Tag - tohoku

 
 

TOHOKU

Police officers ask a man to evacuate from an empty beach following a tsunami warning, in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2025
Japan on edge but prepared for tsunami after huge Kamchatka earthquake
Tsunami waves measuring up to 1.3 meters were observed off the Pacific coast of Japan, with authorities urging people in coastal areas to evacuate to higher ground.
The city of Obihiro in Hokkaido amid scorching heat on Thursday
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2025
Extreme heat grips Japan, including even Hokkaido
Several cities in Hokkaido experienced record-high temperatures on Thursday, and Hokkaido Railway has suspended portions of its rail lines as a safety precaution.
As the rainy season appears to have ended in most regions, including Kanto, the Meteorological Agency is calling on people to take measures against heat waves.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2025
Rainy season ends in the Kanto region, a day earlier than average
Areas from southern Tohoku to the Kyushu region are expected to see extremely hot days next week.
A former nonregular government employee, who cooked lunch for a public school in the Tohoku region, says she was dismissed after she was made to take an open recruitment exam.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Tohoku
May 19, 2025
Civil service contract workers fear lack of job security
Contracted civil servants are paid about half the salaries of regular staff or even less, and a fear of being dismissed hangs over their heads.
People observe a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m. on Tuesday in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, when the Great East Japan Earthquake hit 14 years ago. Behind them is a pine tree dubbed "the miracle tree" that survived the tsunami.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 11, 2025
Japan marks 14 years since 3/11 earthquake, with over 27,000 still displaced
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he will pass down the lessons of the disaster to future generations.
Junko Yagi, a professor at Iwate Medical University, speaks during an interview on Jan. 10 in the town of Yahaba, Iwate Prefecture.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2025
Experts urge ongoing mental health care for families in 3/11 disaster areas
"Parents and children alike are carrying heavy emotional burdens," one expert said.
Tetsuya Tadano gazes at the school building from the hillside behind Okawa Elementary School on Feb. 7 in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2025
Former students work to turn tsunami-hit elementary school into social hub
One former student felt the school has become increasingly defined solely by the tragedy.
Every year, there is heightened interest in commemorating the 3/11 disaster around the time of the anniversary. But memorial facilities and operators are increasingly struggling to keep their activities going all year round and as time passes.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 10, 2025
Preserving the memory of 3/11 is becoming more difficult
Despite a peak in interest around the 3/11 anniversary, disaster memorial facilities and operators are facing mounting challenges in keeping their activities going as time passes.
Personal items that were collected after the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 are on display at a facility in the city of Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2025
Municipalities to end storage of personal items collected after 3/11
When asked what is needed to continue storing collected personal items, 16 municipalities cited the need for storage and display space, while 10 mentioned budget constraints.
An image of the next-generation E10 bullet train that is expected to be put into commercial service between Tokyo and the Tohoku region in fiscal 2030
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 5, 2025
JR East to develop E10 series shinkansen train
JR East aims to put the next-generation shinkansen series into commercial service in fiscal 2030, with each E10 train having 10 cars.
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.
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.
The city center of Obihiro, Hokkaido, is covered in snow on Feb. 4.
JAPAN
Feb 13, 2025
12 deaths related to heavy snow since Feb. 4
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency also said 51 people have been severely wounded across the country.
A car is buried under snow in a residential parking lot in the city of Toyama on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2025
Heavy snow blankets Japan with one dead and four severely injured
More snowfall is expected through Saturday as another wave of frigid air moves in.
A snowy street in the city of Aomori in early January
JAPAN
Feb 3, 2025
Weather agency warns of heavy snow in many areas from Tuesday
The Meteorological Agency urged people to be on high alert for possible traffic disruptions.
A bear trap in Hokkaido Prefecture. Bears have recently been found inside homes and shops.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 27, 2024
Increasing number of Japanese bears find human dwellings ‘just right’
Cases of bears making their way into homes and shops are on the rise across the country as the animal's natural food sources become scarce.
The Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant's No. 2 reactor was set to restart Tuesday after more than 13 years of suspension.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2024
Japan restarts nuclear power plant closest to 2011 earthquake
Nuclear power used to account for around a quarter of Japan’s electricity mix prior to the disaster, but it was at just 6% as of March 2023.
People shop for food during sunset hours in Taipei. Taiwan has lifted its import ban on Japanese foods.
JAPAN
Sep 26, 2024
Taiwan lifts import ban on Japanese foods
Taiwan eased its import restrictions further, allowing all Japanese food products to be shipped there in principle.
A factory operated by metal processing company Iwanuma Seiko, which has been entrusted with work involving the space industry for the first time
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Sep 17, 2024
Small firms in Tohoku showcase technologies in growing space sector
The government plans to boost the space technology market, leading to hopes of a space industry ecosystem in the region.
Cyclists participate in the Tour de Tohoku 2024 on Sunday in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture.
JAPAN
Sep 16, 2024
1,300 cyclists participate in Tour de Tohoku 2024
The event is designed to support reconstruction efforts in the affected areas, and participants do not compete for time or rankings but aim to complete the race.

Longform

A mushroom cloud from the atomic bombing on Hiroshima taken from a U.S. military aircraft on Aug. 6, 1945. Copying the photo without permission is prohibited.
80 years on, a Japanese American hibakusha recalls the day the bomb dropped