43: Plastic nation

To see how difficult it is to live a life without it, JT staff writer Andrew McKirdy spent a week trying to avoid single-use plastic. Also on this episode, Mona Neuhauss of No Plastic Japan. Hosted by Oscar Boyd.

Visit The JT's dedicated COVID-19 site for all the latest updates on the coronavirus situation from around Japan: http://jtimes.jp/covid19
Sign up to the Deep Dive mailing list and be notified every time a new episode comes out: jtimes.jp/deepdivesub. 
This podcast is part of The Japan Times' series on the climate crisis. Read the full articles:
• Redefining Japan's energy needs (Alex Martin)
• Tackling climate issues is key to the next decade (Masami Ito)
• Emergency on Japan's lucky island (Jesse Chase-Lubitz and Oscar Boyd)
• Throwaway society: Rejecting a life consumed by plastic (Andrew McKirdy)

Read/see more:  • Stores in Japan Environment Ministry building to stop handing out plastic bags (Tomohiro Osaka, The Japan Times)
• Minimum ¥1 fee for plastic bags to kick in weeks before Tokyo Olympics (The Japan Times/JiJi) • 77% in Japan support fees for plastic shopping bags (The Japan Times/Jiji)