Tag - animals

 
 

ANIMALS

Officials with the agriculture ministry hold a news conference in Nagoya on Friday following an outbreak of avian influenza in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, earlier this month.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 20, 2025
More bird flu cases found in Japan; 1.44 million birds to be culled
A total of about 1.44 million birds at the seven farms and related facilities will be destroyed.
Agriculture minister Taku Eto speaks during a meeting on measures against bird flu at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2025
Bird flu cases surge as new year begins
So far in January, as many as 13 bird flu cases have been confirmed at chicken farms across the country.
Suzuki Motor President Toshihiro Suzuki (right) listens to explanations on the use of cow feces as fuel for cooking in Gujarat, western India, on Dec. 25.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 15, 2025
Suzuki Motor eyes cow feces for biogas fuel in India
The automaker is exploring means other than electric vehicles for realizing carbon neutrality.
A research team from Nagoya University and other institutions hopes that further testing on humans involving the antioxidant luteolin will lead to the development of a drug for preventing or reducing gray hair.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 14, 2025
Antioxidant found in broccoli, celery suppresses gray hair in mice
Researchers hope that further testing on humans could lead to the development of a drug that would prevent or reduce gray hair.
African tiger fish swim in the Okavango river in Botswana.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Jan 13, 2025
Study documents extinction threats to world's freshwater species
Threats to such species include pollution, dams and water extraction, agriculture and invasive species.
Nagoya University researchers used processed images of newts overlaid with snake scales to determine how long it took three Japanese macaques born in captivity to differentiate a scaled newt from snakes as they did to find a snake among such newts.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 6, 2025
Primates’ fear of snakes may be linked to reptiles’ scales, study finds
Nagoya University researchers conclude that snakes’ scales, rather than their elongated bodies, are what trigger fear among humans and monkeys.
JR Central President Shunsuke Niwa speaks during a group interview in Nagoya on Dec. 18.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 6, 2025
JR Central to let pet dogs ride on shinkansen
Shinkansen cars will be chartered to allow passengers to release their dogs from cages and move around inside the cars with the pets.
On Sunday, authorities in Iwate Prefecture began culling some 50,000 chickens Sunday after an outbreak of bird flu.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2025
Bird flu outbreaks strike Iwate Prefecture farms
It is the 19th bird flu outbreak of the season in Japan, the agriculture ministry said.
A falconer during the Suwa Falconry Preservation Society's event in Tokyo on Friday. Falconry predates recorded history, originating, scholars believe, when nomadic herders observed birds of prey hunting and recognized their potential as partners.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 5, 2025
Tokyo falconers keep ancient traditions soaring
While a recent showcase was all about fun and education, like other sports involving animals, falconry is also serious business for competitors at the upper echelons of the sport.
Although meat consumption has been dropping, it's not happening quickly enough to meet climate targets, something to keep in mind over the holidays.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 30, 2024
Why are my vegan friends going back to meat?
Helping people eat healthier diets with more fruit, vegetables and fiber would have enormous benefits for human well-being and the planet.
A sign warns of a nearby bear sighting in Takikawa, Hokkaido, on Oct. 17.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Dec 30, 2024
Hokkaido 2024: Looking back on Rapidus, bears and shinkansen
The key topics are expected to continue making headlines in 2025.
Cats sit on steps at Grazing Plains Farm in Newton, Kansas, in May. Researchers are keeping a close eye on the mounting cases of bird flu infections in cats.
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 28, 2024
New bird flu mutation discovered in U.S. as cat infections cause alarm
Several experts cautioned that it was too early to determine whether these changes would make the virus more transmissible or more severe in people.
A bear trap in Hokkaido Prefecture. Bears have recently been found inside homes and shops.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 27, 2024
Increasing number of Japanese bears find human dwellings ‘just right’
Cases of bears making their way into homes and shops are on the rise across the country as the animal's natural food sources become scarce.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom stands with Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng at an event welcoming pandas to the San Diego Zoo on Aug. 8. American intelligence agencies have warned of influence operations targeting city halls and statehouses. But what's in it for Beijing?
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 22, 2024
As China seeks influence, it has a cuddly way into city hall: pandas
Records and interviews show that Beijing has used pandas as leverage to shape policy on Taiwan and to cultivate relationships with local U.S. politicians.
A screen shot from YouTube user @lagelda shows the simplicity of going viral in Japan in 2024: A cat dancing to EDM in front of a green screen.
LIFE / Digital / Japan Pulse
Dec 17, 2024
Curiosity didn’t kill the meme: Why cats still rule Japanese YouTube
Cat memes continued to thrive and evolve in 2024. In Japan, they're not just for jokes — they’re for storytelling, venting and a little therapy.
Efforts to reduce methane emissions from dairy cows in the U.K. using the feed additive Bovaer, proven safe and effective, have sparked public backlash fueled by misinformation and conspiracy theories.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 16, 2024
No, sanitizing cow burps won’t sour your milk or contaminate your cheese
The problem the project addresses is real enough. Beef and dairy products are extremely carbon-intensive food items.
There is no guarantee that bird flu will ever begin transmitting between humans, and U.S. health authorities have emphasized that the risk to the general public remains low.
WORLD
Dec 12, 2024
'Knocking on our door': Experts warn of bird flu's pandemic threat
U.S. health authorities have emphasized that the risk to the general public remains low.
A sign warns of a nearby bear sighting in Takikawa, Hokkaido, in October.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 9, 2024
Firearm permit ruling casts shadow over work of Hokkaido bear hunters
A local high court upheld a decision to strip a hunter of his permit over allegations he fired in the direction of buildings during a culling.
Makoto Nakae, a researcher of swallowtail butterflies
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Dec 9, 2024
New museum set to bring butterflies of the world to Fukushima
The collection includes Japan’s only display of an extinct butterfly species native to South America.
Masayo Ishimaru, the head of volunteer group Tanpopo no Sato, cuddles cats rescued from a pet hoarder, in the city of Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, in September.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 4, 2024
Local governments tighten rules on pet ownership as hoarding persists
Municipalities are introducing mandatory reporting requirements for owners of large numbers of pets as well as fines for non-compliance.

Longform

Atsuyoshi Koike, the president and CEO of Rapidus, says there is a “sense of urgency” when it comes to Japan’s efforts in manufacturing semiconductors. “We have to make sure we are successful,” he says.
Atsuyoshi Koike’s big game: Fourth down and 2 nanometers to go