NEWSWORTHY
National / Politics Feb 10, 2017
Business leaders critical of Abe's overtures to Trump
by Eric Johnston
Senior business leaders, former diplomats and government advisers, and national security experts Friday warned that while Japan's relationship with the United States is the foundation for regional security, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's attempts to forge a close relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump carried ...
Business Feb 9, 2017
Kansai leaders say Trump must be taken seriously, but not always literally
by Eric Johnston
Japan's leaders need to take U.S. President Donald Trump seriously, but not always literally, and must exercise great caution in interpreting what he says. But Japan must also stress to him the importance, and benefits, of the U.S.-Japan security and economic relationship. That was the ...
National | VIEW FROM OSAKA Jan 14, 2017
Kansai sizes up ways to work with a Trump administration
by Eric Johnston
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, ...
National | KANSAI PERSPECTIVE Dec 25, 2016
Train, casino, reactor woes to grab Kansai headlines in '17
by Eric Johnston
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. In addition, the fortunes of Osaka-centric opposition party Nippon Ishin no Kai and Komeito in both the Diet and the ...
National / Social Issues Nov 17, 2016
Bar association urges AirAsia X to apologize over 2014 wheelchair incident
Japan's bar association is urging a Malaysian low-cost carrier to apologize to a Japanese man with disabilities after it refused to check-in his electric wheelchair, eventually causing him to miss his flight at Kansai airport. The Japan Federation of Bar Associations said on Wednesday it ...
Language | BILINGUAL Oct 3, 2016
'Thursday Night Football' NFL draws Friday morning tweeters in Japan
by Daniel Morales
Reading the tweets as they scroll below NFL games shown live on Twitter has become my new Japanese study obsession.
National | KANSAI PERSPECTIVE Sep 25, 2016
by Eric Johnston
Some central Japan prefectures and even cities like Kyoto and Nara are increasingly adopting measures to reduce the number of vacant homes, including via subsidies for owners.
Travel Sep 3, 2016
Strolling the quiet alleyways of Japan's forgotten capital
by Mandy Bartok
It's hard playing second fiddle when you used to be first chair. Just ask Nara, Kyoto's underpraised southern neighbor. In 710, Japan's seat of power settled in Nara, on the plains of the Yamato Province. While previous centuries had seen the capital move after the ...
Music Jun 26, 2016
Afrirampo leads 'Zero Generation' into adulthood
by Ian Martin
Anarchic, anything-goes garage-punk band Afrirampo is defined first and foremost by feelings: The feelings that drive the duo as artists and the feelings they evoke in audiences. As the band returns to the live circuit after a six-year absence, guitarist Mayumi "Oni" Saeki is ...
National / Politics | KANSAI PERSPECTIVE Jun 26, 2016
Atomic safety, shinkansen issues complicate Upper House equation for Kansai voters
by Eric Johnston
Nuclear safety, route plans for new shinkansen and maglev lines, and the ruling coalition's economic policies are some of the top local issues on the minds of Kansai voters as they head into the pivotal Upper House election next month. With last week's announcement that ...
National | KANSAI PERSPECTIVE Apr 24, 2016
Kyushu quakes kick off fault-finding search in western Japan
by Eric Johnston
The recent, and continuing, earthquakes in Kyushu once again have many people consulting maps to determine just where Japan's fault lines are situated, and whether where they live is more, or less, likely to see a large temblor anytime soon. In the Kansai region, there ...