Tag - oceans

 
Menu
Search
 
June 30, 2026
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

OCEANS

An official from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology explains the agency's plan to conduct a test to excavate the deep seabed off Minamitorishima and collect deep-sea mud, in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2025
Japan to test deep-sea extraction of rare-earth mud
The test is set to be the first of its kind in the world, reaching depths of about 6,000 meters, according to JAMSTEC.
A satellite image shows the Skipper tanker, north of Guadeloupe, on Dec. 12.
WORLD
Dec 24, 2025
U.S. eyes additional coast guard assets to seize fleeing tanker, sources say
The dayslong pursuit highlights the mismatch between the Trump ‍administration’s desire to seize sanctioned oil tankers near Venezuela and the limited resources of the coast guard.
A diver checks on sea urchins at revived moba seaweed beds in Shakotan, Hokkaido.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2025
Local governments working with fishers to save seaweed forests
The town of Shakotan in Hokkaido launched efforts to revive the rich ocean greenery after marine forests in its coastal areas were destroyed 15 years ago.
U.S. forces jump down onto an oil tanker seized by the United States off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday.
WORLD
Dec 12, 2025
U.S. to seize more tankers off Venezuela’s coast after taking one, sources say
The seizure was the first interdiction of an oil cargo or tanker from Venezuela and comes as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s ouster.
Fried oysters at a restaurant in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2025
Oyster shortage strains restaurants and retailers in Japan
Farm-raised oysters in the Seto Inland Sea are dying en masse, forcing businesses to pass on the higher costs to customers.
Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson attends the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Belem, Brazil, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2025
Ocean activist wanted by Japan vows to continue fight at COP30
Paul Watson, known for environmental activism and activities that disrupted whaling, has been wanted by Japanese authorities for 14 years.
Kunio Komesu, a member of the Sea Turtle Association of Japan, at a beach in Ogimi, Okinawa Prefecture, in October
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Nov 10, 2025
Sea turtle eggs in Okinawa being damaged by waves due to coastal erosion
If the erosion persists, the three types of turtles — which are listed on the Environment Ministry’s Red List of endangered species — might stop laying eggs there.
A new species of sea anemone, "Paracalliactis tsukisome," discovered on the deep seafloor off the coast of Japan, lives in a symbiotic relationship by attaching itself to the shell inhabited by a certain species of hermit crab.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 23, 2025
Study discovers new species of sea anemone off coast of Japan
The sea anemone attaches itself to a shell inhabited by a certain species of hermit crab, according to the team of researchers.
An underwater data center being developed by Chinese maritime technology company Highlander is seen under construction at a shipyard in Nantong, in China's eastern Jingsu province.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 4, 2025
China trials ‘energy-saving’ underwater data centers
One Chinese company is planning to submerge a pod of servers in the sea off Shanghai with hopes of solving computing’s energy woes.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks at the Prime Minister's Office on Sept. 1 during an anti-disaster drill simulating an earthquake in the Nankai Trough.
JAPAN
Sep 28, 2025
Japanese team detects gradual seafloor caving near Nankai Trough
Long-term observations at multiple sites could aid in assessing the risk of major earthquakes and tsunamis.
Hiroyuki Yamato (left), president of the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, and Mantle Quest President Hiroyasu Ishiguro (right) receive certificates from Guinness World Records for deep-sea drilling, in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Sep 25, 2025
Japanese deep-sea drilling research recognized by Guinness World Records
The research conducted last year sought to understand the mechanism behind the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
Workers operate heavy machinery to stabilize Wamberal Beach as a low-pressure cyclone lashes Australia's Central Coast, forcing residents to evacuate beachfront homes amid growing erosion fears, in July.
ENVIRONMENT
Sep 20, 2025
International treaty protecting world’s oceans to take effect
The move by Morocco and Sierra Leone to join the U.N. treaty on the high seas clinched the threshold needed to enact it as international law.
Despite centuries of overfishing and ecological collapse, the recovery of tuna stocks shows that strong regulation and economic self-interest can make once-endangered species sustainably abundant again.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 16, 2025
Tuna sushi is safe from extinction, for now
With the exception of Mediterranean albacore (a favorite of Spanish canneries) and bigeye in the Indian Ocean, every population is now being fished within sustainable levels.
A huge piece of plastic waste is pulled up from the waters near Tatara Island, Nagasaki Prefecture, on July 10.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 15, 2025
Japan backs development of new materials to cut marine plastic waste
A five-year plan starting this fiscal year calls for the development of a new material that can be used for several years in water before it slowly decomposes over time.
Erosion is seen on Australia's Gold Coast on March 9 after sand was washed away during Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Sep 15, 2025
Rising oceans to threaten 1.5 million Australians by 2050, report says
Sea level rises pose a significant threat to homes, livelihoods, and cultural connections — particularly in locations such as the Torres Strait Islands.
Floaters are released into the water during a demonstration of Eco Wave Power electricity generation technology using the power of ocean waves in the harbor at AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, California, on Aug. 26.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Sep 1, 2025
New wave: Sea power turned into energy at Los Angeles port
A pilot project aims to use a 13-kilometer breakwater to harness enough wave energy to power 60,000 U.S. homes.
A tourist enjoys the Ras Hankorab beach in the Red Sea Wadi Al-Gemal protectorate in southern Egypt. The local environment is under threat amid development projects.
ENVIRONMENT
Aug 21, 2025
Tourism deal puts one of Egypt’s last wild shores at risk
The shadowy contract, which allows for the construction of a resort on one of the country’s last undisturbed Red Sea beaches, was halted but not permanently canceled.
Plastic bottles and other refuse collected from Border Field State Park Beach in San Diego in May
ENVIRONMENT / ANALYSIS
Aug 16, 2025
Tough U.S. stance casts gloom over plastics pollution deal after Geneva flop
Many states and campaigners blamed the failure on oil-producers including the U.S, which they said urged others to reject caps on new plastic production.
The highly venomous lionfish with its long spotted fins can measure up to around 26 centimeters.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Aug 15, 2025
With waters at 32 C, Mediterranean tropicalization shifts into high gear
Encouraged by increasingly warm waters, hundreds of species native to the Red Sea have moved into the eastern Mediterranean, disrupting ecosystems.
A fish washes up on Glenelg Beach on July 13 in Adelaide, Australia. A toxic algal bloom has washed up dead and dying sea creatures along the South Australian coastline since mid March and was first detected on the state’s Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Aug 6, 2025
Toxic algae bloom off South Australia devastates marine life and tourism
The algal bloom, first detected in March, spans an area 4,500 square kilometers and has been aggravated by rising ocean temperatures.
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.
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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency
New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER