Ceremony held to mark 50 years since Tomei Expressway was fully opened
A ceremony was held Sunday to mark the 50th anniversary of the full opening of the 347-kilometer-long (215-mile-long) Tomei Expressway, which connects Tokyo's Setagaya Ward and the city of Komaki in Aichi Prefecture. At the event, held at the expressway's Ashigara service area in the ...
Iraq marks one year since 'victory' against Islamic State group
Iraq's premier on Monday marked a year since his country declared victory against the Islamic State group by pledging to fight corruption next, even as he faces a political crisis within his government. A year ago, his predecessor announced the conclusion of a three-year battle ...
About 20 survivors gathered at Pearl Harbor on Friday to pay tribute to the thousands of people lost in the Japanese attack 77 years ago. They joined dignitaries, active duty troops and members of the public in observing a moment of silence at 7:55 a.m., ...
Hiroshima mayor marks 73rd A-bomb anniversary with indirect call to sign U.N. nuke ban treaty
Hiroshima once again fell silent Monday morning while traffic came to halt in remembrance of those lost, with dignitaries urging world leaders to strengthen efforts to abandon nuclear weapons.
Prayers offered on 10th anniversary of deadly Iwate-Miyagi quake
People offered prayers Thursday as the Tohoku region marked the 10th anniversary of a major earthquake in Iwate and Miyagi prefectures that left 17 people dead and 6 unaccounted for. In Kurihara, Miyagi Prefecture, relatives of the victims and others affected by the magnitude 7.2 ...
Descendants of Hawaii's first Japanese immigrants mark 150th anniversary
Gwendellyn Sanchez hoped 100 people would attend the gathering she organized in Honolulu for descendants of gannenmono — the first group of Japanese immigrants to arrive in Hawaii. In the end, more than twice as many came as Hawaii kicked off its yearlong celebration of ...
North Korea marks late founder's birthday with no signs of any provocations
North Korea on Sunday marked the 106th anniversary of the birth of its late founder Kim Il Sung with no signs of provocations toward the international community amid a reduction in tensions following Pyongyang's shift toward diplomacy. The anniversary, known in the country as the ...
Fukushima's fishing industry stuck in slow but steady battle to change public perceptions after 3/11
Since the March 2011 nuclear crisis, fishery workers in Fukushima Prefecture have had the unprecedented and daunting task of convincing consumers that local fish are safe to eat. Fishing has resumed on a "trial" basis and the catches are gradually increasing. But seven years on, ...
In shadow of nuclear disaster, Fukushima's rice farmers look to rebuild their market
For 36-year-old rice farmer Emi Kato, the first few years after the 2011 core meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant were grueling. Due to fears of radioactive contamination, several customers terminated their contracts for rice she and her husband, Koji, 38, had harvested ...
Fukushima No. 1 cleanup continues but radioactive water, and rumors, also prove toxic
Seven years have passed since the core meltdowns occurred in March 2011 at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, which shocked the world and fractured the local community. During a media tour last month, a hazard map of the crippled nuclear plant was shown ...
Tohoku tech firm develops fashion niche to withstand disaster
For Akio Sato, whose electronic components company and home were decimated in the massive Tohoku tsunami seven years ago, starting a fashion business that would one day receive an Imperial endorsement was all but impossible to imagine. The magnitude 9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami destroyed ...
Tohoku communities slow to regroup as tsunami-hit cities rebuild on higher ground
Takashi Ito's family-owned book and stationery store is one of the 20 or so shops occupying a new mall that opened last year in Rikuzentakata, a tsunami-ravaged city in Iwate Prefecture once known for the towering pine trees that lined its scenic coast. The mall ...
