What does "culprit" mean? Does it have a negative meaning itself?
Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
Yes, "culprit" is usually used in a negative way to mean a suspect, offender, criminal, or cause of something (usually a crime, misdeed, or other negative thing). In this case, the speaker has used it to emphasize in a negative way the extent of Japan's single-use plastics problem. Ex: The culprits of childhood obesity are unhealthy snacks and sugary drinks. Ex: The culprit of the robbery was the mailman.