Eric Johnston - The Japan Times

September 08, 2025

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Eric Johnston

JAPAN / EXPLAINER

Dec 15, 2019

Could merger talks finally produce a credible opposition force in Japan?

With the close of the extraordinary Diet session on Dec. 9, some of the largest opposition parties once again entered talks about merging before year's end, with an eye toward increasing their seats in the next general election. Here's a look at the talks and what they might mean for Japan's political...

JAPAN / View from Osaka

Dec 15, 2019

Major issues loom as Kansai looks ahead to the new year

It was a busy 2019 for Kansai, particularly in the days leading up to the June Group of 20 leaders summit in Osaka. While the Tokyo Olympics will be the focus of much of the nation's attention in 2020, here are some major issues that will impact Kansai next year:

JAPAN

Dec 12, 2019

Tourism's effect on historic cities and sites in focus as global conference kicks off in Kyoto

Rising concerns worldwide about what an increase in tourism is doing to historic cities, cultural sites and the environment loomed over the start Thursday of a two-day gathering in Kyoto on tourism and culture organized by the United Nations World Tourism Organization and UNESCO.

JAPAN / Science & Health

Dec 12, 2019

At Madrid climate talks, Japan's Shinjiro Koizumi confronts critics over coal

Koizumi defended the government's policy by saying the country was not getting enough credit for its efforts to move to more environmentally friendly energy sources.

JAPAN / EXPLAINER

Dec 9, 2019

Tohoku reactor restart: What is the state of Japan's nuclear policy?

In late November, the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) gave the green light for restarting the No. 2 reactor at Tohoku Electric Power Co.'s Onagawa plant in Miyagi Prefecture, which had been damaged in the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami. The announcement once again put the spotlight on the...

JAPAN

Dec 1, 2019

'Coal Japan' threatens to displace 'Cool Japan' as U.N. climate conference set to kick off in Madrid

A key United Nations climate change conference is due to begin in Madrid but Japan finds itself facing global ire over its reliance on fossil fuels.

JAPAN

Nov 29, 2019

Hokkaido officially pulls out of casino resort bidding over environmental concerns

Gov. Naomichi Suzuki said there wasn't enough time to draft protective measures, leaving at least four other areas in the running for Japan's first three resorts.

JAPAN / EXPLAINER

Nov 27, 2019

Cherry blossom-viewing party: Breaking down Abe's latest cronyism scandal

Every year since 1952, the prime minister, via taxpayer funds, has hosted one of the nation's largest cherry blossom-viewing parties.

JAPAN / Politics

Nov 25, 2019

Local focus delivers win in Kochi for ruling bloc's gubernatorial pick as voters ignore Abe scandals

The ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito won a local victory Sunday night in a gubernatorial poll in Kochi Prefecture, as voters chose to ignore national political scandals engulfing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and support the hand-picked successor of the current governor over a...

JAPAN / Politics

Nov 20, 2019

Kochi gubernatorial race seen as barometer on voter attitudes toward Abe

Kochi Prefecture's gubernatorial election Sunday pitting a ruling coalition-backed candidate against an opponent supported by the main opposition parties is being seen as an important gauge of voter sentiment amid recent scandals that have engulfed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and on opposition camp unity....

JAPAN / EXPLAINER

Nov 17, 2019

Outsourcing of English tests stirs up storm in education

When speaking last month about a plan to introduce private-sector English testing for university entrance exams, education minister Koichi Hagiuda created an outcry when he said students should compete for entry "in accordance with their (financial) standing," implying they should compete financially....

JAPAN / View from Osaka

Nov 16, 2019

Kepco's gift scandal casts shadow over Kansai and 2025 Expo

Earlier this fall, it was revealed that 20 Kansai Electric Power Co. officials, including the chairman and president, received nearly ¥320 million in cash and presents between 2006 and 2018 from a powerful, and now deceased, former deputy mayor and political fixer in Takahama, Fukui Prefecture.

JAPAN / Politics

Oct 3, 2019

Abe clears decks for debate on amending Japan's Constitution

When the extraordinary Diet session convenes on Friday, 15 government-sponsored bills are expected to be submitted — one of the lowest totals since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's second stint started — reflecting his administration's determination to focus its energy on revising the Constitution.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Sep 22, 2019

Japan expected to repeat little more than past promises at U.N. Climate Action Summit

Japan may not bring much more than past promises to U.N. Climate Action Summit.

JAPAN

Sep 18, 2019

FactCheck Initiative Japan NPO uncovers dodgy claims from Abe and others ahead of July vote

FactCheck Initiative Japan, a Tokyo-based nonprofit organization that analyzes information provided by politicians, has found issues with a number of claims that were made in relation to the July 21 Upper House election.

JAPAN

Sep 17, 2019

Osaka mayor Ichiro Matsui offers to take in tainted Fukushima water and dump it into Osaka Bay

Ichiro Matsui, the mayor of Osaka and head of Nippon Ishin no Kai, said Tuesday that water tainted by radioactive tritium from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant could — if proven environmentally safe — be sent to Osaka and dumped into Osaka Bay.

JAPAN / View from Osaka

Sep 14, 2019

Sizzling summer threatens Tokyo 2020, Osaka Expo

The summer of 2019 brought record-breaking heat. Early to mid-September, until last week, felt like late July in Kansai, Tokyo, Nagoya and parts of Kyushu and Shikoku. Only in a few areas of Hokkaido, where temperatures dropped into the low teens at night, were there clear signs autumn was arriving....

JAPAN / Politics

Sep 11, 2019

From paternity leave to the environment, Koizumi's words and actions now under more intense spotlight

Newly appointed Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, the third-youngest Cabinet minister in the postwar era, has been tapped by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for his youth and popularity with the media and the public.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Politics

Sep 10, 2019

Cabinet reshuffles provide a window into Japan's policy priorities

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is planning to reshuffle his Cabinet on Wednesday. When this action, combined with the reshuffle of Liberal Democratic Party executives, takes place, there is always huge media coverage on who will be appointed to what post and what it means for the administration.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Sep 9, 2019

At meeting in Kyoto, global body debates how to define and protect museums

What is a museum and how can its exhibits, which often include the world's most important cultural properties, be protected from natural disasters, including earthquakes?

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.

From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past

By Alex K.T. Martin

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