Economy | ANALYSIS
Households to take hit from tax hike
by Tomoko Otake
The consumption tax increase will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people’s financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the hike's impact.
Environment | OUR PLANET EARTH Sep 21, 2013
Upgrading from four wheels to two or three
by Stephen Hesse
Careening through the winding streets of Chennai, India, in the back of black and yellow auto-rickshaws, I am always amazed by the drivers’ audacity — or perhaps a better term would be “death wish.” These are the subcontinent’s equivalent of New York’s exuberant cabbies, ...
Environment | OUR PLANET EARTH Aug 24, 2013
Reflecting at leisure on who we are and where we live
by Stephen Hesse
My day job as a professor in Japan offers precious few chances to take a step back from work and give the old brain a bit of free rein. But August is one such golden opportunity. This year, as usual, I have been visiting ...
Environment | OUR PLANET EARTH Jul 27, 2013
At home on the Maasai Mara range
by Stephen Hesse
Asuka Takita has a passion for Africa and its wildlife that took root during her childhood in Singapore and flourished in the soils of Kenya during her third year of university.
Environment | OUR PLANET EARTH Jun 23, 2013
Jellyfish carry the sting of human overcrowding
by Stephen Hesse
It may not be immediately apparent what jellyfish, human population growth and our protein diet have in common. Take a closer look, though, and all three offer warning signs that dramatic changes are on the horizon for us and our planet. For aquarium fans, ...
Environment | OUR PLANET EARTH May 26, 2013
Mr. Abe: Bag the nukes and heed the Keeling Curve
by Stephen Hesse
Dear Prime Minister Abe, As you ride your recent wave of popularity, I know you are well aware that waves end, either in a crash or a fade. And you are luckier than most to have another chance since being elected as prime minister ...
Environment | OUR PLANET EARTH Apr 28, 2013
African elephants pluck at Japan's heartstrings
by Stephen Hesse
Next time you attend a shamisen performance, neither you nor most anyone else there will likely notice the elephant in the room. And those who do probably won’t have given it much thought.
Environment | OUR PLANET EARTH Mar 24, 2013
Be inspired: One person can help foster sustainable lives for millions
by Stephen Hesse
Last month, this column introduced Bangkok-based Midori Paxton, who is currently a regional technical adviser for biodiversity and ecosystems with the United Nations Development Programme — and who, I’m delighted to say, was a model student of mine here in Japan more than 20 ...
Environment | OUR PLANET EARTH Feb 24, 2013
One former student's inspiring path to success
by Stephen Hesse
Seeing fewer years ahead and more behind me as a teacher, I often think back over the students who have passed through my classrooms and wonder how many will truly make a difference in the world.
Environment | OUR PLANET EARTH Jan 26, 2013
Take a deep breath of everyone else's air and pollution
by Stephen Hesse
Perhaps it was due to the fever of impending flu, or the arctic winds rattling our Tokyo home, but recent media photos of Beijing’s thick smog suddenly brought to mind thoughts of the late U.S. president, John F. Kennedy. On June 26, 1963, Kennedy ...
Environment | OUR PLANET EARTH Dec 23, 2012
How to care for the children when we're at odds with the planet?
by Stephen Hesse
Perhaps this column should begin with a disclaimer like those found on CDs and DVDs that are intended to help protect kids from obscenity — Parental Advisory: Explicit Content. I wonder about this because it might not be healthy for our children to know ...
Environment | OUR PLANET EARTH Nov 25, 2012
Canadian scientist uses math to green Japanese baseball
by Stephen Hesse
Richard Hoshino is a tall, slim mathematician, as tightly wound as a precision timepiece, and irrepressibly polite and cheerful. He also has a hard time taking “no” for an answer. Eager to share his love of math and its practical applications, Hoshino is committed ...
Environment | OUR PLANET EARTH Oct 28, 2012
'Fresh Currents' charts the way to, and from, Fukushima
by Stephen Hesse
This month’s column is about a book that is very much more than just a book: It is a work of art, a labor of love and a realizable dream of a better future for Japan. But I’m getting ahead of myself … A ...