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July 24, 2026
 

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POLLUTION

Smoke billows from a factory during sunset in the northern Spanish town of Torrelavega in 2005.
ENVIRONMENT
Jul 22, 2026
Investors see pollution plan silver lining in EU carbon overhaul
The plan to tie free pollution permits to investments in decarbonization could enhance corporate accountability, investors say.
A plastic bottle cap about 3.5 centimeters in diameter, where polychaete worms built a nest out of small pebbles. It drifted from the coast of the Philippines and was recovered off Kochi Prefecture.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 20, 2026
Researchers find tiny marine ecosystem ¡ª population 307 ¡ª in a bottle cap
The discovery shows that a large amount of plastic waste floating in the sea can become small ships of organisms, according to a Japanese research team.
Ferry passengers look on as the New York City skyline is blanketed in wildfire smoke in New York on July 15.
ENVIRONMENT
Jul 19, 2026
Wildfire haze hangs over eastern U.S. ¡ª and World Cup final
The wildfires burning in Canada have sent the noxious smog billowing across the border, with residents in New York, Washington and elsewhere urged to stay indoors.
Canada geese walk along Olympic Island as wildfire smoke from northwestern Ontario fills the sky, combined with an intense heat wave, prompting health warnings and calls for residents to limit outdoor activity in Toronto on Monday.
WORLD
Jul 16, 2026
Canadian wildfire smoke chokes Toronto and threatens U.S. cities
The National Weather Service said smoke from the wildfires could linger ?into the end of the week.
General view of the ThyssenKrupp steel Europe plant in Duisburg, Germany
ENVIRONMENT
Jul 1, 2026
Industrial firms warn EU carbon overhaul could benefit polluters
Now policymakers are facing a dilemma over whether to hold the line on carbon pricing or yield to political pressure and help heavy polluters.
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.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET
Jun 28, 2026
India¡¯s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi¡¯s hazardous air
The country¡¯s e-commerce industry runs on the efforts of millions of gig workers, but their health is at stake as Indian cities struggle to improve air quality.
In the fiscal year that began in April, Tepco plans to release a total of about 62,400 tons of treated water in eight rounds.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2026
Tepco ends second round of fiscal 2026 treated water release
In the just ended round, about 7,900 tons of water containing small amounts of radioactive tritium was discharged.
International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi will visit the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings nuclear plant in Fukushima Prefecture to conduct additional monitoring of treated water being discharged into the ocean.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jun 17, 2026
Nuclear watchdog chief to visit Japan to monitor Fukushima treated water
International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi will monitor the discharge of water containing small amounts of radioactive tritium.
Fishing boats are docked along the Mekong River in Chiang Saen, northern Thailand's Chiang Rai province on June 4. Thailand's pollution control department said in April it had found arsenic concentrations of up to 296 milligrams per kilogram in sediment near Chiang Saen ¡ª more than nine times the level considered dangerous for aquatic life.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 16, 2026
Poorest on front line as arsenic hits nine times danger level in Mekong River
Doctors have found elevated levels of toxic arsenic in those who work on the river, which passes through China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Critics argue the Trump administration is using foreign pollution as a justification to relax smog regulations, potentially worsening air quality and public health in U.S. cities.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 3, 2026
Blaming Asia and Mexico for U.S. pollution is absurd
President Donald Trump¡¯s ¡°Environmental Protection Agency,¡± a name growing more ironic by the day, is giving polluters some wiggle room.
Royal Australian Air Force firefighters extinguish a demonstration fire using fluorine-free foam at RAAF Base Amberley in 2021. The Australian government said on May 28 that it had launched a $1.43 billion legal action against U.S. consumer goods giant 3M over the contamination of military bases that used firefighting foam containing so-called forever chemicals.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 28, 2026
Australia sues 3M over ¡®forever chemical¡¯ contamination near military bases
Canberra is seeking damages to recover the cost of managing environmental contamination at 28 military bases from per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
A production line at a Nippon Steel plate rolling mill in Kimitsu, Chiba Prefecture, in May 2025.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
May 17, 2026
Japan¡¯s new emissions trading program: Key climate tool or paper tiger?
While climate advocates welcome emissions trading in Japan, there are concerns that the program lacks ambition.
Dumplings at Hung Ming-he¡¯s food stall at the Xizhou Public Market, one of the oldest traditional food markets in Taipei, on April 8.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 11, 2026
Taiwan¡¯s plastic habit collides with shortages caused by a faraway war
Some producers have turned to the U.S., while others have sourced plastic goods from China, where many Taiwanese manufacturers have long-standing relationships.
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.
Environment Minister Hirotaka Ishihara speaks during a meeting with members of the Minamata disease victims organization held Thursday in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
May 1, 2026
Decades later, the dispute over Minamata disease remains unresolved
Victims urge the government and the chemical firm whose wastewater discharges caused the neurological disorder to properly take responsibility.
Yoshihiro Yamashita (second from the right), head of the Minamata Disease Victims and Supporters' Association, speaks at a meeting with Environment Minister Hirotaka Ishihara on Thursday in the city of Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Apr 30, 2026
Japan to begin Minamata disease survey as early as this year
The survey on residents of the Shiranui Sea coast in Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures will be conducted for the first time under a special law that took effect in 2009.
While climate-change skeptics downplay the issue, earlier blooming cherry trees in Washington and Kyoto serve as visible indicators of the climate crisis, driven by global warming.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 28, 2026
Cherry blossoms are proof of a planet going awry
It was the seventh consecutive year in which the trees flowered earlier than their 20-year average.
Dunes of low-grade coal are seen near a coal mine in Ruzhou, in China's Henan province, in 2021.
BUSINESS
Apr 20, 2026
China revives coal-to-gas projects as energy security frays
The government is looking to tap cheap domestic coal to limit its exposure to natural gas imports.
Farmers separate wheat grains from husks at a farm on the outskirts of Varanasi, India, on Tuesday.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Apr 15, 2026
India¡¯s green fuel plans collide with farmers¡¯ water fears
India, which imports 80% of its oil and gas, has made ethanol central to its clean energy plans and, as war in the Mideast impacts the price and supply of oil, its energy security.
Beth Gutzler views air quality data on the AirWatchSTL website on a laptop in Florissant, Missouri, in February. Last year, metro St. Louis residents had "good" air to breathe during only one-third of the days of the year.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Apr 10, 2026
How the AI boom derailed clean?air efforts in one of America¡¯s most polluted cities
Trump¡¯s environmental rollbacks in support of AI mark ?a reversal in U.S. policy and have proven painful for America¡¯s clean air activists.
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" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
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.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
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.

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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