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Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2009
Local leaders pin hopes for decentralization on election
OSAKA — The 1868 Meiji Restoration that brought Japan into the modern world originated in provinces far outside the capital when local leaders rebelled against what they saw as a corrupt, ossified Edo-based government and bureaucracy that was stifling freedom and innovation and had no national vision....
JAPAN / G8 ITALY SUMMIT
Jul 8, 2009
Climate unity a cloud on G8 horizon
This year’s annual Group of Eight summit, hosted by Italy, is expected to focus on complex political and economic issues of immediate concern, ranging from North Korea and Iran to international economic and financial recovery.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 7, 2009
NHK a fount of info, a lot of it from the government
Sometimes compared with the British Broadcasting Corporation or America’s Public Broadcasting System — and by its fiercest critics even to the state-run media in China and North Korea — NHK boasts two terrestrial television services, three satellite television services, three radio networks and the...
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2009
Saito defends midterm plan for greenhouse gas reduction
Environment Minister Tetsuo Saito defended Japan’s plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, saying Wednesday they were scientifically valid and the economic benefits of a new low-carbon society the government is aiming for will eventually outweigh any financial burdens incurred.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2009
Emissions goal draws fire from all sides
OSAKA — Prime Minister Taro Aso’s announcement Wednesday that Japan will cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 appears to have pleased nobody.
JAPAN
Jun 2, 2009
Nova chief admits skimming funds
OSAKA — The former president of Nova Corp. admitted Monday he siphoned off employment benefit funds just before the language school giant went bankrupt in 2007 but pleaded not guilty to embezzlement, claiming he used the funds for employees.
JAPAN
May 30, 2009
Roos may have green-tech agenda
OSAKA — John Roos, the lawyer President Barack Obama has picked as next U.S. ambassador to Japan, will likely emphasize closer public and private cooperation on developing clean and “green” technologies and take an interest in bilateral health care issues, U.S. sources close to him said Friday.
JAPAN
May 26, 2009
Kansai kids return to school as flu threat fades
OSAKA — It was back-to-school day Monday for the majority of students at 4,400 schools in Hyogo and Osaka prefectures after being kept home for a week by the outbreak of swine flu.
JAPAN
May 24, 2009
MOX use opposed by Genkai’s leery residents
GENKAI, Saga Pref. — Before a two-lane access road was built to connect it with other parts of the prefecture, the village of Genkai, nestled in high hills with deep ravines beside the Sea of Japan, was so remote that even locals called it the “Tibet of Saga Prefecture.”
JAPAN
May 24, 2009
Second batch of MOX delivered to Saga reactor
GENKAI, Saga Pref. — The second of three deliveries of mixed uranium-plutonium oxide (MOX) fuel manufactured in France arrived at Kyushu Electric Power Co.’s Genkai No. 3 reactor in northern Saga Prefecture early Saturday morning.
JAPAN
May 20, 2009
Pace of H1N1 spread in Kansai seen slowing
OSAKA — Although the tally of confirmed swine flu infections in Hyogo and Osaka prefectures surpassed 190 on Tuesday, the pace of growth in the number of new cases appeared to be slowing, and some of the patients were reportedly recovering.
JAPAN
May 19, 2009
H1N1 flu surges in Kansai
KOBE — The number of domestic swine flu cases reached 140 in Hyogo and Osaka as of Monday evening, prompting fears of an epidemic and leading to calls from the two governors to shut down all schools in the prefectures and for the central government to do more.
JAPAN
May 18, 2009
Domestic H1N1 flu cases increase to 42
The number of domestic swine flu cases hit 42 on Sunday after 34 high school and college students as well as their family members and teachers in Osaka and Hyogo prefectures were confirmed to have been infected.
JAPAN
May 18, 2009
Japan slow to realize it wasn’t immune to swine flu
OSAKA — In Kobe and Osaka, as well as in Tokyo, shocked officials dealing with the outbreak of swine flu had more or less the same reaction Sunday as Kansai Okura High School principal Takaharu Miyanomae.
JAPAN
May 17, 2009
Kobe officials start limited measures to halt flu spread
KOBE — As Kobe confirmed the nation’s first domestic swine flu infections, city officials instituted a limited number of measures to prevent further infections from developing, prompting Kansai-area residents to prepare for further possible outbreaks.
JAPAN / CITIZEN JUSTICE
May 16, 2009
Like lay judges, court interpreter system still in nascency
Last in a series
JAPAN
May 14, 2009
Nuclear energy deal not welcomed by all
OSAKA — The nuclear energy cooperation agreement signed Tuesday by Japan and Russia is expected to be a great boon to firms like Toshiba that are seeking new international markets for their atomic power technology, as well as ensuring Japan a steady supply of enriched uranium for its own electricity...
Japan Times
JAPAN / CITIZEN JUSTICE
May 13, 2009
Early jury system tests fell short
KYOTO — The first trials under the new lay judge system are expected to take place sometime after May 21 and speculation in mounting over how ordinary people will handle this new obligation.
JAPAN
May 12, 2009
School’s in for Osaka students quarantined with flu at Narita
OSAKA — The Osaka prefectural board of education said Monday it will open an office to deal with the study needs of high school students from Neyagawa, Osaka Prefecture, being quarantined at Narita airport because they have swine flu.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 2, 2009
Kyoto tourists not panicked by flu
KYOTO — Concerns about the new flu were on the minds of tourists and local officials in the Kansai region Friday, as the ancient capital of Kyoto braced for the arrival of thousands of tourists from Japan and abroad over the Golden Week holidays.
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.
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
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.
Wakatakakage injury casts pall over July meet, but potential new stars loom
Nicholas Tarasenko trains at Minato stable in August 2024.
Osaka trumps Tokyo as both ranked among world’s top 10 most livable cities
Osaka’s infrastructure earned higher marks than Tokyo’s in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Global Liveability Index.
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.
Japanese nail salons are tourists’ new obsession
Tourists in Japan have always been interested in quintessentially Japanese approaches to modern culture, and, increasingly, visits to nail salons have become the new hot thing.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
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What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
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