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August 31, 2025
 

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IWATE

Smoke rises from a forest fire in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, on Feb. 28
JAPAN
Mar 1, 2025
Japan battles biggest wildfire in decades
Flames are estimated to have spread over about 1,200 hectares in the forest of Ofunato in the northern region of Iwate since fire broke out on Wednesday.
A screenshot from a video posted by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency on X on Friday shows firefighters trying to put out the fire in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2025
Wildfire in Iwate rages on as unusually dry weather continues
The size of the affected area has doubled in less than two days.
A wildfire spreads in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, on Wednesday, prompting authorities to order more than 2,000 people to be evacuated.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 2025
At least one dead, 84 homes destroyed in Iwate Prefecture wildfire
This is the third wildfire in Iwate Prefecture in the past week, as dry weather continues.
A section of an exterior wall at the Okawa Elementary School Ruins in the city of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, fell off last December.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 25, 2025
14 years later, fight to preserve ruins of 3/11 continues
Local governments hope to teach future generations about the destructive nature of the tsunami that followed the March 2011 quake, but the ruins are continuing to erode.
Ofunato in Iwate Prefecture. As the flames move dangerously close to residential neighborhoods, officials from the city issued evacuation orders late Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2025
Wildfire rages in Iwate as firefighters struggle to contain blaze
No injuries or property damage from the wildfire have been reported so far.
Iwate Gov. Takuya Tasso speaks in a group interview in Morioka on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2025
14 years on, Iwate to ask for continued reconstruction support
"Reviving sources of livelihood is important to enrich the lives of affected people," Gov. Takuya Tasso said in an interview.
Roki Sasaki pitches in a game against the Czech Republic during the World Baseball Classic in Tokyo on March 11, 2023, the 12th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
BASEBALL
Feb 4, 2025
Roki Sasaki's road to glory was paved by ache of a tragedy
Long before he became a pitching phenom and signed a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Roki Sasaki's life was marked by tragedy.
On Sunday, authorities in Iwate Prefecture began culling some 50,000 chickens Sunday after an outbreak of bird flu.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2025
Bird flu outbreaks strike Iwate Prefecture farms
It is the 19th bird flu outbreak of the season in Japan, the agriculture ministry said.
The nationwide average for men's healthy life expectancy decreased 0.11 year from the previous survey, three years earlier, to 72.57 years, while that for women rose 0.07 year to 75.45 years.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 25, 2024
Residents of Shizuoka live longest healthy lives in Japan, ranking shows
Every three years the health ministry estimates healthy life expectancy based on a comprehensive survey of living conditions.
Shiho Hanadate is part of a small yet growing number of young tappers pivotal in securing the future of domestic sap collection used in Japanese lacquerware.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 30, 2024
The young sap collectors underpinning Japanese lacquerware
“You can’t cut into the core, so you have to judge the thickness of the bark,” says tapper Shiho Hanadate. “You have to develop a sense for it.”
Oitomi's decision to send superstar Shohei Ohtani one of the company's traditional ironware tea kettles has paid off with a surge of interest from general consumers.
LIFE / Style & Design
Nov 23, 2024
After Shohei Ohtani bump, Iwate ironware maker sees brighter future
Thanks to the Dodgers superstar, the waitlist for Oitomi’s Miyabi Tetsubin kettle now stretches to more than a year.
A bear sighting warning sign in a park at a residential area in the city of Hanamaki in Iwate Prefecture. Hanamaki has deployed along riverbanks artificial intelligence-equipped cameras that identify bears and alert city officials.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 13, 2024
Municipalities in Japan turn to AI and digital maps to prevent bear encounters
Akita Prefecture's online map consolidates reports of sightings and incidents while the city of Hanamaki in Iwate Prefecture has deployed cameras that identify bears.
Appi Geothermal Energy's power plant in Hachimantai, Iwate Prefecture, began commercial operations in March.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Oct 31, 2024
Geothermal power slowly gains steam in Japan
Development of the energy source has long stalled, partly because they tend to lie beneath national parks, which are protected for wildlife conservation.
A World Series public-viewing event in Oshu, Iwate Prefecture, on Wednesday.
BASEBALL
Oct 30, 2024
'A treasure': Win or lose, Ohtani is a hometown hero in Iwate
Anticipation was high among the roughly 60 supporters who gathered early in the morning to watch Ohtani and the Dodgers try to clinch the World Series.
Eiji Kidoguchi, fielded by the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, won a by-election for the House of Councilors on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 28, 2024
CDP candidate wins Upper House by-election
Eiji Kidoguchi, elected to the chamber for the second time, focused his campaign on political reform.
Megumi Hirose, former Upper House member
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 10, 2024
Campaigning begins for Upper House by-election in Iwate
The by-election follows the resignation of Megumi Hirose over allegations public funds were misused.
Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hits his 50th home run of the season on Thursday in Miami.
BASEBALL / MLB
Sep 20, 2024
Ohtani’s former manager elated — but not surprised — after historic mark
Even as Ohtani rewrites the record books, Hideki Kuriyama believes he can do more.
A by-election to fill the vacancy left by Megumi Hirose's resignation is expected to take place on Oct. 27.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 15, 2024
Former LDP member Megumi Hirose resigns as Upper House lawmaker
Her resignation comes amid allegations that one of her secretaries had fraudulently received a salary using state funds.
Newly formed Tropical Storm Ampil, which is forecast to approach eastern Japan this weekend, is seen on the left side of this satellite image.
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2024
Focus shifts to incoming typhoon as Tropical Storm Maria dissipates
Tropical Storm Ampil is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon — a level on par with a Category 1 hurricane — and near eastern Japan this weekend.
High water levels in the Nagauchi River in the city of Kuji, Iwate Prefecture, on Monday　
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2024
Tohoku on alert as Tropical Storm Maria moves over region
Level 5 is the highest alert level, indicating a life-threatening situation and that residents should take immediate action to protect their lives.
Philippine bid to acquire used Japanese warships gains steam
Tokyo is looking to transfer Abukuma-class vessels to the Philippines as part of broader efforts to boost the defense capabilities of like-minded neighbors amid growing Chinese military assertiveness in the region.
Japan to launch broad review of immigration policies amid rise in foreign nationals
Foreign tourists at Narita Airport in June. A report released Friday stresses that Japan is at a turning point and that current ad-hoc measures on immigration are no longer sufficient.
Top Japan trade negotiator canceled U.S. trip over rice, report says
Ryosei Akazawa
Most Japanese teens struggling with school find end of summer ‘painful’
Some 93.1% of Japanese teenagers who struggle with school life said they felt like they “wanted to disappear from the world" at the end of summer vacation ahead of the start of a new term, according to a recent survey released by Yokohama-based nonprofit Daisan Kazoku.
Most Trump tariffs are not legal, U.S. appeals court rules
Workers hang a large poster of U.S. President Donald Trump on the facade of the Department of Labor headquarters building in Washington on Wednesday.
Japan to launch broad review of immigration policies amid rise in foreign nationals
Foreign tourists at Narita Airport in June. A report released Friday stresses that Japan is at a turning point and that current ad-hoc measures on immigration are no longer sufficient.
Japan is warming up to tattoos — just not permanent ones
Tattoos have a complex history in Japan, but new types of temporary ink are letting locals curious about body art experiment without the commitment.
YouTube Music Weekend is where Japan’s internet-born performers go global
Headlining the second day of YouTube Music Weekend is Vocaloid artist Kikuo, who, with 1.46 million YouTube subscribers, is one of the most popular artists in the genre.
Japan looks to build drone ‘shield’ in record defense budget request
A group of Ground Self-Defense Force service members discuss drone operations and capabilities at a joint static display during the Orient Shield 24 opening ceremony at the Yausubetsu Training Area in Hokkaido in July last year.
Can anime carry the memories of World War II?
Many schools in Japan show "Grave of the Fireflies" as educational material to tell the emotionally grueling story of a boy who has no means to prevent his sister from starving to death.

Podcast

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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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