author

 
Menu
Search
 
July 12, 2026
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
Eric Johnston

Meta

Eric Johnston
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 20, 2010
Expat clubs boast bygone cachet
OSAKA — In the years following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, when Japan ended nearly 2 1/2 centuries of isolation, Tokyo, Yokohama and Kobe in particular saw a large influx of Western men in uniform, merchants, teachers and clerics.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2010
More tax income needed: governors
WAKAYAMA — Prefectural governors warned Friday that the ruling bloc’s loss in Sunday’s Upper House election means more political gridlock ahead, and unless local leaders work with the coalition and the opposition camp to pass legislation and secure more tax income, regional growth and quality of life...
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2010
Okinawa’s sole LDP lawmaker, now a Futenma foe, is returned
OSAKA — Okinawa voters returned the prefecture’s only Liberal Democratic Party Diet member, Aiko Shimajiri, to the Upper House in a contest closely watched by Tokyo and Washington for its connection with U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.
JAPAN / DECISION 2010
Jul 8, 2010
Miyazaki race hinges on beef crisis
MIYAZAKI — When So Watanabe, a 32-year-old former Mainichi Shimbun reporter, indicated late last year he would represent the Democratic Party of Japan and take on Liberal Democratic Party incumbent Shinpei Matsushita, 43, for the Miyazaki Prefecture seat in Sunday’s Upper House election, the issues...
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2010
Miyazaki eases foot-and-mouth restrictions
MIYAZAKI — Miyazaki Prefecture on Thursday partially rescinded restrictions on travel and public gatherings put in place to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.
JAPAN / PROMOTING TOURISM FROM CHINA
Jun 17, 2010
Kansai gropes to find right hook
OSAKA — PROMOTING TOURISM FROM CHINA
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2010
‘Yes We Kan’ T-shirt is now in
OSAKA — Yukio Hatoyama may have wowed fashionistas with his colorful shirts, copies of which are reportedly being sold in China for up to $500. But his successor, Naoto Kan, is also the subject of what one Tokyo firm hopes will be a new fashion trend.
JAPAN
Jun 3, 2010
U.S. pressure on base said didn’t help matters
OSAKA — Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s sudden resignation Wednesday ended nine months of tense relations with the United States, which was wary of the new government from the beginning for its determination to seek a less U.S.-centric foreign policy.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
May 29, 2010
Futenma blame game in full swing
OSAKA — In the end, the only thing Friday’s agreement between the United States and Japan on relocating the Futenma air base does is to yet again avoid fundamental questions and problems that both sides have long ignored in favor of a face-saving political agreement for Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama....
JAPAN
May 22, 2010
NPT meet urged to press Japan to end Monju program
OSAKA — Antinuclear activists from Japan, South Korea, Europe and the United States called on delegates at the Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference on Friday to pressure Tokyo to end its troubled Monju fast-breeder reactor program, saying it sets a bad example for the rest of the world and dramatically...
JAPAN
May 7, 2010
U.S. resolution condemns Japan
OSAKA — U.S. lawmakers introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives Wednesday that condemns Japan for being an international haven for child abductors.
JAPAN
May 7, 2010
Troubled Monju reactor revived in Fukui
OSAKA — Monju, a nuclear reactor designed to generate more plutonium than it burns, resumed operation Thursday morning in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, 14 years and five months after a sodium coolant leak and subsequent fire inside the plant shut it down.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 4, 2010
Nara marks its long history, but not without a few snags
Over the past few months, you may have noticed a cartoon character — a boy Buddha wearing deer antlers — appear on signs in stores, arcades and train stations. This is not a new attraction at Disneyland or an advertisement for some other theme park but Sento-kun, the official mascot of the Nara Heijo-kyo...
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2010
Nara kicks off anniversary celebrations
NARA — Celebrations to mark the 1,300th anniversary of the founding of Nara’s ancient capital of Heijokyo kicked off Saturday morning, the official start of an event officials hope will attract 2.5 million visitors to the historical site, especially restored for the event, and up to 12 million visitors...
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2010
Tokunoshima is a risky gambit
TOKUNOSHIMA, Kagoshima Pref. — When Tokunoshima, an island with about 26,000 residents officially governed by Kagoshima Prefecture but counted as part of the Satsunan Islands that lie closer to Okinawa than Kyushu, first emerged as a candidate host for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, local reaction...
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2010
Plenty of sites already considered, rejected
OSAKA — With possible new locations for the Futenma air base being suggested or reported on a seemingly daily basis, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama now has very few political options to propose to the U.S.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2010
Technically Kagoshima but Ryukyu in its soul
TOKUNOSHIMA, Kagoshima Pref. — Astute readers will notice this story is datelined “Kagoshima Prefecture.” But given that this island lies just southwest of Amami-Oshima and roughly 100 km from the northern tip of Okinawa, it’s no surprise that Tokunoshima feels more like a part of the Ryukyu Islands...
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2010
Tokunoshima residents rally against hosting Futenma
At least 11,000 people gathered Sunday on Tokunoshima to protest a plan to move U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from Okinawa to the island.
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2010
Media get glimpse of Nara’s 1,300th anniversary celebrations
NARA — A press preview of the celebrations for the 1,300th anniversary of the founding of Heijyo-kyo as Japan’s ancient capital, which officially begin on April 24, was held Friday, as Nara officials scramble to put the final touches on an event they hope will boost the area’s appeal as a tourist destination....
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2010
Health care, access to doctors at heart of Kyoto governor’s race
KYOTO — Health care and the availability of doctors in remote areas are key issues in Sunday’s Kyoto gubernatorial election, pitting two-term Gov. Keiji Yamada against newcomer Yusuke Mon.
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 scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
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.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
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.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘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.

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

New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency
New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER