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August 01, 2025
 

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ENVIRONMENT

Earth science

Climate change
Energy
Sustainability
Wildlife
Earth science
Maki Takubo, mayor of Ito, Shizuoka Prefecture, speaks during a news conference in the city on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Scandal-hit mayor withdraws resignation in Shizuoka Prefecture
The Ito city assembly has unanimously adopted a resolution urging Mami Takubo to step down.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Ishiba’s time as LDP chief and PM might not be over just yet
The lack of obvious successors who can unite the party and raise public support, coupled with a cautious opposition, puts him in a stronger position than expected.
JAPAN / Politics
Japan-South Korea top diplomats’ meeting shows ties on solid footing
In an unusual move, Seoul’s foreign minister visited Tokyo before Washington, as the Asian neighbors emphasized the importance of maintaining stable relations.
Construction equipment sits idle in a park near Shiba Toshogu shrine in Tokyo's Minato Ward. While Japan has a history of treating its trees with reverence, green coverage is said to be lacking in most of the major cities.
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science / Longform
May 26, 2025
Do Japan's trees no longer occupy the sacred space they used to?
By Eric Margolis
Trees have long occupied a sacred place in Japanese culture. In the fast pace of the 21st century, however, they're increasingly losing out to progress.
A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science / Longform
Apr 28, 2025
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami
By Alex K.T. Martin
Last year the government issued its first "megaquake" advisory. Ever since, those living in the areas it's expected to hit have been preparing for the worst.
Bleached and dead coral around Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef, located 270 kilometers north of the city of Cairns, Australia, on April 5, 2024
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science
Mar 17, 2025
From oil spills to new species: How tech reveals the ocean
By Sara Hussein
New technologies are helping to reveal hidden oil spills, speed up the discovery of new species and uncover the impact of light pollution.
The A23a iceberg is seen in the waters of the Southern Ocean off Antarctica on Jan. 14.
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science
Jan 25, 2025
Mega-iceberg drifts toward Antarctic penguin island
The gigantic wall of ice is moving slowly from Antarctica on a potential collision course with a crucial wildlife breeding ground in the South Atlantic.
Debris from Hurricane Helene on a roadside as residents evacuate before the arrival of Hurricane Milton on Oct. 7 in St. Pete Beach, Florida.
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science
Nov 30, 2024
Atlantic hurricane season ends, leaving scientists to ponder the future
By Lauren Rosenthal
The Atlantic spawned 11 hurricanes this season, above the annual average of seven. Also above average was the number of major hurricanes.
A damaged road in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 6, after a major earthquake struck the area on New Year's Day
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science / OUR PLANET
Oct 6, 2024
Important tool or alarmism? Japan experts split on megaquake advisories.
By Kathleen Benoza
Supporters say the advisories are about reducing risk, but critics see a system that isn’t based on science and one in which the cons outweigh the pros.
Lamposts and other signs throughout Hirogawa, Wakayama Prefecture, display warnings, evacuation routes and measurements of height above sea level. The town has been hit by eight tsunami in its recorded history.
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science / OUR PLANET
Jul 21, 2024
Why Japanese researchers are looking to submarine cables for faster tsunami warnings
By Joel Tansey
While Japan boasts one of the world's most sophisticated earthquake and tsunami detection systems, gaps still remain.

Japan on edge but prepared for tsunami after huge Kamchatka earthquake
Police officers ask a man to evacuate from an empty beach following a tsunami warning, in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Wednesday.
Last soldiers of Imperial Japanese Army have a warning for younger generations
Kunshiro Kiyozumi, 97, who was the youngest crew member of the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-58 in World War II, on his way to a restaurant to have lunch in Matsuyama, Japan, on April 29.
80 years on, former teacher conveys history of hidden island in World War II
Masayuki Yamauchi teaches junior high school students about the history of Okunoshima, an island in Takehara, Hiroshima Prefecture, in May.
Japan to start new residency system for foreign workers
Students hoping to work in Japan attend a Japanese class at a job placement company in Hanoi in October 2022.
Japan marks highest-ever temperature of 41.2 C in Hyogo
Japan's temperature soared to a record 41.2 degrees Celsius in Tanba, Hyogo Prefecture, on Wednesday, surpassing the previous high of 41.1 C.

Podcast

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

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear
By Jason Coskrey

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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

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