Tag - plastic

 
Menu
Search
 
October 16, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

PLASTIC

Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 25, 2022
Microplastics found in blood for the first time, study says
Scientists found 17 out of the 22 healthy people they took samples from had quantifiable amounts of plastic particles in their blood.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / Longform
Mar 14, 2022
Plastic love: Proliferation of PET bottles in Japan complicates a sustainable future
Japan recycles and reuses its ubiquitous plastic container more than almost any other country — but some say it's still not enough.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 4, 2022
Big Oil's plastic boom threatens U.N.'s 'historic' pollution pact
When the U.N. agreed on a deal to create the world's first ever global plastic pollution treaty, every party was quick to claim victory, but that could spell trouble.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 22, 2022
Ban on single-use plastics favored by 75%, global survey finds
Governments will meet in Nairobi this month to press ahead with an ambitious treaty on tackling plastic waste.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 18, 2022
A U.N. pact may restrict plastic production. Big Oil aims to stop it.
U.N. members are set to meet this month to draft the blueprint for a global plastics treaty. That's a problem for Big Oil, with the plastic industry set to double output within 20 years.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 1, 2021
Trash and burn: Big brands' new plastic waste plan faces skepticism
Experts say that burning plastic in cement kilns, a practice firms are promoting, emits harmful emissions and amounts to swapping one dirty fuel for another.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 3, 2021
The circular economy grows up
If we do not abandon the “take-make-waste” consumption pattern by 2050, we will need the equivalent of almost three Earths to provide enough natural resources to sustain current lifestyles.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 2, 2021
The recycling myth: Big Oil’s plastic waste solution littered with failure
While residents have dutifully packaged up their trash, expecting it to be put to a green use, many have been left disappointed.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 21, 2021
Private equity falling out of love with plastic packaging
Many buyout firms are steering clear while some holding assets are struggling to offload them at palatable prices, as environmental factors become dealmakers and breakers.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Apr 24, 2021
In COVID-19's wake, Japan faces a bleaker future
A 'baby shock' now threatens Japan, according to one journalist. Meanwhile, older residents could be shipped off to China?
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 14, 2021
Exports of U.S. plastic garbage rise, despite ban
Environmental watchdog groups say exporters are ignoring the new rules that went into effect last year.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / Longform
Feb 21, 2021
Can Japan embrace an alternative approach to plastic?
Japanese companies are rethinking how we make, use and dispose of products by creating substitutes to fossil fuel-based plastics.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Jan 19, 2021
Big Oil’s flagship plastic waste project sinks on the Ganges
The failure is a sign that the industry is falling short of its targets to curb an increase in waste, two environmental groups say.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 8, 2020
Has Bacardi solved the world’s plastic problem?
Various types of plastic react differently during the recycling process. If two different types are mixed together, the output will be a mishmash of limited economic value.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 20, 2020
Space garbage solutions could help fix Earth’s plastic problem
We’ve launched 9,600 satellites since 1957. For the first few decades, no one thought about what would happen once they reached the end of their lives. By the time space agencies decided to do something, it had become a problem.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 6, 2020
Plastic pandemic: COVID-19 trashed the recycling dream
The pandemic has intensified a price war between recycled and new plastic, made by the oil industry.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Aug 23, 2020
Good design gets a handle on eco-bags
Since the kickoff of plastic bag fees at shops in Japan, there's been no shortage of new eco-bags. “On: Design” has a few designer alternatives to the tote.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 21, 2020
After dining ban, takeaway waste clogs Hong Kong's pavements and parks
Coronavirus restrictions on dining in restaurants are eating away at the city's capacity to dispose of its garbage.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 16, 2020
Digital groups help people aim for zero-waste lifestyles in Japan
Enacting change in daily life is key to reducing plastic waste. From easy tips to community cleanups, here's how you can get involved, too.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 10, 2020
Virus-triggered economic meltdown threatens Europe's war on plastic
A drop in oil demand due to worldwide lockdowns has driven barrel prices to historic lows, making virgin plastics more affordable despite their environmental impact.
Hypothermia in the land of the rising Sanae
Amid the election of Sanae Takaichi as Liberal Democratic Party president, and possibly the next prime minister, Japan's economy shows signs of recovery, but weak wages, a conservative corporate culture and currency issues raise doubts about a true economic thaw.
Number of scenarios now on the table for who might be Japan’s next prime minister
Newly-elected leader of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party Sanae Takaichi (right) celebrates with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba after winning the LDP leadership election in Tokyo on October 4.
Could an opposition candidate become Japan's next prime minister?
The lawmaker that secures a majority of votes in the Lower House will become prime minister. If no one gets a majority, the two top contenders will enter a runoff in which the person with the highest number of votes gets elected.
Coalition talks could bring Takaichi closer to being PM
Nippon Ishin no Kai leader and Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura meets with Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo on Wednesday.
As temperatures drop in Japan, bear attacks shoot up to historic highs
Bear warning signs at the Akita Prefectural Government building
Number of scenarios now on the table for who might be Japan’s next prime minister
Newly-elected leader of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party Sanae Takaichi (right) celebrates with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba after winning the LDP leadership election in Tokyo on October 4.
Pace eyes great strides for Japan’s art market
Pace Japan Vice President Kyoko Hattori, the de facto head of the nation’s business, believes a larger, more lucrative art market will allow Japan to be more attractive for collectors.
A frenetic diplomatic schedule looms for Japan’s next leader — whomever that may be
As horse-trading and speculation surge over who will be elected the next prime minister in parliament — the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Sanae Takaichi or a possible candidate put forward by a unified opposition — Japan’s next leader will be confronted with a quick succession of key diplomatic events.
Ghost of Yotei’s bloodstained fun sidesteps Ainu identity
Ghost of Yotei, the follow-up to 2020's smash hit Ghost of Tsushima, is a violent, vengeful and engaging romp through 17th-century Hokkaido that fails to stick the landing on its most sensitive cultural material.
At Osaka Expo, gas giants promote a greener future. But is it a lot of hot air?
The Gas Pavilion had welcomed around 500,000 visitors by the end of August, making it one of the most popular exhibits at the Osaka Expo.

Podcast

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

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building
By Patrick St. Michel

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo
Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER