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August 23, 2025
 

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PLASTIC

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.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 24, 2020
Plastic pollution flowing into oceans to triple by 2040, study says
The new research offers solutions that could cut the projected volume of plastic entering the ocean by more than 80 percent.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 18, 2020
Pandemic negates Japan’s bid to reduce plastic waste
Plastic is one of the cheapest, most effective materials for preventing the spread of COVID-19.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 1, 2020
Japan's new plastic bag charge: What it means for consumers and the environment
The new rule is aimed at reducing the amount of plastic that ends up in the country's rivers, forests, streams and, ultimately, surrounding oceans.
Toyoko Kids: The lonely street children of Tokyo
Many young people who feel neglected at home flock to the Toyoko area to find a community where they can fit in.
Japan unveils new overtourism countermeasures
The majority of tourists in Japan tend to stay in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto, resulting in overcrowding in popular tourist spots and a strain on transportation systems.
South Korea couple beat same-sex barriers to parenthood
South Korean lesbian couple Kim Kyu-jin (left) and her wife, Kim Sae-yeon, pose with a "pregnant woman" badge during an interview in Seoul last month.
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
Opportunities await the bold in the Year of the Wood Dragon
2024 marks the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac, with the year predicted to be a good time for fresh starts.
Alicia Keys closed Summer Sonic, but J-pop owned it
Summer Sonic’s 2025 lineup demonstrated its strength, showcasing the latest in J-pop, including “new kawaii” act Fruits Zipper.
Big burgers and bigger ambitions for Japan's Burger King
Kazuhiro Nomura, president of BK Japan Holdings, which operates Burger King in Japan
Tokyo crowned No.1 'workation' spot
Workations were a burgeoning trend in the corporate world for years before the COVID-19 pandemic turbocharged it.
Atsushi Kitagawara’s exhibition finds poetry in architecture
The inverted cone, one of Atsushi Kitagawara’s six signature elements in architecture, is a key feature of the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection museum building.
Candidates preparing to make final pitches for Sawamura Award
Hawks pitcher Livan Moinelo has a 1.13 ERA in 19 starts this season.

Podcast

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

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past
By Alex K.T. Martin

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