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July 04, 2025
 

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OKUMA

Takuya Haraguchi, head of ReFruits, speaks while looking at the kiwifruit vine at his farm in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, on April 24. A newcomer to farming, he hopes to revive the area by growing kiwifruits in this former no-go zone.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2025
'Moving forward': the Gen Z farmer growing Fukushima kiwifruits
Fukushima is renowned for its delicious fruit, from pears to peaches, but the nuclear disaster led many people in Japan to shun produce grown there.
Ryuji Matsumoto pats one of the sheep at his farm in the town of Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Apr 14, 2025
The man behind Fukushima town's 'Strawberry Sheep'
Ryuji Matsumoto, 54, incorporates dried strawberries into the feed for his sheep, which gives their meat a certain sweetness.
Naohisa Hoshikawa, chief executive officer and founder of Ookuma Diamond Device, in Sapporo in February. Hoshikawa says the potential of diamond semiconductors goes beyond decommissioning work, likening them to the U.S. Apollo manned lunar landing program, which gave birth to technological innovations affecting everyday life.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 12, 2025
Diamond chips could be key to decommissioning of Fukushima nuclear plant
Made with artificial diamonds, such chips are regarded as the "ultimate semiconductors" — they can withstand high levels of radiation as well as high voltages and temperatures.
Yasutoshi Nishimura
JAPAN
Sep 17, 2023
Minister vows to counter misinformation over Fukushima water release
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings started to release the treated water on Aug. 24.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Mar 27, 2023
Support for new Fukushima Prefecture residents key to tackling depopulation
The number of people moving to the area is on the rise, but with some new arrivals then moving away again, the prefecture is faced with a growing issue.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2023
Twelve years after 3/11, dispute grows over Fukushima’s radioactive soil
The central government has pledged to — and is legally obliged to — move all of the soil out of Fukushima Prefecture by 2045.
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2022
11 years on, evacuation order lifted for part of 'difficult-to-return' Fukushima town
The removal of the evacuation order was the first for a difficult-to-return zone in the municipalities that host Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Aug 2, 2021
Learning from disaster: Across Tohoku, a race is on to preserve vital records
Volumes of archived materials outline the ordeal communities have been through over the past decade. Soon they could be lost.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2020
In Fukushima, a 'village' aims to lure young people back to disaster-hit town
In a deserted part of Fukushima Prefecture dotted with vacant lots, a sleek modern building stands out. In a workshop inside, a woman with a ponytail wearing purple protective eyeglasses carefully melts a tiny glass tube into the shape of a plum blossom.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 11, 2019
Independent is elected new mayor of Okuma, joint-host of Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant
Former Deputy Mayor Jun Yoshida was elected mayor on Sunday for the town of Okuma, in Fukushima Prefecture, one of the host municipalities of the disaster-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 17, 2018
Media reports de-romanticize the cleanup work on the Fukushima nuclear power plant
Most of the reliable reporting about the clean-up of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant since it suffered three meltdowns in March 2011 has been from on-site workers. Even when articles appear in major media outlets about the situation at the crippled reactor, it's usually presented through the...
Japan Times
JAPAN / 3/11 STILL BEING FELT
Mar 11, 2015
Fukushima No. 1's never-ending battle with radioactive water
The disaster that struck four years ago may have abated for most of the Tohoku region, but the nightmare continues at Tepco's wrecked Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2014
Government offers ¥230 billion over 30 years if Fukushima temporarily stores radioactive soil: NHK
The administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has offered to pay the Fukushima Prefectural Government ¥230 billion over the next 30 years if the prefecture hosts temporary storage facilities for soil tainted by radiation from the March 2011 nuclear disaster, NHK reported Wednesday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 8, 2014
Still hunting shadows three years after 3/11
One of the great statistical mysteries that persist several years after a natural disaster is the figure that appears without fail each month in columns representing the number of people that are still missing.
JAPAN
Oct 3, 2013
New spill at No. 1 laid to typhoon miscalculation
An apparent miscalculation amid a typhoon caused a storage tank to overflow at the wrecked Fukushima No. 1 power plant, releasing about 430 liters of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, Tokyo Electric Power Co. reveals.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2013
Tepco starts pumping groundwater at Fukushima No. 1
The Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant faces another crisis as an estimated 300 tons of highly radioactive water reach the Pacific Ocean every day.
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Onosato's yokozuna promotion causes rare quirk in new sumo rankings
Newly promoted yokozuna Onosato holds a copy of the latest banzuke ranking in Anjo, Aichi Prefecture, on Monday.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Over 900 earthquakes strike Tokara islands in space of two weeks
A screenshot shows many quakes occurring in the Tokara islands over the past 30 days, in this image taken from the U.S. Geological Survey website.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

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

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Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

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