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November 21, 2024
 

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Stephen Hesse

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Stephen Hesse
Stephen Hesse is an educator and writer living in Tokyo. He graduated from Vermont Law School, where he received a JD and an LLM, and is now a professor in the Law Faculty of Chuo University, Tokyo, as well as Associate Director of the Chuo International Center.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Nov 22, 2006
Status quo really is planet's dead end
If you've looked around at the state of our planet and been tempted to say, "God help us," you're not the only one.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Oct 25, 2006
Where's the will to break energy status quo?
Berating the Kyoto Protocol for failing to cut greenhouse-gas emissions is a bit like kicking the dog at a party when someone passes wind. Sure, it's nice to skirt the blame, but don't fault the Kyoto accord for society's flatulence.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Sep 27, 2006
Welcome to the new world of cities
Flying into Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, just after sunset last month, I could have sworn we'd overshot the airport and were heading for the distant, frigid waters of the South Atlantic.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Aug 23, 2006
Bottled water and problems that flow
Having just spent several weeks in the United States, I can report with confidence that, more than ever before, Americans have their hands full.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jul 26, 2006
Will commons sense dawn again in time?
These days we can be forgiven for wondering if Homo sapiens have gone completely mad. From just a glance at the headlines, it is easy to conclude that humans are hellbent on destroying themselves and their environment, with little concern for which goes first.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jun 28, 2006
Marine management is all at sea
Our oceans and seas are in deep trouble, and if the Japanese government is to be believed, part of the blame rests with the whales.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
May 24, 2006
A road to ancient history's ruin
Irish politician Dick Roche is in the business of government, and his two-decades-long career has touched on public administration, finance, transportation and economic planning and development.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Apr 26, 2006
A voice of reason countering Big Oil's clout
The United States government may be hemorrhaging money in Iraq, but the financial condition of America's oil companies and their top management couldn't be rosier.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Mar 22, 2006
Self-interest and those Greenland pigs
Why do some societies last for hundreds, even thousands, of years, while others soar, dazzle but then fizzle like short-lived summer fireworks?
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Feb 22, 2006
S. Korean wetland faces doom
For those readers long ago numbed to the fraud, waste and environmental abuse that accompanies public works projects in Japan, here's one that might jump-start your ire: A project by the South Korean government to landfill and develop 40,100 hectares (almost 100,000 acres) of coastal waters and wetlands...
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jan 25, 2006
Saving our environment one step at a time
Having ended 2005 with a rant (see below), let me begin 2006 on a more positive note by introducing some valuable environmental education resources.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Dec 28, 2005
Sleazy snappers turn eco-show sour
Originally this column was going to be about Eco-products 2005, a trade show held at Tokyo Big Sight earlier this month. But as you'll see, I got seriously sidetracked and my focus shifted more or less entirely.
Japan Times
Features
Nov 27, 2005
Too much of a good thing
Humans are wholly dependent on nature's cornucopia for food, clothing, shelter, many medicines, beer and wine -- to name just a few of life's essentials and pleasures.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Nov 23, 2005
Big Money warms to socially responsible investing
Environmentalists have been preaching for decades that true societal change will only happen when the really big-money players, such as multinational corporations and banks, begin to balance profit-making with social responsibility.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Oct 26, 2005
Amazon's best defense is its people
In 1989, two years after his first visit to the Amazon, singer/songwriter Sting co-authored a book called "Jungle Stories: The Fight for the Amazon" (Barrie & Jenkins). In the book he writes, "To visit the forest just once is to be haunted forever after by its mysterious beauty and to be made aware of...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Sep 21, 2005
Putting people back into ecology
Peter Berg is singularly passionate about his vision for a better world. He is convinced that towns and cities can move beyond the limitations of environmentalism and create vibrant communities that are economically and ecologically sustainable, and he believes bioregions are the key.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Aug 25, 2005
Illuminating responses to 'Glimmers of hope . . . '
One of the most entertaining things about being a columnist is getting feedback from readers.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jul 28, 2005
Moves afoot to counter U.S. Big Oil's clout
Reducing the greenhouse gases that derive from human activities and cause global warming is perhaps the most critical environmental challenge facing the world community.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jun 23, 2005
China's growth sums just don't add up for the planet
China's 1.3 billion (and counting) citizens are poised to transform the global landscape dramatically, both economically and ecologically.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
May 26, 2005
Mining the Earth's problems for drama
'It starts with the Earth. How can it not?"
Ishiba delays meeting with Trump, citing legal restrictions
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba waves upon arrival for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, in Callao, Peru, on Friday.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

Podcast

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

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?
By Kathryn Wortley

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

mission sustainability vol.12 : Kose Corp.Kose takes pride in creating beauty in the world
mission sustainability vol.12 : Kose Corp.Kose takes pride in creating beauty in the world

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