NEWSWORTHY
New Zealand marks eighth anniversary of Christchurch quake that killed 185, including 28 Japanese
The city of Christchurch marked on Friday the eighth anniversary of an earthquake that killed 185 people and caused extensive damage from which New Zealand's oldest city is still recovering. Of the victims, 115 people were killed when the six-story Canterbury Television Building collapsed. Among ...
No major damage reported after magnitude 5.8 earthquake hits Hokkaido's Iburi region
Four people were injured and hundreds of others left stranded in train carriages and at an airport early Friday after a magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit Hokkaido the previous night. While no major damage was reported from the quake, which struck at 9:22 p.m. Thursday, more ...
Japan and Tepco again ordered to pay damages to Fukushima nuclear disaster evacuees
A court orders the state and the operator of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant to pay a combined ¥419 million in damages to evacuees from the 2011 nuclear disaster.
Local governments in Japan see chance for EVs to be 'batteries on wheels' during emergencies
With Japan being prone to natural disasters, hopes are high that electric vehicles and their plug-in hybrid equivalents could play a key role as "batteries on wheels" when emergencies strike. Automakers in the nation are forging agreements with an increasing number of local governments to ...
Japan seeks to upgrade forecasts of torrential 'guerrilla rainstorms' before 2020 Tokyo Olympics
Scientists have created a high-tech radar capable of producing a 3D map of a rain cloud in 30 to 60 seconds, a major improvement on existing systems, they say.
Japan's Reconstruction Agency to air ad for Fukushima products on TV, online and at cinemas
The Reconstruction Agency said Friday that it will run a television commercial advertising farm, fishery and forestry products made in Fukushima Prefecture for about a week from Saturday. The 30-second spot is aimed at dispelling harmful rumors about the safety of products from the prefecture ...
Ahead of the 2020 Summer Games, the transport ministry said Tuesday it plans to strengthen measures to help foreign visitors in the event of a massive earthquake in the Tokyo area. The ministry will beef up airports and railways' quake resiliency to ensure vital transportation ...
Last public school in Iwate wrecked by 3/11 quake and tsunami rebuilt in Rikuzentakata
A ceremony marking the reconstruction of an elementary school — the last public school in Iwate Prefecture heavily damaged by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami to be rebuilt — was held Friday in the city of Rikuzentakata. Kesen Elementary School's new building stands on higher ...
Tokyo's foreign residents prepare for worst at multilingual disaster drill
On the heels of a year marked by natural disasters — and with thousands of foreign workers expected to enter the country over the next few years — the Tokyo Metropolitan Government hosted a disaster drill Wednesday in Setagaya Ward to prepare foreign residents ...
In the final annual New Year's Poetry Reading Ceremony before his abdication, Emperor Akihito reflected Wednesday on sunflowers, which have become associated with a major earthquake in the nation. The choice of topic has been said to indicate his ongoing commitment those affected by the ...
People in flood-hit western Japan area frustrated by sluggish recovery and population loss
With Jan. 6 marking six months since deadly floods devastated parts of western Japan, many residents in the area are still living in temporary housing, towns with declining populations are seeing more people leave and some farmers with destroyed fields have decided to quit ...
The government is preparing to test a disaster early warning system for the Asia-Pacific region using one of its quasi-zenith satellites later this year, a Kobe-based group says.
