author

 
Menu
Search
 
July 11, 2026
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
Eric Johnston

Meta

Eric Johnston
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2011
Trilateral meet agrees on nuclear safety info, disaster response steps
KYOTO — Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto and his counterparts from China and South Korea promised Saturday to strengthen cooperation in responding to natural disasters and providing information on nuclear safety issues.
BUSINESS
Mar 19, 2011
Tokyo firms eye moving to Osaka
OSAKA — Inquiries for Osaka office facilities by Tokyo firms seeking to evacuate employees were reportedly up sharply Thursday, as companies including casual wear store H&M close up shop in Kanto and move to Osaka, while some foreign airlines were also rerouting Tokyo flights to Kansai airport.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2011
Fukushima fallout the stark backdrop to Seoul-Beijing-Tokyo summit
OSAKA — When the foreign ministers of Japan, China, and South Korea gather in Kyoto this weekend for their long-delayed summit, they will do so amid rising public concern in all three countries about radiation leaking from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and the future of nuclear energy in...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 18, 2011
Vending machines drawing fire
OSAKA — Lifeline or a waste of electricity?
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2011
Kansai officials brace for sudden deluge of refugees
OSAKA — Local governments nationwide are offering food, water, medical aid and officials to assist in the disaster-relief effort, as well as temporary shelters for those left homeless.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2011
Exposure, risk tied to variables
OSAKA — As the world struggles to understand the risks of a worst-case scenario at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, Tuesday’s government order for residents living within a 20-km radius of the plant to finish evacuating and those between 20 and 30 km to stay indoors heightened tensions in the northeast...
JAPAN
Mar 15, 2011
Lessons learned in Kobe aid relief effort
OSAKA — So far, the response to Friday’s earthquake and tsunami has been better than the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji earthquake thanks to better official communications between Tokyo bureaucrats and politicians and local governments, and also the existence of the Internet and social media.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2011
Basic nuclear policy questioned
OSAKA — Severe damage to the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant had the central government and local authorities in neighboring towns racing Saturday to evacuate residents and implement previously agreed upon emergency response measures.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2011
Senators irked by the lack of base progress
OSAKA — A key U.S. senator involved in Japan relations said Wednesday evening the appointment of Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto comes at a critical moment for both countries.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 1, 2011
Latest volcano show: Shinmoe
OSAKA — In late January, Mount Shinmoe, one of a cluster of volcanoes on a mountain range straddling Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures, woke back up.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2011
Long honeymoon over for Hashimoto
OSAKA — Three years into his first term, Osaka Gov. Toru Hashimoto continues to enjoy some of the highest ratings of any politician, with media polls showing 70 to 80 percent of the electorate approve of his job performance.
BUSINESS
Feb 11, 2011
Kansai biz chiefs call for TPP entry, more investment
KYOTO — Kansai’s corporate leaders concluded their annual seminar Thursday by calling on Prime Minister Naoto Kan’s government to swiftly join the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement, and for increased investment in infrastructure projects they say are necessary for the region to compete...
BUSINESS
Feb 10, 2011
Kansai seeks to up profile in Asia
KYOTO — Kansai’s annual gathering of corporate leaders kicked off Wednesday in Kyoto with calls for young people to go abroad and for the region’s identity to be strengthened within Asia.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Feb 8, 2011
Victors bask after political hat trick
OSAKA — At an October reception in central Nagoya for delegates to the U.N. COP10 meeting on biodiversity, Mayor Takashi Kawamura seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. As he was leaving, his face flushed red, he suddenly broke into English, singing the gospel classic “We Shall Overcome” but giving...
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2011
Kawamura, Omura win in elections
OSAKA — Riding a wave of populist support and local voter discontent with party politics, Nagoya voters returned former Mayor Takashi Kawamura to office Sunday night and elected his ally Hideaki Omura as governor of Aichi Prefecture.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 2, 2011
Kyoto plan to boost visitors with aquarium irks locals
KYOTO — The ancient capital of Kyoto, already a major tourist destination, is moving forward with plans to further boost the number of domestic and international visitors.
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2011
Governor pitches cash for TOEFL-sharp Osaka schools
OSAKA — Osaka Gov. Toru Hashimoto plans to offer a total of ¥500 million to high schools whose students score highest on the Test of English as a Foreign Language to boost competition and raise the level of language proficiency.
JAPAN / AT JAPAN'S EXPENSE
Jan 5, 2011
Trade pacts one thing, immigrant labor another
Fourth in a series
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2011
Sea Shepherd hurt hunt, Japan urged audit: cables
OSAKA — Japan admitted to the United States that actions by the activist group Sea Shepherd had curtailed its annual whale hunt but opposed Washington’s efforts to have it politically engage fellow whaling nation Iceland to reduce its catch, WikiLeaks cables revealed Monday.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 14, 2010
Is prefectural alliance a step toward superstates?
OSAKA — After years of planning, a regional alliance of seven prefectures was created earlier this year and held its first meeting this month.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Trump says ‘Japan’ instead of Iran at meeting in Ankara
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference during a NATO leaders' summit in Ankara on Wednesday.
World’s first fully sealed vertical-farming facility opens in Tokyo
Fully sealed units are stacked on top of each other at Plantx's vertical-farming facility in Tokyo's Koto Ward on Wednesday.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
Takashi Nishihara, the director of "Now and Then," in Tokyo on Wednesday. The director has spent 10 years traversing politically charged terrain while exploring youth-driven grassroots political movements that scrutinize the status quo.
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.

Podcast

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

Longform

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

Sompo looks beyond insurance to focus on well-being
Sompo looks beyond insurance to focus on well-being

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER