
In times of disaster, Japan's hazard maps provide crucial information
July's deadly mudslide in Shizuoka has put renewed focus on hazard maps for areas at risk from floods, landslides and other natural catastrophes.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2021
COVID-19 cases rise in Sapporo just as Olympic events get underway
Hokkaido's capital is hosting soccer games and will host marathon events, but the mayor is now calling for stronger coronavirus measures as the number of cases jumps.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 20, 2021
Tokyo poll result cements Yuriko Koike's status as a political survivor
After Koike's Tomin First no Kai performed better than expected in the election, speculation has grown that she might once again migrate back to national politics.
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2021
IOC president's Hiroshima visit fuels speculation about his true intent
A trip that's officially being made to send a message of peace has instead stirred controversy amid the pandemic and raised questions about Thomas Bach's real purpose.
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2021
Yokohama election turns into test for government’s casino resort plan
With a longtime Suga ally entering the race and coming out in opposition to casinos, next month's mayoral vote has become a major challenge to the prime minister on his own turf.
JAPAN
Jul 7, 2021
Osaka requests extension to quasi-emergency COVID-19 measures
In a letter to Suga, Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura noted that the weekly rolling average of new infections was increasing, especially for young people.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2021
Japan's metropolises urge government to prioritize vaccines for large cities
Facing the possibility of a coronavirus vaccine supply crunch, governors of major prefectures are lobbying the government to prioritize densely populated areas.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / View from Osaka
Jul 2, 2021
Amid overspending, Kyoto stares down threat of bankruptcy
Some might attribute the city's financial woes to COVID-19's impact on tourism, but the mayor puts the lion's share of the blame elsewhere.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 27, 2021
Population shift in Japan forces redrawing of electoral map, worrying powerful LDP figures
The plan to add representatives in urban areas at the expense of rural districts could hurt LDP heavyweights from Shinzo Abe to Toshihiro Nikai.
BUSINESS
Jun 24, 2021
Japan braces for surge in electricity use during scorching summer and Olympics
With many people expected to tune into the games from their air-conditioned homes, utilities are forecasting tighter reserve power ratios than usual.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2021
Uganda Olympic team member first to test positive for COVID-19 upon arrival in Japan
The discovery comes just over a month before the opening ceremony and amid concerns of another spike in infections once the games begin on July 23.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 17, 2021
Caught in the middle? Komeito and the China-Japan relationship
While many in the LDP have welcomed international pressure on China, the deteriorating bilateral relationship creates problems for the party's coalition partner Komeito.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 15, 2021
U.S. ambassadors to Japan: A litmus test for ties
Reports of a new U.S. envoy after a two-year vacancy fuel speculation and reflection on past appointees.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jun 14, 2021
G7 action on climate gets cautious welcome, but activists say more needed
Leaders of the G7 nations have pledged to stop financing new coal plants beyond their borders by the end of this year, but domestic use went unaddressed.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 11, 2021
Lawsuit seeks return of Ryukyu remains nearly a century after they were brought to Kyoto
The suit has also prompted discussion over the status of Ryukyuans, whom the government has not recognized as indigenous.
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Jun 4, 2021
Tokyo Games pose risk for Kansai's already strained medical system
In the Kansai region, people are anxious that those involved with the Tokyo Games may catch the virus and bring it back west.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / EXPLAINER
May 28, 2021
Bill on rehiring teachers fired for sexual acts with children clears Diet
A new law aims to make it more difficult for educators who lost their teaching licenses due to acts of sexual violence to work again.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 25, 2021
Suga stares down Japan's Olympic challenge
Whether or not to go ahead with the already-delayed Summer Games is a decision fraught with implications, and not only for public health.
JAPAN
May 21, 2021
While new COVID-19 cases are decreasing, Kansai is not yet out of the woods
“Although we're finally starting to see a decrease in the number of Kansai-area infections, we have to see whether this trend will continue,' a prominent medical adviser said.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 19, 2021
Widow of Japanese 'Don Juan' indicted for his murder
In Japan, suspects can be held for up to 23 days before being formally prosecuted or released, and Wednesday marked the 23rd day of Saki Sudo's detention.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell
Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
At first summit with Trump, Takaichi pledges 'new golden age' for alliance
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi raises her fist as U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a speech in front of U.S. Navy personnel on board the U.S. Navy's USS George Washington aircraft carrier at the American naval base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Tuesday.
Trump arrives in Japan for security and trade talks in test for Takaichi
U.S. President Donald Trump is welcomed by Emperor Naruhito upon his arrival at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Monday evening.
Japanese firms keep expanding in Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia
A Nishiyama Seimen employee works at its factory in Sapporo.
Bear kills another person in Japan in record year for fatal attacks
Police investigate the scene of a bear attack that killed one person and injured three others on Friday in the village of Higashinaruse in Akita Prefecture.
Tokyo Film Festival opens with global stars and a spotlight on Asian storytelling
Director Junji Sakamoto (left) walked the Tokyo International Film Festival red carpet with Sayuri Yoshinaga (center) and Non (right), who both play mountaineer Junko Tabei, the first woman to summit Mount Everest, in the biopic "Climbing for Life."
Hawks aim to bring energy from Japan Series blowout to Koshien
Hawks players celebrate victory over the Tigers at Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka on Sunday.
Spanish artist and Japanese writer duos diversify the manga talent pool in Japan
"Menheim” is a dark fantasy manga with a story that centers on a girl’s quest to find a cure for her ill brother.
Japan’s youth are apathetic toward the climate crisis. Could anime change that?
“Future Kid Takara,” a series of anime shorts to be aired on NHK Educational TV in November, attempts to educate children about climate change.
Loss to Wallabies doesn't dampen Japan’s optimism
Japan's Michael Leitch controls the ball during the match against Australia on Saturday.

Podcast

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

Longform

Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell
By Alex K.T. Martin

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