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September 08, 2025
 

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DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

Portable power supply devices at a Bic Camera electronics store in Tokyo
JAPAN
Sep 8, 2024
Sales of portable power supply devices surge amid heightened disaster preparedness
Jackery, a U.S.-based major portable power supply solution firm, saw a sharp climb in sales in Japan after the possible Nankai Trough quake alert issued on Aug. 8.
A small fire department vehicle makes its way to a disaster site during rescue operations following the Noto Peninsula earthquake.
JAPAN
Sep 8, 2024
Japan to deploy smaller rescue vehicles after lessons learned from Noto quake
Based on the experience, the agency plans to provide disaster response teams with smaller rescue vehicles capable of operating over rough and narrow roads.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addresses a meeting on the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday.
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2024
Japan to enhance evacuation system for Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant
The move is aimed at gaining the understanding of Niigata Prefecture residents for a restart of the plant before Prime Minister Fumio Kishida steps down this autumn.
A shelf for emergency goods is seen almost empty at a hardware store in the city of Shizuoka on Aug. 9.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 1, 2024
20% take no action over Nankai Trough quake warning
The emergency information was lifted on Aug. 15 as there was no particular change in the state of the plate boundaries near where the quake is expected to occur.
A map of western Japan shows the Nankai Trough and, to its north, the hypocentral region where the energy for an earthquake is thought to be building.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 30, 2024
Did you feel that? It may be time to refresh your disaster kits — and vocabulary.
Part of Japan got a scare when the first-ever megaquake alert was issued earlier this month, a reminder that knowing the right terms in a disaster is crucial.
A member of the Self-Defense Forces wipes away sweat as he conducts a search and rescue operation at a landslide site caused by heavy rain in Kumano, Hiroshima Prefecture, on July 11, 2018.
ENVIRONMENT / Boiling Point
Aug 29, 2024
Can Japan handle a heat wave and natural disaster at the same time?
Recent typhoons and the Nankai Trough megaquake alert have put the spotlight on how the country would deal with a dual disaster.
An illustration of the Japan Coast Guard's planned patrol ship, which will be its biggest ever
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2024
Japan Coast Guard to build its biggest patrol ship
The coast guard's new ship will be around 200 meters long and will weigh about 30,000 tons.
Demolition works were still being carried out on July 1 in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, six months after the New Year's Day earthquake in the Noto Peninsula.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2024
Land ministry highlights disaster reduction measures in budget request
The budget request is up 18.1% from the previous year at ¥7.03 trillion.
A huge seawall has been constructed along a coast in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture.
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2024
Infrastructure ministry to boost aid for port flood prevention
The ministry also plans to provide tax breaks to companies working on raising seawalls systematically.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel has asked Japan to name its representatives for a joint task force on disaster relief hub.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2024
U.S. urges Japan to name disaster relief hub task force members
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel asked Japan's foreign and defense ministers to provide the names of four officials at its "earliest convenience."
Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui offers flowers for the victims of the massive landslides on the 10th anniversary of the disaster during a ceremony in Hiroshima on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Aug 20, 2024
Victims of Hiroshima landslides remembered 10 years on
The landslides, which occurred in the early hours of Aug. 20, 2014, claimed the lives of 77 people and completely or partially destroyed 396 houses.
Earthquakes are a fact of life in Japan, but there are strategies to keep yourself from spiraling into stress and despair over future catastrophes.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 17, 2024
Dreading the Big One? How to manage pre-disaster anxiety.
Anxiety about potential natural disasters can take its toll, but mental health experts say there are practical solutions.
An electronic signboard at Tokyo Station displays information about a megaquake alert last Saturday. The government lifted the alert on Thursday but urged continued vigilance.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 15, 2024
Japan lifts megaquake alert after no major seismic activity detected
Authorities note that although the alert is lifted, a large-scale earthquake remains a possibility.
Designed by Bob Foundation in collaboration with Sugita Ace, the Sonaete series of disaster preparedness kits are packaged in bags, boxes and pouches that look attractive in homes.
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Aug 13, 2024
Stylish emergency goods can save precious seconds when disaster strikes
Eye-catching go bags, canary-inspired whistles and more aesthetically pleasing emergency preparedness items you'll want to keep within arm's reach.
A man makes his way along an earthquake-damaged street in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in January. With last week's tremors in Kyushu and the nature of the Nankai Trough, some experts believe that the omens of a disaster can be seen.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 11, 2024
Japan is living in the shadow of the megaquake
People tend to view the quake threat in the abstract. It’s kind of like thinking about death — I know I’ll die someday, but I hope it won’t be today.
A sign says "bottled water is being rationed, with a cap of one case (six bottles) per customer" in a supermarket in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Saturday.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 10, 2024
People urged to avoid panic-buying as megaquake fears spread
Authorities urged people to avoid hoarding as anxiety over a possible megaquake triggered a spike in demand for disaster kits and daily necessities.
Workers remove debris from a damaged house in the city of Miyazaki on Thursday following a major earthquake.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 9, 2024
Nankai Trough megaquake concerns become 'real' among locals
Some Kyushu residents are starting to worry about their safety and are taking extra precautions.
Naoshi Hirata (center), chairman of a committee tasked with evaluating the risk of a Nankai Trough earthquake, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Explainer
Aug 9, 2024
Japan issued its first-ever megaquake alert. What does that mean?
How serious is the situation, and what should people do in the days to come? Here’s what you need to know.
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 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.
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

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past
By Alex K.T. Martin

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