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 Joel Tansey

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Joel Tansey
Joel joined The Japan Times in 2017 after four years as a reporter with Black Press Media in western Canada. He's currently a senior news editor and in 2022 he helped launch a new section of the paper focusing on climate change, earth science and other environmental issues.
For Joel Tansey's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Hanshin Tigers fans celebrate the team's first Japan Series title in 38 years on Sunday.
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2023
Osaka erupts in celebration as Tigers win Japan Series
A heavy police presence made sure that incidents after past Tigers’ successes would not be repeated.
A woman and her children at the Minnanouen Kitakagaya community garden in Osaka's Suminoe Ward
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Nov 5, 2023
How simple steps can help alleviate climate anxiety
From gardening to flood-proofing your home, experts say there are simple ways you can ease some of your concern.
Tigers fans during Game 1 of the Japan Series against the Buffaloes, at Kyocera Dome Osaka on Saturday. The Tigers are known for their high attendance figures and rowdy celebrations among the team's loyal fans.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 30, 2023
In the Japan Series, it’s a tale of two fanbases
The Tigers and Buffaloes have a lot of similarities, but there's a yawning gap in the support, enthusiasm and attention paid to each Kansai club.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen during a practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix. Saudi Aramco has perhaps the most visible presence among fossil fuel giants at Formula One races as one of the series' top sponsors.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Sep 30, 2023
F1 says it will reach net zero by 2030. But can it shake its polluting image?
Formula One's pledge faces myriad challenges, including its long-standing ties to some of the world's dirtiest fossil fuel companies.
Max Verstappen celebrates leading team Red Bull to their second consecutive constructors’ title at the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Sep 24, 2023
Tsunoda fails to score points in Japan GP as Red Bull clinch title
Max Verstappen took the chequered flag for the Honda-powered Red Bull, clinching the team’s second consecutive constructors’ title.
Ayrton Senna (center) of Brazil talks with his McLaren team member during the final practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circut in Mie Prefecture on Oct. 29, 1988.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Sep 24, 2023
The Japanese GP: Often the scene of title deciders — and controversy
For an event often defined by drama, the stakes won’t be quite as high starting next year as the race settles into its spring date.
Yuki Tsunoda in action during qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday at Suzuka Circuit.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Sep 23, 2023
Tsunoda thrills home fans in qualifying ninth for Japanese GP
Still, it was Max Verstappen’s day, as the Red Bull ace wowed the 79,000 fans at the racetrack on his way to pole position in 1:28.877.
Yuki Tsunoda arrives at Suzuka Circuit on Friday ahead of the first practice sessions for the Japanese Grand Prix.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Sep 23, 2023
AlphaTauri makes it official: Yuki Tsunoda keeps seat for 2024
The Japanese driver's immediate future in Formula One is secure, with his AlphaTauri team confirming that his contract has been finalized for 2024.
Yuki Tsunoda takes part in a practice session on Day 1 of the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, on Friday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Sep 22, 2023
Tsunoda races into Suzuka as his F1 career reaches critical stage
The driver's homecoming to a track he knows all too well comes as his long-term future at the pinnacle of motorsport remains uncertain.
Former Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel (left) helps Lewis Hamilton prepare the Mercedes team's "bee hotel" at Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Sep 22, 2023
Sebastian Vettel creates a buzz in Japan amid biodiversity crisis
The retired former champion invited current F1 drivers to make a small contribution to nature by building "bee hotels" next to the Suzuka Circuit track.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen (right) and AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda take part in a fan event in Tokyo on Wednesday, ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, at the weekend.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Sep 21, 2023
Red Bull's march to the title in focus as F1 arrives in Japan
The team will be looking to secure a second straight constructors' championship on the home turf of its engine supplier, Honda.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 26, 2023
The world is losing the 'war on plastic.' What can be done to curb waste?
The U.N. this month took a major step toward what could become the world’s first treaty to curb plastic pollution. But a recent report highlights the immense challenge that lies ahead.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Jun 14, 2023
How the climate crisis is supercharging Japan’s rainy season
When you think of natural disasters do you think of guerrilla rainstorms, landslides and heatwaves? You should, since that’s in the forecast for Japan’s climate-crisis-charged rainy seasons.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 7, 2023
In G7 host Hiroshima, a climate disaster in all but name
A minority of Japanese are seriously worried about how warming will affect them. Recent disasters indicate they probably should be.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 15, 2023
One year on, massive Tonga eruption still reverberates across Pacific Rim
The blast underscored the risks to other nations in the 'Ring of Fire,' particularly Japan, and the importance of gathering precise data to understand just how big those threats might be.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 14, 2022
25 years on from the protocol’s signing, did we ever 'Kyoto'?
Dec. 11 marked the 25th anniversary of the Kyoto Protocol, a landmark treaty that put the idea of global effort to save the planet on many national radars. To mark the event, The Japan Times has launched a new section, Our Planet, that will look at the climate crisis, earth science and disaster management from a Japanese perspective. Two of the section’s editors, Joel Tansey and Chris Russell, join the show to discuss how the Kyoto Protocol is viewed now and how the city it’s named for has taken to its green mantle.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 4, 2022
From Kyoto Protocol to ‘fossil’ awards: Japan’s climate image stained by inaction
A quarter century after Japan hosted the COP3 climate talks where the Kyoto Protocol was adopted, the country's record at the national level is a study in contrasts.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Oct 11, 2022
Japanese fans revved up by booming Formula One's return
Despite a shortened race due to heavy rains at Suzuka Circuit, a strong turnout at the first Japanese Grand Prix since 2019 showed that F1 has a bright future in Japan.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Oct 7, 2022
Suzuka endures as one of Formula One's most popular and celebrated circuits
As the F1 circus pulls into Mie Prefecture for the first time since 2019, drivers and fans alike are eagerly anticipating the return of one of the sport's top venues.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Oct 6, 2022
Fiery, foul-mouthed Yuki Tsunoda speeds toward Suzuka as Japan's latest Formula One hope
The Kanagawa Prefecture native has quickly gained a certain level of notoriety among both fans and drivers for what he does — and says — on track.

Longform

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