congratulates Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara after the JOC announced Wednesday that the capital, and not Fukuoka, will be the nation's candidate city to vie to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. SATOKO KAWASAKI PHOTO

The cost for Tokyo to campaign in the international selection round has been projected at 5.5 billion yen. The metro government will contribute 1.5 billion yen and the rest will be from the state as well as corporate donors and sponsors. Other cities expected to run for 2016 include Los Angeles; Chicago; Rio De Janeiro; Bangkok; Monterrey, Mexico; and Hamburg, Germany.

Our Planet

Hidetaka Ishii, an official at the Chiba Municipal Government, says close coordination with private-sector operators is key for regional decarbonization efforts.
Japan’s climate heroes show potential and limits of local initiatives

Longform

Wealthier women in the prewar era had been the targets of various media-related health campaigns that mistakenly encouraged them to avoid everything from riding bicycles to reading novels when their monthly cycles came around.
Menstruation in Japan: Breaking the silence, slowly