Tag - animals

 
Menu
Search
 
June 30, 2026
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

ANIMALS

An Iwate University team said it has confirmed that cats' appetites wane once they get used to the smell of their food.
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2026
Japan team discovers why cats leave meals unfinished
The introduction of the scent of a different type of food brought back cats’ appetites, even though the cats were eating the same food throughout the experiment.
Kazuya Okuizumi, head of the Tohoku Epson Aquarium Kamosui in Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture, speaks at a reopening event at the aquarium on March 31.
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2026
Yamagata aquarium with world’s largest jellyfish collection reopens
The Tohoku Epson Aquarium Kamosui in the city of Tsuruoka, gained 20 more jellyfish species, now exhibiting a total of 100 species.
A cicada fossil dating back about 300,000 years was discovered by two elementary school-aged sisters from Tokyo. Whole-body cicada fossils are extremely rare.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 5, 2026
Tokyo elementary school sisters discover rare cicada fossil
Whole-body cicada fossils are extremely rare, with most fossils consisting only of wing fragments.
The value of China's growing urban pet market is estimated to reach 405 billion yuan ($59 billion) in 2028, according to a recent report by PetData.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 3, 2026
Streaming channel meant for pets launched in China
The new channel on Tencent Video — China’s most popular online streaming platform — is meant to keep pets company while alone or can be watched by animals and humans together.
Indonesia will loan two Komodo dragons to Shizuoka Prefecture in hopes that the endangered reptiles will successfully breed, an official said Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2026
Indonesia to loan endangered Komodo dragons to Japan for breeding program
A male and a female will be sent to a zoo in Shizuoka Prefecture, which will send several animals in return to Indonesia including red pandas and giraffes.
In an undated image provided by Project CETI, the birth of a sperm whale.
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 31, 2026
Scientists filmed a whale birth. The surprise: Mom had many helpers.
The findings add to a growing body of research indicating that humans are not the only species in which mothers receive some form of help during and after birth.
An Australian man’s monthslong quest to fight his rescue mutt Rosie’s cancer using artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT has grabbed the attention of OpenAI boss Sam Altman.
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 30, 2026
One man, his dog, and ChatGPT: Australia’s AI vaccine saga
Australian Paul Conyngham used artificial intelligence to design a personalized experimental treatment for his sick dog and find top scientists to administer it.
Haruo Ikegami (center) smiles in Tokyo on Friday after the Supreme Court overturned a high court ruling that said it was legal for Hokkaido to revoke his gun license.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 28, 2026
Top court backs Hokkaido hunter who lost gun license after shooting bear
This was the first time for the Supreme Court to rule the revocation of a hunting gun license to be illegal.
North Safari Sapporo, a now-closed zoo in Hokkaido, in March 2025
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 26, 2026
Sapporo zoo operator accused of unauthorized development
The zoo, North Safari Sapporo, opened in 2005 and closed last year after the allegations came to light.
A warning sign is displayed in Shirakawa-go, Gifu Prefecture, last November.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Mar 24, 2026
Spring reawakens concerns over bear encounters in Japan
Experts say that a good harvest of bear staple foods such as acorns and nuts could determine whether the number of reported bear sightings ultimately rise or fall.
The new bird, named the Tokara leaf warbler, is the first bird species to be given a scientific name in Japan since 1981.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 19, 2026
New bird species found in Japan for first time in 45 years
The Tokara leaf warbler, or Phylloscopus tokaraensis, is the first bird species to be given a scientific name in Japan since 1981.
Toru Akama pets a cat at his animal shelter in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, on March 5.
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2026
Former Fukushima worker devotes life to abandoned pets
Toru Akama tends to dozens of pets abandoned after the catastrophe 15 years ago, work he sees as part of his quest for redemption.
A research team has found that most female Japanese rhinoceros beetles mate only once in their lifetime.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 17, 2026
Most female rhinoceros beetles mate only once in a lifetime, study finds
As the lifespan of an adult Japanese rhinoceros beetle is a maximum of about two to three weeks in the wild, mating is believed to be programmed to be a once-in-a-lifetime event.
The red-crowned crane has been removed from the Environment Ministry’s Red List of threatened species.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 17, 2026
Japanese crane no longer considered ‘threatened’ as population recovers
The species saw its population drop to as low as 33 in 1952 due to overhunting, but after conservation efforts about 1,200 are believed to now be living in the wild.
Concerns are mounting in the Cape Erimo area of Hokkaido, where Kuril harbor seals have been damaging fishing nets and eating catches.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Mar 16, 2026
Ministry turns to acoustic devices to stop seals from stealing fish in Hokkaido
Authorities hope the measure will protect the local fishing industry and address, in a responsible way, the problem of seals stealing salmon and mackerel from fishing nets.
Baby Japanese macaque Punch sits next to a stuffed orangutan at Ichikawa City Zoo in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, on Feb. 19.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2026
Punch, the viral baby monkey, isn’t being bullied, Ichikawa City Zoo says
The 7-month-old Japanese macaque, often clinging to an orangutan plush, became an internet sensation after videos of him being chased by fellow monkeys were posted on social media.
Cristian Lucanas, an entomologist, shows preserved specimens of cockroaches in a laboratory at the University of the Philippines in Los Banos, south of Manila on Feb. 11.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Mar 9, 2026
Philippines’ ‘Cockroach Lord’ goes to bat for misunderstood bugs
While fully aware most view cockroaches as disgusting, disease-bearing pests, the entomologist says they deserve more study and credit for their role in the global ecosystem.
Passersby walk past a billboard atop a building featuring a giant 3D cat in 4K resolution in Tokyo's Shinjuku district.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 25, 2026
Hello, little kitty — Japan’s $20 billion cat boom
In recent years, Cat Day has exploded, as companies embrace a growing market for felines.
Michio Hoshino’s Alaska essays, now translated into English, reflect on fragility, risk and living close to nature.
CULTURE / Books
Feb 24, 2026
‘The Traveling Tree’: Essays from Alaska offer lessons from the edge of the wild
Michio Hoshino’s Alaska essays, now translated into English, reflect on fragility, risk and living close to nature.
A baby Japanese macaque named Punch drags a stuffed orangutan at Ichikawa City Zoo, in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, on Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2026
Punch-drunk love: Lonely baby monkey in Japan goes viral
A tiny Japanese macaque at a local zoo in Chiba Prefecture has become an online sensation, with people around the world rooting for him after he was abandoned by his mother.
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

TDC Global challenges norms at Japan workplaces
TDC Global challenges norms at Japan workplaces

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER