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Japan Times
LIFE
Apr 10, 2011

Japan's seismic nerve center

The Earthquake Phenomena Observation System, located inside the Japan Meteorological Agency in Tokyo's central Otemachi district, is usually operated by five teams of seven who work in rotating shifts that span every minute of the year. But at 2:46 p.m. on March 11 this year, all that changed. In an...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Apr 22, 2020

Designing for good: Creators in Japan respond to the coronavirus

From face shields to social distancing apps, made-in-Japan creativity has got you covered.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Perspectives
Nov 8, 2021

What Japan needs to change to better prepare for the next pandemic

COVID-19 won't be the last deadly contagion to strike Japan. Here are six things the government can do right now to ensure it can respond better when the next crisis strikes.
JAPAN
Feb 23, 2018

WTO backs Japan complaint against South Korea's Fukushima import ban

Tokyo welcomes a World Trade Organization ruling against South Korea's ban on seafood from Fukushima Prefecture but Seoul plans to appeal.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 31, 2022

Japan boosting use of digital tools for natural disasters

With damage caused by rains and typhoons becoming more severe, cities are refocusing their efforts to ensure the safety of residents by obtaining and conveying information promptly.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2019

Municipalities launch multilingual services for crises

The eighth anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11 is a good opportunity to learn disaster preparedness measures. Understanding how to obtain emergency information from reliable sources, such as local governments, is a good first step.
Japan Times
Events
Jan 29, 2013

Preparing the foreign community for Japan's next big natural disaster

For newcomers to Japan, especially those who come from countries that don't experience frequent earthquakes, preparing for natural disasters like the megaquake and tsunami that hit the Tohoku region on March 11, 2011, may not come so easily.
Tanks containing water from the disabled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant are seen at the plant in the town of Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, in March.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 1, 2023

Japan and China clash in Vienna over Fukushima water plan

China told a meeting for the 2026 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference that the international community is concerned about the plan.
A bill to revise the local autonomy law clears the Lower House on Thursday.
JAPAN
May 30, 2024

Japan's Lower House passes bill for state power in emergencies

The revision is aimed at enabling swift responses for ensuring citizens' safety.
Naoshi Hirata, chairman of a committee tasked with evaluating the risk of a Nankai Trough earthquake, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday evening.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2024

Japan issues first-ever alert over risk of Nankai Trough megaquake

It is believed that the chance of a major earthquake occurring in the Nankai Trough is relatively higher than usual, the weather agency said.
A woman passes an "akichi" (vacant lot) in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo. The capital is littered with such small lots in part because of Japan's aging and shrinking population.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Sep 21, 2024

Dealing with rising land vacancies as Japan shrinks

"Akichi," or vacant plots of land, are nothing new to the urban landscape. As the population decreases, however, the challenge is how to handle their steady increase.
On the first day of the 2000s, the world was relieved that the Y2K computer glitch was mostly nothing. And in Russia, Vladimir Putin came to power.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Jan 1, 2025

Japan Times 2000: Japanese celebrate new year

Check out what was on the front page on Jan. 1 in 1925, 1950, 1975 and 2000.
A rendering of a next-generation, high-speed landing craft for the Self-Defense Forces to be built by Japan Marine United and British-based maritime design and consultancy firm BMT
JAPAN
Feb 27, 2025

In rare move, Japan to jointly develop and design SDF landing craft with U.K.

Japan Marine United and Britain's BMT have secured a multimillion-dollar contract to build the next-generation, high-speed vessels for the SDF.
A night market in Taipei in April
JAPAN / Society
Apr 16, 2025

Japan is by far the favorite country among Taiwanese: survey

Japan has been the most popular country since the survey began in 2008.
Participants crouch and take cover inside the Toei Subway Higashi-Nakano Station as part of a civil protection drill simulating the launch of a ballistic missile, held on Jan. 15 in Tokyo's Nakano Ward.
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 27, 2025

Hurdles remain for securing missile shelters in Japan

Government carries out first large-scale survey to identify more potential evacuation sites.
People push a cart to receive water to distribute to neighbors in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 5, 2024, after a massive earthquake hit the area.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 28, 2025

Megaquake may hit central Japan within next 30 years, government panel says

There is a 16% to 18% chance of a large temblor hitting the Kinki western region and Hokuriku central region, according to a government panel.
Under an envisaged agreement, Tokyo and Canberra will vow to share information during an emergency and coordinate their evacuation plans during peacetime.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2025

Japan and Australia to agree on evacuations from a third country

In the event of an evacuation, Japan and Australia are expected to accept each other's citizens to fill vacant seats on their respective chartered aircraft and buses.
Rescue workers look for missing people in collapsed houses in the aftermath of the  earthquake that struck Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, and the surrounding areas on Jan. 1.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 30, 2024

No one left behind: Japan needs to work on its multicultural disaster response

The Noto earthquake has put into relief, once again, the need to cater disaster responses and preparedness to everyone, including foreigners.
Cars drive past a damaged road, in the aftermath of an earthquake, in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jan 18, 2024

Japan rings in 2024 with an unwelcome disaster

Join us for the first episode of 2024 as we recap the massive New Year’s Day earthquake and its impact on the people of Ishikawa Prefecture.
A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science / Longform
Apr 28, 2025

If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami

Last year the government issued its first "megaquake" advisory. Ever since, those living in the areas it's expected to hit have been preparing for the worst.
Cardboard beds at an evacuation center in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 31. Because evacuation shelters are operated by municipalities, the quality of disaster relief varies depending on the strength of each local government, one expert points out.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 1, 2024

Over 8,000 still in evacuation centers three months after Noto quake

The patchy progress of Japan's decentralized disaster relief shows that lessons from past disasters have not been learned, experts say.
A tsunami advisory, shown in yellow, was issued following an earthquake in Kyushu on Tuesday afternoon.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2024

Tsunami advisory lifted after strong quake jolts Kyushu

The 7.1 magnitude quake, measuring a weak 7 on Japan's intensity scale, triggered small tsunami waves in some areas.
Yusuke Ishikawa, a 49-year-old coroner with  the Miyagi Prefectural Police, is working to identify six remains of victims of the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2024

Police continue work to identify 3/11 disaster victims

Officials are alarmed by a decrease in opportunities for the police to obtain information that could lead to victims being identified.
48.0% of respondents living in the earthquake-hit Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture said there was a gap between those who could access information after the January 2024 quake and those who could not, a survey has shown.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2025

Nearly half in quake-hit Noto area felt digital divide

A survey found that some people described a gap between those who could access information and those who could not after the January 2024 disaster.
Police officers ask a man to evacuate from an empty beach following a tsunami warning, in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2025

Japan on edge but prepared for tsunami after huge Kamchatka earthquake

Tsunami waves measuring up to 1.3 meters were observed off the Pacific coast of Japan, with authorities urging people in coastal areas to evacuate to higher ground.
Naoya Maekawa, an associate professor at Fukushima University, speaks of the importance of passing on lessons from Japan's 2011 disasters.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Dec 18, 2023

Knowledge of 2011 disaster declining among young, survey shows

An academic behind the survey says memories of the disaster are fading.
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.
Children give a presentation on volcano studies during a workshop at Tairadate Elementary School in Hachimantai, Iwate Prefecture, in February.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Apr 29, 2024

Raising awareness over Mount Iwate eruption urged as memories fade

Interest in preparing for possible volcanic eruptions is difficult to muster in a nation prone to other natural disasters.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes