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June 30, 2026
 

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The food waste amount dropped by 30,000 tons from the previous year to 4.61 million tons in fiscal 2024, the lowest on record.
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2026
Japan’s food waste falls to lowest on record in fiscal 2024
The food waste amount dropped by 30,000 tons from the previous year to 4.61 million tons in 2024, decreasing for a third consecutive year.
A worker in Tokyo collects used cooking oil from a Tempura restaurant in April to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
BUSINESS
Jun 6, 2026
Japan steps up efforts on cooking oil in race for sustainable aviation fuel​​
The world’s fourth-biggest economy estimates it needs about 1.7 million kiloliters in 2030, and hopes to gain as much as it can domestically through used cooking oil.
Tourists in the Shibuya area of Tokyo are stopped by a group of multilingual officials who hand out fines to people caught littering on Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 6, 2026
On patrol with Tokyo’s new litter police
On the streets of Shibuya, patrol teams caught 10 people littering on the first day of the new ordinance, 15 on the second day and nine on the third, according to city officials.
Tokyo's Shibuya Ward has begun handing out ¥2,000 ($12) fines to litterbugs.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 2, 2026
Shibuya begins handing out ¥2,000 fines for littering
Patrol officers will now monitor the ward and collect the fine on the spot from anyone caught throwing away trash improperly, with cashless payments accepted.
Many municipalities across Japan say buzz online and anxiety over the situation in the Middle East has led to people panic buying garbage bags.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
May 13, 2026
Designated trash bags run low in Japan as fears grow over supply shortages
Reports of a naphtha shortage have driven some to hoard city-designated trash bags needed in some areas to dispose of waste.
A man collects waste at the Suwung landfill in Denpasar, on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, on April 17.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 6, 2026
Bali drowning in trash after landfill closed
The government aims to set up several waste-to-energy projects, including one in Bali that could process about 1,200 tons of waste daily, but these could take years to come online.
An experiment shows smoke being emitted by old lighting fixtures after fluorescent lamps were switched to LED lighting.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 29, 2026
Replace fixtures too when switching to LED lighting, safety watchdog urges
Over 50 cases reported to the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation in the 10 years until 2025 involved fires believed to have occurred due to aging fixtures.
Tokyo's 23 wards might soon charge their residents for waste collection amid concerns that landfills are reaching full capacity.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2026
Tokyo considers charging residents of 23 wards for garbage collection
As concerns rise over landfills reaching capacity, authorities are aiming to encourage residents to reduce the amount of waste they put out.
According to the Environment Ministry, 8,543 fire incidents involving mobile batteries discarded as waste occurred in garbage trucks or elsewhere in fiscal 2023.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2026
60% in Japan unaware of mobile battery disposal methods
Experts are calling on the public to not throw such devices away as garbage, as some discarded batteries have started fires in waste collection vehicles.
The government has set a target of reducing the amount of clothing discarded from households by 25% by fiscal 2030 from the level in fiscal 2020.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Jan 4, 2026
Japan to draw up action plan to reduce clothing waste
The ministry estimates that Japanese households bought around 770,000 tons of clothes in 2024, while about 510,000 tons ended up incinerated or dumped into landfills.
Swollen or deformed batteries are particularly prone to ignition.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2025
Japan aims to eliminate serious lithium battery fires by 2030
In a policy package drawn up by central government agencies including the Environment Ministry, local governments and companies are urged to properly dispose of used batteries.
Under the current law, storage is regulated only when scrap brought into yards is classified as “waste.”
JAPAN
Dec 18, 2025
Japan to introduce permit system for scrapyard businesses
The move is a response to cases in which environmental problems like fire and soil contamination were caused by improper storage of such scrap as used metals and plastics.
On Oct. 29, teams from 33 qualifying countries scoured the streets of Shibuya for all manners of trash as part of the Spogomi litter-picking competition.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 9, 2025
Cleanliness gets competitive at Tokyo’s Spogomi world cup
On Oct. 29, teams from 33 countries scoured Tokyo’s streets for discarded wrappers, crushed cans and cigarette butts.
After a peripatetic childhood around the world, teacher and artist Jon Homewood ended up coming to Japan in 2012 for a professional opportunity.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Nov 8, 2025
Jon Homewood: ‘There’s beauty in what we throw away’
Using aluminum cans as his medium, the Tsukuba-based British artist creates intricate sculptures that take months or longer to complete.
Property developer I Wajan Dibawa at the site of collapsed properties after recent flooding in Mengwi, on Indonesia's resort island of Bali, on Oct. 1
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Oct 21, 2025
Bali grapples with flood reckoning as overdevelopment and waste take toll
The island’s south has been transformed by a tourism boom that brought jobs and economic benefits, but also paved over and built on greenery that once provided drainage.
A flea market in Kyoto. Local governments in Japan have been urged to mediate between citizens and businesses to expand secondhand markets.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Oct 20, 2025
Japan pushes reuse market as new consumption model
The Environment Ministry plans to compile a road map by the end of March 2026 outlining medium- to long-term measures to further boost growth of the sector.
Garment workers at a factory in Gazipur, Bangladesh, in April.
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 5, 2025
Bangladesh’s textile firms turn to technology to sort waste crisis
Cloud-hosted software allows manufacturers to monitor waste on a digital platform and track it as it passes between factories, handlers and recyclers.
What’s worse, waking up to find a bear going through your trash or getting an earful from your neighbor on garbage separation?
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 3, 2025
Don’t poke the bear: Learn how to sort your garbage the right way
Bears are increasingly wandering into towns and cities looking for food. Make sure you don’t tempt them with your leftovers.
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.
A boy looks at samples of Pokemon toys available with the McDonald's Happy Meal set in Tokyo earlier this month.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 28, 2025
How to complain politely: Lessons from the McDonald’s Pokemon debacle
In Japan, the right phrasing can mean the difference between a request and harassment.
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.
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

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What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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