Tag - kansai

 
 

KANSAI

Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Feb 22, 2015
Kyoto's tourism boom spells war for luxury hotel chains
Kyoto's recent record-setting tourism boom has sparked a mini-"hotel war," with some of the world's best-known luxury inn chains opening branches in the ancient capital, as its international popularity as a travel destination spreads even further.
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Feb 14, 2015
Winter offers a wake-up call for local revitalization drive
Kansai's corporate titans gathered in Kyoto earlier this month for their annual retreat, formally known as the Kansai Economic Forum. While there was no shortage of the usual slightly daft old men with slightly daft ideas, this year saw two important, positive changes.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2015
Takahama reactors clear NRA safety checks
Two reactors in Fukui Prefecture are declared safe by the Nuclear Regulation Authority, bringing a second nuclear power plant closer to restart.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2015
Two idled Kepco reactors to get safety OK next week
Two more idled nuclear reactors, in Fukui Prefecture, are set to obtain safety clearance from regulators, sources said, giving another boost to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plan to revive atomic power following the 2011 triple meltdown at Tepco's Fukushima No. 1 plant.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 21, 2015
Remembering and learning from the Kobe quake
Cooperation in disaster relief efforts have helped strengthen ties between Japan and the United States.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 23, 2014
Hashimoto quits Ishin leadership
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto resigns as co-leader of Ishin no To (Japan Innovation Party) to focus on local elections in the spring, a move likely to further weaken the party's clout at the national level.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 23, 2014
Hashimoto to resign as co-leader of Ishin no To
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto reportedly plans to resign as co-leader of Ishin no To (Japan Innovation Party) to focus on local elections in the spring, a move likely to further weaken the party's clout at the national level.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 2014
Two Kepco reactors clear major safety hurdle toward restart
The move sets the stage for the idled units to restart, possibly next year, and bolsters the Abe government's plan to revive atomic power after the triple meltdown in Fukushima.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 16, 2014
Record 13 million passengers use international flights via Kansai airport
The number of passengers on overseas flights through Kansai International Airport is projected to have risen 10 percent this year to a record 13.04 million due to the weaker yen and increase in budget-airline flights, the airport operator said.
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2014
Kepco inspects aging Takahama reactors for chance at 20-year extension
Kansai Electric Power Co. on Monday began checking the safety of two aging nuclear reactors in Fukui Prefecture that are nearing the end of their certified lives to see if it can keep them going for another two decades.
JAPAN
Nov 27, 2014
Suit against Fukui reactor restarts fails
The Otsu District Court rejects a demand by Shiga residents to halt reactor restarts at the Takahama and Oi plants, clashing with another district court.
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Nov 23, 2014
Kepco weighs new lease of life for geriatric reactors
In a decision that will set a precedent for Japan's rapidly aging nuclear reactors, Kansai Electric Power Co. must soon choose whether to restart reactors 1 and 2 at its Takahama plant in Fukui Prefecture and operate them beyond the 40-year threshold, the first time a Japanese utility has faced such...
BUSINESS
Nov 11, 2014
City of Osaka to sell off Kepco shares
The Osaka Municipal Government will seek to sell its shares of Kansai Electric Power Co. to comply with a policy calling for less reliance on investment income, the city said in a statement.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Sep 22, 2014
Kaikoura and Taiji: a tale of two whaling towns
The success of a New Zealand whale-watching eco-tourist destination could hold lessons for the ailing Wakayama port tarred by association with the 'Cove' dolphin hunt.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Sep 21, 2014
Politicians discuss plan B in nuclear power push: underground reactors
With Japan's nuclear power plants nearing the end of their 40-year life cycle, a group of politicians is entertaining the idea of replacing them with underground reactors.
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Sep 20, 2014
Importance of China trade not lost on Kansai leaders
Judging by the frequent overheated rhetoric coming out of parts of the Japanese media, you'd think Japan and China were heading toward war.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 17, 2014
Osaka business chiefs warn Kuroda that yen is falling too far
Business leaders in the Kansai region have issued a warning to Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda that the yen's slide to a six-year low is raising the cost of importing raw materials and fuel, which could spell trouble for the economy.
EDITORIALS
Sep 8, 2014
Can Kansai airport take off?
As business picks up thanks to the launch of new low-budget airline flights and a surge in the number of foreign passengers, the government-owned operator of Kansai International Airport plans to sell its management rights in a bid to get out from under a massive 20-year debtload.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2014
Kepco may scrap two aging reactors over upgrade costs
Kansai Electric might scrap two 40-year-old reactors at the Mihama nuclear power plant in Fukui because it can't afford the safety upgrades.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 4, 2014
Kansai wary of new regional revitalization office's effectiveness
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has promised that his new Cabinet, unveiled Wednesday, will place a high priority on the social and economic concerns of prefectural and other governments across the nation worried about depopulation and their widening economic gap with Tokyo.

Longform

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces