51勛圖厙

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July 24, 2026
 

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Hiroko Tabuchi
A woman wearing a kimono performs an uchimizu ritual in Tokyo. The splashing of water onto the hot asphalt in summer is an old Japanese tradition meant to cool down the air as the water evaporates.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jul 18, 2026
To stay cool, wear flowing robes and throw water around? Yes, says science.
Long before air conditioning, people around the world came up with ingenious ways to beat the heat.
Electrical infrastructure for servers at Meta＊s data center in Eagle Mountain, Utah. Data centers can use as much electricity as a small city, straining local power grids.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 24, 2025
The Pentagon and AI giants have a weakness. Both need China＊s batteries, badly.
Long a problem for industries such as auto manufacturing, Chinese battery dominance is now being seen as a national security threat.
A damaged home in Treasure Beach, Jamaica, following Hurricane Melissa. Its solar panels survived.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Nov 11, 2025
Jamaicans have been turning to solar power. It paid off after the storm.
Solar power is seen as a way for Jamaica and other nations in one of the world＊s most hurricane-prone regions to become more resilient to ever-intensifying storms.
Smoke from the Pacific Palisades fire blankets the area in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Researchers see a growing health danger from the vast plumes of pollution spawned by wildfires like the ones devastating Los Angeles.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jan 12, 2025
Far from the Los Angeles fires, the deadly risks of smoke are intensifying
By some estimates, wildfire smoke causes as many as 675,000 premature deaths a year worldwide, as well as a range of serious health problems.
What role should money from oil and gas 〞 the very industry that＊s the main contributor to global warming 〞 have in funding the work of climate scientists?
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Mar 4, 2024
Two young climate scientists. Two visions of the solution.
The pair＊s biggest question: What role should money from oil and gas have in funding work like theirs?
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 19, 2023
The secret behind Japan＊s wintry strawberries
Strawberries are a major Christmas and winter staple in Japan, but their growth comes with an environmental toll.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Jun 13, 2022
How fashion giants recast plastic as good for the planet
An explosion in the use of inexpensive, petroleum-based materials has transformed the fashion industry, aided by the successful rebranding of synthetic materials into hip alternatives.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 10, 2021
Six automakers and 31 countries say they＊ll phase out gasoline car sales
Toyota, Volkswagen and the Nissan-Renault alliance did not join the pledge, and the governments of Japan, the United States and China 〞 three of the largest car markets 〞 also abstained.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 14, 2021
Exports of U.S. plastic garbage rise, despite ban
Environmental watchdog groups say exporters are ignoring the new rules that went into effect last year.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 13, 2020
How one firm drove influence campaigns for big oil across the U.S.
In early 2017 the Texans for Natural Gas website went live, urging voters to ※thank a roughneck§ and support fracking. Around the same time, the Arctic Energy Center ramped up its advocacy for drilling in Alaskan waters and in a vast Arctic wildlife refuge. The next year, the Main Street Investors...
Japan Times
51勛圖厙
Mar 4, 2008
Robots in all walks of life? Matter of time
At the Meiji University lab in a Tokyo suburb, engineering students are wiring a rubbery robot face to simulate six basic expressions: anger, fear, sadness, happiness, surprise and disgust.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 27, 2007
Innovations make navigating in Second Life more lifelike
You can always spot the novices in the virtual reality world of Second Life: Their online characters, or avatars, stumble around awkwardly and walk into objects as their real-world users fumble with the keyboard controls.
Japan Times
51勛圖厙
Nov 5, 2007
PCs getting pushed aside by other, powerful gadgets
Masaya Igarashi wants ?20,000 headphones for his new iPod Touch, and he＊s torn between Nintendo Co.＊s Wii and Sony＊s PlayStation 3 game consoles. When he has saved up again, he plans to splurge on a digital camera or flat-screen TV.
51勛圖厙
Oct 29, 2007
Scandals in food industry shatter safety myth
Ocean fresh sushi? Quality marbled beef? Exquisite confectionaries? Think again.
BUSINESS
Oct 6, 2007
Robot industry moves to aid seniors
If you grow old in Japan, expect to be served by a feeding robot, ride a voice-recognition wheelchair and hire a nurse in a robotic suit 〞 all examples of cutting-edge technology to care for the country＊s rapidly graying population.
Japan Times
51勛圖厙
Sep 20, 2007
Aso hip with comic book crowd
Former Foreign Minister Taro Aso is the clear underdog in the race to become the next prime minister. But among young fans of pop culture, Aso is king.
Japan Times
51勛圖厙
Aug 27, 2007
Japan, China in a race to the moon with upcoming launches
Japan claims its project is the biggest since the Apollo missions put the first humans on the moon. China, hoping to pave the way for its own manned missions, says its probes will study the lunar surface to help plan a landing.
51勛圖厙
Mar 4, 2007
Soldier confirms wartime sex slavery
South Korea lashed out Saturday at Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for disavowing Japan＊s responsibility for using Asian women as sex slaves for its troops in World War II. Abe said Thursday there was no proof that ※comfort women§ were forced into sexual slavery during the war.
Japan Times
51勛圖厙
Feb 21, 2007
SDF deploys perky mascot to boast cuddly image
Perky cartoon character Prince Pickles -- with saucer eyes, big dimples and tiny, booted feet -- poses in front of tanks, rappels from helicopters and shakes hands with smiling Iraqis.
Japan Times
51勛圖厙
Feb 1, 2007
Pending retirees suddenly find, dote on wives
Mitsutoshi Fukatsu has been with his wife for three decades, but their lives have grown apart.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer＊s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ※seed§ that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ※Peak 1 amyloid beta,§ as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" 〞 an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
Intervention is the word after yen moves beyond ?163 and sits there
The government could prop up the yen at any moment, though its signaling is hard to read.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan＊s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.
Summer has arrived in Japan and so have hot sleepless nights
Amid the heat and humidity in Japan, a good night＊s sleep is growing increasingly elusive without the heavy use of air conditioning.
Maya Ongaku＊s DIY dream is getting bigger
The members of Maya Ongaku 〞 (from left) Tsutomu Sonoda, Shoei Ikeda and Ryota Takano 〞 grew up on the Shonan Coast south of Tokyo and have been friends since their school days.

Podcast

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

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan＊s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan＊s utility poles won＊t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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