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Eric Johnston

CULTURE / Books

Oct 15, 2006

From the center of Korean conflict

KOREA WITNESS: 135 Years of War, Crisis and News in the Land of the Morning Calm, edited by Donald Kirk, Choe Sang-Hun. Seoul: EunHaeng NaMu, 2006, 13,000 won/$13.83 (paper). To adventurous Western writers and journalists in the late 19th century, the opening of Japan in 1868 was an opportunity too good...

BUSINESS

Oct 11, 2006

Sanctions seen having little impact

OSAKA -- Although calls in Japan for tough economic sanctions against North Korea will no doubt grow following Monday’s nuclear test, economists say stopping the flow of goods between the two countries would have more political meaning than economic.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Sep 28, 2006

Japan Times staffer gets award for rescuing boy

KYOTO -- Simon Bartz, an employee of The Japan Times, was one of four people honored by Kyoto police and rescue officials Wednesday for his role in saving the lives of two 7-year-old boys on Sept. 20.

JAPAN

Sep 27, 2006

Foes fear Monju accident, natural or otherwise

. But they remain both expensive and less than 100 percent reliable, and will continue to be for some time. You’ll still need a backup energy source. With Monju, not only will Japan have such a source, but also one that will help the country reduce greenhouse gases caused by the burning of coal and gas,“...

JAPAN

Sep 22, 2006

Tougher financial sanctions on North being sought

have testified that billions of yen in cash have been sent to North Korea in this manner. One Japanese man living in Osaka, who worked for two decades at a North Korean-funded trading company in Japan, said Tuesday’s ban will have only a short-term effect.

JAPAN

Sep 12, 2006

Trouble looms as foreign labor floods in

OSAKA -- It’s 2030, and Japan is facing an unprecedented social problem. For the past quarter-century, ever since the population began declining, the government has encouraged the hiring of foreign laborers. But measures to control immigration have failed, and in some towns and villages foreigners now...

JAPAN

Aug 29, 2006

Second Kansai runway no cure

OSAKA -- Kansai International Airport has earned international praise for its clean lavatories and other services, but its goal of being a major Asian hub appears to be sinking and the controversial, costly, hard-fought second runway set to open in less than a year appears unlikely to turn things around....

JAPAN

Aug 24, 2006

Shiga governor backs antidiscrimination law

OSAKA -- Shiga Gov. Yukiko Kada said Wednesday she generally supports the creation of a national law to ban racial discrimination.

JAPAN

Aug 22, 2006

Osaka rights funds, ‘buraku’ kingpin, mob enjoy shady ties

OSAKA -- Calls for fundamental changes in how Osaka funds human rights activities are mounting following new allegations of fraud and discoveries of further links involving a disgraced former official representing the “burakumin” community and underworld figures.

JAPAN

Jul 27, 2006

Ethanol latest bid to boost Okinawa

OSAKA -- In May, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi met with Defense Agency chief Fukushiro Nukaga and trade minister Toshihiro Nikai to discuss Okinawa’s future.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Jul 14, 2006

Teacher may have hit with ‘Japan’ board game

OSAKA -- Today’s video games can leave parents feeling frightened. Is it really a good idea to buy a game for your child in which bloodthirsty aliens beat up little old ladies or the hero shoots, stabs, bombs and judo chops all manner of opponents? Whatever happened to the nonviolent, intellectually...

JAPAN

Jul 13, 2006

Osaka activist’s arrest lays bare yakuza ties with ‘burakumin’

On the night of Jan. 26, 1985, four hit men from the Ichiwa-kai crime syndicate drove up to an apartment complex in Suita, Osaka Prefecture.

JAPAN

Jul 6, 2006

Korean residents ponder fallout of missile launch

. The pro-Seoul Korean Residents Union in Japan (Mindan) denounced the missile tests and called on Chongryun to pressure North Korea to refrain from further tests.

JAPAN / History

Jul 4, 2006

POW gesture backfires on hardliner Aso

OSAKA -- Foreign Minister Taro Aso paid a controversial visit Monday to an Osaka temple where the remains of Allied prisoners of war were once interred.

JAPAN

Jul 1, 2006

Doshisha, Stanford agree to stronger ties

KYOTO -- Doshisha University and Stanford University concluded an academic cooperation and exchange agreement Friday that both sides hope will strengthen the two schools’ relationship.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink

Jun 16, 2006

Old tipple with new spirit

KAGOSHIMA -- Some Japanese traditions are best left alone. Those who would attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Kyoto’s ancient temples by placing soft-drink machines and loudspeakers inside them deserve the severest form of punishment a society can devise, like being forced to watch a TV program...

Japan Times

JAPAN

Jun 13, 2006

Bando POW camp: chivalry’s last bastion

NARUTO, Tokushima Pref. — At 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 23, 1914, despite opposition among many pro-German military officers and politicians, Japan honored a 1902 treaty with Britain and declared war on Imperial Germany.

BUSINESS

Jun 7, 2006

Japan said not ready for Iran oil halt

OSAKA -- Japanese oil industry experts warned Tuesday the country would be ill-prepared to deal with the impact an attack on Iran could have on the flow of Middle Eastern crude.

BUSINESS

May 27, 2006

Diversity will be key to survival for 21st century businesses, Ghosn says

OSAKA -- Businesses that want to survive in the 21st century will have to embrace diversity in a practical way, with clear goals for hiring more women and using talented young people and older workers, Nissan Motor Co. chief Carlos Ghosn said Friday.

JAPAN

May 19, 2006

Fukui library pulls books on gender issues on complaint

OSAKA -- A library in Fukui Prefecture has become the latest flash point in the struggle over gender equality after it was learned that 150 books on women’s issues and gender studies were removed from the shelves.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.

What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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