Tag - water

 
 

WATER

Kotaro Seki, CEO of Ellange, in front of the truck that he uses to collect nets from fisheries
JAPAN / Society / OUR PLANET
Jan 7, 2024
Trash into treasure: Can fishing net waste be the future of fashion?
A pair of Japanese startups are looking to solve a problem for the nation's fisheries: What to do with old fishing nets.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left) and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visit the cenotaph for atomic bomb victims in Hiroshima on May 21 during the Group of Seven summit. Zelenskyy’s visit to one of the two cities attacked with a nuclear weapon came amid Russia’s veiled threats to use its nuclear arsenal in its war against Ukraine.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2023
Images of 2023: Japan
Outside of the successful G7 summit, the year was not kind to PM Fumio Kishida's unpopular administration. A kickback scandal provided one final headache.
Boys wait to fill containers with water at a camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Dec. 16.
WORLD / Society
Dec 22, 2023
Parched Gaza residents praise water tasting 'like sugar' from Egypt
While clean water is badly wanted, Gaza's ruined infrastructure means it is hard to distribute beyond the border town of Rafah.
Fishermen land scallops at Nemuro Port in Nemuro, Hokkaido, in April 2022.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2023
Japan to test scallop processing in Mexico
Under the plan scallops will be processed in Ensenada in the Mexican state of Baja California, about 100 kilometers from the border with the U.S.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s new factory in Kumamoto Prefecture. New chipmaking plants in Japan are raising questions about securing workers and adequate water supplies.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 19, 2023
Kumamoto and Hokkaido face common tasks of securing water and talent
With ambitious projects advancing, the two prefectural governments forged an agreement in August, aiming to facilitate exchanges of information.
Rahm Emanuel, U.S. ambassador to Japan, eats scallops from Hokkaido at Yokota Air Base in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2023
U.S. TV commercials to promote Japanese scallops
The move comes after demand from the Chinese market evaporated when China introduced a blanket ban on Japanese fishery products in August this year.
Water tanks containing treated radioactive water on the grounds of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in October
JAPAN
Dec 15, 2023
Tepco's Fukushima No. 1 victim compensation costs set to rise
Factors in the increase includes pay outs to fishery operators due to the releases into the ocean of tritium-containing treated wastewater from the plant.
Salmon on sale in Sapporo on Dec. 1. The region has been hit hard by a Chinese ban on Japanese seafood products following the release into the ocean of treated, tritium-laced water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Dec 15, 2023
Hokkaido to face issues around Rapidus, seafood and '2024 problem'
An influx of foreign residents is expected in Chitose, while China's ban on marine products continues to hurt the region.
The Climate Action Network holds an event at the venue of the U.N. climate change conferences in Dubai on Sunday to give its 'fossil' award to countries including Japan.
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 7, 2023
Feeling anxious? Wastewater, heat and Japan’s year in climate
In a year that saw Japan release 24,000 tons of wastewater (so far) from Fukushima No. 1 as the planet smashed heat records, it’s no wonder climate anxiety is on the rise. Mara Budgen joins us to break down the year in environment news, where we could see hope, and what we should be worried about.
Overseas fish buyers participating in a business tour organized by the Japan External Trade Organization visit a fish market in the city of Aomori on Monday.
BUSINESS
Dec 4, 2023
Overseas fish buyers begin business trip in Japan
JETRO organized the tour to help fishery business operators find alternative buyers in the wake of China's ban on Japanese marine products.
A pipeline transporting seawater is part of the facility for releasing treated radioactive water into the ocean from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 27, 2023
Japan’s wastewater release could bring the region together
The release of treated radioactive water from Fukushima No. 1 could be a springboard for more transparency around nuclear energy in Japan and all of Asia.
Yoko Kamikawa
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 26, 2023
Kamikawa conveys ‘comfort women’ stance to South Korean envoy
Kamikawa urged Seoul to "immediately take appropriate measures" to rectify the situation.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa shakes hands with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, during bilateral talks in Busan, South Korea, on Saturday evening.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 25, 2023
Japanese and Chinese top envoys eye more talks on Fukushima row
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa met with China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, on Saturday in Busan, South Korea, ahead of a trilateral summit.
U.S. President Joe Biden greets Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Woodside, California, on Nov. 15.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Nov 21, 2023
'Offensive' and 'defensive' diplomacy: Managing ties with China
Since the 20th National Congress of the CCP, in October last year, Beijing has been seeking to maintain a balance.
A cook prepares sashimi in China's Shandong Province in August.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 19, 2023
China's imports of Japanese fishery products down 99% in October
China fully banning imports of fishery products from Japan from Aug. 24 when the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant water discharge started.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to face further headwinds at home, despite efforts to highlight his diplomatic achievements.
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2023
Kishida focuses on diplomacy amid poor public support rates
Showing off his contribution to the discussions at the APEC summit, the prime minister expressed his eagerness to continue with diplomacy. 
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at a news conference following the conclusion of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 18, 2023
Kishida to press China on Fukushima ban after deal on expert talks
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday that China had agreed to expert-level talks aimed at addressing its ban on Japanese seafood.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose for a family photo during an APEC summit in San Francisco on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 17, 2023
Kishida and Xi aim for trade progress despite lingering tensions
Their talks signaled initial momentum toward a cautious detente, although the two countries appeared to prioritize an improvement in economic ties.
As of the end of March 2022, only 48% of all water pipes in Tokyo were quake-proof.
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2023
Tokyo to install quake-resistant pipe joints to avoid water outages
As of the end of March 2022, only 48% of all water pipes in Tokyo were quake-proof.
Shiseido shares tumbled the most in 36 years on Monday after it slashed full-year profit forecasts on sluggish China demand.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 16, 2023
China slowdown adds to boycott woes for Japanese beauty stocks
Cosmetics firms are finding that reliance on the world's second-biggest economy to drive sales is a double-edged sword.

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’