Environment

Japanese water is clean and readily available, as evidenced by drinkable tap water and a nearly 100 percent penetration rate.

The road, hemmed in on one side by empty warehouses and the other by a concrete seawall, ends abruptly in a desolate parking lot. Men step out of their cars and into the darkness, then slip behind the sliding doors of a warehouse. Inside, they huddle under floodlights and wait. A clock on the wall ticks to 3:10 a.m.

Three months have passed since a strong earthquake hit Hokkaido in early September. In disaster-affected areas, an increasing number of people are using large numbers of trees felled by landslides.

At the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, a giant oceanic manta ray can be seen gliding effortlessly through the Kuroshio Sea attraction’s large ocean aquarium, drawing exclamations of delight from onlookers.

China’s ban on imports of plastic waste is forcing other nations, including Japan and the United States, to scramble for new ways to deal with their trash, including exporting recyclable waste to Southeast Asia.

Nearly 70 percent of plastic sent to be recycled in Japan is burned in a method called “thermal recycling” or “heat recovery,” prompting specialists to call for a review of the system, which they say contributes to global warming.

Twenty liters of water containing radioactive materials were accidentally released at a spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in the village of Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, earlier this week, operator Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd. has said.

The United Nations warned Tuesday that current national commitments to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions are insufficient to meet a 2030 reduction goal, and that unprecedented and urgent action is required by all nations — especially from members of the Group of 20 — to ensure global warming stays well below 2.0 to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

A waste disposal facility in Musashino, Tokyo, is hosting a special event on selected days from December to February in which participants can watch how garbage is processed while also enjoying food and drinks.

The Yomiuri Shimbuncountering the dangers caused by global warming, including disasters and the impact on farm produce, among other problems.The adaptation plan — a revision of an earlier plan drawn up in 2015 — was compiled ahead of the December effectuation of the Climate Change Adaptation Law, which is aimed at creating a society that can keep up with the progression of global warming.