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July 07, 2025
 

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Mark Buchanan
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 8, 2022
Plastic-munching bacteria offer hope for recycling
Offering a ray of hope, plastic has become so enmeshed in our ecosystem that bacteria have evolved to digest it and scientists are trying to take advantage of that fact.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 10, 2020
A coronavirus vaccine is coming, so who gets it first?
While many people will want to be protected against COVID-19, nations will need to decide who needs prioritizing for vaccination.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 7, 2020
Quarantine is terrible but it works
Restricting human contact has had a dramatic effect on COVID-19's infection rates.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 5, 2020
It’s 2024, and we’re still stuck at home
Wishful thinking can't overcome the scientific models that point to years of COVID-19 outbreaks.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / Commentary
Jan 9, 2020
Nobel Prize for a battery breakthrough was decades in the making
Looking back on the past year in science, the coolest advances seem to be coming in areas such as gene editing and quantum computing. This is sexy research pointing with confidence to the future. Yet we should remember that some of the most important scientific discoveries take place almost without notice,...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 26, 2019
Gene editing might alter our DNA and destroy our humanity
Crispr and other tools could save us from the most tragic diseases, but what if they change what makes us human?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 24, 2018
Space junk presents a clear and present danger
Pollution generated by human activity isn't limited to the Earth and its climate.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 15, 2018
Why de-nuking the North is so difficult
Full denuclearization may not even be possible.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 27, 2018
Canada's cautionary tale for all fishing nations
The rise and fall of a Canadian province's cod supplies points to the danger of industrial-scale fishing.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 10, 2017
China's electric cars are actually pretty dirty
Electric-vehicle technology is only as clean as its sources of power.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 31, 2016
Magical thinking won't stop climate change
Despite the Paris Agreement on climate change, the gap between what needs to happen and what is happening remains large, and is even growing.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 18, 2016
A Nobel that helps explain the hole in a bagel
The 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics rewarded work that is merely one more step in the study of ordinary matter that has been going on for centuries.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 28, 2016
How Trump could start a war with Russia
In his determination to 'make America great again,' Donald Trump should not turn away decisively from the things that have made America great in the past, including steady and unwavering support for its allies.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2015
Is the world getting more peaceful? Maybe not
While some academics believe the world is getting more peaceful, new research suggests they might be getting their math wrong.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2014
Is the European Union too rigid to survive?
Uncompromising attempts to bind Europe together may instead hasten its abrupt and unmanageable dissolution, with unknown consequences.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 17, 2014
The trouble with the genetically modified future
Scientists are being irresponsible if they judge the safety of GMOs based on the scattered experience of the past couple decades.
COMMENTARY / World
May 9, 2014
Beware of economists who hide assumptions
There's nothing wrong with making crazy economic assumptions to help get your mind around something. The deception comes in claiming that your conclusions have real-world relevance when the assumptions are nuts.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2014
How inequality curtails a nation's creativity
Given the rarity of really good economic ideas, those who have already achieved success may be the least likely to find them — to be the 'job creators' of the future.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 8, 2014
Is wealth inequality near a tipping point?
Today's vast wealth inequality probably isn't the result of any economic conspiracy, or of vast differences in human skills. It's more likely the banal outcome of a fairly mechanical process that, unless altered, could easily carry us into a place where most of us would rather not be.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 13, 2013
The chilling biology of the debt-ceiling standoff
The showdown over the U.S. debt ceiling demonstrates that human beings are systematically incapable of understanding how precarious our currently familiar condition really is.
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
Heatstroke alert issued for 19 prefectures as Japan enters 'once-in-a-decade' heat wave
Japan will experience a heat wave through mid-July on a “level only seen once in a decade,” the Meteorological Agency said on June 30.
Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
Tokyo and Kyoto feature among top ‘noctourism’ destinations
Tokyo ranked second after New York and ahead of Dubai and Singapore in a ranking of the top global cities for nighttime tourism.
Elon Musk says he has created a new U.S. political party
Elon Musk looks on during a news conference with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on May 30.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning
Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

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