A collaborative effort uniting four dedicated researchers and 160 members of the public has culminated in a landmark nationwide survey of the Yamakagashi snake (Rhabdophis tigrinus), a species native to Japan. This extensive citizen science project...
The Japanese Ministry of the Environment has published its 2024 Environmental White Paper, Circular Economy White Paper, and Biodiversity White Paper following their approval by the Cabinet last Friday. These comprehensive documents outline Japan’s...
The conversation around sustainability and biodiversity is growing bigger every year, and now a unique initiative in Japan is making significant strides towards these while simultaneously championing women’s empowerment. The “WOMEN FOR...
How can we make our memories of travels more meaningful? Perhaps by leaving a place we visited during our journey in a better condition than when we arrived. There is increasing attention towards regenerative tourism, a step beyond sustainable...
Nose Town, located at the northernmost tip of Osaka Prefecture, is a place of easy access, just 40 minutes by car from Shin-Osaka, and yet it retains a close connection to nature, being designated as a “biodiversity hotspot” where...
The summer of 2023 has just begun, but heat waves and excess rains have already destroyed communities in the northern hemispheres, be it Shizuoka and Wakayama in Japan or Texas and Boston in the United States. More are surely on the way, with El...
Japan is endowed with greenery as 67% of its land is covered with forests. Yet it ranks 50th in the Climate Change Performance Index, below countries such as Egypt, Colombia, South Africa and Belarus. The low-level rating stems from insufficient...
It’s been 12 years since the magnitude-9 earthquake and 40-meter (130-feet) high tsunami hit northern Japan in March 2011. Prolonged evacuation is finally ending in Fukushima around the flooded nuclear facilities. Unfortunately, these deadly...
In recent years, biodiversity has been attracting attention both in Japan and overseas. According to the Ministry of the Environment, due to the impact of human activities, the rate of extinction of species on earth is between 100 to 1,000 times...
The unassuming seed contains local culture, history, and a way of life passed down from generation to generation. There’s been an increase in interest in seeds, too, due to the abolition of the Seed Law and the revision of the Seed and Seedling Law...