Nipponica

Energy company Eneos will soon launch a pilot initiative with printing group Toppan Holdings to recycle discarded paper into bioethanol, part of an effort to find a stable supply of the decarbonized fuel.

The field test is due to take place in early 2027. If successful, the companies aim to commercialize the technology as soon as fiscal 2030.

Cool tech, but the real money maker is to somehow convert all the waste plastic bags and packaging in this country into something useful.

Americans expressed mixed views on whether the atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were justified, a survey by a U.S. research group showed Monday, signaling a possible change in the country's prevailing view that the attacks were necessary to bring a quick end to World War II.

The nationwide survey, conducted by Pew Research Center, revealed that 35 percent of American adults think using nuclear weapons in 1945 was justified, while 31 percent thought otherwise. A third said they are not sure.

The troubling thing here is that if you combine the 'pro-nuke' cohort with the 'dunno' one, it is still a clear majority that are either clueless or in support of mass civilian death.

For the January-June first half, tax-free sales totaled 285.7 billion yen, down 14.6%.

Some of the declines may have been exaggerated by a drop in tourism from Hong Kong and other mainly Chinese-speaking countries due to rumors of an imminent earthquake, which turned out to be groundless.

But industry officials caution that the slowdown may not be temporary and are redoubling their efforts to attract foreign shoppers amid global economic headwinds. Economists warn that the impact of Trump's tariffs -- on Friday the baseline 10% rate is set to go up -- will further raise consumer anxiety around the world.

Putting the Hong Kong earthquake hoax to one side, this is an example of actions having consequences. There is a slow anti-tourist movement growing in Japan and this is a natural and obvious result.

While I do understand the dislike of some tourist behavior and overcrowding, one also has to factor in the benefits of it, not just monetary but also in boosting Japan’s soft power. If the anti-tourism sentiment continues and increases, Japanese may have a quieter and less crowded country, but also a weaker and poorer one as well.

Support is growing within the Japan Innovation Party for the prospect of forming a coalition with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito.

Support for joining the coalition is largely emerging from Osaka, the party’s home turf. JIP leader Hirofumi Yoshimura, who is also the governor of Osaka Prefecture, said Tuesday: “It’s important to establish a secondary capital, given the need to correct the ‘one-city dominance’ of Tokyo and handle national crisis management and economic growth.”

Such an arrangement with the LDP and Komeito could have a short term gain and allow the JIP to move closer to their Osaka Domination goal. But, looking longer term, if the LDP slide continues, they will be dragged down with them.

Also Wakkanai is really feeling left out of this second capital discussion.

Feral goats in the village of Higashi’s Takae district in northern Okinawa Prefecture were designated by the Okinawa Prefectural Government in 2023 as an invasive species that urgently needs to be controlled.

Wild goats are causing damage to crops in the village, as well as on Iriomote Island, and there are concerns that they could negatively impact the forest ecosystems harboring rare animals and plants.

The village and prefectural authorities are working to catch the goats and prevent the spread of the invasive species.

A tale of unchecked immigration gone wrong in the hills of northern Okinawa. A plague of west Asian goats taking precious grass from the local people. A damn shame and a disgrace.

A relatively strong earthquake struck the Hokkaido region at around 0:10 p.m. Monday. The magnitude is estimated to be 5.3, and the eastern Hidaka and southern Tokachi regions measured 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale.

Typhoon Komei, also known as Typhoon No. 8, which had turned into a tropical cyclone, became a typhoon again Sunday night over the sea near the main island of Okinawa. It will pass near the main island of Okinawa on Monday afternoon.

Meanwhile, a large and strong Typhoon Krosa, also known as Typhoon No. 9, is moving northward at about 30 km/h with stormy winds as of 9:00 a.m. Monday morning over the waters near the Ogasawara Islands. The central pressure is 965 hectopascals, and the maximum wind speed near the center is 40 meters.

Stay safe out there.

Ishiba's resignation seems inevitable in the current political environment. He is expected to make a final decision as early as August on whether to step down.

On how long they would like Ishiba to stay, 36% of respondents said that "he should be replaced immediately" -- the highest percentage since he took office.

August is going to begin quite soon. Better start your pros and cons list Ishiba-chan.

Principal Miki Okada remarked, "In recent years, even Sapporo has experienced dangerous heat levels. Last year, there were days when the temperature inside the school building exceeded 30 C. Air conditioning is essential not only for creating a conducive learning environment but also for protecting students' lives."

Following the record high temperature of 36.3 C in Sapporo in the summer of 2023, the city began installing air conditioning in all municipal schools and kindergartens (312 facilities, approximately 6,000 rooms) starting in fiscal 2024. This summer, 39 schools (roughly 580 rooms), accounting for 12.5% of the total, had permanent air conditioners with outdoor units for the first time. The education board is expected to have 67.3% coverage by the summer of 2026, with all schools equipped by the summer of 2027.

As a Hokkaido-jin, this is a sad but necessary reality. This year’s summer was horrendous and most infrastructure was never built to need AC. I have never felt so lucky to have AC in my building than I was this year.

On Thursday, Koike held a 15-minute meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the organisation’s headquarters in New York. There, she proposed that more of the UN’s offices be relocated to cities elsewhere in the world, including Tokyo.

“Tokyo would like to provide various types of support [to the UN],” Koike told reporters after the meeting, highlighting the city’s advantages over other locations, such as “public safety, security and now, with the weak yen, there are other positive aspects to life”.

Guterres acknowledged that his office had “received offers of cooperation from various countries and regions”, but declined to elaborate on the Japanese proposal or whether it might be pursued further.

The UN offices across the world are heavily weighted towards New York and Europe, with the base in Nairobi being the main exception. Tokyo is already an HQ for one UN body, the United Nations University so it would make sense as a new Asian base outside its primarily regional office in Bangkok (which is facing a huge funding problem this year).

Traveling abroad as a Japanese resident forces me to become a honorary diplomat for my home nation. The ‘Cool Japan’ era has been over for a long while, but the country still is a soft powerhouse throughout the world.

As part of the extended deterrence talks in recent years, Tokyo and Washington have held multiple tabletop exercises to strategize a scenario in which a conflict broke out in East Asia and the United States is pressured to use nuclear weapons, according to the sources.

With that in mind, Japan and the United States reviewed how to coordinate and how to deal with issues stemming from the possible use of nuclear weapons, such as managing public opinion. Discussions also broached how much information the United States can share with Japan, the sources said.

A totally normal thing to do and publicly report I'm sure.

Nongshim, the South Korean food company known for its Shin Ramyun instant noodle brand, opened a Shin Ramyun Bunsik pop-up shop in June that will last for a year. "Bunsik" is Korean for "food made from flour" and commonly refers to inexpensive Korean dishes like ramen and tteokbokki simmered rice cakes.

Housed in the Okudo Dining & Cafe on trendy Takeshita-dori Street, the Korean-style noodle bar is operated by sales subsidiary Nongshim Japan and aims to attract Japanese women and visitors from abroad. In its instagrammable interior, customers can cook noodles, sold in plastic bags, using automated cookers. After setting the timers on the cookers, hot water pours into the dedicated bowls, which are being warmed at the same time.

Interested that they are focusing on 'Japanese women and visitors from abroad'. Are Japanese men too close-minded to try Korean food?

A postelection survey conducted by Kyodo News showed Friday that 56.4 percent of House of Councillors members do not favor a ruling coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Komeito party.

Asked about the preferred form of government after the election, 23.3 percent supported an opposition-led coalition, while 33.1 percent called for a new political framework through realignment, indicating a desire for change from the current ruling structure.

Thoughts and prayers to Ishiba-chan.

Mirai II, a Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) research vessel, is capable of breaking through sea ice up to 1.2 meters thick. The 128-meter-long Mirai II will help open marine transportation routes and conduct weather observations that previously had been difficult because sea routes were unavailable in the Arctic Ocean.

The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry has poured ¥33.9 billion into construction of the Mirai II, which is Japan’s first research vessel equipped with ice-breaking capabilities. Construction began in 2021, the vessel was launched in March this year and it will be completed in autumn 2026. The ship’s ability to smash through thick ice will enable it to sail through the Arctic Ocean almost all year round.

A very cool ship that will help Japan secure itself as both an Arctic and Antarctic nation. With the Americans pulling funding for their science programs, Japan has the opportunity to step into the red, white, and blue void to be a leader in Arctic research.

Even now, eight decades after his arrival, MacArthur's legacy casts a long shadow over Japan's politics, identity and security. For some, he was a reformer who laid the foundations of democracy, pacifism and prosperity. For others, he was a foreign dictator who imposed a constitution that stifled Japan's sovereignty. Either way, the U.S.-led occupation -- and the institutions it birthed -- continue to define Japan's postwar trajectory.

A good history of MacArthur, the drafting of the Japanese constitution, and how all of that could be undermined in our current world. Bonus points for the photo of the nasty chair at Dougie's desk.

Japan’s only passenger hovercraft service carrying riders between Oita Airport in Kunisaki, Oita Prefecture, and Oita City was launched on Saturday.

The service takes just 35 minutes to travel between the two sites, compared to about an hour by road, making the airport more accessible than it was before.

I know they are fairly commonplace now, but the word hovercraft still excites the 10 year old in me.

Dozens of shops, restaurants and bars lining the streets of Tateishi Nakamise, a covered shopping arcade – or shotengai – in the capital’s eastern suburbs will make way for a new development. It will transform the skyline, but also change beyond recognition an entire community whose roots lie in the destruction caused by the second world war.

Across Tokyo and other Japanese cities, shotengai that sprung up during the Showa era [1926-1989] are in a losing battle against property developers, depopulation and a consumer culture that demands convenience.

On one side of the local railway station, a tall screen partially hides cranes preparing the ground for apartment blocks, shops and a multi-storey local government office. On the other, families that have run shops, bars and restaurants for two or three generations are bracing for the inevitable arrival of the wrecking balls.

This one hits close to home as I live on a famous shotengai that luckily is still bustling. When supported and funded properly by cities, these areas are communities unto themselves and should be protected. So much connection is lost when these unique alleys are replaced by cookie cutter developments.

A send-off event was held at the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi on Friday for 11 assistant language teachers and three international exchange coordinators who will be dispatched from India to Japan.

This marks the first regular dispatch of assistant language teachers from India under the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, a government initiative to promote international exchanges at the regional level. Only a few such personnel from India have participated in the program until now.

This is fantastic news and will diversify the JET program beyond English speakers from the Anglo world. I still have reservations of JET as a language education program as English levels of Japanese youth fail to rise. But as a cultural exchange program, it is world class.

The South Korean Air Force said Friday that a transport aircraft bound for Guam urgently landed at the U.S. Air Force's Kadena base in Okinawa Prefecture on July 13 as it ran out of fuel.

The South Korean military transport aircraft is believed to have entered Japan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) without prior notice, causing the Air Self-Defense Force aircraft to scramble.

I'm far from an expert on fuel consumption but this must have been quite the diversion to force a landing at Kadena. Someone fucked up in a big way here.