NEWSWORTHY
Strong earthquake rattles Gunma Prefecture, but no injuries reported
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake hit southern Gunma Prefecture on Sunday, causing some property damage but so far no reports of injuries have been confirmed. The 3:27 p.m. quake, which occurred at a depth of 14 km and posed no tsunami risk, registered lower 5 on ...
Car crashes into Gunma supermarket, injuring 14; driver held
A car crashed into a supermarket in Shibukawa, Gunma Prefecture, on Sunday afternoon, injuring 14 people. None of the 14 is in a life-threatening condition but five were seriously injured, including one whose hip got broken, according to the Gunma Prefectural Police department's Shibukawa station. Around ...
President of 500-year-old Japanese inn apologizes after fire
The president of a ryokan (traditional inn), in business for more than 500 years at a hot spring resort in Gunma Prefecture, apologized Wednesday over a fire that occurred the previous day at his home, which is connected to the inn. "I'm sorry for causing ...
A fire broke out Tuesday night on the grounds of a 500-year-old traditional Japanese inn in Shibukawa, Gunma Prefecture, with one nonlife-threatening injury being reported, a local fire department said. The blaze that hit the Chigira Jinsentei inn and hot spring in the Ikaho resort ...
Japanese engineer builds giant robot to realize Gundam dream
Engineer Masaaki Nagumo had always dreamed of suiting up as a robot from "Mobile Suit Gundam," his favorite animation series growing up. Now he has made it a reality by creating a giant humanoid inspired by the science fiction franchise. Developed by Sakakibara Kikai, a ...
Vast, bioclean Kumamoto silkworm factory aims to revive Japan's sericulture sector
In an upland valley in Kumamoto Prefecture, a huge, dark-silver-colored flat building is home to silkworms that are raised all year round. Believed to be one of the world's biggest bioclean silkworm factories, it was completed in April 2017 at a cost of ¥2.3 billion ...
Japanese officials rapped for slow response to volcanic eruption in Gunma
Following last week's eruption of Mount Moto-Shirane in Gunma Prefecture, both central and local authorities have come under fire for failing to issue a warning to climbers and skiers in the area until about an hour after the blast. When a volcano erupts, the Meteorological ...
Gunma mountain was quiet for 3,000 years before sudden eruption
Fresh details emerge about the volcanic eruption on Mount Moto-Shirane in Gunma Prefecture and how it caught the Meteorological Agency and volcanic experts unaware.
Businesses in Gunma resort town near volcanic eruption brace for impact on local economy
Tuesday's volcanic eruption near a ski resort in Gunma Prefecture, which left one dead and injured 11, is also impacting the local economy as visitors from Japan and overseas turn away from the popular travel destination. Northwestern Gunma Prefecture's Mount Moto-Shirane towers above the town ...
'I thought I was going to die': One killed and 11 injured after Gunma volcano erupts
The 9:59 a.m. eruption of the 2,171-meter mountain is the first since 1983, according to the Meteorological Agency.
'Tiger Mask' donor urges more local governments to engage with orphan-support initiatives
Since stepping forward a year ago to reveal himself as the initiator of the "Tiger Mask" movement of anonymous donations to orphans, Masatake Kawamura has allowed no letup in his charity drive. The campaign he started has motivated his hometown government to launch a fundraising ...
A helicopter crashed in a village northwest of Tokyo on Wednesday afternoon, killing four employees of the helicopter service company who were on board, local authorities said. The helicopter crashed around 2:30 p.m. and burst into flames in the Gunma Prefecture village of Ueno, the ...
