Tag - our-planet

 
 

OUR PLANET

Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2023
In Nagano, an excavation of Japan's ancient elephant looks to rewrite history
Researchers are looking for clues on how Naumann’s elephant went extinct, with findings having the potential to shift understanding of humankind’s presence in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 23, 2023
How a dig for Naumann's elephant is forging Japan's future scientists
The excavations at Lake Nojiri in Nagano Prefecture are unique because, unlike most archeological digs throughout Japan, anyone is allowed to participate.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 23, 2023
Subsidence in an Indian town raises wider concern for Himalayan region
The population in the Himalayan region — which grew by 250% from 1961 to 2011 — has stretched natural resources and caused major changes in land usage.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 9, 2023
Whales help store carbon. Scientists are trying to figure out just how much.
The giant creatures have a role to play in the fight against warming, and that all comes down to how they can help keep carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere in both direct and indirect ways.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2023
Could Hokkaido be the key to Japan's renewable ambitions?
As Japan looks to shift its energy mix toward cleaner sources, vast Hokkaido is drawing attention for its enormous potential for wind power.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2023
Japan's largest lake used to be a cesspool. Now it’s a vision of a sustainable future.
Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, has long been a center of flourishing agriculture and cultural progress, but it's also been at the center of countless environmental crises.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2023
In Japan, cherry blossom forecasting is a big deal. Warming is making it harder.
A robust system of forecasting has built up around Japan’s sakura festivities, but climate change is disrupting the former and threatening the latter.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2023
Weathering the storm: How Japan is factoring climate change into defense policy
Until recently, there was only limited interest in climate security within Japan’s defense circles, but that has changed as the challenges have become more evident.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2023
In the shadow of the Fukushima disaster, an unusual experiment in rewilding
Wild animals have been thriving and expanding their habitat around the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant since 2011, giving researchers a glimpse of nature’s resilience to radiation.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 26, 2023
Kanazawa sets an example for badly needed biodiversity policy in Japan
Japan’s cities may be typically clad in concrete, but there is one reliable source of verdant life: shrines and temples.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 26, 2023
Japanese power company's crypto plan highlights challenge of storing renewable energy
The recent decision to divert excess renewable energy to crypto operations highlights a broader issue amid the nation's green shift: How to store surplus energy.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 19, 2023
Amid renewed interest in nuclear fusion, Japan’s research reaches critical stage
The nation is helping to pave the way for a cutting-edge project in France, but international cooperation is moving toward competition.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 5, 2023
The Winter Olympics have a climate problem. Could Sapporo be part of the solution?
Sapporo is touting a study showing that among all past hosts, it will be the most climate resilient as the planet warms. But residents are less than enthusiastic about hosting.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 30, 2023
From lessons of 3/11, Japan scientists share knowledge of disaster resilience across Pacific
As Japan’s top researchers continue to glean new information from 3/11, some scientists are aiming to pass on that knowledge to the rest of the disaster-prone Pacific Rim.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 23, 2023
Transparent clams discovered off Hokkaido offer window into mystery of the deep sea
For insight into the vast sunless world thriving in some of the Earth's deepest waters, look no further than these three recently discovered clam species off the coast of Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 23, 2023
Why Japan's favorite fermented paste may hold the key to a low-carbon diet
The ancient art of fermentation, an essential part of Japanese cuisine, is helping reduce the environmental impact of the food we eat today, and will eat in the future.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 9, 2023
How researchers in disaster-prone Japan and the Pacific are rethinking city design
In the years following the 2011 megaquake and tsunami, seawalls have proliferated along northeastern Japan's Pacific coast. Some researchers are pushing for an alternative approach.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2022
With wildlife pests on the rise, Japan turns to novel countermeasures
The old-school approach of the nation's hunters is being pushed to its limits, prompting some to turn to unusual kinds of drones and robots.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 18, 2022
For firms, climate and deforestation becoming part of bigger ‘nature’ issue
Companies may still be tempted to treat their responsibilities on climate and forests as separate issues, but the two are intimately linked, an expert has stressed.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 14, 2022
25 years on from the protocol’s signing, did we ever 'Kyoto'?
Dec. 11 marked the 25th anniversary of the Kyoto Protocol, a landmark treaty that put the idea of global effort to save the planet on many national radars. To mark the event, The Japan Times has launched a new section, Our Planet, that will look at the climate crisis, earth science and disaster management...

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'