Japan has one of the highest installed renewable energy capacities in the world. The country is also one of the world’s largest consumers of energy. Lacking its own fossil fuel resources, it relies on imports for nearly all of its supply. This dependence on imports makes the country vulnerable to …
The global human health impact of the diesel emissions scandal has been revealed by new research showing a minimum of 38,000 people a year die early due to the failure of diesel vehicles to meet official limits in real driving conditions. Researchers have created the first global inventory of the …
Japan's weather bureau said on Friday it sees a 50 percent chance of the El Nino weather pattern emerging by the beginning of autumn. The Japan Meteorological Agency said last month there was a 50 percent chance that El Nino would emerge by August. The U.S. government's Climate Prediction Center …
Lusaka -The worldwide ban on the trade of both legal and illegally acquired ivory has left Zambia stuck with more than 52 tonnes of both legal and illegal ivory worth over US$100 million because of the worldwide trade ban of the commodity. According to government data, if Zambia was allowed …
The region of Hokkaido, Xinhua in Japan has been hit by a preliminary 5.5 magnitude earthquake, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. On the Japanese seismic scale, it registered at a level four. Anything from six and up would be powerful enough to lift people off their feet and topple …
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a $3.5 million contribution from the Government of Japan to provide desperately needed food assistance to tens of thousands of internally displaced people in Northeast Nigeria. The funding allows WFP to deliver food to more than 160,000 people in Borno and …
Around 1,500 people visit an industrial waste treatment facility in central Japan each year to see up close how the operator can recycle more than 99 percent of the solid garbage it receives from a variety of manufacturers and municipalities. Nakadai Co., which covers the Kanto region, accepts 60 tons …
The contractor hired to carry out the final round of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s groundwater survey at the new Toyosu wholesale food market said Saturday it was told to use a method that deviated from previous survey practices. The ninth round of the two-year-long survey, conducted between late November and …
An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 shook northeastern Japan on Tuesday, the Meteorological Agency said, but no tsunami warning was issued and nuclear plant operators reported no problems at their facilities. The 4:49 p.m. temblor, which originated at a depth of around 52 kilometers off the coast of Fukushima …
Fishermen in Fukushima Prefecture have decided to expand the fishing zone off the northeastern prefecture nearly six years after a nuclear crisis caused havoc in the region. The Fukushima Prefectural Federation of Fisheries Co-operative Associations will next month narrow down the restricted zone to within a 10-km radius of the …
NIIGATA – Smoke emerged at a service building of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture on Thursday but it quickly dissipated after a firefighting effort by workers, its operator said. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. said there was no radiation leak in the incident. The utility has …
Mangrove plantation belts are expected to act as natural infrastructural buffers against coastal hazards. However, their performance will not endure over time if the platform is not appropriately designed. In fact, despite massive funds dedicated to the rehabilitation of mangrove forests, the long-term survival rates of mangroves are generally low. …
The objective of the study is to assess the overall effect of vitamin D supplementation on risk of acute respiratory tract infection, and to identify factors modifying this effect. Original Source
The volume of discarded electronics in East and South-East Asia jumped almost two-thirds between 2010 and 2015, and e-waste generation is growing fast in both total volume and per capita measures, new UNU research shows. Driven by rising incomes and high demand for new gadgets and appliances, the average increase …
With millions of people pouring into the region's cities each year, resources are strained and disaster risks are rising. As millions of people pour into East Asia’s cities each year, the region’s governments face the pressing task of easing the enormous strain on resources and infrastructure, and limiting residents’ exposure …
Some 14,000 km from Japan, a 33-member team is researching a wide range of issues on global warming at Showa Station, Japan’s Antarctic research center. A key pursuit in the research is how global warming is affecting the continent, premised on the notion that rising sea temperatures may be causing …
Japanese automakers Toyota and Suzuki, which began discussing a partnership in October, said Monday they would work together in ecological and safety technology — a rapidly growing area in the industry. Toyota Motor Corp., the maker of the Camry sedan, Prius hybrid and Lexus luxury models, and Suzuki Motor Corp., …
The health ministry is considering a legal revision to ban smoking in public areas to help bring Japan’s battle against secondhand smoke in line with the global standard ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, an official said Tuesday. It remains unclear, however, how forceful a step the ministry can take …
Research of the geophysical electromagnetic phenomena with seismic activity is important for hazard-resistant strategy. Many papers which indicate the existence of geophysical electromagnetic phenomena associated with earthquakes are reported frequently. Anomalous propagation in the radio waves is sometimes related with earthquakes. In previous paper, authors proposed a new concept to …
Climate-fragility risks are a major security challenge for Japan and the Asia-Pacific region. Japan can build on important lessons learned from other G7 countries such as Germany and the USA as well as its own experiences and significant strengths in fields such as Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) to address these …
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 hit eastern Japan on Wednesday night, but no tsunami warning was issued, public broadcaster NHK said. There were no immediate reports of damages or injuries from the quake which struck at 9:38 p.m. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake struck at …
