National Mar 11, 2021
The Tohoku region has been attracting newcomers who are moving there and helping tackle challenges such as depopulation and regional revitalization.
National | Remembering 3/11 Mar 11, 2021
The scars remain: Tohoku communities still struggling to rebuild, 10 years on
by Rob Gilhooly
Limited employment options, lingering psychological issues and population decline have made full recovery a long-term issue for many parts of Tohoku.
National Mar 10, 2021
Reconstruction budget so far for 3/11 disaster reaches ¥38 trillion
Due to population outflows, however, many regions have been failing to make full use of infrastructure improvements resulting from the reconstruction budgets.
National | FOCUS Feb 22, 2021
Funding crunch hampers preservation of sites hit by 2011 quake
Officials say maintaining the sites has become an increasing struggle amid public apathy and drops in both donations and paying visitors.
National Mar 11, 2020
Nine years on, monuments in Tohoku pass on lessons and memories from 3/11
The public, industry and academic sectors in four northeastern prefectures hit by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami are collaborating on a project to highlight disaster-related monuments and remains across the region. Dubbed the "3.11 Densho Road," the initiative aims to link disaster-related sites across ...
National Sep 23, 2019
Museum dedicated to March 2011 tsunami disaster opens in Iwate Prefecture
A museum aimed at passing on the lessons of the March 2011 tsunami to future generations opened Sunday in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture. The Iwate Tsunami Memorial Museum, launched by the Iwate Prefectural Government, is a key feature of a park being built by the national ...
National Jan 18, 2019
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 ...
National Nov 6, 2018
Mayor of tsunami-hit city stresses resilience and inclusivity at U.N.
by Seana K. Magee
The mayor of Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, which was devastated by the 2011 tsunami disaster, stressed Monday how resilience and inclusivity are necessary for rebuilding the city as he spoke at the United Nations to mark World Tsunami Awareness Day. "The inclusive and accessible society to ...
Art Oct 8, 2017
Drawing on Japan's flowers of the flock
by Mio Yamada
Masumi Yamanaka, curator of "Flora Japonica," an exhibition of 80 taxonomically correct illustrations of Japanese plants, talks about the dedication that drives botanical art.
National May 27, 2017
Replanting project launched to restore pine tree forest in tsunami-hit Rikuzentakata
A project to restore a pine tree forest wiped out by the tsunami that destroyed Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, in March 2011 kicked off Saturday with the goal of having about 40,000 saplings planted on the city's coastline by March 2020. The replanting project has a ...
National Mar 10, 2017
Tsunami-hit Rikuzentakata turns to home-stay program to bolster tourism
by Mai Iida
Six years after tsunami ravaged Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture, the coastal city is moving to rebuild tourism with a unique home-stay program. The minpaku (private lodging) program, organized by tourism promotion organization Marugoto Rikuzentakata, enables visitors to get a taste of the daily lives of ...
National | AFTEREFFECTS OF MARCH 2011 Mar 7, 2017
Tsunami-hit Rikuzentakata rebuilding on raised ground, hoping to thrive anew
by Reiji Yoshida
This is the first of a four-part series looking at the lasting impact of the March 11, 2011, disasters. It was a fateful moment. At 2:46 p.m. on March 11, 2011, a magnitude-9 earthquake hit eastern Japan, impacting the 24,000-plus residents of Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture. Minutes ...