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August 13, 2026
 

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WHALES

Tourists return from a whale-watching excursion, outside a ticket office in the Old Harbour district of Reykjavik on May 28.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Jun 23, 2026
Iceland kills first whales since 2023, resuming commercial hunt
Iceland is one of only three countries that still openly permit whaling, alongside Norway and Japan.
In an undated image provided by Project CETI, the birth of a sperm whale.
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 31, 2026
Scientists filmed a whale birth. The surprise: Mom had many helpers.
The findings add to a growing body of research indicating that humans are not the only species in which mothers receive some form of help during and after birth.
A rendering of the "big right whale of Sapporo," whose fossils have been found to be a new type of right whale
JAPAN
Sep 22, 2025
Fossils unearthed in Hokkaido revealed to be of new whale species
The fossil bones were first discovered by a local citizen along the Toyohira River in Sapporo in October 2008.
Killer whales have been caught on video breaking off pieces of seaweed and using them to rub and groom each other, scientists announced on Monday, saying it is the first evidence of cetacean tool manufacturing.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 25, 2025
Killer whales use seaweed as tools to groom each other
The researchers hypothesize that the behavior promotes skin health while strengthening social bonds.
Whales sense their surroundings largely through sound and create complex vocalizations, or songs, when they¡¯re searching for mates and food.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Mar 22, 2025
Why we should worry when whales stop singing
A new study has found that whale songs can act as a barometer for the effects of climate change on ocean ecosystems.
Ramen with simmered tuna cheek meat and soup made from bluefin tuna bones in Tokyo's Koto Ward
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 4, 2025
Novel seafood noodles become flavor of the moment in Tokyo
Noodles served with tuna, yellowtail, whale meat or other ingredients are gaining in popularity.
Greenpeace activists protest next to a fake whale's tail in front of the Japanese Embassy in Berlin in 2010. The real motivation behind Japan's whaling may lie in asserting its maritime sovereignty, as the country defends its exclusive economic zone amid territorial disputes.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 19, 2024
For Japan, whaling is intertwined with maritime sovereignty
While Japan has an undeniable culture surrounding seafood, the current generation of people do not show much interest in whale meat.
Environmental activist Paul Watson waves after getting released from prison in Nuuk, Greenland, on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 18, 2024
Japan ¡®regrets¡¯ release of anti-whaling activist Paul Watson
The 74-year-old Canadian-American activist was released after Copenhagen turned down Tokyo¡¯s request to bring him to Japan.
A scene from "Whale Restaurant," a documentary film about whale food culture in Japan
JAPAN / Society
Sep 30, 2024
Documentary on whale food culture in Japan showing in U.S.
Director Keiko Yagi said she found it difficult to find theaters that would agree to show the film.
A guest uses chopsticks to grab and taste raw meat from a fin whale at the exhibition and business meeting of domestically produced fin whales hosted by Japan's whaling company Kyodo Senpaku at Tokyo's Toyosu market on Friday.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 14, 2024
Hearts, tails and blubber at Japan fin whale tasting
¡°Once young people eat it and they realize it¡¯s good, they will eat it more and more,¡± said Hideki Tokoro, the head of Â鶹´«Ã½ main whaling firm.
The Kangei Maru, a 9,300-ton whaling mothership, was launched in May.
JAPAN
Sep 11, 2024
Japan shows first commercial fin whale catch in 48 years
The country this year added the fin whale to a catch list that already includes minke, Bryde¡¯s and sei whales.
Japan's new whaling mother ship, the Kangei Maru, arrives at Ariake pier in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN
May 23, 2024
WiFi, drones and sharp blades on Â鶹´«Ã½ whaling mother ship
The country has a quota this year of around 350 Bryde¡¯s, minke and sei whales.
Japan's new whaling mothership, the Kangei Maru, is seen during the ship's launch ceremony at a port in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, on Tuesday.
JAPAN
May 22, 2024
Â鶹´«Ã½ new 9,300-ton whaling vessel sets sail on first hunt
The departure of the Kangei Maru heralds a new era for an industry defended by the government as an integral part of Japanese culture.
Japan will add large fin whales to its list of commercial whaling species.
JAPAN
May 9, 2024
Japan to start hunting fin whales after five years of commercial whaling
The country resumed commercial whaling in 2019, after withdrawing from an international body that regulates the commercial hunt of the marine mammals.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2024
Whale found dead in Osaka Bay to be buried on prefectural land
After being buried for up to two years, the skeletal remains will be offered as a specimen to the Osaka Museum of Natural History.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 7, 2024
Orcas appear to escape after being trapped in drift ice off Hokkaido coast
Local officials are hopeful that the animals escaped to safety as the density of drift ice decreased Wednesday.
Tourists leave Ittoqqortoormiit, Denmark, after visiting the village on Aug. 20.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Oct 4, 2023
Inuit hunters blame cruise ships as narwhal disappear
While some view Arctic tourism as a means to reinvigorate the community, others worry it could destroy the last surviving Inuit hunting societies.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 12, 2023
Portugal bans tourist boats from approaching orcas after incidents
Authorities say boats should move away from the animals to avoid contact, and that if they are already close, vessels need to stop, leaving the engine running, until they leave.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 3, 2023
For toothed whales, sound production is all in the nose
Echolocating toothed whales make the loudest sounds in the animal kingdom by forcing highly pressurized air past structures called phonic lips in their nose.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 15, 2023
Deep-sea mining noise pollution threatens whales, study finds
Scientists warned that commercial-scale extraction of valuable minerals from the ocean floor would damage habitats and interfere with the way cetaceans communicate.
Gut bacteria may be behind many of Â鶹´«Ã½ colorectal cancer cases
A Japanese research team found that a toxin produced by certain E. coli strains, colibactin, caused genetic mutations in nearly half of colorectal cancer cases studied
¡®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.
She is Russia¡¯s richest woman. Her business empire is going up in flames.
Tatyana Kim, the head and co-founder of Wildberries, speaks about Ukrainian drone attacks on the company's warehouses in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, at an unidentified location, in this still image from a handout video released on July 31.
Severe tropical storm Chan-hom makes landfall near Tokyo
Severe Tropical Storm Chan-hom made landfall around Ibaraki Prefecture, near Tokyo, on Tuesday night.
What Â鶹´«Ã½ language rules for permanent residency should look like
Potential health care workers hoping to find work in Japan take Japanese language instruction in Jakarta. Not all applicants for permanent residency should be expected to reach this level of proficiency.
Where do foreign residents in Japan want to die?
The Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery is one of the few cemeteries in Japan that allows burials, albeit with conditions for the deceased, including foreign nationality and permanent residency in Kanagawa Prefecture.
¡®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.
As Â鶹´«Ã½ concrete jungles sizzle, urban forestry offers an all-natural fix
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.
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.

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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