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October 30, 2025
 

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Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Jan 18, 2020
Memories from the Great Hanshin Earthquake still resonate 25 years later
On the morning of Jan. 17, 1995, I was jolted awake in my Kyoto apartment by the largest earthquake I'd ever experienced. The glass windows shook violently, but thankfully didn't break.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2020
Kobe marks quarter century since Great Hanshin Earthquake killed thousands
Kobe and the surrounding area on Friday morning marked a quarter century since the Great Hanshin Earthquake devastated the region, killing 6,434 people in what was then Japan's worst postwar natural disaster.
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2020
25 years after Kobe quake, SDF respected and volunteerism still strong
As Kobe commemorates the 25th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake that took the lives of more than 6,400 people, the city and region are working to remind younger generations of the past devastation — and the importance of disaster-preparedness — even as they face tough questions about their...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2020
Awareness of issue of plastic garbage in Japan slowly gaining steam
At a mid-December meeting of the United Nations World Tourism Organization and UNESCO, Kyoto Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa spoke with pride about his city's successes in the area of sustainable, environmentally friendly tourism.
JAPAN / Outlook 2020
Jan 2, 2020
Japan's pressing regional affairs to unfold quietly in shadow of Olympics
This year, all attention will turn to the 2020 Olympics, with politicians, business leaders and the media talking about how to ensure its success, what it means for Japan domestically and internationally and how to avert a post-Olympic economic slump.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 22, 2019
SDF tests public support with next mission in Middle East
The Cabinet is expected to approve a Self-Defense Forces mission to the Middle East that will comprise a destroyer, patrol planes and 250 personnel as part of an intelligence-gathering operation.
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.
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
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.
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.

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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