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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:
As the youngest driver in Super Formula, Juju Noda's goal in 2024 will be to improve and learn with each race.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Mar 8, 2024
Japanese racing prodigy Juju Noda takes big step up into Super Formula
The 18-year-old will be making the move from junior racing categories to the second-fastest racing series in the world.
RB's Yuki Tsunoda drives during the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sakhir on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Mar 3, 2024
Yuki Tsunoda's temper flares over team orders in closing laps of Bahrain GP
Tsunoda did not take kindly to being asked to let his teammate by and showed his frustration over the team radio and on the track.
The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) is seen on the surface of the moon in an image released Jan. 25.
PODCAST / deep dive
Feb 2, 2024
Japan’s historic moon landing was right on target
Japan made history last month when it became the fifth nation to soft land on the moon.
A screen shows JAXA officials in the mission control room at the space agency's campus in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Saturday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 20, 2024
Japan makes history as spacecraft lands on the moon
The successful landing makes Japan just the fifth country to land a spacecraft on the moon, but questions remain over whether the mission can achieve all its goals.
Naomi Osaka attends a news conference in Melbourne on Friday ahead of the start of the Australian Open.
TENNIS
Jan 12, 2024
It's a changed landscape at the top as Osaka returns to the Australian Open
2023 was all about the continued rise of players like Gauff and Sabalenka and the dominance of Swiatek, and it remains to be seen where Osaka fits in that picture.
Ayao Komatsu speaks during an event ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture on Sept. 21.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Jan 11, 2024
Tokyo native Komatsu takes over as Haas F1 boss after Steiner's departure
"In appointing Ayao Komatsu as Team Principal we fundamentally have engineering at the heart of our management," the team owner said.
A Japan Airlines plane burning at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Tuesday evening
JAPAN
Jan 2, 2024
Five dead after Japan Airlines jet collides with coast guard plane at Haneda Airport
All 379 people on board the JAL plane exited safely but five of the six people on the coast guard plane died, with the captain sustaining serious injuries.
In writing "Climate Capitalism: Winning the Global Race to Zero Emissions," journalist Akshat Rathi said his goal was to try and determine where climate solutions are being built and uncover the challenges that they face.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Dec 24, 2023
Finding crucial solutions in a time of climate crisis
Journalist Akshat Rathi explores the economic side of the emergency in his book ‘Climate Capitalism.'
A man dressed as Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Sanders jumps into the Dotonbori River in Osaka after the Hanshin Tigers won the Japan Series.
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 9, 2023
Japan’s 'four-eyed tax hiker' and the curse of Colonel Sanders
Baseball writer Jason Coskrey and editor Joel Tansey discuss the Hanshin Tigers’ Japan Series victory; Gabriele Ninivaggi explains how the prime minister hopes to get a home run with his tax plan.
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.

Longform

High-end tourism is becoming more about the kinds of experiences that Japan's lesser-known places can provide.
Can Japan lure the jet-set class off the beaten path?