Tag - disasters

 
 

DISASTERS

Satoshi Harada from the Meteorological Agency explains about the magnitude 6.6 earthquake during a news conference early Thursday.
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2024
No link to Nankai Trough quake seen after temblor in Shikoku
There was no tsunami from the quake and reports suggested only minor injuries and damage.
Children are evacuated from a preschool in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, following tsunami warnings after a powerful earthquake struck off Taiwan on Wednesday morning.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 2024
Japan lifts tsunami advisory after strong quake hits Taiwan
Tsunami measuring at least 30 centimeters were observed at Yonaguni and Miyako islands, while waves as high as 20 cm also reached Ishigaki Island.
Taiwanese military personnel aide in rescue and relief efforts by searching for survivors in a damaged building in Hualien, Taiwan, after a major earthquake struck off the island's eastern coast.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 3, 2024
Taiwan rocked by most powerful earthquake in 25 years
At least nine people were killed and more than 900 injured Wednesday by a powerful earthquake in Taiwan that prompted tsunami warnings.
Self-Defense Force soldiers search for survivors after a landslide swept through a residential area in Asaminami Ward, in the city of Hiroshima, in August 2014. Despite the nation’s numerous natural disasters, the government needs better contingency planning.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 28, 2024
Is Japan ready for the worst-case scenario?
Is the nation ready for massive disasters? Based on my studies of Japan’s crisis management system, I say “no” and unfortunately not.
A woman offers flowers for victims of the New Year's Day earthquake near the morning market in the city of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Thursday. Most buildings in the market were burned down in a fire that followed the quake.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2024
One month after Noto quake, challenges remain in restoration effort
About 14,000 people are still living at evacuation shelters as officials race to repair infrastructure in the region.
Toshiya Ikehata (center) helps prepare rice balls at a community kitchen in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 7. Ikehata runs a fine-dining restaurant in the city, which was among the hardest-hit areas in the Noto Peninsula earthquake.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2024
Shattered lives, unbroken spirits: Chefs step up to serve Noto communities
Fine-dining chefs rise to the challenge of feeding disaster victims in the hardest-hit areas of Ishikawa Prefecture.
Shu Kokaji (center) speaks with fellow volunteers on Saturday at Sunlife Plaza, an evacuation center in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture. At the facility, he aims to bring people joy in some aspects of evacuee life.
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2024
Noto quake: 'In times of crisis, all we have is each other'
A team from Iwate Prefecture is just one of many grassroots campaigns mobilizing to support quake victims.
Fire hoses remain intact on Sunday in front of a collapsed structure near the site of a massive blaze in a central market in the city of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2024
Photo essay: Inside the Ishikawa earthquake disaster zone
Over the three-day weekend, a team from The Japan Times reported from the hard-hit Noto Peninsula, witnessing a massive relief effort and speaking to evacuees.
Demonstrators call for action on climate change and environmental justice during a march in Washington in July 2018.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 7, 2023
There can be no climate justice if rich countries don’t pay
Rich countries are responsible for the climate crisis and it's only fair that they bear the burgeoning costs that poorer nations are having to pay.
In Australia, past El Nino events have led to destructive fire seasons, including the catastrophic Black Summer of 2019-2020.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2023
Australia hoped to dodge wildfires. El Nino has other plans.
The 1983, 2003, 2007, 2010 and 2015 fire seasons, some of the most damaging in the country’s history, all occurred during El Nino.
While the pace of deploying clean-energy solutions is faster than it has ever been, with climate change, the world overall is racing in the wrong direction.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 1, 2023
What the climate fight is really about
Now that a future of higher average global temperatures is inevitable, managing the problem well requires that we cut off the tail end of the extreme-weather distribution.
Officials closed the gates of the Forbidden City due to heavy rain in Beijing on Sunday.
WORLD
Jul 30, 2023
China upgrades flood alert for Beijing, other northern areas
China’s central government warned areas around Beijing and the north to be prepared to deal with floods brought on by remnants of Typhoon Doksuri.
The Hamaoka nuclear power station in the city of Omaezaki, Shizuoka Prefecture, is one of the areas that could be at risk if there is a major earthquake in the Nankai Trough.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 18, 2023
Time for a Nankai Trough earthquake warning system
Edited A total of 707 municipal governments in 29 prefectures are considered at risk of major quakes in this region. The at-risk population is nearly 60 million.
An extreme heat warning in Death Valley, California, on July 15
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 21, 2023
Our civilization was built for a climate that’s vanishing
Weather disasters linked to climate change like those unfolding across the northern hemisphere will affect more and more of us.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 24, 2023
After cyclones leave many homeless, Vanuatu takes climate plea to world stage
More than 3,000 people are still in evacuation centers three weeks after two category-four cyclones hit Vanuatu, which has a population of 319,000 spread across 80 islands.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 3, 2022
Giant sequoias are built to withstand fire, but not these fires
Infernos rampaging through the American West are so hot, they're killing trees that have thrived on fire for thousands of years.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 30, 2022
Nearly 1 in 4 globally at risk from severe flooding, study finds
Inundations from heavy rainfall and storm surges affect millions of people every year and cause billions of dollars of damage to homes, infrastructure and economies.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 24, 2022
Afghanistan seeks help for earthquake survivors as aftershock kills five
Authorities earlier ended a search in remote southeastern mountains for survivors of the 6.1 magnitude earthquake that struck early on Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2022
Megaquake in Tokyo would likely leave 4.53 million stranded, report shows
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has been working to secure facilities that would serve as temporary shelters for stranded people.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2022
Another strong earthquake jolts Ishikawa amid warning that more could come
Monday's 5.0 magnitude quake a day after an initial temblor hit the area, leaving at least six people injured on the Sea of Japan coast.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores