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August 11, 2026
 

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Tomoko Otake

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Tomoko Otake
Tomoko Otake is a senior writer with a strong interest in health, medical and social issues. A native of Nara Prefecture, she obtained an M.A. in journalism from The University of Montana.
People and birds find relief from the sun in Tokyo's Nakano Ward earlier this month. While experts agree that urban greening is crucial to mitigating the impact of climate change, trees are becoming even more scarce in Japanese cities.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Aug 9, 2026
As Â鶹´«Ã½ concrete jungles sizzle, urban forestry offers an all-natural fix
Increasing tree coverage in Japanese cities could have myriad benefits as the planet warms. But canopy coverage in Tokyo and beyond is headed in the wrong direction.
Mugi, a female lion at Tama Zoo in Tokyo, has died following a heat wave in July.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 4, 2026
Three lions die at Tokyo¡¯s Tama Zoo amid heat wave
Three other lions are currently ill and unable to stand up.
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 21, 2026
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
The discovery of a new seed of the amyloid beta protein could lead to early-stage therapy for neurodegenerative disease, according to researchers.
Amid the heat and humidity in Japan, a good night¡¯s sleep is growing increasingly elusive without the heavy use of air conditioning.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Jul 19, 2026
Summer has arrived in Japan and so have hot sleepless nights
Around the world, human-induced climate change is at least partly to blame for a growing sleep deficit.
The number of requests filed in Japan for compensation for work-induced deaths and illnesses rose to a record 6,212 in fiscal 2025, the health ministry said Wednesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 15, 2026
Japan logs record compensation payouts for °ì²¹°ù¨­²õ³ó¾± and work-related illnesses
The number of people who received government compensation for death and illnesses related to overwork hit a record 1,310 in fiscal 2025 ¡ª the fourth year in a row with a new high.
Since April 2024, the amount of overtime doctors can perform has been capped at a maximum of 960 hours per year.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 14, 2026
15% of doctors put in over 960 hours of overtime, health ministry survey finds
The results come despite yearslong efforts to address overwork in the medical industry.
The health ministry said that it will hold off on strengthening regulations against secondhand smoke emitted from heated tobacco products, citing a lack of scientific evidence concerning its health risks.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 9, 2026
Japan shelves beefing up regulations for heated tobacco products
Some public health experts have advocated for tougher measures against heated tobacco products, saying the ministry should apply precautionary principles.
A female technician maintaining and inspecting machinery
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 26, 2026
Takaichi¡¯s blueprint of women¡¯s policies focuses on menopause, education and housekeepers
Support for women¡¯s health in different stages of life forms one of the main pillars of the government plan.
Researchers are able to use cow tendons in humans without triggering an immune response through a unique ¡°decellularization¡± technology.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 25, 2026
Cow tendons eyed as ligament material for ACL reconstruction surgery
One of the researchers involved hopes to eventually apply the cow-derived material to the reconstruction of other ligaments in the knee, as well as in the ankle and inner elbow.
Erin and Munekazu Tanikawa look out from their balcony at the construction site of a planned 52-meter-tall data center that would dominate their surroundings, in the city of Inzai, Chiba Prefecture, last month.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET
Jun 21, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ AI goldrush faces backlash as data centers sprout up in urban areas
Residents living next to new developments are raising concerns over environmental and health issues linked to the ¡°factories¡± of today.
Social camouflaging can help neurodivergent people navigate social situations, but researchers say the effort often comes with significant emotional and mental strain.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Longform
Jun 12, 2026
The challenge of being neurodivergent in Â鶹´«Ã½ culture of conformity
As awareness grows, more Japanese adults are finding answers to challenges that went unnoticed for years.
A surgeon fills a syringe with Eli Lilly's Mounjaro, a tirzepatide injection drug used for treating type 2 diabetes and weight loss.
JAPAN / Science & Health / EXPLAINER
Jun 10, 2026
¡®Thinness equals beauty¡¯: Mounjaro misuse among women sparks health debate in Japan
The nation is one of the leanest in the world, making the misuse of the diabetes drug simply for weight loss that much more alarming.
Elevated water levels are seen along the Tama River in Kawasaki's Tama Ward as Tropical Storm Jangmi brought heavy rain and strong winds to the Kanto region Wednesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health / FOCUS
Jun 4, 2026
Japan should prepare for an intense typhoon season this year, experts say
Tropical Storm Jangmi could be just a harbinger of an intense typhoon season to threaten Japan this year.
Health minister Kenichiro Ueno at an Upper House plenary session following the passage of a bill to reform the nation's health care insurance system
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 29, 2026
Japan passes bill to raise co-payments for prescription drugs similar to OTC counterparts
The health ministry plans to require individuals to bear additional costs for some 1,100 over-the-counter-like prescription drugs starting in March 2027.
Medical brain scans under analysis. Associate professor Ken-ichiro Kuwako at Shimane University¡¯s School of Medicine, whose team has identified a set of proteins in mouse nerve cells that declines with age, hopes the research may ultimately offer potential for intervention in physiological aging of the human brain.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 22, 2026
Scientists discover molecular process of normal brain aging
The findings could one day help lead to therapies to preserve brain function.
Japan is a leading and growing market for HTPs, also known as heat-not-burn products. They use electronic devices to heat tobacco and create a nicotine-containing aerosol without burning it.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 21, 2026
Heated tobacco products may be more harmful than cigarettes, Japan panel review says
The literature review found that heated tobacco products may produce greater amounts of cancer-causing substances than regular cigarettes.
A team of Japanese researchers has found that people who have suffered from heatstroke were twice as likely to develop cataracts.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 13, 2026
Heatstroke doubles risks for cataracts, Japanese study finds
The study by researchers at the Nagoya Institute of Technology is the largest one to show a possible link between a rise in body temperature and the condition.
The surge in bankruptcies among medical and nursing care operators is mostly attributed to staff shortages and rising costs.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 4, 2026
Bankruptcies among Â鶹´«Ã½ medical and nursing care providers surge
A total of 478 bankruptcies were recorded in fiscal 2025, the highest level since 1988.
A Maholo humanoid robot carries out a series of tasks at the Institute of Science Tokyo's Robotics Innovation Center, during the center's opening last month.
JAPAN / Science & Health / FOCUS
May 4, 2026
Japanese scientists push for AI use in medical research and diagnoses
The technology has the potential to free staff from time-consuming, repetitive lab work and reduce human error.
An agrivoltaic crop, in which solar panels are raised about 3 meters off the ground so that agricultural machinery can freely operate on the crops underneath, in Sosa, Chiba Prefecture.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
May 3, 2026
As Iran war sends oil prices soaring, some see fresh potential for solar in Japan
While megasolar projects are facing headwinds at the government level, some see renewed potential for solar sharing and smaller-scale, off-grid systems.
America¡¯s cyberforces grapple with cluster of deaths by suicide
The U.S. Cyber Command building (center) stands on the National Security Agency campus at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Many Indonesians named after Japanese anime characters
Some people in Indonesia are named Doraemon, the name of a lead character of the blockbuster anime series with the same title.
Yasukuni Shrine introduces ban on military attire and cosplay
People gather in front of thousands of lanterns on display at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on July 15 during the Mitama Matsuri, one of the capital's largest summer o-Bon festivals.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
J. League enters new era as league kicks off first fall-spring campaign
Players from each J. League club pose during a kickoff event on Monday ahead of the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
Speaking Japanese at the movies with ¡®Chiikawa¡¯
A "Chiikawa The Movie" poster is seen at Toho Cinemas in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.
How Â鶹´«Ã½ racehorses find second careers away from the track
TCC Therapy Park is supported financially by racing organizations as well as donations from members of the public.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

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