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June 30, 2026
 

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SDG

Developing countries facing rising financial and geopolitical risks are turning to greater Global South cooperation through the newly formed Borrowers' Platform.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 24, 2026
Debtor countries finally have a group of their own
For decades, developing countries have been forced to navigate an increasingly complex international financial system
China's Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang speaks about the Belt and Road initiative on the sidelines of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing that September.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 7, 2026
Into Africa: China continues its dominance on the continent
Tokyo must step up those efforts and work with other partners to ensure that African countries have geopolitical choices.
Farmers separate wheat grains from husks at a farm on the outskirts of Varanasi, India, on Tuesday.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Apr 15, 2026
India’s green fuel plans collide with farmers’ water fears
India, which imports 80% of its oil and gas, has made ethanol central to its clean energy plans and, as war in the Mideast impacts the price and supply of oil, its energy security.
The path toward sustainable AI lies in combining quantum computing with energy-efficient application design.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 6, 2026
Quantum computing could fix AI’s sustainability problem
Training Grok-4 alone reportedly required 310 gigawatt-hours of electricity — enough to power a town of 4,000.
The world has made astonishing progress, yet far too often governments and their expert advisers bestow aid in a paternalistic spirit of “we know best,” that, while preferable to violent subjugation, still denies beneficiaries independence and equal standing.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 23, 2025
A brief history of enlightened oppression
Enlightened oppression, even stripped of violence and cruelty, is still oppression.
Government Pension Investment Fund President Kazuto Uchida has said that an investment approach targeting environmental and social goals ultimately leads to economic and capital markets growth.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 6, 2025
World’s biggest pension fund puts impact investing on the agenda
In Japan, impact investing strategies are likely to center around climate, health care, wellbeing and inclusivity.
Japan showed improved performance in the category of “no poverty” but did worse in fields like “zero hunger” and “press freedom” in the latest SDG Index.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 2025
Japan ranks in the top 20 on SDG index
Japan was rated 19th this year, behind Estonia and Belgium and above Portugal and Hungary.
A demonstration is held in Malawi as part of government efforts to pilot test the use of drones for humanitarian purposes, with assistance from UNICEF. As this and other technologies become more accessible, we must ensure their use advances sustainable development.
COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2025
How efficiency can transform sustainable development
In our haste to improve efficiency, we can’t ignore the interests of humanity. Democratizing access to AI and other technologies is a fundamental step in this direction.
World leaders meet at the United Nations in New York in September to adopt the Pact for the Future. One of its key annexes is the Global Digital Compact, a framework to secure an open and human-centered digital future for all.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 27, 2024
To serve humankind, AI must be shaped by U.N. values
The U.N.’s Global Digital Compact is the first universal agreement on the international governance of AI. It seeks to ensure an open and equitable digital future for all.
The world's multilateral development banks must shift to a growth-focused approach that stabilizes economies without forcing them to cut essential public spending.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 27, 2024
The world needs bigger and better financial firefighters
The world’s multilateral development banks must shift to a growth-focused approach that stabilizes economies without forcing them to cut essential public spending.
In September, world leaders will meet in New York for the United Nation's Summit of the Future to strengthen international cooperation on digital technology and innovation, as well as development financing, security, employment and gender equality.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 20, 2024
The U.N. is charting a new course for our technology future
By closing digital and data divides through international cooperation, we can foster a technology culture that addresses global challenges.
At a waste center in Kamikatsu, Tokushima Prefecture, residents separate trash into 45 different categories as the town aims to become "zero waste."
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 22, 2024
How circular economy initiatives are changing the world
From Asia to Europe to Africa, public and private entities are finding new ways to revolutionize the economic paradigm from a linear to a circular model. In Japan, too.
Students can learn faster by using tablets in the classroom. In Malawi, every dollar spent on this type of learning delivers over $100 worth of higher productivity in the long term.
COMMENTARY / World
May 3, 2024
The policies that deliver the most bang for a government’s buck
Instead of making many grand promises, governments should prioritize smart policies that yield the highest returns, such as tablets in schools.
Though renewable energy can significantly reduce carbon emissions, if growth remains the global economic imperative, increased energy use will prevent us from reaching decarbonization goals.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 25, 2024
A call for economic degrowth
To achieve the systemic change needed to tackle the climate crisis, we must abandon GDP as the measure of social progress. This is what degrowth calls for.
Mercian's vineyard in Koshu, Yamanashi Prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Mar 18, 2024
Major Japanese beverage groups focusing more on sustainability
Initiatives have diversified to include water source preservation as well as winery tours under the theme of the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals.
The world needs to avoid the mistakes and pitfalls that go with providing debt relief and should craft sustainable solutions for financially distressed nations. 
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 1, 2024
Developing countries’ never-ending debt crisis
Creditors have a role in resolving debt crises. This means all eyes are on China, which is the single most important creditor for debt distress.
The Materials Provided by Mizuno Baseball Bat Tableware set is made from a recycled, discarded baseball bat and includes two large tumblers, a vase, a small cup, four cutlery rests and a sake cup.
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Sep 30, 2023
Game-changing designs from sporting goods brands
On: Design looks at two major Japanese sporting goods companies that have launched unique SDG-inspired projects.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 13, 2023
Sustainable development goals are a mission impossible
The road to a hotter, sicker and poorer planet is paved with good intentions, mushy language and too many missed goals.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 22, 2023
Making development bank lending safe for poor countries
The Macron Summit on global financing will seek to enhance fragile economies’ access to the funds needed to cope with development challenges.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
May 22, 2023
Filling in the cracks: Japan’s shifting perspective on disability employment
The Valuable 500’s Crosby Cromwell discusses best practice regarding disability in business in Japan, and she is optimistic about the direction we are heading in.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Chinese and Russian bombers and fighter jets stage joint patrol near Japan
A Chinese Air Force H-6 bomber is seen during a joint patrol with Russian military aircraft on Saturday.
U.S. missile moves in Japan send China clear message: A new era has arrived
Soldiers conduct the first Typhon midrange capability live-fire exercise outside of the continental United States, firing an SM-6 missile in July last year in Australia's Northern Territory during Exercise Talisman Sabre.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency
New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency

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