Pushback from the ground

Tokyo's Meiji Jingu Gaien in growing spotlight

Garnering traction online

Reaction of Japanese top brass?

Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times' foreign editor Bhagyashree Garekar chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe. They talk about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises.

In this episode, she chats with ST's Japan correspondent Walter Sim. 

Ahead of, ironically, the World Horticultural Exposition in 2027, a row of 280 sakura trees in Yokohama are due to be chopped down for roads to be widened  Across Japan, trees - some of which are more than a century old - will be felled in urban areas and public parks to make way for gleaming sports complexes, glamping sites, shopping malls and office buildings - not to mention the large plots of forests that have been levelled to place solar panels.

Tree huggers nationwide claim that the authorities are paying lip service to the United Nations' sustainable development goals.

Highlights (click/tap above):

2:05 Growing pushback against plans across Japan to chop trees down

5:35 How Tokyo's Meiji Jingu Gaien area is in itself, a tourist attraction with its 1,000 century-old trees

7:10 How tree lovers are arguing their case

9:25 Are Japanese politicians reacting at the national level?

Read Walter Sim’s article here: https://str.sg/wHYB

Produced by: Bhagyashree Garekar (bhagya@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis, Hadyu Rahim & Eden Soh

Edited by: Hadyu Rahim

Follow Letter From The Bureau Podcast every first Friday of the month on our Asian Insider Podcast channel here:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7

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Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

Read Bhagyashree Garekar’s articles: https://str.sg/whNo

Read Walter Sim's articles: https://str.sg/wHY2

Read ST's Letters From The Bureau: https://str.sg/3xRd

Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters

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Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2

Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB

Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn

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In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt

Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m

#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad

ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE

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Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ

Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

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Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts!

#STAsianInsider

Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times' foreign editor Bhagyashree Garekar chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe. They talk about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises.
In this episode, she chats with ST's Japan correspondent Walter Sim. 
Ahead of, ironically, the World Horticultural Exposition in 2027, a row of 280 sakura trees in Yokohama are due to be chopped down for roads to be widened  Across Japan, trees - some of which are more than a century old - will be felled in urban areas and public parks to make way for gleaming sports complexes, glamping sites, shopping malls and office buildings - not to mention the large plots of forests that have been levelled to place solar panels.
Tree huggers nationwide claim that the authorities are paying lip service to the United Nations' sustainable development goals.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:05 Growing pushback against plans across Japan to chop trees down
5:35 How Tokyo's Meiji Jingu Gaien area is in itself, a tourist attraction with its 1,000 century-old trees
7:10 How tree lovers are arguing their case
9:25 Are Japanese politicians reacting at the national level?
Read Walter Sim’s article here: <a href="https://str.sg/wHYB">https://str.sg/wHYB</a>
Produced by: Bhagyashree Garekar (<a href="mailto:bhagya@sph.com.sg">bhagya@sph.com.sg</a>), Ernest Luis, Hadyu Rahim &amp; Eden Soh
Edited by: Hadyu Rahim
Follow Letter From The Bureau Podcast every first Friday of the month on our Asian Insider Podcast channel here:
Channel:<a href="https://str.sg/JWa7"> https://str.sg/JWa7</a>
Apple Podcasts:<a href="https://str.sg/JWa8"> https://str.sg/JWa8</a>
Spotify:<a href="https://str.sg/JWaX"> https://str.sg/JWaX</a>
Google Podcasts:<a href="https://str.sg/wQsB"> https://str.sg/wQsB</a>
SPH Awedio app:<a href="https://www.awedio.sg/"> https://www.awedio.sg/</a>
Website: <a href="http://str.sg/stpodcasts">http://str.sg/stpodcasts</a>
Feedback to: <a href="mailto:podcast@sph.com.sg">podcast@sph.com.sg</a>
Read Bhagyashree Garekar’s articles:<a href="https://str.sg/whNo"> https://str.sg/whNo</a>
Read Walter Sim's articles: <a href="https://str.sg/wHY2">https://str.sg/wHY2</a>
Read ST's Letters From The Bureau:<a href="https://str.sg/3xRd"> https://str.sg/3xRd</a>
Register for Asian Insider newsletter:<a href="https://str.sg/stnewsletters"> https://str.sg/stnewsletters</a>
---
Discover ST's special edition podcasts:
Singapore's War On Covid: <a href="https://str.sg/wuJa" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/wuJa&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2zTLz_8q0ZdvQR95QO9FNh">https://str.sg/wuJa</a>
The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: <a href="https://str.sg/wuZ2" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/wuZ2&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw382Zvz6C_iY2FtMNeui0JY">https://str.sg/wuZ2</a>
Stop Scams: <a href="https://str.sg/wuZB" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/wuZB&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0ziI9iib7FmmQ7zgrsX0Ad">https://str.sg/wuZB</a>
Invisible Asia: <a href="https://str.sg/wuZn" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/wuZn&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw151Czcq7yBuUZtxnexpi1S">https://str.sg/wuZn</a>
---
Discover more ST podcast series:
Asian Insider: <a href="https://str.sg/JWa7" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/JWa7&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2JOh0fJ088M6U4hxsGTQWv">https://str.sg/JWa7</a>
Green Pulse: <a href="https://str.sg/JWaf" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/JWaf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0UDnit3AdEEndYQsUE68W-">https://str.sg/JWaf</a>
Health Check: <a href="https://str.sg/JWaN" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/JWaN&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3nA7WzijbT9l0fAML8AOS4">https://str.sg/JWaN</a>
In Your Opinion: <a href="https://str.sg/w7Qt" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/w7Qt&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1TLYy_owh-wOQOGPOAguRZ">https://str.sg/w7Qt</a>
Your Money &amp; Career: <a href="https://str.sg/wB2m" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/wB2m&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2bHSjCn3p6hhKdUksB1SCE">https://str.sg/wB2m</a>
#PopVultures: <a href="https://str.sg/JWad" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/JWad&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw02buEBEqtidDXQhjSWcwDH">https://str.sg/JWad</a>
ST Sports Talk: <a href="https://str.sg/JWRE" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/JWRE&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0HtqRq_gDQ3sliSuYX3PoB">https://str.sg/JWRE</a>
Bookmark This!: <a href="https://str.sg/JWas" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/JWas&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1wLmzoaZNqYHeu4Qfn_8QX">https://str.sg/JWas</a>
Lunch With Sumiko: <a href="https://str.sg/J6hQ" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/J6hQ&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1OgbjGd0OhvABEvceZ-9kq">https://str.sg/J6hQ</a>
Discover ST Podcasts: <a href="http://str.sg/stpodcasts" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://str.sg/stpodcasts&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3YIf9X_O5hYI5XV1em4nrK">http://str.sg/stpodcasts</a>
Discover BT Podcasts: <a dir="ltr" href="https://bt.sg/pcPL" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bt.sg/pcPL&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1znS2pOZwwA2GgWRoJHBKw">https://bt.sg/pcPL</a>
Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts!
#STAsianInsider

Synopsis: Every week, get our distinct take on global issues with an Asian perspective, with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe.

Produced by podcast editor Ernest Luis, The Straits Times, SPH Media Trust.

Synopsis: Every week, get our distinct take on global issues with an Asian perspective, with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe.
Produced by podcast editor Ernest Luis, The Straits Times, SPH Media Trust.

Asian Insider

Synopsis: Every week, get our distinct take on global issues with an Asian perspective, with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe.

Produced by podcast editor Ernest Luis, The Straits Times, SPH Media Trust

Synopsis: Every week, get our distinct take on global issues with an Asian perspective, with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe.
Produced by podcast editor Ernest Luis, The Straits Times, SPH Media Trust

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