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July 06, 2025
 

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WASTE

EDITORIALS
Nov 30, 2019
Banning (some) free plastic bags
Japan's effort to reduce plastic waste by forcing retailers to charge for shopping bags has too many exemptions.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Nov 22, 2019
Massive increase in concentration of microplastics seen on beach facing Japan's Ise Bay
Some 60,000 particles of microplastics per square meter — meaning one particle per 16 square millimeters — are estimated to exist at Nasanohama beach on Toshi Island in Toba, Mie Prefecture, a study by Yokkaichi University professor Satoshi Chiba has revealed.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2019
A month after Typhoon Hagibis, volunteers, local officials and SDF tackling mountains of waste
The SDF is working to coordinate disaster waste and rubble removal efforts through officers dispatched to municipalities affected by the 19th named storm of the season.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 18, 2019
Malaysia working to clear hundreds of plastic waste shipments at ports, officials say
Malaysia is negotiating with countries sending their plastic waste to the Southeast Asian nation to take back the trash and is waiving storage fees to clear hundreds of containers of scrap stranded at ports across the country for months, officials say.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 16, 2019
Plastic reuse the most efficient way to solve marine waste issue, experts say
Although marine plastic has become a prominent environmental issue in recent years, plastic is too valuable a resource to ever truly go away, so effectively managing such waste and placing it in a circular economy system would be the most efficient way to solve the issue, experts at a Tokyo seminar said...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Oct 11, 2019
Gifu women turn plastic waste found on beaches into accessories
Four women in Tajimi, Gifu Prefecture, are creating accessories made from plastic fragments collected at beaches in Aichi Prefecture, selling them amid growing global concerns over the microplastic waste in the ocean.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 10, 2019
New app MyMizu aims to reduce plastic waste in Japan, one drink at a time
In a country drowning itself in plastic, the creators of a new app called MyMizu are attempting to change seemingly entrenched views and cultural norms regarding sustainability.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 2, 2019
Japan, U.S. and EU to jointly measure plastic waste inflows into the oceans
Japan plans to lead a new initiative to gauge the amount of marine plastic waste released from individual countries in cooperation with the United States and the European Union, according to informed sources.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 13, 2019
New Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi vows Japan will take lead role on plastic waste
Koizumi said he wants to make Japan a leader in environmental issues and speak with Fukushima's fishermen about what to do with Tepco's radiation-tainted water.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 26, 2019
Inventor Boyan Slat's mission: Shrink Great Pacific Garbage patch 90% by 2040
Boyan Slat, 25, is an ambitious social entrepreneur. His goal: Reduce 90 percent of an estimated 80 million kg of plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean, covering an area more than three times the size of France, by 2040. And do it with a technology he likens to raking leaves.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Aug 24, 2019
Double bubble, tapioca tea and garbage trouble
Food and beverage fads come and go. On frequent occasions, "Gatten," NHK's health-oriented Wednesday evening program, used to present evidence that eating this food or drinking that beverage achieved seemingly miraculous results, including weight loss, lower blood pressure or relief from constipation....
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2019
Japan's Environment Ministry plans to boost ocean cleanup budget in bid to tackle plastic waste
The Environment Ministry plans to substantially increase its budget for reducing plastic waste in the ocean in fiscal 2020, in line with an action plan adopted by relevant Cabinet ministers in May, informed sources said Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Aug 16, 2019
As rains lead to thousands of school meals being binned, Hiroshima weighs how to cut waste
A 30-year-old female reader in Hiroshima contacted the Chugoku Shimbun one day to convey her frustration that school lunches are thrown away when schools shut down due to heavy rain.
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Jul 27, 2019
'Waste: Consuming Postwar Japan': Japan's approach to waste is trash
In 'Waste: Consuming Postwar Japan,' Eiko Maruko Siniawer traces the evolution of Japanese values and aspirations from 1945 to the present through the lense of waste and waste consciousness.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 22, 2019
Camel dung fuels cement output in northern UAE instead of just going into landfill
Thousands of tons of camel dung are being used to fuel cement production in the northern United Arab Emirates, cutting emissions and keeping animal waste out of landfill.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health / FOCUS
Jul 16, 2019
Not going anywhere: How to handle the world's growing trash problem
The stench of curdled milk wafted from a shipping container of waste at Malaysia's Port Klang as Environment Minister Yeo Bee Yin told a group of journalists in May she would send the maggot-infested rubbish back where it came from.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 6, 2019
Japan faces an uphill battle to reduce plastic consumption
Anyone following recent coverage of the worldwide plastic waste crisis may note a contradiction in the reporting on Japan's place in the discussion. On the one hand, Japan boasts a very high plastic recycling rate owing to local governments' sorting rules, which are some of the strictest in the world....
Japan Times
JAPAN / G20 Osaka
Jun 26, 2019
Odds of sweeping deal slim, Japan to use Osaka G20 to tackle plastic waste problem one step at a time
When international delegates arrived at Karuizawa Station for the Group of 20 environment ministers' meeting earlier this month, they were greeted by local schoolchildren, bilingual volunteers — and a wild boar the size of an elephant.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 21, 2019
Southeast Asia looks to Taiwan as recycling pioneer
Once dubbed "garbage island" for its overflowing landfills and filthy streets, Taiwan now has Asia's highest rate of recycling and is a role model for the region, analysts said on Thursday.
BUSINESS
Jun 18, 2019
Canada in talks with Malaysia about taking back plastic waste
The government of Canada said on Monday it is in discussions with Malaysia about retrieving plastic waste that originated from Canada and is currently in Malaysia.
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
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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