91²Ö¿â

author

 
Menu
Search
 
July 30, 2026
 

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Kimiko Hirata
Solar panels and a coal-fired power station in Fukushima Prefecture. Japan has not set a clear path for phasing out coal and its new draft energy plan foresees an important role for fossil fuels, especially gas, and nuclear power in its future energy mix.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 13, 2025
Japan¡¯s energy plans endanger real climate solutions
The government¡¯s draft energy plans were not subject to open debate and their outcome shows an insufficient commitment to making the changes needed to tackle climate change.
Jera's thermal power station in Hekinan, Aichi Prefecture, recently started co-firing coal with 20% of ammonia, a technology supported by the government's "green transformation," or GX, policy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 7, 2024
Is Japan¡¯s green transformation investing in the past or future?
Japan issued its first green transformation bonds, but the policy breathes new life into fossil fuel-based projects rather than pulling the plug on them.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 14, 2023
It¡¯s time to kick our addiction to fossil fuels
The COP28 deal is historic in that it calls for a transition away from fossil fuels for the first time, but it¡¯s too weak to tackle the climate emergency.
Japanese population drops below 120 million
Among Japan's 47 prefectures, Tokyo reported an increase in Japanese residents for the third year in a row, rising by 12,540, or 0.09%, to 13,293,851, or 11.1% of the total Japanese population.
Mall collapses after powerful quake rocks Kumamoto
Emergency crews outside an Aeon Mall in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Tuesday after the second floor of the building collapsed in the wake of a major earthquake.
Japanese man arrested for years of guitar noise
Police seized over 40 guitars ¡ª many electric ¡ª from a Kyoto musician's residence, along with CD and radio cassette players and amplifiers.
Rescuers race to find survivors following massive Kumamoto quake
Debris is strewn at the damaged Aeon Mall shopping center, where an explosion occurred after an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 struck Japan's southern Kumamoto Prefecture, in Kashima Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Wednesday.
China makes new U.S. warship target for missile tests
China has built a new U.S. destroyer replica at a remote missile-testing site in its northwestern desert, satellite imagery shows.
With secondary-capital bill passed, competition between cities heats up
A view of downtown Sapporo. Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki is pushing Sapporo as a candidate for a second capital outside Tokyo.
Japanese author Keigo Higashino, known for intricate mystery novels, dies at 68
A display featuring Keigo Higashino¡¯s work, with a range of his titles translated into multiple languages, at Books Kinokuniya Tokyo in the capital¡¯s Shinjuku Ward on Tuesday
Tough new permanent residency measures trigger concern in Japan
The Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau in the capital's Shinagawa Ward in March. Japan's revised guidelines for permanent residency are set to be introduced as early as Oct. 1 and applied to applications filed from April 2027.
The tiny Okayama village providing Japan with a blueprint for forest management
In 2008, Nishiawakura announced a 100-year plan to promote forest health through measures including structured thinning of its artificially planted <i>sugi</i> and <i>hinoki</i> trees. Since then, it has earned nationwide recognition for its innovative forest health management initiatives.
How foreign workers became an essential part of Japan¡¯s ubiquitous konbini
Myanmar national Nyan Linn, who works at a Lawson outlet in Tokyo¡¯s Shinagawa Ward, is one of over 110,000 foreign workers employed by Japan&#039;s three largest convenience store chains.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER