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September 08, 2025
 

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DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

Photos taken from the same place but at different times in the Noto Peninsula towns of Wajima (left) and Suzu illustrate the progress made following the devastating earthquake that hit these areas of Ishikawa Prefecture on Jan. 1, 2024.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 1, 2025
A year after a deadly earthquake, Noto Peninsula still faces long road to recovery
Reconstruction remains a prolonged and complex ordeal for cities in the worst-hit areas, with recovery further hampered by torrential rains in September.
A Starlink antenna placed at a public facility in disaster-hit Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Dec. 10
JAPAN
Dec 31, 2024
Ishikawa municipalities weigh Starlink service one year after earthquake
Municipal officials think that Starlink is effective in securing communication methods in the early days of a disaster.
Evacuated people rest at a green house converted into an evacuation center in the aftermath of an earthquake in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 2. Japan is preparing to create a disaster management agency, with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba particularly keen to improve the conditions of emergency shelters for disaster evacuees.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 30, 2024
Japan preparing to create disaster management agency
Disaster-related deaths exceeded 220 in the 2016 quake disaster in Kumamoto Prefecture and topped 240 in the Noto Peninsula temblor.
International students and others participate in a disaster preparedness drill in Osaka City, where disaster information was conveyed in foreign languages.
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2024
Noto quake inspires more focus on getting disaster info to non-Japanese
The earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula on Jan. 1 highlighted the need to help foreign nationals who do not speak Japanese be more informed.
Workers retrieves tsunami buoy Thai 23461 in the Andaman Sea on Nov. 28.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Dec 25, 2024
The tsunami detection buoys safeguarding lives in Thailand
They form part of a warning system intended to ensure no disaster is as deadly as a huge December 2004 tsunami caused by an earthquake under the Indian Ocean.
A strawberry sales area at the Motegi roadside rest station in the town of Motegi, Tochigi Prefecture. As part of measures to address the shortage of successors, the roadside rest station is collaborating with farmers and others to sell locally grown agricultural products.
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2024
Support planned for roadside rest stations as regional development hubs
The facilities, which started out mainly as rest places for drivers, have taken on wide-ranging roles, from tourism and agriculture to disaster prevention.
A Meteorological Agency official speaks during a news conference held in Tokyo in August to announce the lifting of the government's emergency alert system for a megaquake that may occur in the Nankai Trough.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2024
Japan improves public relations for Nankai Trough megaquake alert
The first such alert, issued in August, caused confusion and unrest as the system was not widely recognized.
New unmanned water-cannon robots are set to be deployed to emergency fire assistance teams nationwide.
JAPAN
Dec 16, 2024
Emergency teams to be equipped with unmanned water-cannon robots
The robots, remotely operated, can navigate fire sites even during earthquakes or tsunami warnings.
Evacuees from an area flooded by the Kinugawa river, in Joso, Ibaraki Prefecture, in 2015
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2024
Japan updates disaster shelter guidelines
The central government on Friday updated its guidelines for disaster shelter operations, with the update calling for ensuring there is one toilet for every 20 people, among other measures.
Ten percent of municipalities said they did not know details of the megaquake warning system or how to respond to the alert, and 2.8% said they did not even know its name.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 27, 2024
Many municipalities in Japan lack understanding of megaquake advisory system
A Cabinet Office survey found that 12.8% of municipalities were not aware of what steps they should take when a megaquake advisory is issued.
Cardboard beds at a designated evacuation shelter in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 31, following the Noto earthquake
JAPAN
Nov 26, 2024
Citing Noto quake, experts urge Japan to bolster disaster shelters
Key recommendations from a government task force include the provision of cardboard beds and adequate cooking and toilet facilities.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks at a G20 summit meeting in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2024
Ishiba calls for disaster reduction efforts at G20
Ishiba also said there is no time to lose to deal with large-scale natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons.
The streets of Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, in October show that the city is still struggling from the aftermath of the Jan. 1 earthquake and heavy rain in September.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Nov 15, 2024
Japan faces urgent need to boost state finances for emergencies
If a major earthquake were to strike directly beneath Tokyo, the projected damage would total around ¥107.5 trillion.
Workers repair a damaged road on Jan. 7 in the aftermath of an earthquake in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2024
New minister promises ample budget for disaster resilience
"Improving the country's resilience is an extremely important task," Hiromasa Nakano said in an interview.
In 2017, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government became the first among Japan's local authorities to issue green bonds.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Nov 12, 2024
More municipalities tap green bonds as demand makes rates favorable
Green bond issuance by local government authorities in Japan has risen from ¥149.3 billion in 2022 to ¥443.1 billion in 2023.
An elderly woman lies on the floor of a classroom at an elementary school in Kitaibaraki, Ibaraki Prefecture, in March 2011 following the Great East Japan Earthquake earlier that month.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2024
Tokyo government looks to ensure everyone has a bed at evacuation centers
The capital hopes to improve living conditions at evacuation centers and boost its disaster response capability.
The seaside town of Shika on the Noto Peninsula, where the local power provider, Hokuriku Electric, has been fighting for a decade to restart a nuclear power plant in the town’s center.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 2, 2024
Can quake-prone Japan ever embrace nuclear energy again?
The government, its makeup in flux after the LDP lost seats this week, will soon need to make decisions that will shape Japan's future nuclear policy.
Water supply support is provided in January in areas affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture, where residents are facing water outages.
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2024
Seismic upgrading done for only 14.6% of key facility water pipelines
The findings suggest there are challenges to ensuring a stable water supply in the event of a disaster.
Residents walk past wreckage following deadly floods in Sedavi, south of Valencia, eastern Spain, on Wednesday.
WORLD
Oct 31, 2024
Spain's warning system under scrutiny as flood toll rises
Torrential rains that began at the start of the week sparked flooding that has left at least 95 people dead.
The number of public elementary and junior high school buildings without quake-resistance in Japan totaled 135 as of April 1, down by 60 from a year before.
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2024
Only 135 of Japan's public schools not quake-resistant
By prefecture, Ehime saw the lowest proportion of quake-resistant school buildings, at 98.0%.
Japan to experience blood moon lunar eclipse on Monday
A blood moon is seen during a partial eclipse in the sky over Lake George near Canberra on March 14.
‘Confugenics’ and East Asia's demographic crisis
East Asia’s fertility plunge is driven not just by financial costs but by perfectionist cultural expectations that burden parents with intense educational and social demands.
Japan prince comes of age as succession crisis looms
Prince Hisahito concludes his elaborate "kakan no gi" coming-of-age ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Saturday.
Ishiba to quit as prime minister amid LDP discontent
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announces his decision to step down, at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Sunday.
Bangladesh is a South Asian time bomb
Many Bangladeshis hoped that the overthrow of long-time leader Sheikh Hasina last year would revitalize the country’s democracy after an authoritarian lurch under the “iron lady.” Instead it has led to proliferating human-rights abuses, intensifying repression and widespread Islamist violence.
In rural Hokkaido, the stops and starts of tourism revival on full display
Redevelopment plans for Kawayu Onsen have hit some snags — an example of how bringing tourists back to declining rural communities is far from easy work.
London’s calling and sumo’s top division — along with Hello Kitty — are ready to answer
Yokozuna Hoshoryu and Hello Kitty, an ambassador for sumo's upcoming tour to London, at Tokyo's Kokugikan on Tuesday
Resonac creates 27-member consortium to pursue advanced chip developments
Representatives from member companies of JOINT3, a consortium working together on semiconductor-related developments announced by Resonac, pose for a photo in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Haru Nemuri’s radical new album refuses easy listening
Musician Haruna Kimishima, better known as Haru Nemuri, confronts Japan’s politics, nationalism and censorship on her recent output.
Overseas sluggers step up to bat in small-town Hokkaido
The Betsukai Pilot Spirits welcomed new players (left to right) Yuta Yamanaka, Roman Guthrie, Scott Bellina and Leo Jiminian this year, pictured here with Yassir Lachkar of the Ishikari Red Phoenix.

Podcast

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Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

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From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.
We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.

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