There is a pervasive belief amongst Japanese leaders and decision-makers that climate change will not have a big impact on Japan in the future. They are wrong.

Climate change is set to cause some of the 21st century’s chief challenges. Among these are fears that rising sea temperatures will provoke an increase in the frequency and intensity of weather events, such as tropical cyclones.

Isn’t it time for Japan to wake up to the reality of peak oil?

For many Japanese, satoyama represents the ideal of coexistence between humans and nature. It is commonly described as secondary woodlands and grasslands adjunct to small villages, and is the scene of rich biological diversity.

Japan’s housing market is an oddity in the world for its obsession with newness. More than half of the country’s homes were built after 1980, and only 13% of existing stock are houses that were pre-owned, compared to 66%, 78%, 89% in France, the US and Britain respectively.

Kohei Hayamizu has a bold vision for the future: a city that is in itself an electric power station. A place where all its roads, bridges and sidewalks generate electricity from the vibrations produced by the cars and people that move over them.

When you talk about electric vehicles (EVs) most people tend to imagine them as something that we will drive in a distant, perhaps greener, future. In fact, EVs are already here and they are slowly becoming a part of daily life in our world.

Cities around the world must take leadership in solving global environment problems. The reason is simple: cities cover just 2 per cent of the world’s surface, yet they consume 75 per cent of our global resources.

Japan should be at the forefront of a “CO2 reduction revolution”, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said recently when announcing Japan’s plan to cut green house gas (GHG) emissions by 60-80% by 2050.

In 1997, Nagoya began to feel the pinch of a waste crisis. Landfill space in this city of two million was running out, and a plan to develop a new landfill in the Fujimae tidal flats was facing intense public opposition.