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Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2018
Japan's former chief negotiator for talks on North Korea warns that U.S. lacks expertise on Pyongyang
As discussions continue over when and where a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will take place, Japan's former chief negotiator for multilateral talks aimed at ending the North's nuclear program on Tuesday warned that the current U.S. administration has virtually...
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 8, 2018
Nishiwaki triumphs in Kyoto gubernatorial race, vows to continue policies of predecessor
Kyoto voters cast their ballots for the status quo and closer relations with Tokyo on Sunday, electing a candidate with strong ties to the central government who promised to continue the policies of the previous governor and who was backed by all major political parties except the Japanese Communist...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 5, 2018
Kyoto turns to crowdfunding to maintain lesser known cultural assets
In an effort to get younger people more involved with preserving Kyoto's traditional culture, a local heritage association has begun a crowdfunding campaign that seeks small, individual donations for the repair of temples, shrines and cultural assets.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 2, 2018
2019 G-20 summit to be held on June 28-29, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga announced
The 2019 Group of 20 leaders' summit in Osaka will take place on June 28 and 29, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga announced Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 2, 2018
Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui eyes second referendum on merger plan during nationwide elections in 2019
Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui announced Monday that a second referendum on whether to merge Osaka's wards might be held during the nationwide local elections in April 2019, six months later than the governor and his supporters originally hoped for.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 2, 2018
Assemblies from Niigata to Tottori criticize handling of Moritomo probe as threat to democracy
Municipal and prefectural politicians are calling the document-tampering scandal a threat to Japan's democracy and ratcheting up calls for key figures to testify in the Diet.
JAPAN
Mar 29, 2018
Kyoto University says no to military-related research despite spike in Defense Ministry funding
In fiscal 2017, the Defense Ministry allotted u00a511 billion for military technology-related research, an 18-fold increase over the previous fiscal year.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Mar 27, 2018
Tsushima Island was key conduit of Japan's Edo Period trade with Korea
Japan's historic relationship with the Korean Peninsula has often been complicated by mutual misunderstanding and distrust, if not outright hostility. But on Tsushima, a Japanese island off the coast of the peninsula, efforts are being made to celebrate long-ago diplomatic missions with Korea that took...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2018
Amid tourism rise, Tsushima Island could play evacuation role if tensions flare with North Korea
Within sight of the bright lights and bustling beaches of Busan, sleepy Tsushima Island has little in common with its neighbor located a mere 50 kilometers north, but the island of about 31,000 people has recently become a hot spot for South Korean tourists.
JAPAN / Politics / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Mar 25, 2018
Kyoto gubernatorial race puts focus on demographic and economic challenges to come
Faced with a rapidly aging society and a growing socioeconomic gap between its prosperous capital and the rest of the prefecture, Kyoto voters go to the polls April 8 to choose a new governor who will be either a well-connected insider or a complete outsider.
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Mar 25, 2018
Osaka begins prep for largest international gathering in decades
With the summit for the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies coming to Osaka next year, preparations are underway to host the largest international gathering the city has seen in over two decades.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 23, 2018
Kagoike certain Akie Abe spoke favorably to him about Moritomo land deal, lawmakers say after detention visit
Politicians pay a visit to the former head of Moritomo Gakuen to ascertain what Akie Abe knew and said about his school's nifty land deal with the government.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / View from Osaka
Mar 17, 2018
Moritomo scandal threatens Osaka leaders too
"A man once thoroughly endued with these three qualities of lying, impudence, and ingratitude will, I believe, scarce want any other titles to preferment and grandeur." — Henry Fielding, from a satirical article on the traits of successful politicians, 1740
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 15, 2018
Foreign tourists set new record for hotel stays in Kyoto, with most visiting from China
A survey of 36 major Kyoto city hotels showed that foreigners accounted for 40.5 percent of their total guests in 2017, the highest figure recorded since the survey began in 2014.
JAPAN / 3/11: Rebuilding Tohoku
Mar 11, 2018
Fukushima powers toward 100% goal on renewables as grid and cost woes linger
Seven years after the triple meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, Fukushima Prefecture remains committed to becoming an international center for renewable-energy research and a domestic pioneer by meeting 100 percent of its energy demand via renewables by 2040.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 6, 2018
Osaka pushing life sciences and wellness in 2025 Expo bid
Hosting the 2025 World Expo is an opportunity to showcase Osaka and Kansai-based research and technological advancements geared toward taking head-on global issues, such as those that come with an aging society, Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui said in a recent exclusive interview with The Japan Times.
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Feb 25, 2018
Kyoto executives consider making nightlife in Kyoto more tourist-friendly
As residents and tourists in Kyoto complain more about higher prices, hotel shortages and crowds at train stations, shrines and temples, Kansai's corporate leaders are searching for ways to keep visitors coming.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 25, 2018
Second try at Osaka merger referendum faces stiff headwinds
Political group Osaka Ishin plans to give the unpopular consolidation plan another go despite multiple uncertainties.
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2018
Japan falling behind global leaders in renewable energy use, panel warns in report
Japan is falling behind other leading countries in renewable energy use, while its promotion of coal-fired plants risks hindering the competitiveness of domestic firms in a global market more concerned than ever about carbon emissions.
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Feb 17, 2018
Kansai executives offer advice on improving nation's diplomacy
'Track II diplomacy" is the official neutral-sounding phrase used to refer to diplomatic efforts by "nonstate" actors. In thriller films and books, it's usually portrayed as a game of shadows between powerful but mysterious groups and individuals who may, or may not, be working to save the world.
‘Confugenics’ and East Asia's demographic crisis
East Asia’s fertility plunge is driven not just by financial costs but by perfectionist cultural expectations that burden parents with intense educational and social demands.
Japan prince comes of age as succession crisis looms
Prince Hisahito concludes his his elaborate "kakan no gi" coming-of-age ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Saturday.
Bangladesh is a South Asian time bomb
Many Bangladeshis hoped that the overthrow of long-time leader Sheikh Hasina last year would revitalize the country’s democracy after an authoritarian lurch under the “iron lady.” Instead it has led to proliferating human-rights abuses, intensifying repression and widespread Islamist violence.
Japan to experience blood moon lunar eclipse on Monday
A blood moon is seen during a partial eclipse in the sky over Lake George near Canberra on March 14.
Japan's $550 billion investment pledge outlined in MOU
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, sign trade agreements on Thursday in Washington.
London’s calling and sumo’s top division — along with Hello Kitty — are ready to answer
Yokozuna Hoshoryu and Hello Kitty, an ambassador for sumo's upcoming tour to London, at Tokyo's Kokugikan on Tuesday
Resonac creates 27-member consortium to pursue advanced chip developments
Representatives from member companies of JOINT3, a consortium working together on semiconductor-related developments announced by Resonac, pose for a photo in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Haru Nemuri’s radical new album refuses easy listening
Musician Haruna Kimishima, better known as Haru Nemuri, confronts Japan’s politics, nationalism and censorship on her recent output.
Overseas sluggers step up to bat in small-town Hokkaido
The Betsukai Pilot Spirits welcomed new players (left to right) Yuta Yamanaka, Roman Guthrie, Scott Bellina and Leo Jiminian this year, pictured here with Yassir Lachkar of the Ishikari Red Phoenix.
Xi — joined by Kim and Putin — delivers stark warning at military parade
Chinese leader Xi Jinping walks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing on Wednesday.

Podcast

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

Longform

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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