Summit - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Elementary and middle school students from all over Japan got together in Okinawa in May to discuss how to preserve the global environment, ahead of the Group of Eight meeting of world leaders in Okinawa in July.

Ecoclub - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Over 40 children from nine Asian countries gathered in Niigata Prefecture between November 2 through 4 to describe the steps being taken in their respective countries to protect the natural environment.

Voyage - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
This summer, 42 young people from seven Asian countries took part in a special program to learn about the environment. The participants came from India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam, all countries facing different sorts of environmental problems. The 16-day program began on August 1, and the highlight was a 10-day voyage in which the participants traveled by ship from Okinawa to Yokohama, stopping at a number of places in Japan along the way. On this trip they learned about global environmental problems from famous people who gave them lessons on the ship and at the different stops, as well as by taking part in lots of hands-on activities.

ISO14000 - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan�
Kids in Japan are joining the Kids ISO 14000s program to help save the environment. This educational program is based on standards called ISO 14000s, which are set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to conserve energy and help the earth. ISO 14000 is a standard for environmental management.

Endangered - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
An updated list of endangered animals compiled by Japan's Environment Agency shows that the number of mammals and birds threatened with extinction more than doubled to 137 from an earlier tally of 68.

Antarctica's Environment - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Nearly 500 tons of discarded vehicles and other machinery that has accumulated around Showa Station in Antarctica during the past 40 years will be brought back to Japan over the next five years. The first batch will be brought back by an expedition team that is leaving for Antarctica in November.

Ibis - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
The first crested ibis to be bred under human care was named "Yu Yu" in early July after hatching on May 21 from an egg born to a pair of ibises donated by China. The chick now being grown at the Toki (crested ibis) Preservation Center on the island of Sado in Niigata Prefecture, weighs over 1.2 kilograms and is capable of eating without assistance.

Hybrid Goes Mainstream | Science and Technology | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
The age of the hybrid car has finally arrived. The latest models boast vastly improved engines and other features that leave their predecessors in the dust.

Water - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Water is something we can't live without. But serious environmental problems are affecting water all over the world. In March 2003, 109 children from 32 countries, including Japan, gathered to discuss these problems at the Children's World Water Forum. The forum was held in Shiga Prefecture, which is home to Japan's largest lake, Lake Biwa. The participants reported on water issues in their countries and discussed what they thought about these issues.

The Eco-Friendly Bank | Business and Economy | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
A nonprofit bank launched two years ago by three stars of Japan's pop-music industry is garnering attention for the contribution it is making to tackling environmental problems.

Yokai Craze Haunts Kids in Japan - What's Cool in Japan - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Kids around the world have always been fascinated with ghosts, monsters, and other things that go bump in the night. But Japanese kids are unusually crazy about ghosts these days. It all started last summer with the release of an animated film titled Yokai Daisenso (Ghost War).

Electricity from Seaweed | Science and Technology | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Japanese researchers have developed a biomass fermentation system that uses seaweed dredged from the shore to produce fuel for generating electricity.

Super Competition | Science and Technology | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Even though the 2005 Word Exposition in Aichi, Japan, has shut its gates, many of its exhibits and structures will continue to live on, thanks to extensive recycling efforts in line with the event's goal of environmental sustainability.

Going Green at Home | Science and Technology | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Several Japanese companies have begun marketing home-use fuel cells that generate electricity from hydrogen and oxygen and help to cut carbon dioxide emissions.

Making the Kyoto Protocol Work | Science and Technology | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Now that the Kyoto Protocol on the prevention of climate change has come into force, Japan is busy seeking out innovative ways to meet its obligations under the protocol.

Bathroom Innovation | Science and Technology | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
The role of the toilet has long been limited to flushing away waste, but that may be about to change with the recent introduction of a hi-tech bathroom system that can instantly gather, compile, and analyze data about a person's physical health.

Hokkaido Heritage | Science and Technology | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Shiretoko is a peninsula of dense pristine forest that is home to a wide variety of fauna and flora and is ringed by dramatic, sheer cliffs. The area's spectacular scenery and state of preservation so impressed UNESCO that in July it put Shiretoko on its World Heritage list.

Hero - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
A 12-year-old Japanese girl was named one of nine "Heroes for the Planet" by Time magazine for coming up with an innovative way to clean up after a dog: a disposable pooper-scooper made from an empty milk carton.

Solar Panels for Preschools 3 - What's Cool - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
A charity called the Sorabear Foundation, which adopted two fictional polar bear brothers as its mascots, is donating solar panels to preschools. Solar panels produce electricity without releasing the greenhouse gases that cause global warming and cause ice to melt at the North Pole, where polar bears live.

Burying Co2 To Combat Global Warming | Science and Technology | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Interest in sub-seabed storage - a method of sealing carbon dioxide (CO2) under the seabed - has been growing. The underground sequestration of the gas is regarded as a very promising method for reducing carbon dioxide emissions.