Punk rock lawyer leads climate justice fight

This photo taken on December 27, 2025 shows lawyer Akihiro Shima, who spearheads a landmark climate change lawsuit in Japan, singing at a bar in Tokyo's Ginza district. Days after filing a landmark climate lawsuit, Akihiro Shima was belting out songs at a packed bar, sporting a mohawk and bright-red jacket. The 63-year-old rallied over 450 plaintiffs across Japan last month in a landmark lawsuit seeking damages from the central government over its alleged "grossly inadequate" response to climate change. (Photo by Tomohiro OSAKI / AFP) / To go with 'JAPAN-CLIMATE-JUSTICE-MUSIC, PROFILE' by Tomohiro OSAKI

Punk rock lawyer Akihiro Shima was belting out songs at a packed bar in Tokyo, sporting a mohawk and bright-red jacket, nine days after filing a landmark climate lawsuit.

The 63-year-old rallied over 450 plaintiffs across Japan last month in a landmark lawsuit seeking damages from the central government over its alleged “grossly inadequate” response to climate change.