Residents failed by fitful rebuilding
Two years after thousands of Fukushima residents fled to escape the radiation from the No. 1 power plant meltdowns, many are gradually returning as more areas are deemed safe.
Plummeting debris estimates belie pleas for disposal aid
In the weeks after March 11, 2011, what to do with the mountains of debris that had once been people's homes and possessions before the quake and tsunami, and how to do it quickly, cheaply and safely, became the top priority of the cleanup ...
NRA gets strict, must prove credibility
Japan’s nuclear regulator has had a major revamp in the two years since lax safety standards contributed to the catastrophic nuclear meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 plant, discrediting it in the eyes of the public.
Water is both the savior and the bane at Fukushima No. 1
Those who were at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant two years ago probably remember their fears after towering tsunami knocked out the reactor cooling systems, triggering three core meltdowns.
Nuclear safety body touts voluntary measures
Utilities were unwilling to voluntarily improve safety at their nuclear plants before the Fukushima crisis erupted, but the chairman of the Japan Nuclear Safety Institute, an entity aimed at monitoring efforts by power firms to improve atomic safety, is determined to change that mindset. "Overseas ...
Traumatized port struggles to stay together, move on
When the Kinoya fish processing company in Ishinomaki opened its brand new flagship factory last month, it gave employees a ray of hope that it would recover from the 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that destroyed much of the city.
A quick blow, then lingering death for devastated towns
One of the defining images from the Great East Japan Earthquake is of a tsunami-hit tourist bus stranded on the roof of the two-story community center in the Pacific coastal district of Ogatsu, Miyagi Prefecture. The last sight Akinari Abe, 24, remembers about his hometown ...
Fishermen look to revamp industry
Tohoku's fishermen are beginning to challenge the traditional fisheries system by establishing their own companies so they can have more control over prices and other aspects of the business. "Going back to the way it was before the 3/11 tsunami is not enough, because the ...
