Search - environment

 
 
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 11, 2018

Banking veteran slams Japanese banks' fixation on archaic trading methods

Regional banks need to stop their fixation with the old-fashioned buy-and-hold strategy and be more nimble to make the most of their investments, a three-decade industry veteran says.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 11, 2018

Sexual consent in Japanese: Making it crystal clear that no means no

In a language where 'no' can mean 'yes' and vice versa, debate about sexual consent has had difficulty thriving.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Jun 11, 2018

Panasonic employee drives innovation by connecting young, enterprising new entrants to Japan's workforce

It's often difficult for people to maintain the enterprising spirit they had when they first entered the workplace, fresh out of university.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 8, 2018

Watch your step, the turtles are hatching on Yakushima

Yakushima island's loggerhead turtles are a huge tourist draw, but volunteer conservationist groups are feeling the nightly strain of protecting vulnerable hatchlings.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Jun 8, 2018

Okinawa car rental agencies wary of Chinese tourists with improperly obtained licenses

Believing it would be convenient to get around by car in Okinawa, a 30-something Chinese woman decided to access a major online shopping site before her 2016 trip to obtain a driving permit that would be valid in Japan, since Chinese licenses aren't permitted in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 7, 2018

From Kansai to New York: Jazz trumpeter Takuya Kuroda on going back to basics

In the dimly lit Under Deer Lounge in Shibuya, jazz trumpeter Takuya Kuroda conducts an impromptu ensemble with raucous enthusiasm.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 7, 2018

Airbnb users face summer crunch as Japan seeks delisting of unlicensed lodgings

Last Friday, the Japan Tourism Agency announced that private lodging service websites would have to remove properties without licensing as soon as possible.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jun 7, 2018

Former New Zealand sex worker given award in U.K. queen's birthday honors list

Catherine Healy, a former New Zealand sex worker-turned-women's rights activist who successfully campaigned to decriminalize prostitution in the country, was awarded the title of dame to mark the official birthday of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II on Monday.
EDITORIALS
Jun 6, 2018

Scrutinize the regional bank lending fiasco

A bank in Shizuoka provides a lesson in what regional banks should not do to survive the industry's tough business conditions.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 6, 2018

2018's rough start shows key economic reforms still needed

Japan's path back to a healthy economic footing will involve taking painful steps and the efforts of successive generations
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 6, 2018

Airbnb drops nearly 80 percent of its private home listings ahead of new peer-to-peer rental law

Just over a week before a new law for minpaku goes into effect, rental website Airbnb has dropped nearly 80 percent of its listings for the services in three months.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2018

French swimmer departs from Japan and begins Pacific Ocean crossing attempt

Long distance swimmer Ben Lecomte set off from Choshi, Chiba Prefecture, on Tuesday in his bid to become the first person to swim across the Pacific Ocean.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 4, 2018

The 'Indo-Pacific' is nothing new

The regional concept has a lengthy past.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 4, 2018

Japan's past should be its future

An obsession with service offers Japanese companies a competitive advantage.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jun 4, 2018

Let's discuss the lack of female leaders in Japan

Only a tiny fraction of female workers have been able to snag the top roles at public, private and nonprofit organizations in Japan, according to a recent report.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 4, 2018

Rich nations — including Japan — spend at least $100 billion a year on fossil fuels despite climate pledges

“The G7 have pledged to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, but they don't have any systems in terms of accountability to meet the pledges,” says study's lead author.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Jun 3, 2018

Insurance leader proud to be there in times of need

Kenneth Reilly, president and CEO, AIG General Insurance Co. Ltd., is the first to admit that insurance isn't sexy.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 2, 2018

Fantasy island: Collaborative multimedia project in Nagasaki seeks to augment the natural world

A young girl's voice rings through the forest, drawing me further into the darkness. "Koko ni kite," the voice calls again in a whisper from the right, using a Japanese phrase that means "come this way."
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 2, 2018

'Fake news' laws are a fake solution

In the waning days of Malaysia's recent election campaign, then-opposition leader Mahathir Mohamad was investigated under the country's anti-fake news law.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 2, 2018

Endangered mountain gorilla population recovers to over 1,000

The population of mountain gorillas, one of the world's most endangered species, which survives on the forest-cloaked volcanoes of central Africa, has increased by a quarter to over 1,000 individuals since 2010, wildlife authorities said.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 1, 2018

China's Everest cleanup nets 8.5 tons of garbage

China has retrieved 8.5 tons of waste from Mount Everest since April as it clears garbage left by growing numbers of visitors, the state-run Global Times said on Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 31, 2018

Short Shorts festival entries give Japan a starring role

From "You Only Live Twice" (1967) to "Black Rain" (1989) and "Lost in Translation" (2003), directors who choose Japan as a filming location are often well-rewarded with beautiful backdrops. The local flavor that works its way into a movie can sometimes be as important as the characters or plot.
COMMENTARY / World
May 30, 2018

Making the most of Asia's aging populations

With the right policies, Asian economies can mitigate the risks of this demographic trend and capitalize on their 'silver dividend' to become more productive, resilient and dynamic than ever.
JAPAN / Politics
May 30, 2018

'Military geek' Shigeru Ishiba not afraid to criticize Abe but election math eludes

Upon attending the opening ceremony of a museum in April in Tottori Prefecture, veteran Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Shigeru Ishiba made a sidesplitting appearance by dressing up as Majin Boo — the pudgy, baby-like villain in the popular anime "Dragon Ball."
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 29, 2018

A new keeper of Vladimir Putin's secrets

With the nomination of Alexei Kudrin to the government's central budgeting body, Putin's long-term plan for preserving his power and legacy seems to be taking shape.
JAPAN / Politics
May 29, 2018

Diet group drafts bill that aims to promote Japanese language learning at home and abroad

A bipartisan group of lawmakers unveils a draft version of what might become Japan's first-ever law defining the government's responsibility to systematically promote Japanese language education.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 28, 2018

A 10,000-km swim across the Pacific to spotlight pollution? Ben Lecomte ready to jump in

In early June, Ben Lecomte will enter the waters off Choshi Marina Beach in Chiba Prefecture to begin a 10,000-km (5,400-nautical-mile) swim across the Pacific Ocean that seeks to shine a light on ocean pollution and plastic contamination, and put Lecomte into the history books as the first person to...

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb