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April 28, 2026
 

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ENVIRONMENT

Oil disruptions from the war in Iran and the turmoil in energy markets highlight Asia¡¯s vulnerability to imported fossil fuels and underscore the need to rapidly scale domestic renewable energies.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 26, 2026
Iran war is a renewable energy wake-up call
The old narrative that fossil fuels are stable and reliable has been proved wrong.
French President Emmanuel Macron during a press event after a meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on Tuesday
WORLD / Politics
Apr 23, 2026
Climate scrubbed from G7 meeting to appease U.S., host France says
The Trump administration has withdrawn the U.S. from global agreements on climate change and weakened environmental protections since the president returned to office in 2025.
A rickshaw is seen in the Asakusa district of Tokyo on Sunday. A ¡°special heatstroke warning alert¡± will be issued when unprecedentedly dangerous heat levels are forecast for a particular prefecture between Wednesday and Oct. 21, the Environment Ministry says.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 20, 2026
¡®Special heatstroke warning alert¡¯ to be implemented for summer
The special alert is issued on a prefectural level if the heat index is thought to surpass 35 degrees Celsius at most observation points the following day.
Japan on Friday adopted a new name for days with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius or higher.
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2026
JMA introduces new name for days of 40 C heat
Beginning this summer, the weather agency will refer to the hottest days as kokushobi, a description that translates as "severely hot day."
Japan¡¯s greenhouse gas emissions fell 1.9% to a record low of about 1.05 billion tons of carbon dioxide in fiscal 2024, the Environment Ministry said.
ENVIRONMENT
Apr 14, 2026
Greenhouse gas emissions in Japan fell to record low in fiscal 2024
In fiscal 2024, emissions in Japan were down 28.7% from fiscal 2013 and the amount of carbon dioxide released slipped below 1 billion tons for the first time since then.
A deer that appeared at a park in the city of Osaka in March
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2026
Study shows deer and boar habitats to spread across most of Japan by 2050
Deer and boar habitats could extend to the northeastern prefectures of Aomori and Akita, where their populations are currently believed to be small.
Kazumasa Hayakawa, president of Marine Tourism Development, checks undersea carbon dioxide concentration levels in Naha Port in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Apr 13, 2026
Eco-tourism operator in Okinawa bets on corals as carbon absorber
The company hopes to encourage visitors to think of climate change as a personal issue through combining sightseeing, environmental conservation and CO2 reduction.
A drawing of Fujiwara no Teika, known as a courtier, <i>waka</i> poet and scholar of the late Heian and early Kamakura periods
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 10, 2026
Japanese researchers look at 800-year-old books and trees for signs of extreme solar events
Japan has a wealth of old literature that provides scientists with clues on past climate events.
Workers monitor the water at the Sea Water Desalination Plant in Fukuoka.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Apr 9, 2026
Waste water to clean energy: Japanese engineers harness the power of osmosis
Engineers in the city of Fukuoka and their private partners have opened what is only the world's second osmotic power plant.
Rapaza viridis taking in green algae
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2026
Japanese researchers find a clue to the evolution of chloroplasts
Their research on a single-celled eukaryote called Rapaza viridis provides a clue to unraveling the evolution of chloroplasts, according to the group.
The path toward sustainable AI lies in combining quantum computing with energy-efficient application design.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 6, 2026
Quantum computing could fix AI¡¯s sustainability problem
Training Grok-4 alone reportedly required 310 gigawatt-hours of electricity ¡ª enough to power a town of 4,000.
Ogasawara Mayor Masaaki Shibuya will meet residents on April 13 to outline his response to a government request on surveying a potential nuclear waste site on Minamitorishima.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2026
Ogasawara chief to clarify stance on nuclear waste site survey
Some participating residents expressed concerns about the possibility of the facility damaging the environment and causing rumors harmful to the entire Ogasawara Islands.
A supermarket employee arranges diaper products in Aira, Kagoshima Prefecture, in January.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 1, 2026
Dirty diapers born again in Japan recycling breakthrough
The project hopes to ease bloated landfill sites and respond to a growing need for adult diapers in aging Japan.
Ise-Shima National Park in Mie Prefecture
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2026
Japan moves to attract more foreign visitors to national parks
The Environment Ministry will work on improving accessibility and multilingual support to hit its target.
Reporting requirements begin in April for about 300 to 400 companies in Japan with annual direct emissions of at least 100,000 metric tons.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 31, 2026
Japan¡¯s top polluters face new rules as carbon market advances
Reporting requirements begin in April for about 300 to 400 companies with annual direct emissions of at least 100,000 metric tons.
Scientists look at footage of old munitions on the seabed near northern Germany&#039;s Kiel Bay, aboard the scientific research vessel Alkor, belonging to the Kiel-based GEOMAR oceanographic research center.
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 30, 2026
Germany's WWII munitions a toxic legacy on Baltic Sea floor
Scientists warn that rockets, artillery shells and bombs will release contaminants into the marine environment as salt water corrodes their metal casings.
The maglev line project has long been stalled by environmental concerns.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2026
Shizuoka set to approve maglev construction
Shizuoka Prefecture's special committee has approved environmental conservation measures for a section of the planned maglev line.
Hmong volunteer firefighter Mongkol Yingyotmongkolsaen flies standard and infrared drones to monitor for fires from above, track any flames that are spreading and detect heat at night.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Mar 27, 2026
Tech-equipped Indigenous firefighters protect Thai forests
Hmong villagers zip through forested slopes and cut through brush with machetes while others scan for smoke on live feeds from their phones.
The Takasago Thermal Power Plant in Takasago, Hyogo Prefecture. Japan will increase the use of coal-fired power plants to strengthen energy supply amid the Middle East energy shock.
BUSINESS
Mar 27, 2026
Japan to allow more coal-fired power to cope with energy shock
Japan is joining other nations that have shifted course to use the dirtiest fossil fuel more in the wake of of the war.
An EV car owner charges his vehicle at a charging station in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in February.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Mar 26, 2026
U.S.-Israeli war on Iran pushes consumers to reconsider fossil fuel alternatives
Consumers are responding to one of the largest disruptions in global oil markets by embracing low-carbon technologies that promise lower bills.
Magnitude 6.2 quake shakes Hokkaido
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake, measuring an upper 5 on Japan¡¯s seismic intensity scale, struck Hokkaido before 5:30 a.m. on Monday.
Beyond the hub-and-spoke: Japan quietly emerges as a secondary connector
Commander of the Ground Self-Defense Force&#039;s Amphibious Rapid Deployment, Maj. Gen. Toshikatsu Musha, and commander of the Maritime Self-Defense Force&#039;s Amphibious and Mine Warfare Force, Rear Adm. Ikeuchi Izuru, attend the opening ceremony of the U.S.-Philippines Balikatan joint military exercises, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, on April 20.
The language around Japan¡¯s new bike rules leaves no room for ¡®maybe¡¯
Under the new blue ticket system, cyclists will have one week in which to pay fines for minor traffic violations.
China holds live-fire drills in waters near Luzon as Japan joins military exercises in Philippines
Head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner Jr., speaks during the opening ceremony of the U.S.-Philippines Balikatan joint military exercises, at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Metro Manila, on Monday.
Laps of icy roads in China show sodium batteries making an EV breakthrough
A CATL sodium-ion battery model.
The American chef reconnecting with Japan through a Kyoto restaurant
Located in Kyoto¡¯s historic geisha district, the SoNoMa experience begins in the front room of the restaurant, where guests are served a welcome drink and a trio of small bites.
Hokusai¡¯s erotic art on display at a Kabukicho noh theater
¡°The Dream of the Fisherman¡¯s Wife,¡± a rarely exhibited print by Hokusai, will be on display at the Shinjuku Kabukicho Noh Theater for a limited time, from May 1 to 10.?
Inkonbini: Slice-of-life, cozy gaming from Japan¡¯s convenience stores
Alongside the simplified management of a convenience store, Inkonbini asks players to help a small cast of regular shoppers with not only their shopping but problems in their personal lives.
Japanese developers worry over construction supply shortages amid Iran war
Paul Nikel, President of West Canada Homes, with an increasingly rare supply of plastic foam
Professional sumo awaits three potential new stars
Bill Christopher Li, now known as Honoikazuchi, at the All-Japan championships at the Kokugikan on Nov. 30

Podcast

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

Longform

Projects like the BuddhaBot aim to re-create dialogue once lost to time, raising questions about whether AI can extend the teachings of Buddha or merely simulate them.
Can AI replace a priest? Japan¡¯s temples and shrines are testing the limits.
By Alex K.T. Martin

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