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October 30, 2025
 

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Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
JAPAN
May 22, 2020
Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo residents ambivalent about lifting emergency
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also offered praise for the business-minded 'Osaka model' Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura drafted to bounce back from the virus.
JAPAN
May 20, 2020
Local leaders prepare anti-coronavirus measures at natural disaster evacuation shelters
June traditionally marks the start of the rainy season in most of Japan, while typhoons normally start to arrive in August.
JAPAN / View from Osaka
May 16, 2020
Can Osaka's governor inspire change before he gets 'hammered down'?
There are several reasons, some unique to Osaka and the Kansai region, that account for the governor's newfound popularity.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 16, 2020
Withdrawal by Las Vegas Sands a major setback for Japan's casino efforts
The decision comes as doubts grow about whether integrated resorts can be opened in Japan within the next few years.
JAPAN
May 15, 2020
Kansai fears virus relapse as Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo blaze own trails
Despite regional concerns in Kansai, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo are going their own way on reviving their economies amid the coronavirus pandemic.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
May 13, 2020
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura: From man of the hour to future prime minister?
Over the past few weeks, the governor has gone from being a locally liked politician to a national media darling.
JAPAN
May 7, 2020
Osaka governor draws rebuke from Tokyo for hinting at lack of guidance
Gov. Yoshimura's choice of words has been criticized by minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who is also in charge of overseeing virus containment measures.
JAPAN / Politics
May 5, 2020
Should Japan vote during the pandemic?
The political class grapples with whether elections should be held amid the deadly public health crisis.
JAPAN
May 4, 2020
Governor moves to get Osaka back in business by mid-May despite pandemic
Despite the state of emergency, the governor appears eager to get businesses reopened before the government's expected extension ends.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
May 3, 2020
Necessary or not? The LDP's proposed emergency powers clause for the Constitution
73 years since the Constitution took effect, arguments on revising it have focused on the war-renouncing Article 9. But the coronavirus has prompted a different proposal.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 30, 2020
LDP secretary-general: The power behind the PM
Those in the position are de facto the most powerful person within the party after its president.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 28, 2020
Odd couple: LDP-Komeito political marriage faces testing times
Power struggles in Abe's party could further strain the two-decades-old coalition in the weeks to come
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2020
Lack of aid guarantees divides prefectures over emergency business closures
The possibility of closures has prompted concerns that without financial guarantees from the central government, the impact could devastate local economies.
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Apr 18, 2020
Pandemic forces organizers to mull options for 2025 Osaka Expo
Organizers of the quinquennial event are confident it will go ahead as planned, but what are their options if the pandemic forces a change?
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 17, 2020
Coronavirus and LDP politics loom large over Shizuoka by-election
A Lower House by-election in Shizuoka Prefecture, the race for which officially kicked off Tuesday, is gaining attention nationwide, and not only for its possible national political impact.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 16, 2020
Japan's governors under the spotlight as coronavirus pandemic rages
The coronavirus pandemic has prompted the national government to declare an emergency in seven prefectures. This, in turn, has put the spotlight on the powers and responsibilities of prefectural governors. Though often compared to state governors elsewhere, there are key differences.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Apr 8, 2020
What changes under Japan's state of emergency declaration?
After weeks of intense pressure Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has declared a state of emergency in seven urban areas, but what does that change?
JAPAN / Society
Apr 7, 2020
Local officials and residents fear influx from Japan's virus hot spots
With the number of novel coronavirus infections rising in Tokyo and other major urban centers, some concerned residents are fleeing to nearby prefectures where the number of cases is minimal.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 2, 2020
With suicide note and lawsuit, Moritomo scandal back to haunt Abe
With the publication of a suicide note by a former Finance Ministry official and subsequent lawsuit by his widow, the Moritomo Gakuen scandal has returned to haunt Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. But with Abe saying the issue has been settled and Japan finding itself in the midst of the coronavirus crisis,...
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 2, 2020
Coronavirus casts shadow over Japan's timeline for casino resorts
With the Diet focused on responding to the worsening spread of COVID-19, the timeline for the central government to approve the nation’s first casino resorts has been thrown into doubt.
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.
Abe shooting suspect Yamagami pleads guilty to murder
Members of the media gather outside the Nara District Court in the city of Nara on Tuesday hours before the start of the trial of Tetsuya Yamagami, the man accused of fatally shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022.
Takaichi buys time and builds trust with ‘near-perfect’ Trump summit
U.S. President Donald Trump walks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi aboard the USS George Washington aircraft carrier during a visit to the U.S. Navy's Yokosuka base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Tuesday.
JPYC, world’s first yen stablecoin, is issued
Noritaka Okabe, head of Japanese startup JPYC, at a news conference for the first yen stablecoin in Tokyo on Monday
At Japan Mobility Show, BYD gears up to conquer Japan's EV market
BYD Auto Japan President Atsuki Tofukuji unveils the Racco at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Oasis returns to Tokyo: Rain, rapture and rock
Fans wait to get into the Oasis show at Tokyo Dome on Saturday. While lining up in the rain, some broke into impromptu versions of the British rock group's hits.
Kyushu banzuke sets the stage to cement 2025’s sumo narratives
Onosato ahead of his bout against Aonishiki at The Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Oct. 18
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."
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.

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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.
We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.

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