Energy Colonialism: Japan’s Return to Nuclear Energy Impacts Indigenous Hokkaido

Japan could be putting high-level nuclear waste in two villages on the island of Hokkaido, without the consent of its Indigenous community.

Climate journalist Chermaine Lee sought to tell the story of the Ainu Indigenous people's rights in Hokkaido, Japan's largest prefecture. Reporting from the angle of energy colonialism, this project aims to put Indigenous people at the center of a story about just transition and land rights.

Photo caption: A board shows how Japan handles nuclear waste at Tomari nuclear power plant exhibition hall in April 2025. Image by Chermaine Lee.