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October 31, 2025
 

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Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 4, 2017
Trump card: Japan casts a wary eye on future with new U.S. president
"Japan has a snake in her bosom. That snake is namely flatterers. What led Japan to defeat is neither army nor government, but the snake in Japan's bosom, the flatterers."
JAPAN
Feb 2, 2017
Japan cautiously watching how Trump agitates the trade waters
As Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration struggles to deal with U.S. President Donald Trump, local government leaders around the country, many of whom are members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, are expressing caution and concern about what Trump has said and plans to do. They are also reminding...
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 30, 2017
Japan breathes new life into regional, non-U.S. trade pact
With U.S. President Donald Trump's formal decision to withdraw from the long controversial American-led Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, attention in the Asia-Pacific region is turning toward making renewed efforts to complete a separate multilateral trade agreement that excludes the U.S. — the...
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2017
On casinos, Osaka moves forward as Yokohama steps back
As a Liberal Democratic Party team tasked with recommending policies for casino resorts met this week, leaders in Osaka and Yokohama displayed opposite reactions to the prospect of hosting such facilities.
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Jan 22, 2017
Kyoto making great climate strides but little progress seen beyond its borders
Two decades after the advent of the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, its namesake city is planning to commemorate the agreement this year with a number of events while moving forward with its own plan to achieve targeted greenhouse gas reductions by 2020.
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Jan 22, 2017
A railroad runs through it: Nara wants help keeping popular ancient ruins serene and intact
Strolling around the ancient ruins of Nara's Heijokyo Palace site, a 2,500-hectare area of footpaths and open green fields, it's easy to imagine that one is back in the distant past, walking on ground first tread 1,300 years ago when it was Japan's first true city.
JAPAN / Politics / GAUGING TRUMP
Jan 20, 2017
Echoes of 1980s trade war seen in Trump comments on Japan
As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump surprised and angered many in Japan with comments about how unfair Japan's trade policies were.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2017
Record 9.4 million foreign tourists visited Osaka in 2016
Over 9.4 million foreign tourists visited Osaka last year, the largest number ever, Osaka tourism authorities announced earlier this week.
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Jan 14, 2017
Kansai sizes up ways to work with a Trump administration
In 3½ weeks, Kansai's business leaders will gather in Kyoto for their annual summit. Some of the world's most recognizable firms will send their top executives to the two-day retreat. There, they will rub shoulders with local politicians, academics, and "business consultant" types who, like fortune...
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 11, 2017
LDP team charged with drafting casino rules to have first meeting this month
The team, led by Lower House member Takeshi Iwaya, will examine a host of issues related to establishing integrated resort facilities, which include casinos and hotels.
BUSINESS
Dec 29, 2016
Japan looks to Singapore for ideas as Diet debate over new casino law looms
What are the odds that the public can be convinced of the case for legalized casino gambling?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 28, 2016
Abe offers 'everlasting condolences' at Pearl Harbor as Obama praises partnership in peace
Abe's historic visit to Hawaii wraps up with addresses from himself and U.S. President Barack Obama.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 27, 2016
In Hawaii, Abe looks to remember war, reinforce U.S. relationship
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in Hawaii Monday morning local time for a two-day visit that appears to be as much about shoring up his credentials as a statesman and trying to address concerns about the future of U.S.-Japan relations under Donald Trump as it is about remembering the past.
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Dec 25, 2016
Train, casino, reactor woes to grab Kansai headlines in '17
A casino, an expo, tourists, trains, and old nuclear power plants. These are just some of the major issues the Kansai region faces in 2017.
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Dec 25, 2016
Route pick just tip of the iceberg for Hokuriku bullet train project
The decision by the ruling parties to support a Hokuriku Shinkansen Line route from Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, to Kyoto via the town of Obama has sparked relief, hope and disappointment in the Kansai region and western Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Dec 17, 2016
Kansai towns gear up for the 'Pork Barrel-ympics'
Aware that voters outside of the capital may lack the degree of anticipation for the 2020 Olympics that can be felt among Tokyo politicians and corporations who will directly profit from the games, and sensitive to rumors that taxpayers elsewhere will get stuck with a post-Olympics tax bill, the government...
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 17, 2016
With Abe-Putin detente, former residents of Russian-held islands off Hokkaido hope to get easier access
Former residents of four islands off Hokkaido that were seized from Japan by Russia in the last days of World War II greeted with cautious optimism Friday's announcement that efforts would be made to simplify visits to their ancestor's gravesites. They also offered specific suggestions on what such efforts...
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2016
Japan's Olympic host towns aim to promote educational and sports exchanges
The 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games are taking place in Tokyo. But under a central government plan to build national support for the games, residents from Hokkaido to Kyushu will have the opportunity to see and interact with the athletes coming from around the world.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 7, 2016
Nippon Ishin, a party with Osaka roots, to establish a political school in Tokyo
Nippon Ishin no Kai, the political party with Osaka roots, will establish a political school in Tokyo on Dec. 18 with an eye toward training candidates for next summer's Tokyo metropolitan assembly election.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 6, 2016
Regions hop on casino bandwagon, but move blasted amid gambling addiction fears
As the Liberal Democratic Party and conservative opposition's Nippon Ishin no Kai rush to pass legislation to legalize casino gambling, regional governments from Hokkaido to Kyushu, which see it as a potential gold mine for local revenue and jobs, are making plans to host such facilities.
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.
Trump trims fentanyl-linked China tariffs after 'amazing' Xi meeting
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping greet each other as they arrive for talks at the Gimhae Air Base, next to the Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, on Thursday.
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.
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
Takaichi pushed back on U.S. request to ban Russian gas imports, sources say
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reportedly turned down a request from the U.S. to cease imports of liquefied natural gas from Russia.
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

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