Search - environment

 
 
Forest in the town of Kamishihoro, Hokkaido, which was designated as an advanced area for decarbonization in fiscal 2022.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Aug 12, 2024

Japan looks to farms in 'advanced decarbonization areas'

Example projects include "agrivoltaics" initiatives and those using livestock manure as a source of biogas.
A new trend on social media advocates living a more frugal lifestyle that prioritizes quality over quantity.
WORLD / Society
Aug 12, 2024

Do I need it? 'Underconsumption core' trends on TikTok

Years of inflation have forced many to the conclusion they cannot keep up with the spending habits of those on their social media feeds.
U.S. President Donald Trump and SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on May 30, 2020
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 13, 2024

Musk scorns subsidies, but Tesla still lobbies for U.S. benefits

Despite Musk's gradual embrace of Trump, the company continues to lobby the U.S. and state governments for benefits championed by the Democratic Party.
Designed by Bob Foundation in collaboration with Sugita Ace, the Sonaete series of disaster preparedness kits are packaged in bags, boxes and pouches that look attractive in homes.
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Aug 13, 2024

Stylish emergency goods can save precious seconds when disaster strikes

Eye-catching go bags, canary-inspired whistles and more aesthetically pleasing emergency preparedness items you'll want to keep within arm's reach.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (second right) takes part in the inauguration ceremony for the Deep Tech Lab - Quantum in Copenhagen on Sept. 29.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 13, 2024

The growing strategic race in emerging technologies

Japan’s security and trading partners are increasingly serious about developing quantum capabilities. Japan has to do more to both keep pace.
The destruction left behind by the Borel Fire near Lake Isabella, California, on July 29
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 13, 2024

Wildfires are getting weirder. Case in point: 'firenados.'

Sometimes fire thunderstorms even create their own lightning, which spawns new blazes miles away.
A beach closed due to a megaquake alert in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, from Friday to Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 13, 2024

Japan's tourism industry hit by cancellations after megaquake alert

Concerns over a potential disaster have prompted many visitors to cancel their plans and city's to cancel events.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference Wednesday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 14, 2024

Kishida to step down in September in bid to show ‘LDP has changed’

The surprise move came amid growing criticism from rank-and-file party members and bad poll numbers.
Following the Paris Olympics, two swimming pools, the climbing wall and the skateboard parks are set to be dug out and moved — most of them to the poverty-stricken Seine-Saint-Denis suburb northeast of Paris.
OLYMPICS
Aug 14, 2024

Olympics infrastructure and equipment heads for 'second life' post-Games

Over decades, the world's biggest sporting event has forged a reputation for monumental waste, but Paris organizers are hoping to change that.
A Plug Power hydrogen plant in Woodbine, Georgia
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Aug 14, 2024

Why almost nobody is buying green hydrogen

Many of the projects now touted with great fanfare by countries vying to become 'the Saudi Arabia of hydrogen' will likely never get built.
Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba (left) and Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te at the presidential office in Taipei on Tuesday
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 14, 2024

Is it fifth time's the charm for Shigeru Ishiba?

Ahead of the Liberal Democratic Party's presidential race, a short trip to Taiwan is allowing the former defense minister to burnish his foreign policy chops.
A return to the world with interest will almost certainly mean an increase in the bifurcation of Japan's haves and have-nots.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 5, 2024

Is Japan ready for a ‘world with interest?’

Ever since Ueda arrived at the central bank 15 months ago, economists have been debating what the "world with interest” will look like.
Above part of the photo shows an empty land lot in the city of Kobe and the bottom part shows it was turned into an temporary evacuation area.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 15, 2024

Land ministry to support empty land utilization

The ministry plans to seek the necessary funds under the government's fiscal 2025 budget.
Former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi visits Yasukuni Shrine on Thursday in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 15, 2024

Kishida clears the way for ministers to campaign in LDP election

Prospective candidates are weighing whether they can gather the necessary endorsements and rake in enough votes to have a decent shot at winning.
LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and LDP Vice President Taro Aso attend an executive meeting in Tokyo on July 23.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 15, 2024

With resignation, Kishida looks to LDP's political future

Once it became clear that his chances of winning the September vote were minimal, Kishida chose to prioritize the party’s interests.
Tourists at a water fountain at the Acropolis archaeological site during extreme hot weather conditions in Athens in July 2023.
BUSINESS
Aug 16, 2024

Extreme weather drives travelers to cooler destinations this summer

Cruise operators, hotel companies and airlines are adding trips and accommodations to meet rising demand for temperate destinations.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s decision to step down opens the door to newcomers competing at a time when the central bank is paving the way for policy normalization.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 16, 2024

Japan's change of leadership comes at challenging time for monetary policy

Next month’s ruling party vote will be held against a backdrop of persistent inflation.
The parliament building in Tokyo. With concerns about summer heat rising and many elections taking place in summertime, it may not be tenable to conduct campaigns as in the past given health risks to candidates, their staff and voters.
JAPAN / Politics / Boiling Point
Aug 17, 2024

Hotter summers pose a threat to Japan's tradition of stump speeches

Balancing health concerns with legal restrictions as well as candidates' desire to be as publicly visible as possible, even in super hot weather, might be tricky.
Tourists line up to board the sightseeing ship Nijiiro Sakana-go at Misaki Port in Miura, Kanagawa Prefecture, in June.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Aug 16, 2024

Japanese fishing communities aim to harness appeal

The Fisheries Agency plans to boost its sea industry promotion team to better support regional revitalization across Japan.
If two veterans, Toshimitsu Motegi and Shigeru Ishiba, run for the role of Liberal Democratic Party president, the race might come down to a choice between one of former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s allies versus one of LDP Vice President Taro Aso’s allies.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 16, 2024

Despite disbandment, factions still loom over LDP leadership race

Faction leaders' continued influence means they can't be ignored by candidates for party president.
Earthquakes are a fact of life in Japan, but there are strategies to keep yourself from spiraling into stress and despair over future catastrophes.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 17, 2024

Dreading the Big One? How to manage pre-disaster anxiety.

Anxiety about potential natural disasters can take its toll, but mental health experts say there are practical solutions.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida poses for a group photo with other regional leaders prior to the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) leaders meeting in Tokyo in December.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 16, 2024

Japan's energy diplomacy reflects global divide over how to reach net zero

Japan’s focus should be on advancing truly innovative and effective renewable technologies, rather than prolonging fossil fuel use.
The race to succeed Fumo Kishida as the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party promises to be the most competitive in memory. There is no heir apparent and the party's internal structure has been decimated by scandal.
EDITORIALS
Aug 16, 2024

Kishida’s tenure has simple lessons for his successor

The race to succeed Kishida promises to be the most competitive in memory. There is no heir apparent and the LDP's internal structure has been decimated by scandal.
Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Takayuki Kobayashi speaks to reporters during a visit to Tokyo's war-linked Yasukuni Shrine on Thursday, the 79th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 17, 2024

Takayuki Kobayashi set to announce LDP presidential bid

The 49-year-old lawmaker, serving his fourth term in the House of Representatives, has already secured support "from well over 20 people."
Security guards on the observation deck of the Istanbul Sapphire building.
WORLD
Aug 17, 2024

The shaky ground below Istanbul is getting people worried

After last year's devastating quake, and criticism the authorities weren’t prepared, banks are now getting ahead on contingency planning.
If Shigeru Ishiba, a former secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, announces his candidacy for the party's presidential election, it will be his fifth attempt at the top post.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 18, 2024

Shigeru Ishiba to announce LDP leadership candidacy soon

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last week said that he will not seek reelection as LDP president and will step down after the party picks his successor.
The volunteer lifesavers of Nishihama Surf Lifesaving Club never know what's in store at the start of their day.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Aug 19, 2024

It's no simple day at the beach for Japan's volunteer lifesavers

Protecting beachgoers from drowning, heatstroke and possible tsunami, lifesavers are seeking formal recognition for what they do.
Collector containers at the Climeworks AG carbon removal plant in Hellisheiði, Iceland. Once fully operational, the facility will be capable of capturing up to 36,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 19, 2024

New 'carbon removal budget' suggests massive removal shortfall

Much of the technology to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere hasn’t reached its full potential — and time is running out.
Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 19, 2024

Singapore’s Wong hands out fresh perks ahead of election

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong sought to reassure citizens their voices are being heard during his first and last National Day Rally before Singapore's general election.
Participants of Shomeikai’s Type B employment support workshop take part in a training session at a rental meeting room in the city of Fukuoka in May.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Aug 26, 2024

Welfare workshop helps people with disabilities become IT engineers

Shomeikai leverages on a cutting-edge software development methodology that lets users work in a team and support one another.

Longform

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers