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June 25, 2026
 

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SOLAR

Japan¡¯s push into space-based solar power could reshape the future of global energy and position the country ahead of the U.S. and China in the next phase of the space race.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 31, 2026
A space race the Land of the Rising Sun is winning
Japan takes the lead in space-based solar power exploration.
Ambitious plans for space-based solar power face steep costs and engineering hurdles, making them far less practical than rapidly advancing terrestrial renewables.
COMMENTARY / World
May 26, 2026
Solar in space is a solution in search of a problem
The thinking behind space solar makes some sense: The sun doesn¡¯t always shine on Earth, which means solar panels on the ground aren¡¯t always gathering energy.
The Las Rozas solar park, operated by Zelestra, near Seville, Spain, on June 18, 2025. In the coming months, about 40 terawatt-hours of solar-generated electricity, enough to power Greater London for a year, could go to waste in Europe.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
May 14, 2026
Solar power is so big in Europe that electricity is being wasted
A record amount of electricity is being wasted because grids can¡¯t handle the surge in output.
Batteries for electric vehicles at a Gotion High-tech Co. plant in Hefei, China
BUSINESS / Tech
May 12, 2026
China¡¯s green tech firms target new consumers hit by Iran war energy shock
Chinese manufacturers of electric vehicles, batteries and solar panels have been wooing nations looking to wean themselves off costly fuel imports.
A worker runs a machine in the process of building a solar panel at First Solar in Perrysburg, Ohio, on July 8, 2022.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 11, 2026
Trump¡¯s crackdown on China-linked solar firms stalls U.S. factory boom
The policy could backfire by imperiling growth in U.S. manufacturing jobs and power generation at a time of rising utility bills and soaring electricity demand.
A solar panel manufacturing plant in Ohio. Policy uncertainty is driving installers and insurers away from U.S. solar factories with China ties.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
May 9, 2026
Trump¡¯s crackdown on China-linked solar firms stalls U.S. factory boom
Policy uncertainty is driving installers and insurers away from U.S. solar factories with China ties.
An agrivoltaic crop, in which solar panels are raised about 3 meters off the ground so that agricultural machinery can freely operate on the crops underneath, in Sosa, Chiba Prefecture.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
May 3, 2026
As Iran war sends oil prices soaring, some see fresh potential for solar in Japan
While megasolar projects are facing headwinds at the government level, some see renewed potential for solar sharing and smaller-scale, off-grid systems.
Solar panels are seen on the roof of a home in Ronda, Spain, in February last year.
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Apr 24, 2026
Iran war revives European rooftop solar demand to cut energy bills
The conflict has pushed oil, gas and electricity prices sharply higher, hitting companies and households alike.
The U.S. and Israel¡¯s war on Iran has left developing countries using Chinese tech and trade, like solar panels and EVs, better able to weather fallout than those relying on American-backed supply chains.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 8, 2026
Is Trump the president who lost Asia to China?
After six weeks of the U.S. and Israel¡¯s war on Iran and its ensuing counterattacks, it is the countries that bet on Chinese supply chains that are faring best.
Solar panels sit on the roof of a residential property in Sydney, Australia, on March 30. Global solar capacity grew by ?511 gigawatts in 2025 to 2,392 GW.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Apr 1, 2026
Renewables grew to almost 50% of global electricity capacity in 2025
The growth was led by a leap ?in solar capacity, which grew by ?511 gigawatts in 2025 to 2,392 GW.
An oil refinery in Texas. The war in the Middle East has roiled oil and gas markets, however, falling prices of solar and batteries offer another option.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Mar 6, 2026
How fossil fuel disruptions lead to booms in solar and batteries
The war in the Middle East has roiled oil and gas markets. Under a severe scenario, one estimate says that crude could reach $108 a barrel.
A newly built and yet to open Tesla Supercharger station in Lost Hills, California, on Feb. 5
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Feb 25, 2026
What Trump¡¯s new tariffs mean for climate tech
The Supreme Court¡¯s recent ruling is good news for companies like Tesla, which have seen production costs soar since last.
Despite claims that solar growth has peaked, strong demand and technology adoption suggest the boom will continue, though silver use in panels may eventually decline.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 22, 2026
Silver¡¯s surge suggests a brighter future for solar
Much of the recent run-up can be explained by a shift toward TOPCon, a new solar technology that requires more silver.
Sister Gertrudis gives thanks to God in front of a new solar panel system installed at a nursing home run by the Catholic Church in the Guanabacoa neighborhood of Havana on Feb. 4.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Feb 11, 2026
Charcoal or solar panels? A tale of two Cubas
Cuba was already struggling through its worst crisis in decades when the U.S. overthrew Cuban ally Nicolas Maduro and halted Venezuela¡¯s oil shipments to the island nation.
A model by the Fukushima Hydrogen Energy Research Field explaining the process for generating hydrogen.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Feb 2, 2026
Why renewable powerhouse Fukushima is also pursuing hydrogen
Since the nuclear disaster, Fukushima has become a powerhouse for renewables in Japan. But the prefecture is still pursuing hydrogen as a key cog for the energy transition.
A large-scale solar project near Hokkaido's Kushiro Wetlands is driving a surge in land donations to a local environmental trust, as residents try to keep their property out of the hands of developers.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jan 26, 2026
Land donations surge near Kushiro Wetlands amid megasolar controversy
A local environmental trust has seen a large uptick in land donations from residents seeking to keep their property out of developers¡¯ hands.
Employees handle solar wafers at the Tata Power 4.3 GW Solar Cell and Module Manufacturing Plant in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India, in 2024.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Jan 26, 2026
India¡¯s solar-panel boom: Full throttle today, uncertain tomorrow
With the twin imperatives of development and lower carbon emissions, India has set itself ambitious renewable energy targets.
A solar farm in Nakai, Kanagawa Prefecture, in March 2016. Japan gets about a tenth of its electricity from solar panels despite having nearly no domestic production of photovoltaics (PVs).
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Jan 18, 2026
Beijing row highlights need for Japan to reduce cleantech dependence on China
To reach net zero, Japan will need to rapidly expand renewables, but its solar manufacturing capacity is virtually non-existent despite it being a pioneer of the technology.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Dec. 17. Over her short two months in office, Takaichi has emphasized the restart of aging nuclear reactors and developing futuristic ¡ª but not yet commercially viable ¡ª technologies like nuclear fusion.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Jan 4, 2026
With a focus on nuclear power, Takaichi¡¯s energy policy takes shape
As she settles into the nation¡¯s top office, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi¡¯s energy policy is quickly coming into focus and nuclear power stands at the forefront.
Workers assemble new Nissan Leaf electric vehicles at a production facility in Sunderland, England, on Dec. 16.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 29, 2025
The positive climate news you may have missed this year
Much climate news is gloomy, but there are positive developments all the time ¡ª so many, in fact, that it¡¯s easy to miss some of the things that have been happening.
Double barrage of storms to hit Japan this week
A map depicting the paths of Typhoon Mekkhala and Tropical Storm Higos
Japanese companies get serious about workplace DEI
People working in human resources departments participate in a workshop in Tokyo in January. The participants played a card game in which they took on roles of people with various disabilities.
Two Japanese held in China for allegedly smuggling export-restricted goods
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara speaks during a news conference on Wednesday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
Consumer affairs watchdog raises alarm over air conditioner repair scams
The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan has issued a warning over a rise in air conditioner repair scams.
China accuses Japan of ¡®harassment¡¯ during far-seas aircraft carrier training
China's Liaoning aircraft carrier takes part in a military drill in the western Pacific in April 2018.
Remembering the wrestlers who rarely make the headlines
Tsurugisho throws salt at a one-day sumo event at the Kokugikan in Tokyo in February 2020.
China¡¯s mineral squeeze testing Japan¡¯s military buildup
Samples of rare earth luminescent materials displayed at an exhibition on China¡¯s manufacturing achievements at the National Museum in Beijing in March
Stepping up, not aside: Japan¡¯s retirement-age tour guides
Yoichi Miura (third from left) now divides his time between his import business and guiding international visitors across Japan.
Japan-South Korea detente persists ¡ª but breakthrough remains elusive
While Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung have kept relations from sliding backward, experts say they have struggled to turn stability into concrete steps forward.
Japan¡¯s AI goldrush faces backlash as data centers sprout up in urban areas
Erin and Munekazu Tanikawa look out from their balcony at the construction site of a planned 52-meter-tall data center that would dominate their surroundings, in the city of Inzai, Chiba Prefecture, last month.

Podcast

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

Longform

Social camouflaging can help neurodivergent people navigate social situations, but researchers say the effort often comes with significant emotional and mental strain.
The challenge of being neurodivergent in Japan¡¯s culture of conformity
By Tomoko Otake

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