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April 30, 2025
 

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OUR PLANET

Red Bull's Max Verstappen during a practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix. Saudi Aramco has perhaps the most visible presence among fossil fuel giants at Formula One races as one of the series' top sponsors.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
Sep 30, 2023
F1 says it will reach net zero by 2030. But can it shake its polluting image?
Formula One's pledge faces myriad challenges, including its long-standing ties to some of the world's dirtiest fossil fuel companies.
Katsuura in Chiba Prefecture — around 90 minutes by express train from Tokyo — has never seen the mercury climb above 35 degrees Celsius, a benchmark the meteorological agency uses to describe “extremely hot” weather, since records began in the city in 1906.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Sep 24, 2023
Japan’s endless summer pushes some toward cooler places
Amid a summerlong heat wave, more people are showing interest in moving to places like Katsuura that are known for their milder temperatures.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Sep 17, 2023
Climate litigation remains a tough sell in Japan despite wins overseas
So far, Japan has seen just four climate lawsuits, all concerning the construction and operation of coal-fired power plants.
Children learn about nature on one of Odyssey's fishing trips in 2022.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET
Sep 6, 2023
After 3/11, an environment education rethink takes shape in Japan
The thinking behind Odyssey is that interacting with nature will foster an ability to think critically about current socioenvironmental issues.
Nestled behind a seawall on the Pacific coast are the Minamisoma Mano-Migita-Ebi solar power plant and the Manyo no Sato wind farm. The 2011 tsunami struck this portion of the coast with a wave that is reported to have been around 18 meters high.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Sep 5, 2023
How a nuclear disaster turned Fukushima into a renewables leader
Following 3/11 — and the cratering of support for nuclear energy — Fukushima positioned itself at the forefront of Japan’s low-carbon transition.
Materials derived from cabbage (left), iyokan (center) and onion by Tokyo-based startup Fabula, which is working to develop new materials that can replace concrete.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
Aug 27, 2023
Japan’s scrap-and-rebuild culture faces an environmental reckoning
The nation's tendency toward new construction — rather than renovation — is coming under renewed scrutiny amid concerns over sustainability.
Residents clean up debris in the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis in Date, Fukushima Prefecture, in October 2019.
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science / OUR PLANET
Aug 20, 2023
A Japan research team dares to ask: Can typhoons be controlled?
Researchers in Yokohama are probing whether tropical cyclones can be weakened or diverted, with energy they produce also tapped to generate power.
Nymphonella tapetis has become a pest for Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) farms in Tokyo Bay.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / OUR PLANET
Aug 6, 2023
There are spiders in the sea surrounding Japan … sort of
Most sea spiders look like a tangle of legs, with little, if any, body to speak of. But they are not actually spiders.
An installation for The North Face Moon Parka, which uses a Spiber-produced protein material
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
Aug 6, 2023
A Japanese startup is using biotech to ‘brew’ greener fashion
Fashion has a huge environmental impact, and Spiber thinks its products can help curb the industry's footprint.
An apartment building construction site in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, on July 19. Officials at Daito Trust Construction, which oversees the building project, say heatstroke dangers are a top concern given their aging workforce.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Jul 30, 2023
In Japan, extreme heat and an aging population are a deadly mix
Heat waves combined with high humidity are weighing particularly heavily on the nation’s 36 million people age 65 and over, who are at much greater risk of severe illness and death.
Employees of a fishing net manufacturer, including Ainu Indigenous people, work at a facility in Urahoro, Hokkaido, in June.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET
Jul 23, 2023
In Hokkaido, an Ainu group's lawsuit and climate change converge on salmon fishing
The Raporo Ainu Nation in Hokkaido is fighting for its Indigenous rights to fish for salmon. But warming waters are raising questions about future fish stocks.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2023
In Tokyo, a more natural vision for an unnatural waterfront
Against a history of development and environmental issues, a plan by the Tokyo government conjures up images of lush parks and biodiverse shores. Bringing it to fruition won't be easy.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2023
Just how green are Japan’s trains?
The nation is famed for its rail network, but despite significant steps to reduce emissions, the sector is still responsible for a substantial amount of carbon dioxide.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 26, 2023
The world is losing the 'war on plastic.' What can be done to curb waste?
The U.N. this month took a major step toward what could become the world’s first treaty to curb plastic pollution. But a recent report highlights the immense challenge that lies ahead.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 25, 2023
Colorful snow algae is blooming in Japan's alpine areas. What does this mean for climate change?
Scientists race to Mount Gassan to see how the algae might affect the natural balance in vulnerable ecosystems and potentially perpetuate warming.
SOCCER / J. League
Jun 18, 2023
How Japan's top soccer league is striving to become a climate leader
As the league continues to grow, and as climate change wreaks havoc on operations, its quest to bring healthier lifestyles to the Japanese public has expanded into environmental issues.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 4, 2023
The Japanese firms and megabanks funding rainforest destruction
Comprehensive datasets reveal thousands of investments and loans made by Japan’s top lenders and investment funds that are impacting rainforests around the world.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 23, 2023
Realizing the power of bokashi and microorganisms in farming
Farmers worldwide have shown a preference for bokashi, whose top proponents include Okinawa-based researcher Teruo Higa, over traditional composting because it is much quicker to prepare.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 23, 2023
In West Africa, a ‘bokashi revolution’ takes root
A Japanese fermentation-based fertilization method is helping the region’s farmers cope with the effects of the war in Ukraine.
JAPAN
May 7, 2023
In G7 host Hiroshima, a climate disaster in all but name
A minority of Japanese are seriously worried about how warming will affect them. Recent disasters indicate they probably should be.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami
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.
Counting the reasons why there are so few American cars in Japan
Tesla's store in Tokyo's Shibuya district. While sales of American cars in Japan appear to be shrinking, Tesla's presence in the country is growing.
Shohei Ohtani's example could change Japan's views on paternity leave
Shohei Ohtani and Mamiko Tanaka announced the birth of their first child on April 19.
Nearly half of workers in Japan engage in ‘quiet quitting’
"Quiet quitting" is most common among the younger generation, with 46.7% of respondents to a survey in their 20s identifying with the practice, reflecting a less-motivated workforce more focused on work-life balance.
China seizes disputed reef near key Philippine military outpost
China Coast Guard officers unfurl a national flag on Sandy Cay reef, near the Philippine-held Thitu Island, in disputed waters of the South China Sea this month in this screen shot taken from Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
Could this be Japan’s year at the Kentucky Derby?
Christophe Lemaire rides Admire Daytona, who was bred in Japan, during the UAE Derby at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai on April 5.
Counting the reasons why there are so few American cars in Japan
Tesla's store in Tokyo's Shibuya district. While sales of American cars in Japan appear to be shrinking, Tesla's presence in the country is growing.
Shohei Ohtani's example could change Japan's views on paternity leave
Shohei Ohtani and Mamiko Tanaka announced the birth of their first child on April 19.
Nearly half of workers in Japan engage in ‘quiet quitting’
"Quiet quitting" is most common among the younger generation, with 46.7% of respondents to a survey in their 20s identifying with the practice, reflecting a less-motivated workforce more focused on work-life balance.
U.S. secretary of the navy weighs ‘dual-use’ shipbuilding with Japan
John Phelan at a Senate confirmation hearing for U.S. secretary of the navy in Washington in February

Podcast

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

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
By Alex K.T. Martin

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