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June 30, 2026
 

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ENVIRONMENT

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 — 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'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.
Then-Indonesian President Joko Widodo (front) addresses the media at Jakarta's Tanjung Priok port in December 2015 at a ceremony marking the launch of the first of five new floating power stations to meet the country’s growing demand for energy.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 24, 2026
Building the energy resilience ASEAN+3 needs
Strengthening energy resilience is not only an energy-policy priority; it is a macroeconomic imperative.
A warning sign is displayed in Shirakawa-go, Gifu Prefecture, last November.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Mar 24, 2026
Spring reawakens concerns over bear encounters in Japan
Experts say that a good harvest of bear staple foods such as acorns and nuts could determine whether the number of reported bear sightings ultimately rise or fall.
Water utilities will be required to conduct PFAS tests every three months in principle under new tap water quality standards that will take effect next month.
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2026
Japan to mandate inspections for PFAS in water from April
The Environment Ministry aims to assess PFAS concentrations in water supplies nationwide.
A worker produces salt via a traditional method that involves a flat pan at Shima-maasu Honpo’s plant in Itoman, Okinawa Prefecture.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Mar 23, 2026
Okinawa salt manufacturer shifts production method in decarbonization drive
Shima-maasu Honpo has taken the bold step of building a new factory that will change its salt production method with the aim of reducing carbon emissions.
Nearly half of Japan’s population suffers from hay fever, fueled by pollen from vast cedar and cypress plantations.
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science / Longform
Mar 23, 2026
The human-made roots of Japan’s hay fever crisis
Efforts to thin forests and breed low-pollen cedar advance, even as labor gaps and neglected land complicate the work.
The red-crowned crane has been removed from the Environment Ministry’s Red List of threatened species.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 17, 2026
Japanese crane no longer considered ‘threatened’ as population recovers
The species saw its population drop to as low as 33 in 1952 due to overhunting, but after conservation efforts about 1,200 are believed to now be living in the wild.
The U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma air station in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture. Unidentified white foam has appeared from maintenance holes near the base.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 16, 2026
Unidentified foam near U.S. military bases in Okinawa raises PFAS concerns
A civic group has asked for on-site investigations of U.S. bases for possible leaks but the U.S. military has turned down the request.
Smoke rises from the direction of an energy installation in the Gulf emirate of Fujairah on Saturday.
ENVIRONMENT
Mar 15, 2026
Toxic pollution from Iran war will spread and last for decades
Missiles and bombs contain heavy metals and other toxic pollutants, which are released into the air, soil and water lingering often for decades and posing health risks.
Houses are surrounded by floodwaters after Hurricane Florence hit in Duplin County, North Carolina, in September 2018.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Mar 14, 2026
AI ‘scientists’ help human ones answer urgent climate questions
Like millions of other people, climate scientists are finding a role for large language models in coding, communication and other parts of their workflow.
Sanae Takaichi and Donald Trump meet in Tokyo for a summit in October. Japan’s fossil fuel investments tied to deals with the United States show Takaichi’s government favoring legacy energy over renewables.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 8, 2026
Takaichi and Trump are natural fossil fuel buddies — or are they?
More than a third of Southeast Asia’s coal power finance between 2016 and 2024 came from Japanese banks, and more than a fifth of gas.
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.
Chinese and Russian bombers and fighter jets stage joint patrol near Japan
A Chinese Air Force H-6 bomber is seen during a joint patrol with Russian military aircraft on Saturday.
U.S. missile moves in Japan send China clear message: A new era has arrived
Soldiers conduct the first Typhon midrange capability live-fire exercise outside of the continental United States, firing an SM-6 missile in July last year in Australia's Northern Territory during Exercise Talisman Sabre.
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.
LGBTQ+ families are building lives Japanese lawmakers still struggle to see
Haru Ono founded Nijiiro Kazoku in 2010 after forming a same-sex stepfamily. She said the impetus for founding the organization was that she couldn’t find much reliable information out there for families such as hers in Japan.
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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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