Environment
11 items
The Linear-Shizuoka Agreement Now Carries a Clause to Halt the Work — How a Century-Old Memory of Water Loss Became Procedure
On July 18, 2026, Shizuoka Prefecture and JR Central signed a nature-conservation agreement for the Linear Chuo Shinkansen, and the only unbuilt section, in Shizuoka, moves toward construction. What matters is the content: a clause to halt the work if something unforeseen arises. This is not the finale of a conflict drama but the result of a century-old memory — the Tanna Tunnel's water loss — transcribed, through a national expert panel, into numbers and procedure like the 30-day rule and the monitoring of 33 streams.
Bear Injuries Hit a Record 216 in Japan — Depopulation Has Emptied the Hands That Tended the Boundary
By Japan's Environment Ministry, bear-inflicted injuries hit a record 216, with 13 deaths, in FY2025, and sightings reached 50,801, 2.1 times FY2023. But a poor nut crop is only the trigger. Depopulation has drained the hands that tended the satoyama; abandoned farmland is turning, in quality, back into forest; and the buffer between people and the wild is dissolving from within. This reads not culling versus coexistence, but the vacancy of who manages the boundary.
Kumamoto's Car Society Cannot Be Solved by Roads — Transit's Downward Spiral and Planning Backward from Where People Live
Congestion is worsening in the Kumamoto urban area, where semiconductor industry is concentrating. The Kumamoto Urban Area Person Trip Survey shows the car's mode share rising from 64.4% to 67.3%, while the transit share fell from 5.9% to 5.2%. Adding roads does not clear congestion; in an expressway toll-free trial, traffic rose about 79%. This reads the downward spiral in which driver shortage leads to cuts, fewer riders, unprofitability, and withdrawal, and points to reconnecting where people live with transit by working backward, rather than widening roads.
WHO 2018 Environmental Noise Guidelines vs. Japan's Standards — What a Gap of Up to 25 dB Actually Means
The WHO Regional Office for Europe's 2018 environmental noise guidelines identify road noise at Lden 53 dB and above as raising the risk of heart attack and stroke, and recommend nighttime Lnight below 40 dB. Japan's environmental quality standards permit 45 dB at night in residential zones and 65 dB at night along arterial roads. This note reads the gap against the health-effects research.
Chemical Management and SDS Compliance: Legal Reform and the Burden Structure on Japanese SMEs
Japan's Industrial Safety and Health Act was amended in two phases (April 2023 and April 2024). The number of chemical substances subject to labeling, SDS notification, and risk assessment has expanded in stages from about 674 before the amendment, to about 896 in April 2024, to about 1,600 in April 2025, with a further staged expansion to roughly 2,900 substances from April 2026. The duty to appoint a chemical substance manager applies regardless of industry, scale, or quantity, and localizing SDS documents from overseas manufacturers has become the responsibility of importers. Starting from FIRST-HAND Local's reporting on a medical-research reagent SME in Tokyo, this article reads the burden structure of Japan's shift to autonomous chemical management from the perspective of small and medium-sized enterprises.
20% of Japan's Water Pipes Are Past Their Service Life — Data on an Invisible Infrastructure Crisis
Of Japan's 740,000 km of water pipes, 23.6% have exceeded the 40-year statutory useful life. With over 20,000 leak incidents annually, a replacement rate of just 0.64%, and full replacement requiring 130+ years, the data reveals an invisible infrastructure crisis demanding an average 48% rate hike across 96% of water utilities.
Structural Problems in Agriculture and Food Security——Reading the Meaning of 38% Self-Sufficiency
Analyzing the structural background of Japan's 38% food self-sufficiency rate. Tracing the chain from aging farmers to abandoned farmland to food security.
The Structure Behind 38% Food Self-Sufficiency — Rethinking Food Security in an Age of Globalization
Calorie self-sufficiency at 38%, soybean import dependency at 92.4%, food waste of 4.64 million tons, and child poverty at 11.5%. Japan's food security paradox.
Can Nuclear Power Be a Viable Option for 'Decarbonization'?
A simulation debate analyzing the trade-off between nuclear power's decarbonization potential and safety risks. Examines lifecycle CO2 emissions, nuclear waste management, and the optimal combination with renewable energy from the perspective of energy mix structure.
Renewable Energy and the Regional Economy — New Inequalities Born of the Energy Transition
Analyzing regional disparities in renewable energy deployment and the structural impact on local economies. Reading the asymmetry of benefits and burdens.
Can Climate Action and Economic Growth Coexist?
A simulation debate contrasting green growth theory with degrowth arguments. Examines whether Japan can achieve the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C target while sustaining economic growth, and whether transitioning away from GDP-dependent models is realistic.