National May 20, 2020
Second Kyushu Electric reactor halted over delayed anti-terror steps
The utility aims to bring the reactor back online on Jan. 26 next year after making the required changes,
National May 2, 2020
Residents in UNESCO candidate site near Okinawa face up to delay in screening process
Residents of an island chain near Okinawa are frustrated because the coronavirus pandemic has delayed the assessment process for its UNESCO World Heritage listing.
National Mar 16, 2020
Kyushu Electric halts Sendai reactor due to delay in terrorism measures
A reactor at a nuclear plant run by Kyushu Electric Power Co. was halted Monday after the utility was unable to complete on schedule anti-terrorism measures required by regulators — the first such suspension under stricter rules introduced after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis. The ...
National / Crime & Legal Mar 13, 2020
Fukuoka High Court on Friday declined to recognize eight plaintiffs as sufferers of Minamata disease, rejecting their demand for a total of some ¥300 million in damages from the government and other defendants. In the lawsuit, the eight members of a Minamata disease-related mutual-aid group ...
National Mar 1, 2020
A project is underway to produce premium coffee from beans grown on Tokunoshima, an island in Kagoshima Prefecture, on a commercial basis. The project was launched in June 2017 by beverage-maker Ajinomoto AGF Inc., major trading house Marubeni Corp., the town of Isen and the ...
National Feb 10, 2020
Japan has put a new spy satellite into orbit that is expected to help the government capture images of North Korean missile sites. The spy satellite was lofted into orbit by an H-IIA rocket launched at 10:34 a.m. Sunday from Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima ...
National Feb 3, 2020
No injuries reported after volcano erupts on Kuchinoerabu Island in Kagoshima Prefecture
A volcano on an island in Kagoshima Prefecture erupted early Monday, the Meteorological Agency said, with no immediate reports of injuries. Pyroclastic flows — observed there for the first time since Jan. 29 last year — reached around 900 meters southwest of the crater, while ...
National Jan 11, 2020
Volcano erupts on Kuchinoerabu Island in Kagoshima Prefecture; no injuries reported
A volcano in southwestern Japan erupted Saturday, the Meteorological Agency said, but there were no immediate reports of injuries. Rocks were thrown about 300 meters from the crater of Mount Shintake on Kuchinoerabu Island in Kagoshima Prefecture following the eruption around 3:05 p.m., the agency ...
National Dec 2, 2019
Japan to buy tiny island in Kagoshima for ¥16 billion to host U.S. landing drills
The government said Monday it has agreed to buy an uninhabited island in Kagoshima Prefecture with an eye to letting the U.S. military use it for takeoff and landing practice. The ¥16 billion ($146 million) acquisition of 8-sq.-km Mage Island will pave the way for ...
National Nov 20, 2019
Stray and domestic cats prey on endangered species on Tokunoshima island
A team of researchers have found that stray and free-roaming domestic cats fed by humans are preying on rare species on Tokunoshima island in Kagoshima Prefecture. "We hope people will know that feeding promotes the population growth of cats and affects the natural environment," said ...
National Nov 18, 2019
Alert level raised for southern Kyushu's Mount Shinmoe volcano after cluster of 22 earthquakes
The alert level for a volcano in southwestern Japan was raised Monday amid increasing seismic activity in the area, according to the Meteorological Agency. With the level now at 2 on a 5-point scale, people have been warned not to approach the crater of Mount ...
National Nov 2, 2019
Kagoshima Prefecture's Mount Io volcano on Satsuma-Iojima Island erupts
Kagoshima Prefecture's Mount Io volcano on the island of Satsuma-Iojima erupted at 5:35 p.m. on Saturday, but no injuries were reported, the authorities said. The Meteorological Agency raised the alert level to 2 on a scale of 5, urging people not to approach the volcano's ...