Lee faces challenges at home and abroad
Lee Jae-myung of South Korea's Democratic Party was sworn in as president Wednesday. He said he will work to bridge the country's divide.
NHK World's Tokuda Ryosuke reports on what citizens expect from their new leader.
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NHK
29 minutes ago
- NHK
Japan's agriculture minister vows to drive down rice prices
Japan's Agriculture Minister Koizumi Shinjiro has vowed to drive down rice prices to ensure that consumers will not shift away from the country's staple grain. Koizumi met with rice producers on Sunday in Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture. Some farmers called for a fundamental change in the country's policy on agriculture. The chairman of JA Fukushima Chuou-kai, a local group of the national agricultural cooperatives, urged Koizumi to realize a price level that is satisfactory for both rice producers and consumers. Koizumi replied that it is imperative to rein in soaring prices before guiding them to an adequate level. He said this should prevent a shift away from rice consumption. He said the government will do all it can to bring down rice prices. He emphasized that the government is also considering farmers' interests. Koizumi was asked whether government statistics on rice quality and yields reflect the actual reality. He said he has heard such complaints from across the country. He assured the participants that the government is working to rectify the situation.
Japan Times
4 hours ago
- Japan Times
Decokatsu could save you money and help the planet. But you probably haven't heard of it.
Even when actions that are friendlier for the environment also save people cash, consumer habits can be hard to break. Enter decokatsu, an ambitious program to get people to live in ways that are healthier for the planet, but not necessarily restrictive. If you haven't heard of it, you're not alone. According to a survey of 6,500 adults conducted in January by the Environment Ministry, only 1 in 4 people in Japan are familiar with decokatsu, a portmanteau of decarbonization, eco-friendly and katsudo (activity). It's another in a long line of Japanese buzzwords using 'katsu,' like shūkatsu (job hunting), konkatsu (searching for a spouse) and oshikatsu (fan activities). In 2022, two years after announcing its goal to reach net carbon neutrality by 2050 , the Japanese government launched a campaign to encourage decarbonizing behavior and lifestyles. They later named it decokatsu, hoping it would turn into a national movement. There is even an official support team made up of private companies, local municipalities and organizations with a catchy name, decokatsu-tai. Yet many of us are still not doing enough to cut our own carbon footprint, much less talking about decokatsu. According to a survey of 6,500 adults conducted in January by the Environment Ministry, only 1 in 4 people in Japan are familiar with the decokatsu program, a portmanteau of decarbonization, eco-friendly and katsudo (activity). | Environment Ministry In fact, a survey released by ad agency Hakuhodo SDGs Project in April found that while 91.1% of respondents are familiar with the term 'decarbonization,' only 33.6% said they are taking action to reduce carbon emissions. The top reasons they cited for delaying climate action include a lack of knowledge about what to do (30.4%) and financial concerns (28.5%). 'Will decokatsu spread? That depends on how accepting citizens and consumers are, but there's no way the government will spend taxpayer money on an initiative they don't believe in,' said a decokatsu-tai spokesperson, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with the group's policy. Ways to reduce Japan's carbon emissions per capita works out to about 8.3 tons in 2023, according to the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research, a scientific group associated with the European Commission. Most of an individual's carbon footprint is typically accounted for by transportation, housing and food. By now, we all know that having a reusable grocery bag and water bottle is better for the Earth than relying on single-use alternatives. But what else can we do to help preserve the planet, and how much difference can individual actions really make? The government says practicing decokatsu — with examples including buying secondhand clothes online (which saves 9.5 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent per item), working from home (1.9 kg of CO2e per day) and eating local food (0.017kg CO2e per meal) — could save you up to ¥36,000 ($250) per month and give you an extra hour of free time per day. Avoiding food waste, such as by composting kitchen scraps, is a key component of the decokatsu lifestyle. | Getty Images Individual and household choices matter. While throwing out your leftovers does not cause much in the way of emissions, these choices add up. For example, 2.44 million tons of food waste were generated from households in Japan in fiscal 2021. The government is looking to cut this to 2.16 million tons by 2030. The four 'start here' decokatsu actions introduced on the Environment Ministry's website are: insulating homes, using eco-friendly products and services, achieving zero food waste and teleworking. But curiously, it does not mention one of the quickest ways we can lower our collective greenhouse gas emissions: eat less meat, especially beef. Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike (left), then-Environment Minister Akihiro Nishimura (center) and then-Keidanren Chairman Masakazu Tokura promote the decokatsu program during an event in Tokyo in July 2023. | Jiji The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization says the meat and dairy industry is responsible for about 12% of global greenhouse gas emissions, but some evidence suggests that it's even higher and closer to 16.5%. And data points to growing meat consumption in Japan even as its effects on climate change become more well-known. According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, annual per capita meat consumption in Japan reached 33.6 kg in fiscal year 2022, compared with 3.5 kg in 1960. Today, the World Population Review says Japan ranks 11th in global beef consumption, though it still ranks far down the list on a per capita basis. Studies indicate that going vegan for even two-thirds of meals could cut food-related carbon emissions by 60%. So isn't ditching meat the ultimate decokatsu? According to the initiatives' proponents, it isn't. Decokatsu-tai has an explanation for why shifting from an animal-based diet to a plant-based one isn't considered decokatsu. 'The aim of decokatsu is to create 'new and prosperous lifestyles' toward decarbonization. It's not about restraining or restricting something, so we don't count those things as decokatsu actions,' the spokesperson said. Lasting change Kazutaka Kobara, a researcher at NLI Research Institute, a private think tank in Tokyo, says this is understandable if the government is looking to avoid loss aversion — a cognitive bias in which the emotional impact of a loss is felt more intensely than the joy of an equivalent gain, which makes it hard for people to make long-term changes in their thoughts and actions. He says the key to engaging people in climate action is to make it easy for them to incorporate eco-friendly practices into their lives without disruption, citing the example of the 'Cool Biz' corporate dress code, which was launched in the summer of 2005 to save energy by reducing the usage of air conditioners in the corporate world. 'It was a success because a no-jacket, no-tie policy was simple, easy for workplaces to implement and workers were more comfortable,' Kobara said. Working remotely, and thus reducing your carbon footprint, is one of the many practices that fall under the decokatsu lifestyle. | Getty Images 'Meanwhile, 'Premium Friday,' a project that started in 2017 where the goal was for employees to leave the office early on the last Friday of the month, failed to take off because the government underestimated the inflexibility of companies and its promotional messaging was unclear.' With decokatsu, Kobara says the government is doing something different: using the "nudge" approach strategy based on behavioral science, getting individuals, businesses and governments to work together and suggesting different lifestyle changes so that people can choose for themselves. 'If you look at the data released by the Environment Ministry, the number of official decokatsu supporters has grown by five times in the last three years, from 442 in November 2022 to 2,208 in March 2025. Decokatsu has gained recognition to a certain extent," Kobara said. 'But at this point, it's hard to say ordinary citizens are showing a strong interest in it.' Among those making a difference is 28-year-old Luke Date, founder of Uminari, a Tokyo-based nonprofit made up largely of Gen Zers committed to fighting ocean plastic pollution. Luke Date helps local volunteers and U.S. military members remove more than 700 kilograms of debris and ghost nets from a beach in Yomitan, Okinawa Prefecture, in 2023. | Courtesy of Luke Date Date had been living green long before decokatsu became a thing, with some of his sustainable living habits including kitchen waste composting, walking instead of driving, buying local, investing in buy-it-for-life products and cleaning up beaches. Date said his habits are second nature at this point, so it doesn't take much effort and discipline; he's made sustainable choices his default. Even if you're not ready to make the leap to installing solar panels on the roof of your home or becoming a vegetarian, there are countless ways to build sustainable habits without significantly altering your lifestyle (or your wallet). Date says the key is to spend less time thinking and more time doing. 'If you think too hard about things like decarbonization strategies and carbon footprint, taking the first step can be daunting,' Date said. 'Even switching to biodegradables is not a straightforward solution.' 'I think the best way to approach this is to start with actions that feel intuitively right and make you feel good. If you still can't come up with a green living idea, I suggest that you buy products that are built to last and make walking your go-to choice for shorter journeys, like I do. These are two easy ways to incorporate sustainability into your everyday life.'
Japan Times
6 hours ago
- Japan Times
South Korea's Lee open to trilateral meet with Ishiba and Trump at G7
New South Korean President Lee Jae-myung expressed an openness Sunday to holding a trilateral meeting with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Canada later this week. Any talks would be the first trilateral meeting for all three leaders since taking office, and would symbolize a commitment to continuing a trend of building closer security ties under their predecessors. 'President Lee has repeatedly said that the foundation of our diplomacy and security is the solid South Korea-U.S. alliance and the South Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperative relationship,' the Yonhap news agency quoted a Presidential Office official as saying. Lee was due to depart on Monday for the G7 summit for an expanded session, as well as bilateral talks that could include a one-on-one meeting with Ishiba, who was set to leave for Canada later Sunday. The summit, which runs through Tuesday, will be the first G7 meeting for both Ishiba and Lee, who took office June 4 after winning South Korea's presidential election following the ouster of his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, over his short-lived martial law declaration in December. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington in February. | REUTERS Lee, who had been known for a seemingly hard-line stance toward Japan, told Ishiba over the phone last week that his government would continue Yoon's policy of strengthening bilateral and trilateral cooperation with Japan amid concerns in Tokyo that he might reverse agreements reached under his ousted predecessor that led to a thaw in ties. Ishiba and Lee — who are both grappling with onerous unilateral U.S. tariffs that could upend their economies — are also expected to hold bilateral talks with Trump. Japan's top tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, spoke with his U.S. counterparts on Friday and Saturday in talks that explored the possibility of a trade deal — one that Tokyo hopes to seal at the G7, though it's unclear if negotiations are far enough along. Akazawa has said he may join Ishiba in Canada. The U.S. has slapped a 25% tariff on imported cars and auto parts and a 50% levy on steel and aluminum. A 10% across-the-board duty on other goods from Japan will rise to 24% on July 9 if a deal is not made. South Korea, meanwhile, is also facing similar tariffs, as well as security-related issues. Trump has demanded it to pay more for the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed there.
