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April 28, 2024
 

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ENERGY

A key aspect of AI technology that is often forgotten is that it requires an enormous amount of energy to develop and run. And that’s where utilities come in.
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Apr 28, 2024
AI boom’s secret winners? The companies expected to power it
Across the U.S., utilities are preparing for historic increases in electricity demand led by data centers and AI.
An ammonia tank at JERA's Hekinan thermal power station in Aichi Prefecture. JERA is looking to invest in hydrogen and ammonia projects in the Middle East.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 28, 2024
Japan’s JERA looks to invest in Middle East hydrogen projects
Some of the world’s biggest planned blue ammonia plants, which capture carbon dioxide emitted in the production process, are located in the Middle East.
Solar panels on Dave Duttlinger's farmland that he leased to Dunns Bridge Solar in Wheatfield, Indiana
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Apr 27, 2024
As solar capacity grows, some of America's most productive farmland is at risk
The solar industry is pushing into the U.S. Midwest, drawn by cheaper land rents and wide-open fields.
The Anegasaki gas-fired power station in Chiba Prefecture
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2024
Rapidly weakening yen threatens higher power bills
Pricier power illustrates the far-reaching impact of the yen’s decline.
Members of the town assembly of Genkai, Saga Prefecture, on Friday deliberate a petition calling for a survey to examine the town's suitability for hosting a radioactive waste disposal site.
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2024
Town assembly in Saga approves petition for nuclear waste site survey
A town in Saga Prefecture has become the first host municipality for a nuclear plant to approve a petition to accept a survey for nuclear waste.
The Oresundsverket natural gas-fired power plant, operated by Uniper, in Malmo, Sweden
WORLD / Politics
Apr 26, 2024
Sweden plans for worst-case scenario: War spreading in Europe
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has prompted Sweden to prepare for any possible contingency, including war coming to Europe.
The Mount Holland lithium mine is a glimpse of the future of what Western Australia hopes will be a new, greener stage of development.
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2024
On lithium’s frontier, miners are betting on a greener second act
Despite weak prices for the metal deemed critical to energy transition, they are gearing up for a rebound in demand for batteries and electric vehicles.
Vapor rises from cooling towers of a nuclear power station in Bugey, France. Geopolitical instability and war are putting the growth of nuclear power, a key clean energy source to combat climate change, at risk.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Apr 26, 2024
Nuclear power’s expansion risks collapse on widening conflicts
Meeting nuclear energy targets requires adding 800 gigawatts over 25 years, equivalent to launching 30 large reactors annually until 2050.
While some publicly traded bitcoin mining companies release details of their energy use, there is no reliable data on exactly how much electricity the industry as a whole consumes.
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Apr 25, 2024
Bitcoin miner environmental battles heat up in U.S.
As cryptocurrency groups work to shield mines from local regulations, U.S. President Joe Biden proposed an excise tax on bitcoin energy use.
Shintaro Wakiyama, mayor of Genkai, Saga Prefecture, speaks to reporters last week. Jiji
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2024
Saga town committee to OK petition to accept nuclear waste survey
The mayor of Genkai, Shintaro Wakiyama, has taken a cautious stance on the issue.
A Chugoku Electric Power office in Kaminoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2024
Drilling survey starts in Yamaguchi town for nuclear facility
The survey, to continue for six months, is scheduled to be conducted at a depth of 100-300 meters underground.
The Fukushima nuclear power plant
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2024
Fukushima water release suspended due to partial power outage
Tepco said the system to cool reactors remained operational and "no meaningful change" had been detected at plant facilities that monitor radioactivity.
Chinese President Xi Jinping. Ever-growing tensions in the South China Sea all point to an uncomfortable truth for Southeast Asian nations, as well as the U.S.: In this standoff, China is winning.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 24, 2024
Xi’s armada is winning the battle for energy in South China Sea
China’s increasingly assertive stance has sparked a flurry of diplomatic and military efforts aimed at countering Beijing’s footprint.
Construction near Mailuu-Suu in the Jalal-Abad region, Kyrgyzstan. Dams in Kyrgyzstan holding uranium mine tailings have become unreliable after a 2017 landslide.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Apr 24, 2024
Unstable nuclear-waste dams threaten fertile Central Asia heartland
One more earthquake or landslide, and dams in Kyrgyzstan holding back radioactive waste water could burst, rendering the area uninhabitable.
A worker walks through a burned out control room at a power plant of energy provider DTEK. A Russian attack blew off parts of the roof and ripped through walls, severing vital communications systems and sparking several blazes.
WORLD / Society
Apr 24, 2024
'Everyone's afraid': Ukraine power plant workers fear fresh strikes
Russia has stepped up devastating bombardments on Ukrainian power plants in recent weeks.
Wind turbines off the coast of Zhunan Township, Taiwan. Misguided policies threaten to sink outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen’s hopes of achieving his renewable energy targets.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 18, 2024
Taiwan’s wind power ambitions are in peril
Misguided policies threaten to sink outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen’s renewable energy targets, putting a lot on the incoming administration's plate.
The Malaysian state of Sarawak is blessed with the rivers and heavy rainfall needed to create hydropower that can generate clean electricity needed for emissions-free hydrogen.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Apr 20, 2024
Clean hydrogen’s best bet may be a rainforest state in Borneo
The state is hoping an abundance of hydropower can help it defy challenges that are clouding the fuel’s prospects elsewhere.
The Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant (background)
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2024
Tepco starts fresh release of treated water from Fukushima nuclear plant
This is the fifth round in total since the water release started in August 2023.
The possibility of a deepening conflict between Israel and Iran suggests higher energy prices for energy import-dependent Japan, meaning more downward pressure for the yen.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 19, 2024
Oil poses more risks for yen as Japan depends on energy imports
Crude oil futures jumped on Friday following reports that Israel launched a missile strike on Iran.
Members of the town assembly of Genkai, Saga Prefecture, discuss on Wednesday whether to accept a survey to examine the town's suitability for hosting a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste.
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2024
Saga town begins discussions on nuclear waste disposal site survey
If approved by the special committee and the full assembly, the town mayor will need to make the final decision on whether or not to accept the survey.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.
In Japan, regional revitalization fails to halt population decline
Sakiyama elementary school in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, in March .Over the past decade, the government has directed efforts toward policies designed to give young people incentives to base themselves in rural areas.
Number of homeless in Japan hits record low
Homeless people sleep on the street in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in August 2021.
Ukraine is far from doomed
When comparing Ukraine’s military situation in 2024 to Europe’s in 1941, Russia’s defeat seems entirely possible.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Tokyo's Koto Ward by-election a race unlike any other
Natsumi Sakai, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan’s candidate and one of four female candidates running in the by-election, touts her experience as a cancer survivor and midwife as having prepared her to tackle issues that women currently face.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Leading Japan’s sustainability from Tokyo
Leading Japan’s sustainability from Tokyo

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