Yasuo Yamazaki, 69, stands next to a protest flag reading, 'Do Not Push Forward with the Data Center Construction!', in the city of Hino, Tokyo, on June 30. | AFP-JIJI
Jul 18, 2026
The more Yoriko Kitagawa learns of a massive data center to be built near her home in Hino on the outskirts of Tokyo, the more she worries.
“This is a terrible plan,” the 94-year-old said.
The explosion in resource-hungry data centers — housing the hardware “brains” of artificial intelligence — is fueling unease worldwide, with New York State and Australia the latest jurisdictions to announce new rules.
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