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JAPAN
Apr 9, 2011

Fish processors rise to challenge

SHIOGAMA, Miyagi Pref. — Fumio Oikawa is determined to clean the mud out of his small seaweed salt factory in Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture, and reopen as soon as possible.
EDITORIALS
Apr 9, 2011

New food contamination rules

With fears, sometimes unfounded, mounting that food and water might be contaminated by radiation, the government has established a new rule governing bans on contaminated agricultural products.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2011

Fallout of nuclear and financial meltdowns

BRUSSELS — The metaphors used during the financial crisis of 2008-2009 — earthquake, tsunami, meltdown, black swan and fallout — are back with a vengeance, but now they are being recycled literally. In fact, the financial crisis and the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima nuclear-power plant in Japan...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2011

U.S. teacher stays to return favor to helpful residents of Miyagi town

TAGAJO, Miyagi Pref. — Kyle Maclauchlan, an English-language teacher from the United States, experienced a nightmare when the March 11 monster earthquake and tsunami devastated the small Miyagi Prefecture town he lived in and wiped away most of his belongings.
EDITORIALS
Apr 7, 2011

Overcoming the nuclear crisis

The crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant does not warrant optimism. Nuclear fuel in the cores of the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 reactors is believed to have been severely damaged. In the No. 4 reactor's storage, where spent nuclear fuel is kept, water evaporated at one...
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2011

Nuclear crisis man-made, not 'an act of god': experts

Despite protestations from the government and Tokyo Electric Power Co. that the tsunami that knocked out the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant was unforeseeable, noted seismologists and nuclear experts say the crisis is largely man-made.
JAPAN
Apr 5, 2011

After the disaster, better ties?

OSAKA — The unprecedented involvement of the U.S. military in rescue and relief operations amid the Tohoku disaster has U.S. and Japanese policy experts hoping the effort will lead to closer bilateral cooperation on disaster planning and other issues, not least the Futenma base relocation.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Apr 5, 2011

'Fly-jin' face fallout from decision to go

DAREK GONDOR "Osaka? Why didn't you tell me about this? I'm responsible for the whereabouts of this institute's employees, you know."
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Apr 5, 2011

Letting radiation leak, but never information

March 2011 has shaken Japan to the core. The earthquake, tsunami and nuclear incident in Fukushima have given the world cause to pause and reflect on the fragility and hubris of human existence. My condolences to the victims, and their families and friends.
Reader Mail
Apr 3, 2011

English teachers entering the fray

This month all fifth- and sixth-graders start experiencing English education. Takahiro Fukada's Feb. 26 article, "Are schools ready for English?," truthfully depicts the dire situation at hand. The education ministry is fully responsible for the mess and insufficient preparation of teachers. Nothing...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Apr 3, 2011

Every day ought to be Earth Day

I usually avoid large gatherings of people, even though it has become my job to give lectures and to attend seminars and meetings and such. However, you would never see me anywhere near a rock concert or a rugby, soccer or baseball match.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2011

Volunteer sensitivity to locals' needs called for

Tohoku communities hit by the earthquake and tsunami last month are gradually embarking on the road to recovery, with some finally able to call on volunteers outside the region for help thanks to restored infrastructure.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2011

NGO finds high levels in safe area

Radiology experts from Greenpeace urged the government Wednesday to expand the evacuation zone around the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant after they found high levels of radiation outside the 20-km mandatory no-go zone.
Reader Mail
Mar 31, 2011

Switch to renewable won't suffice

Regarding Brahma Chellaney's March 23 article, "Nuclear power no solution": The ongoing events in Japan have led many, including Chellaney, to question the role of nuclear technology in energy production, and calls are already being made for countries to abandon their nuclear programs altogether. Global...
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2011

Ideas floated to stanch leak of radiation

With operations to pump out massive amounts of contaminated water at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant running into trouble, new ideas surfaced Wednesday to move the effort forward, including storing the tainted water in tankers and covering the reactor sites with fabric shrouds.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 30, 2011

A silver lining to the Fukushima disaster?

The most remarkable thing about the response so far to the "genpatsu shinsai" (nuclear-earthquake disaster) that has engulfed Japan is that there are still people who think nuclear power has a future. Should this be attributed more to the dependence of modern industrialized societies on massive inputs...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 30, 2011

How the world can assist Japan

Japan is known not only for its experience with devastating disasters, but also for innovations in disaster risk reduction. Back in 1990, when the United Nations started its first International Decade of Natural Disaster Reduction (1990-1999), Japan was one of the strongest supporters.
JAPAN
Mar 29, 2011

Radioactive water keeps workers out

Reactor turbine basements flooded with highly radioactive materials kept a desperate effort to stabilize the Fukushima No. 1 power plant at bay Monday, as fresh data showed that nearby seawater was being contaminated further by the leaking facility.
JAPAN / Q&A
Mar 29, 2011

Long-life cesium top threat to seafood

The damaged Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant is contaminating seawater with heavy amounts of iodine-131 and other radioactive materials.
JAPAN / Q&A
Mar 27, 2011

Radioactive water stymies crews

The effort to steer the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant away from disaster suffered another setback when workers discovered widespread uncontrolled leaking of radioactive water at the six-reactor complex.
JAPAN
Mar 26, 2011

Injuries point to fuel rod damage in No. 3

The fuel rods in the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant's No. 3 reactor, including MOX, may be damaged, based on the highly radioactive water that injured two workers and exposed a third the previous day, the nuclear safety agency said Friday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / GLOBAL HUMAN RESOURCES SYMPOSIUM
Mar 26, 2011

Mix globalization and localization: experts

Companies in advanced economies need to work out new management strategies on globalization, especially as emerging markets account for an increasing portion of worldwide demand, Japanese and German scholars and business executives told a recent symposium in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Q&A
Mar 25, 2011

It's in the water, food, soil: But what are the risks?

Radioactive materials from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant have been spreading, contaminating milk, vegetables, water and soil in Fukushima and neighboring prefectures.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2011

Integration, radiation top Kansai poll agenda

OSAKA — Further regional integration and the future of nuclear power in the prefecture with the nation's largest number of reactors are topping voter concerns in Kansai heading into the April 10 elections.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2011

Kan widens ban on contaminated food

Prime Minister Naoto Kan instructed Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato on Wednesday to tell local people not to eat certain leafy vegetables, including spinach, cabbage and broccoli harvested from Fukushima Prefecture, after finding radioactive materials well beyond the legal limit.

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan