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July 01, 2026
 

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ANIMALS

A research team led by Okayama University professor Sakae Takeuchi has identified the detailed mechanism behind crows’ black coloration, finding that a receptor in the species' pigment cell for producing black pigment is constantly active.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 14, 2026
Japanese researchers identify scientific mechanism behind crows’ black color
The research team created the pigment cell receptor for large-billed crows in culture and conducted a detailed analysis.
Monster Wolf, a wolf-like robot, next to a rice field in Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture, in August 2017.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
May 13, 2026
‘Robot wolves’ in high demand to scare off bears in Japan
Monster Wolf is an animatronic scarecrow with flashing red eyes that howls and growls menacingly to scare away wild animals.
There are more than 3,500 types of mosquitoes buzzing around the world, but only around 100 bite humans.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
May 13, 2026
Mosquitoes: bloodsuckers and flower lovers
The role that mosquitoes play in flower reproduction is far less studied than that of bees or butterflies.
Asian black bear sightings reached an all-time high of 50,776 in fiscal 2025, the environment ministry announced Monday.
JAPAN / Society
May 12, 2026
Black bear sightings in Japan more than doubled in 2025
The total number of deaths caused by bear attacks in fiscal 2025 was 13, the highest in recorded history.
Punch, a Japanese macaque known for clinging to a stuffed orangutan, looks on at Ichikawa City Zoo in Chiba Prefecture, in March.
JAPAN / Society
May 9, 2026
Punch, the lonely monkey, is growing up. He’s still a star.
Punch has handled the limelight better than most young stars. Since first hitting the headlines, he has slowly integrated into his troop and made friends.
The nature guides and conservationists at Picchio Karuizawa focus on nonviolent interventions like collaring and tracking bears to keep the animals away from human settlements and oft-used hiking routes.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
May 9, 2026
Rising bear encounters test Japan’s approach to wildlife management
Government officials and nature guides say more countermeasures can reduce harm caused by rogue bears.
Japanese authorities confirmed Friday the first fatal bear attack of 2026, in which a 55-year-old woman died on April 21 in Iwate Prefecture, according to media reports.
JAPAN
May 8, 2026
Japan confirms year’s first fatal bear attack
The victim, reportedly a 55-year-old woman, died on April 21 in Iwate Prefecture, an environment ministry official said.
David Attenborough, whose landmark documentaries have changed popular understanding of the natural world, will turn 100 on Friday.
ENVIRONMENT
May 6, 2026
100 years on Earth: Iconic naturalist Attenborough to mark century
The BBC is leading the celebration of David Attenborough’s centenary with a full week of programming dedicated to his life, such as episodes of series including “Planet Earth II.”
About 2,900 pigs at a farm in the city of Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, will be culled after an examination conducted by the central government confirmed the presence of classical swine fever, the Shizuoka Prefectural Government said Tuesday.
JAPAN
May 6, 2026
Japan confirms fourth swine fever outbreak of the year
About 2,900 pigs at a farm in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, will be culled after an examination by the central government confirmed the presence of classical swine fever.
Students at Sakashita Elementary School in Kasugai, Aichi Prefecture, bid farewell to Shiro, a guinea pig lent out to the school by a veterinary association, on March 12.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Chubu
May 4, 2026
Aichi veterinarians loan guinea pigs to schools for hands-on life lessons
With more schools opting not to keep classroom pets, vets are reducing the burden on schools by lending out guinea pigs for short-term stays.
Shorebirds gather in dense flocks at Higashiyoka Higata (tidal flats), pushed together by the rising tide.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / Perspectives
May 4, 2026
At 70, chasing birds across a changing Japan
From subtropical islands to northern coasts, a quest for rare sightings becomes a meditation on memory, effort and environmental change.
Police seal off a residential area in Sendai on April 19 after a bear was spotted on the grounds of an apartment complex.
JAPAN
May 1, 2026
As bears emerge from hibernation, local governments warn of attacks
Japan’s municipalities are telling residents to take extra precautions this spring, such as refraining from leaving outside their homes any items that could attract bears.
A staff member checks a Komodo dragon at Surabaya Zoo in Surabaya on Wednesday. Indonesia will lend a pair of endangered breeding Komodo dragons to Japan.
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2026
Indonesia lends Komodo dragon pair to Japan zoo
Indonesia’s Surabaya Zoo will receive a pair of red pandas, a pair of giraffes, four Aldabra giant tortoises and two female Japanese macaques from iZoo in Shizuoka Prefecture.
The Institute for AIM Medicine filed for approval a treatment for chronic kidney disease in cats with the agriculture ministry.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 27, 2026
Japan startup seeks approval of cat kidney disease treatment
A trial showed the drug significantly extended the life of afflicted cats.
Shingo Takatsu (left) and Soichi Tojima check a crop surrounded by a fence in Oda, Shimane Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Apr 27, 2026
Shimane farming districts face onslaught from rising monkey population
Japanese macaques have become used to humans, stealing persimmons and daikons even with people standing nearby.
Police seal off the residential area in Sendai where a bear was spotted on Sunday. The bear was culled later in the day.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 20, 2026
Bear culled under emergency system in Sendai
The bear, which was as tall as about 1.5 meters, stayed on the grounds of an apartment in a residential neighborhood of the city’s Aoba Ward for about 10 hours.
Four cloned female mice sit on the gloved hand of researcher Teruhiko Wakayama inside a laboratory at the University of Yamanashi in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 15, 2026
Mammals cannot be cloned infinitely, Japanese mouse study shows
Researchers in Japan made the discovery after making 1,200 clones over two decades that started off with a single mouse.
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.
A wolf that went missing after escaping from its enclosure in O-world zoo roams in the zoo premises in Daejeon, South Korea, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 10, 2026
Runaway wolf in South Korea inspires meme coin and presidential concern
Neukgu, a roughly two-year-old ​male wolf weighing about 35 kilograms, appears ‌to have ‌slipped out of the O-World zoo in Daejeon ​on Wednesday morning by burrowing under a fence.
Hidetaka Ota, head of Akita University's Advanced Research Center for Geriatric and Gerontology, in the city of Akita on Monday
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 10, 2026
Study to analyze impact of bear sightings on elderly people
In Akita Prefecture, 67 people were attacked by bears, including four fatalities, in the year that ended in March.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

Podcast

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

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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