NEWSWORTHY
Japanese buzzwords of the year nominees reflect myriad influences and issues
Thirty candidates for buzzword of the year, announced Wednesday, highlight the numerous scandals that rocked Japan's amateur sports, the brutal summer of natural disasters as well as the country's response to the worldwide #MeToo movement against sexual harassment. The words nominated for the 2018 U-Can ...
Natural disasters shake the nation to attention in 2018
You wake to pitch blackness, the house shaking crazily. Nightmare? Yes — a waking one. "Where are my glasses?" You're helpless without your glasses. The shaking gets worse. Earthquakes, typhoons, torrential rain, withering heat — this summer was a crash course in coping with natural ...
Japan seems to suffer more than its fair share of natural disasters, and this past summer was especially bad. In addition to two earthquakes that resulted in considerable damage, there were strong storms that killed dozens and forced thousands to flee their homes. Some people ...
Japan's diverse bunch of disaster volunteers are primed for a warming world
In these polarized times, crises bring together people from a range of backgrounds to spread the word about perils linked to climate change.
U.N. report under review presents nations with tough choices on climate
The world's nations will gather at a U.N. conference in South Korea on Monday to review and approve a 20-page bombshell — distilled from more than 6,000 scientific studies — laying out narrowing options for staving off a climate catastrophe. When the 195 countries who ...
Five patients in their 80s passed away while staying in rooms with broken air conditioning at Y&M Fujikake Daiichi Hospital in Gifu.
Fifth death confirmed at Japan hospital after air conditioning fails
A fifth elderly patient in Gifu Prefecture has died at a hospital where air conditioning units had broken down amid a heat wave that has gripped the country.
A scorching hot, dry summer has ended five years of plenty in many wheat producing countries and drawn down the reserves of major exporters to their lowest level since 2007-08, when low grain stocks contributed to food riots across Africa and Asia. Although global stocks ...
As food crisis threatens, humanitarian aid for North Korea grinds to a halt
Humanitarian aid for North Korea has nearly ground to a halt this year as the United States steps up the enforcement of sanctions, despite warnings of a potential food crisis and improving relations with Pyongyang, aid groups say. International sanctions imposed over North Korea's nuclear ...
Under the sea, 'marine heat waves' seen wreaking havoc on wildlife, putting some in 'real peril'
The number of days marked by potentially destructive ocean heat waves has doubled in 35 years and will multiply another fivefold at current rates of climate change, scientists warned Wednesday. Even if humanity does manage to cap global warming "well below" 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 ...
Indoor playgrounds in hot demand as Japan swelters in record heat
Indoor playgrounds are proving a godsend for parents looking to allow their children to stay active and safe as Japan sweats through a summer of record-breaking heat. Parents are turning to playgrounds in air-conditioned shopping centers and other commercial enterprises when they would typically use ...
Olympic heat wave fears: What steps can Tokyo take?
Japan has become well-known for its omotenashi (hospitality), with the concept being part of Tokyo's pitch when it bid to host the 2020 Olympics. But this year's record heat wave, which has so far killed more than 100 people and led to tens of thousands ...
