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April 26, 2024
 

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Javier Blas
For Javier Blas's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
A farmers open cocoa pods in Cote d’Ivoire in October 2018. Many West African farmers make just enough to subsist, with most lacking the means to re-invest in their small plots.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 13, 2024
The meltdown in chocolate is coming as prices signal supply shortages
It’s worth remembering that cocoa beans traded a year ago for $2,500 and that in 2000 they changed hands at just $650.
Asteroid mining only works in a science-fiction world where metals are thousands of times more expensive than they are today.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 25, 2023
Commercial asteroid mining has a astronomical cost issue
Asteroid mining only works in a science-fiction world where metals are thousands of times more expensive than they are today.
Peak of fossil fuel consumption may be approaching, but the post-peak period may not lead to a rapid decline, which could impact global efforts to combat climate change.
COMMENTARY
Oct 8, 2023
With fossil fuels, ‘peak demand’ isn’t what it sounds like
Peak fossil-fuel consumption will be a cause for celebration. But we should remain skeptical it’s as near as the IEA has said, especially for gas.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 6, 2023
Saudi Arabia's solo oil production cut is a risky strategy
By implementing a unilateral output reduction, Riyadh is hoping to boost crude prices.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 19, 2023
Europe is winning the winter war by sheer luck
Gas supplies are ample even if cold weather returns in force. The bad news is that it means climate change is still happening.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 13, 2023
Even with the electric car boom, the U.S. need for oil is climbing
U.S. consumption of fossil fuels is heading toward records — even amid the electric-car boom — and plastics are to blame.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 7, 2022
The Saudi-Russian oil axis snubs the West with production cuts
Coming weeks before the U.S. midterm elections, many also see the move to cut oil production as a personal attack on President Joe Biden.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 3, 2021
Surprise output hike by OPEC+ follows U.S.-Saudi diplomacy drive
The production boost comes even as the new COVID-19 variant threatens demand, after Washington and Riyadh reached a detente on oil prices.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2021
OPEC+ faces output decision as omicron puts market in disarray
Despite the darkening outlook of the oil market, the panel forecast an oversupply of 1.9 million barrels a day in the first quarter, down from previous estimates.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 4, 2021
OPEC+ heads for geopolitical showdown as Biden demands more oil
Bowing to U.S. pressure and opening the taps would keep Saudi Arabia's closest ally onside, at the expense of the hard-won crude price recovery that has swelled the kingdom's coffers.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 13, 2021
IEA warns world isn’t investing enough to meet future energy needs
Investment in green energy lags what's needed to keep the planet from warming significantly, while fossil fuel spending also fails to cater for currently growing demand.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 11, 2021
In a world fighting climate change, fossil fuels take revenge
Across the world, fossil fuels are making a remarkable comeback as a supercharged recovery from the pandemic boosts demand.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Mar 28, 2021
When a desert wind blew $10 billion of global trade off course
The grounding highlighted the fragility of a global network of markets and economies that takes for granted the flow of goods through it.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 22, 2018
A year ago, Davos thought Trump would be a normal president
If there was one message that echoed through the mountains ringing Davos a year ago, it was that the business world could ignore tweets from U.S. leader Donald Trump.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Over 40% of Japan's municipalities at risk of vanishing, study finds
Of 1,729 local municipalities nationwide, 744 have been identified as being at risk of disappearing.
Princess Aiko makes debut at imperial garden party
Princess Aiko attends an imperial garden party in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Yen inches closer to intervention point as BOJ meeting starts
The rate of the yen against the U.S. dollar is displayed in the trading room at foreign exchange brokerage Gaitame.com in Tokyo on Thursday.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.
Kyotographie's strong 12th edition shines light into the margins
Yassine Alaoui Ismaili, who goes by Yoriyas, turned to photography, shooting motion while in motion himself, after an injury forced him to give up his career as a professional breakdancer.
For amateur sumo, a fresh start offers hope against time-wasting and gamesmanship
Wrestlers prepare for the start of a bout at the 2023 Sumo World Championships in Tokyo. Starting this month, placing one hand on the clay first is no longer allowed.
LDP veteran Nikai's youngest son expected to succeed him in Wakayama
Toshihiro Nikai, former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, announced in March that he would not run in the next Lower House election to take responsibility for the political funds scandal that rocked his party and his own faction.
New workers name Shohei Ohtani as 'dream boss' for two years running
Shohei Ohtani has been overwhelmingly voted as the “dream boss” for people who started working in April, according to a survey.
A craft beer crawl through Tokyo’s top bars, brewpubs and dives
If all you drink is Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, you're depriving yourself of some of the best craft beer Tokyo has to offer — and there sure is a lot of it out there.

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

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass
Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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