East Asia

Pride flag

Japanese court rules marriage equality ban unconstitutional

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The Fukuoka High Court of Japan has become the third of Japan’s eight high courts to rule that the government’s policy against same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. High Court Judge Takeshi Okada ruled that civil laws forbidding same-sex marriages violate the nation’s constitution, saying, “There is no longer any reason to not legally recognize marriage between same-sex couples.” However, he noted that any change in national marriage laws must be decided by Japan’s legislature, known as the National Diet.

Molten iron ore

China develops new iron making method that boosts productivity by 3,600 times

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The flash iron making method, as detailed by Professor Zhang Wenhai and his team in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Nonferrous Metals last month, can complete the iron making process in just three to six seconds, compared to the five to six hours required by traditional blast furnaces. According to Zhang and his colleagues, the new technology could improve energy use efficiency in China’s steel industry by over one-third. Additionally, by eliminating the need for coal entirely, it would help the steel industry achieve the goal of near-zero carbon dioxide emissions.

Green plant sprout in cracked soil

China completes historic 1,800-mile “Great Green Wall”

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China has finished a 46-year campaign to encircle the Taklamakan Desert with trees, part of national efforts to end desertification and curb sandstorms. Efforts to enclose the desert with trees began in 1978 with the launch of China’s “Three-North Shelterbelt” project, colloquially known as the Great Green Wall. More than 116,000 square miles of trees have been planted, helping capture massive amounts of carbon and bringing China’s total forest coverage above 25% by the end of last year, up from around 10% in 1949.

Dongying floating solar farm

China activates world’s largest offshore floating solar installation

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China’s state-owned CHN Energy has begun generating electricity at a 1 gigawatt offshore floating solar park, 5 miles off the coast of the city of Dongying in Shandong province. The park can generate 1.78 billion kilowatt-hours of power each year — enough to meet the energy needs of 2.6 million city dwellers. The offshore floating solar installation consists of 2,934 PV platforms installed using large-scale steel truss platforms affixed to foundations made of pilings.

Human eye up close

Japanese researchers develop world-first stem-cell treatment that restores vision in humans

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Kohji Nishida, an ophthalmologist at Osaka University in Japan, and his colleagues used an alternative source of cells — induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells — to make the corneal transplants. They took blood cells from a healthy donor and reprogrammed them into an embryonic-like state, then transformed them into a thin, transparent sheet of cobblestone-shaped corneal epithelial cells. After the transplants, all four recipients showed immediate improvements in their vision and a reduction in the area of the cornea affected by limbal stem-cell deficiency. The improvements persisted in all but one recipient, who showed slight reversals during a one-year observation period.

Wooden satellite

World’s first wooden satellite, developed in Japan, heads to space

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LignoSat, developed by Kyoto University and homebuilder Sumitomo Forestry, opens new tab, will be flown to the International Space Station on a SpaceX mission, and later released into orbit about 250 miles above the Earth. Named after the Latin word for “wood”, the palm-sized LignoSat is tasked to demonstrate the cosmic potential of the renewable material as humans explore living in space. Decommissioned satellites must re-enter the atmosphere to avoid becoming space debris. Conventional metal satellites create aluminum oxide particles during re-entry, but wooden ones would just burn up with less pollution.

Second Japanese high court rules in favor of same-sex marriage

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A Tokyo high court in Japan recently ruled that the government’s policy against same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. The ruling marks the second time that one of the nation’s eight regional high courts has ruled in favor of marriage equality. The Tokyo high court ruled that the country’s ban on same-sex marriage is “a groundless legal discrimination based on sexual orientation” that violates the constitutionally guaranteed right to equality and dignity regardless of sex.

Professional workers clean and inspect solar panels on a floating buoy. Power plant with water

China adds unprecedented 160 GW of solar power in first 3 quarters of 2024

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China has added a total of 160 GW of solar power so far this year. Putting that total into some context, China hit a total, country-wide solar power capacity of 770 GW in August. After years of installing more solar power than any other nation, the first 9 months of this year accounted for roughly 20% of China’s total solar installations and roughly 10% of humanity’s total solar installations, a truly astounding and record-breaking amount. China yet again has proven itself as the undisputed global leader in renewable energy.

Charging an EV

EV and plugin car sales are booming in China

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August saw plugin vehicles hit a record 54% market share in China. Full electrics (BEVs) alone accounted for 31% of the country’s auto sales. This pulled the 2024 share to 46%, and with the market with plenty of room for growth, the year should end at around 50%. At this pace, the Chinese market is projected to be fully electrified around 2030.