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July 05, 2025
 

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UTILITIES

Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
May 9, 2022
Municipal governments lose energy supplies as new providers exit industry
The companies entered the electricity retail market after it was liberalized in 2000, but are finding themselves unable to withstand the recent sharp rise in fuel prices.
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2022
Can Japan keep the lights on? The Ukraine war upends a big energy bet.
Liquefied natural gas was seen as a crucial transitional fuel in Japan's gradual shift to renewable energy. But then came the pandemic and the Ukraine war, which caused prices to soar.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 12, 2022
Japan at risk of another power crunch next winter
The power reserve ratio, which measures available spare capacity, could turn negative for the Tokyo area in January and February should it be a severely cold winter, an analysis has shown.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 30, 2022
Japan’s energy buyers warn that the weak yen threatens their business
The depreciation of the yen will amplify soaring energy and commodity prices that are hurting both companies and consumers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 30, 2022
Japanese power retailers exiting business as energy crunch worsens
In the last month, at least four companies halted power retail operations, as a surge in wholesale electricity prices makes it challenging to procure stable supply and turn a profit.
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2022
Tokyo power squeeze easing, government says, after residents and businesses cut back
An electricity shortage warning for Tokyo was lifted Wednesday, with solar supplies expected to be more abundant and cold weather subsiding, according to the trade ministry.
JAPAN
Mar 22, 2022
Japan’s power crisis was a decade in making and won’t go away
The world's third-largest economy has been running on a thinner supply of electricity since the triple meltdown at Fukushima in March 2011 shut its massive fleet of nuclear reactors.
JAPAN
Mar 22, 2022
Japanese turn down heat and lights to avoid power cut after quake
The industry ministry said Tuesday evening that the country was likely to avoid blackouts after neon signs were turned off, lights dimmed and thermostats dialed down.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 14, 2022
Billionaires tip more cash into Australia’s solar export vision
Atlassian Corp. co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes and iron ore magnate Andrew Forrest have committed more cash to a $30 billion Australian dollars ($21.9 billion) project to export solar power from Australia’s Northern Territory to Singapore via an undersea cable.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 2, 2022
Japanese utilities reel — some more than others — as sky-high fuel prices hit earnings
Regional utilities in Kyushu and Kansai fared better than most thanks to their ability to restart nuclear power plants.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 1, 2022
Investor clash on gas and nuclear muddies EU green finance drive
In a market already divided, the attempt to reach a common definition for sustainable investments risk could fragment things further.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 30, 2022
The $75 billion plan to make India a hydrogen hub
Green hydrogen — made from water and clean electricity — is seen by many as the breakthrough needed for the world to meet its emissions reduction goals.
BUSINESS
Jan 28, 2022
Sky-high natural gas prices have Japan scrambling for coal
Snowy winter weather has boosted Japan's power demand and curbed output from renewable sources, triggering a jump in coal-fired power generation.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2021
The world wants more lithium but doesn’t want more mines
Within months of unveiling plans for a $2.4 billion mine in western Serbia, local opponents organized a movement that's rocked the government and brought cities to a standstill.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 17, 2021
Carbon-heavy Japanese utilities sell their first green bonds
Japan's greenhouse gas emissions totaled about 1.1 billion tons in fiscal 2019, and the power sector accounted for around 36% of that.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 12, 2021
Power prices in Japan hit nine-month highs amid global energy crunch
For Japan, which imports all but a tiny amount of its energy needs, higher oil, gas and coal prices are bringing back inflation, with wholesale prices at 13-year highs.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 25, 2021
Japan doesn’t have enough electric cars for its EV chargers
With EV penetration only at around 1%, the country has hundreds of aging charging poles that aren't being used, while others are being taken out of service altogether.
BUSINESS
Jun 24, 2021
Japan braces for surge in electricity use during scorching summer and Olympics
With many people expected to tune into the games from their air-conditioned homes, utilities are forecasting tighter reserve power ratios than usual.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 22, 2021
With massive dams, China finds a weapon in water
Giant dams damage ecosystems, drive freshwater species to extinction, cause deltas to retreat and often emit more greenhouse gases than fossil-fuel power plants.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 18, 2021
Global power grids pushed to breaking point by summer heat and rising demand
Mix extreme heat and longer droughts, surging power demand, rising fossil fuel prices and a bumpy transition into renewables, and the result is a severe global power crunch.
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.
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.
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.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

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

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

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