Hokkaido-based writer Justin Randall discusses how proposed gun laws may impact hunters. Shaun McKenna and Alyssa I. Smith talk about Taylor Swift's Tokyo shows. Topics include firearm regulations in Japan, wildlife movement, and Taylor Swift's influence on fans and the economy.

Scientists and tech billionaires pursuing immortality, Japanese ideas on immortality explored. The podcast also covers the Palworld-Pokemon scandal, discussing the game and its controversies.

Japan made history last month when it became the fifth nation to soft land on the moon. What’s more, they landed it close to their target, a feat that could be a gamechanger for space travel. This week we discuss the science and the politics behind Japan’s lunar landing.  On this episode: Joel Tansey: Articles | X Tomoko Otake: Articles | X Gabriel Dominguez: Articles | X Read more/Watch more/Play more:  Japan makes history as spacecraft lands on the moon (Tomoko Otake and Joel Tansey, The Japan Times) One small step for a JAXA spacecraft, one giant leap for exploration  (Elizabeth Tasker, The Japan Times) Japan’s moonshot may mark breakthrough for future lunar missions (Gabriel Dominguez, The Japan Times) Geopolitics in space: Why great powers are scrambling for the moon (Gabriel Dominguez, The Japan Times) SLIM Moon Landing Live & Press Conference (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, YouTube) SORA-Q Flagship Model (Takara Tomy) SLIM: The pinpoint moon landing game (JAXA Space Education Center) Artemis Accords (U.S. Dept. of State) Get in touch: Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on X!   Photo:  The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) is seen on the surface of the moon in an image released Jan. 25. | JAPAN AEROSPACE EXPLORATION AGENCY (JAXA), TAKARA TOMY, SONY GROUP, DOSHINSHA UNIVERSITY/ VIA REUTERS 

It was a rough start to 2024 for Japan, with a magnitude 7.6 earthquake and an airplane collision at Haneda airport in the first week of January. On our first episode of the year, we report on the impact of the Noto Peninsula earthquake and what can be learned from rural disasters. Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez. On this episode:  Jordan Allen: Articles Karin Kaneko: Articles | X Alex K.T. Martin: Articles | X Read more:  “Noto is kind, right down to its soil”: A community’s long road to recovery (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times) How Japan’s violent New Year’s quake felt in Toyama (Jordan Allen, The Japan Times) In Ishikawa, shelter for people but not four-legged friends (Karin Kaneko, The Japan Times) Nationwide donation effort for earthquake-hit Ishikawa gains steam (Karin Kaneko, The Japan Times) Noto quake: “In times of crisis, all we have is each other” (Kathleen Benoza, The Japan Times) Photo essay; Inside the Ishikawa earthquake disaster zone (Daniel Traylor, The Japan Times) Noto community’s long road to recovery from the New Year’s quake (Dave Cortez, YouTube) “Our minds are blank”: How ‘earthquake resilient’ Japan fails its ageing rural communities (Justin McCurry, The Guardian) Get in touch: Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on X!   Photo:  Cars drive past a damaged road, in the aftermath of an earthquake, in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture. | KIM KYUNG-HOON, REUTERS 

For our last episode of the year, we’re summing up the year in culture with Matt Schley, Alyssa I. Smith, Thu-Huong Ha and Owen Ziegler, who tell us why anime dominated in 2023, which books stood out among a lackluster crowd and why the Zelda franchise is experiencing a renaissance. Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez. On this episode: Shaun McKenna: Articles | X  Matt Schley: Articles | X  Alyssa I. Smith: Articles Thu-Huong Ha: Articles | X  Owen Ziegler: Articles  Read more:  The year that defined the post-Miyazaki era (Matt Schley, The Japan Times) J-pop's global ambitions came closer to reality in 2023 (Patrick St. Michel, The Japan Times) ‘The Great Reclamation’ details the horrors of the foreign occupation in Singapore (Thu-Huong Ha, The Japan Times) Saou Ichikawa’s 'Hunchback': A darkly funny portrait of disability (Thu-Huong Ha, The Japan Times) Understanding the LDP political funding scandal and its implications (Kanako Takahara, The Japan Times) Get in touch: Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on X!   Photo: A still from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom | NINTENDO

In a year that saw Japan release 24,000 tons of wastewater (so far) from Fukushima No. 1 as the planet smashed heat records, it’s no wonder climate anxiety is on the rise. Mara Budgen joins us to break down the year in environment news, where we could see hope, and what we should be worried about. Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez. Excerpt for Audioboom:  On this episode: Shaun McKenna: Articles | X  Mara Budgen: Articles | X  Read more:  How simple steps can help alleviate climate anxiety (Joel Tansey, The Japan Times) Fall is the new summer: Warming threatens Japan’s cultural calendar (Tomoko Otake, The Japan Times) In Japan, extreme heat and an aging population are a deadly mix (Tomoko Otake, The Japan Times) The concrete forest: Bears, boars and more head to the cities (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times) New solutions tackle Japan’s waste problem at its core (Mariko McTier, The Japan Times) Japan is about to release 1.3 million tons of Fukushima wastewater. Should we be concerned? (Mara Budgen, The Japan Times) Japan sticks with climate solution that critics say is far from clean (Annelise Giseburt, The Japan Times) Get in touch: Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on X!   Photo: The Climate Action Network holds an event at the venue of the U.N. climate change conferences in Dubai on Sunday to give its "fossil" award to countries including Japan. | KYODO

Two guests, Thu-Huong Ha and Yukana Inoue, discuss the controversy surrounding an otaku dictionary and the Japanese approach to sitting in this entertaining podcast. They explore the emotional attachment otaku have to their language and identity, as well as the history and cultural significance of sitting on chairs versus sitting on the floor in Japan. The speakers also cover various updates and news, including Henry Kissinger's death and Japan's trial sales for emergency contraceptive pills.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to APEC and NHK's lineup snubbing Johnny's acts are the most interesting topics discussed. The podcast dives into the tensions and territorial disputes between China and Japan, as well as the strained geopolitical situation. It also explores the fallout of the Johnny's scandal and NHK's decision to showcase more non-Japanese groups in this year's co-hocco lineup.

As nature reclaims depopulated villages and climate change wreaks havoc on food sources, Japan’s animal population has been inching closer to the country’s urban areas. This week, Alex K.T. Martin joins us to discuss why people are encountering bears, boars and other wildlife in the most unlikely of places. Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez. On this episode:  Shaun McKenna: Articles | X  Alex K.T. Martin: Articles | X  Dave Cortez: Articles | X Read more:  The concrete forest: Bears, boars and more head for the cities (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times) ​​A saury state of affairs: How the price of ‘autumn’s fish’ skyrocketed (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times) In the shadow of the Fukushima disaster, an unusual experiment in rewilding (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times) Samurai Restaurant Time gives kitschy thrills fit for Kabukicho (Laura Pollacco, The Japan Times) Japan set to scrap rule requiring testing of new drugs on Japanese (Kathleen Benoza, The Japan Times) Japan women prisoners suffer serious abuse: Human Rights Watch (Tomohiro Osaki, AFP-JIJI) Get in touch: Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter! Photo: Bears doing yoga? If you’re in the city, why not? | GETTY IMAGES

Baseball writer Jason Coskrey and editor Joel Tansey discuss the Hanshin Tigers’ Japan Series victory; Gabriele Ninivaggi explains how the prime minister hopes to get a home run with his tax plan.