Joel Tansey - The Japan Times

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Joel Tansey

Joel joined The Japan Times in 2017 after four years as a reporter with Black Press Media in western Canada. He's currently a senior news editor and in 2022 he helped launch a new section of the paper focusing on climate change, earth science and other environmental issues.

Asian seabass are bred at the Songkhla Coastal Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Research and Development Center in southern Thailand.

ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET

Feb 23, 2025

Japan looks to save seafood and seaweed farming from warming oceans

Projects at home and in Thailand are seeking to address challenges stemming from climate change as well as sustainability concerns.

The Osaka Expo site on Yumeshima island in December. A survey of 3,000 people from across Japan conducted in October by the Mitsubishi Research Institute showed that just 24% of respondents expressed an interest in attending the Osaka Expo.

JAPAN / Society

Feb 4, 2025

Excitement for the Osaka Expo is low. Can organizers build hype?

A little over two months before it opens, the Osaka Expo is just about ready to welcome guests from Japan and the rest of the world — that is, if they are ready to come.

Wawira Njiru, the founder of Food4Education, serves food during the opening of a new kitchen in Mombasa County, Kenya, in 2022. The organization started in 2012 by feeding 25 children out of a single kitchen. Now it feeds nearly half a million every day.

ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET

Jan 19, 2025

Amid rising world hunger, a Japan-inspired group in Kenya is making a big impact

Food4Education is helping feed half a million students through a program that drew inspiration from Japan's renowned school lunch programs.

On Dec. 11, Universal Studios Japan officially unveiled its new Donkey Kong Country area, putting the iconic character in the spotlight for the first time in a while.

LIFE / Travel

Dec 12, 2024

USJ’s new Donkey Kong Country is a barrel of fun

Mine Cart Madness is the area’s only ride, but there are shops and snacking options as well as chances to meet costumed characters from the iconic series.

A portion of the Tokyo skyline from an observatory deck at an industrial port in Kawasaki

ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET

Oct 20, 2024

Japan scientists are tracking the big climate problem with tiny aerosols

The clear signs of climate change are everywhere, but a Japan team has found a way to trace the crisis with something that's a little less visible: aerosols.

The Iron Dames car shared by Rahel Frey, Sarah Bovy and Michelle Gatting is pushed into the garage during the World Endurance Championship race in Austin, Texas, earlier this year.

MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing

Oct 15, 2024

While motorsports' inclusivity has improved, there's still work to be done

The Iron Dames team is among those battling for a more welcoming motorsports environment for women.

The Nintendo Museum opens to the public on Oct. 2, but unlike the company's all-ages games, the new attraction may be geared more toward older rather than younger gamers.

LIFE / Travel

Sep 25, 2024

A first look inside the new Nintendo Museum

Set to open on Oct. 2, the gaming giant's newest foray into real-world experiences shows flashes of the same creativity that made the company what it is today.

Fiji's Vuate Karawalevu races to score a try during the Pacific Nations Cup final against Japan at Hanazono Rugby Stadium in Higashiosaka, Osaka Prefecture, on Saturday.

MORE SPORTS / Rugby

Sep 22, 2024

Young Brave Blossoms squad outmatched against Fiji in Pacific Nations Cup final

Head coach Eddie Jones said the 41-17 loss was a "good reminder of how far we are off the mark."

Toyota Gazoo Racing fans cheer on the team at the start of the 6 Hours of Fuji race on Sunday at Fuji Speedway in Oyama, Shizuoka Prefecture.

MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing

Sep 20, 2024

For Toyota and its rivals, WEC becomes important arena amid major industry shift

Carmakers' involvement in endurance racing has taken on a new level of importance as the auto industry faces a once-a-generation sea change.

As team principal, Kamui Kobayashi's role with Toyota Gazoo Racing goes far beyond his performance behind the wheel.

MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing

Sep 15, 2024

Kamui Kobayashi still driven by passion after long career in driver’s seat

Despite turning 38 on Friday, Kobayashi is not ready to pump the brakes on his auto racing career.

The front facade at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. The stadium, widely regarded as the spiritual home of Japanese baseball, turns 100 on Thursday.

BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball

Jul 31, 2024

Koshien at 100: 'Sacred' dirt, the Hanshin Tigers and a storied high school tourney

For baseball fans across Japan, Koshien Stadium — which celebrates its 100th anniversary on Thursday — is more than just a ballpark. It's a cathedral.

Lamposts and other signs throughout Hirogawa, Wakayama Prefecture, display warnings, evacuation routes and measurements of height above sea level. The town has been hit by eight tsunami in its recorded history.

ENVIRONMENT / Earth science / OUR PLANET

Jul 21, 2024

Why Japanese researchers are looking to submarine cables for faster tsunami warnings

While Japan boasts one of the world's most sophisticated earthquake and tsunami detection systems, gaps still remain.

Thirty years after his death, Ayrton Senna remains a revered figure among motorsports fans in Japan.

MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing

May 1, 2024

30 years on, Japan's bond with Senna remains strong

During the driver's peak, Formula One grew to a point where the sport brought a second race to Japan in 1994.

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu during a practice session ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix. Komatsu is the first Japanese to hold the top position at a non-Japanese F1 team.

MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing

Apr 7, 2024

Tokyo native Ayao Komatsu brings ‘calm’ and ‘focus’ to improving Haas F1 team

The impact is apparent three months into leadership change that made Komatsu team principal.

Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda competes in the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday as the race's spring debut saw cherry blossoms greet the 20 drivers on the Formula One grid.

MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing

Apr 7, 2024

Tsunoda becomes first Japanese F1 driver to score a point at home since 2012

Tsunoda’s deep knowledge of the track paid off and Max Verstappen's Honda-powered Red Bull took the win.

Yuki Tsunoda will be looking to earn points at his home race for the first time when he starts 10th for Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix.

MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing

Apr 6, 2024

Tsunoda qualifies 10th as he eyes points at Japanese Grand Prix

A loud cheer from the 77,000 fans at Suzuka Circuit could be heard over the roar of Tsunoda’s Honda engine after he secured his top 10 position.

Ayumu Iwasa says his target is to be in F1 as a regular driver and become world champion.

MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing

Apr 5, 2024

RB’s Iwasa eager for more after first taste of an F1 weekend at Suzuka

The Osaka Prefecture native logged a fastest lap of 1:32.103 for RB, putting him 16th among the 20 drivers in the session

Yuki Tsunoda attends a promotional event ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, in Tokyo on Wednesday.

MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing

Apr 5, 2024

Japan favorite Tsunoda looks to shift career into higher gear at Suzuka

Without a race seat yet for 2025, the driver's future is up in the air.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen in action during the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, on Sept. 24.

MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing

Apr 4, 2024

Cherry blossoms greet F1 on eve of spring debut at Suzuka

Red Bull's Max Verstappen will be looking to reestablish a pecking order that has him firmly on top.

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr., RB's Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull's Max Verstappen, Williams' Alexander Albon, Mercedes' George Russell and Alpine's Pierre Gasly during a news conference in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, on Thursday

MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing

Apr 4, 2024

Five drivers to watch this weekend at Suzuka

The battles that take place further down the grid promise plenty of excitement this weekend.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

The building of new high-rise residential buildings has some alarmed that they could empty and fall into disrepair as Japan's population shrinks.

The high cost of letting Japan's condos crumble

By Tomoko Otake

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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