Search - environment

 
 
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Jul 12, 2023

Japan is about to release 1.3 million tons of Fukushima wastewater. Should we be concerned?

Environmental journalist Mara Budgen joins the podcast to discuss Japan’s plan to discharge millions of tons of wastewater from the Fukushima No. 1 power plant into the ocean.
Japan Times
ESG CONSORTIUM
Nov 24, 2022

Tender wagyu, other delicacies hail from clean lands of Tottori

Among many delicacies in Japan, Tottori Wagyu beef and its history is worth learning to make one’s gastronomic life rich. Tottori Gov. Shinji Hirai and Shinsuke Nakajima, Executive Managing Director and Executive Chef of New Otani Co., Ltd. talked about the charms of the wagyu as well as other produce...
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Sep 5, 2022

Japan’s foreign workers face a new post-COVID landscape

Tighter border controls amid the pandemic have kept technical interns and specified skilled workers from entering Japan. With restrictions now easing, can the government lure them back?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Jul 18, 2022

As pandemic compounds summer heat, Okinawa students call for better cooling

A male student, who serves as the head of the student body association at a prefecture-run high school, had received 961 responses to questions on the issue between mid- and late-June.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 8, 2022

A wooden knife sharper than steel? Scientists say so.

Made from the same wood as musical instruments, this experimental, all-natural knife represents a whole new kind of cutting edge.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Food Sustainability in Japan
Nov 20, 2021

Miyazaki distiller sees the potential in hyper-local, sustainable shōchū

The Watanabe Distillery is a small, family-run business that was founded in 1914 and now produces about 50,000 liters of shu014dchu016b per year.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 18, 2021

A soul-nourishing workspace in the Northern Alps

When offices closed down due to the pandemic in early 2020, workers had to figure out their minimum needs — the basic equipment, space and environment for them to continue to be productive. Yet it did not take long for some to realize the goal should not be to reproduce the traditional office environment...
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Aug 3, 2021

Can Japan break away from its 'digital defeat'?

The country's difficulty in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the need for careful planning from the government's new digital agency.
Japan Times
Special Supplements / 5G Special
Feb 24, 2021

Racing full speed ahead toward a digitalized Japan

About a year has passed since Japan’s first commercial 5G mobile communications service was launched. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has announced a target of increasing the number of base stations to 280,000 by the end of March 2024 and is promoting further development of the...
Japan Times
Special Supplements
Dec 16, 2020

Technology aims to fix labor shortages

DRONE FUND, established by Kotaro Chiba in 2017, has provided capital to help develop the drone business. It launched the third round of funding to accelerate social implementation of drones and air mobility in May, aiming to raise ¥10 billion. NTT DOCOMO INC. is one of the first companies to invest...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2020

Schools lauded for COVID-19 response and support

The number of international students enrolled in Japanese universities and vocational schools is on the rise. In May 2019, this number stood at 312,214, up from 164,000 in 2011, and the number of students who chose to work in Japan after graduating has more than doubled since 2013.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Oct 20, 2020

Japan Airlines abandons 'ladies and gentlemen' flight announcements

A Kyodo article looks at how English in Japan is changing with alterations to some airline announcements.
Japan Times
SATOYAMA CONSORTIUM
Oct 1, 2020

Resident input key to Niseko ESG success

The Hokkaido town of Niseko is known not only for the high-quality powder snow that draws skiers from around the world, but also for its residents who are proactive in the town’s management. The town’s total commitment to information disclosure is the basis for the residents’ autonomy and their...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / The Great Reset
Sep 29, 2020

Smart cities need smarter governance

Opening up localities to artificial intelligence and big data needs regulation to ensure it gets off the ground.
Japan Times
Special Supplements / Sea of Japan discovery trail
Mar 3, 2020

Pristine seaside escape, creative traditions outside ancient capital

The city of Kyotango in northern Kyoto Prefecture — an area referred to as Kyoto by the Sea — is home to some of the country's most pristine beaches along the Sea of Japan. At roughly two-and-a-half hours from the capital city of Kyoto, getting there makes for an easy and picturesque meandering train ride or similarly timed drive.
JAPAN / Society / the argument: Fukushima water crisis
Feb 25, 2020

It's time to release treated Fukushima water just like other coastal nuclear plants do

The Argument is a feature dedicated to promoting dialogue and deeper understanding of contentious issues by introducing various viewpoints.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 1, 2020

Shinjiro Koizumi's paternity leave raises a few eyebrows

Shortly before Shinjiro Koizumi’s wife, Christel Takigawa, gave birth to a baby boy last month, the environment minister told reporters during a regular news conference he would be taking time off for paternity leave. It was a revelation that surprised some because after the pair had revealed she was...
ENVIRONMENT
Jan 25, 2020

Japan 2030: Tackling climate issues is key to the next decade

The new decade kicked off with images of Australia in flames.
Japan Times
Special Supplements / Malaysia Special
Nov 29, 2019

Science park draws investors across a variety of fields

Malaysia continues to be an attractive destination for foreign direct investment from around the world, especially Japan.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Nov 4, 2019

Let's discuss Uber unions

The Japanese staff of Uber Technologies Inc.'s food delivery service Uber Eats have formed a labor union to negotiate contract terms and seek improved working conditions.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 21, 2019

The humbling of Shinjiro Koizumi

Although he still routinely ranks high among respondents as the top pick for prime minister, the reality is that he still has years before he is ready for the job.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 28, 2019

Cabinet reshuffle raises a slew of new questions

Since the new Cabinet was announced on Sept. 11, the focus has been on Shinjiro Koizumi as environment minister. Described by some as earnest but lacking in substantive ideas, the 38-year-old lawmaker has tried to make the most of the spotlight, commenting on Japan's role in addressing climate change...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 14, 2019

Of cats and rabbits: UNESCO World Heritage candidate caught in a bind over tourism drive

UNESCO designates World Heritage sites in order to preserve cultural or natural assets deemed significant to humanity. The idea is to maintain these assets for future generations, but UNESCO itself doesn't pay for maintenance. It is up to the countries where the sites are located and UNESCO will remove...
Japan Times
Special Supplements
Sep 9, 2019

Winning the climate change challenge: What one person can do

Sept. 23 will see the Climate Action Summit held at U.N. headquarters in New York, preceded by the Youth Climate Summit on Sept. 21.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / TICAD 7 Special
Aug 27, 2019

Africa commerce succeeds through new partnerships

Big Japanese banks are now training a generation of professional front-line staff who have little experience with rising interest rates.
BUSINESS
Dec 5, 2023

Staff at Japan's banks scramble to adjust to rising interest rates

Many younger employees have no expertise in dealing with the vagaries of a traditional inflationary environment.
Cadets at the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Kure Recruit Training Center row in unison during a cutter boat drill in Kure Bay, Hiroshima Prefecture, in June.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Jul 29, 2024

MSDF’s Kure base faces recruitment challenges as youngsters shy away

The stressful nature of service and an increasing likelihood of actual combat are causing many to opt for other careers.
New Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (front center) and other Cabinet ministers pose for a commemorative photo after an appointment and certification ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 1, 2024

New Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba unveils Cabinet as LDP divide emerges

His Cabinet, made up of lawmakers largely untainted by an LDP political funds scandal, has appeared to open up a rift in the ruling party.
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump meets with then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Group of 20 leaders summit in Osaka in June 2019.  Though Trump's first term in office was not as earth-shattering for Japanese companies as many feared, it would be a mistake to assume his second will be the same.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 13, 2025

Trump 2.0 presents new challenges for Japanese companies

Another challenge for Japanese firms will be that Trump, his Cabinet by and large and many key advisers are China hawks.

Longform

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.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami