Japan News

Investigators Focus on Air Traffic Communication After a Fatal Tokyo Runway Crash

TOKYO (AP) — A transcript of communication between traffic control and two aircraft that collided and burst into flames at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport showed that only the larger Japan Airlines passenger flight was given permission to use the runway where …

Rescuers Race Against Time in Search for Survivors in Japan After Powerful Quakes Leave 73 Dead

SUZU, Japan (AP) — Japanese rescue workers and canine units searched urgently through rubble Wednesday ahead of predicted bitter cold and heavy rain in what the prime minister called a race against time after powerful earthquakes killed at least 73 …

Japan Lowers Tsunami Warning but Still Tells People Not to Go Home After Series of Earthquakes

TOKYO (AP) — Japan dropped its highest-level tsunami alert, issued following a series of major earthquakes on Monday, but told residents of coastal areas not to return to their homes as deadly waves could still come. The quakes, the largest …

Heavy Rains Cause Flooding and Mudslides in Japan, Leaving 2 Dead and at Least 6 Missing

TOKYO (AP) — Torrential rain pounded southwestern Japan, triggering floods and mudslides and leaving two people dead and at least six others missing, officials said Monday. Rain falling in the regions of Kyushu and Chugoku since the weekend caused flooding …

Japan Earthquake of Magnitude 6.5 Injures Some, Damages Buildings

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 struck on Friday off Japan’s western prefecture of Ishikawa, authorities said, as media reported some buildings had collapsed while people were injured. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told an emergency press conference that …

Japan Watchdog OKs New Safety Rules to Extend Reactor Life

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese nuclear regulators on Monday approved contentious safety evaluation changes and draft legislation to allow aging reactors to operate longer, in a rare split decision in which one of the five commissioners dissented. The Nuclear Regulation Authority, …

Japan Launches Intel Satellite to Watch N. Korea, Disasters

TOKYO (AP) _ Japan successfully launched a rocket Thursday carrying a government intelligence-gathering satellite on a mission to watch movements at military sites in North Korea and improve natural disaster response. The H2A rocket, launched by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., …

Japan Court Acquits Utility Executives in Fukushima Disaster

TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese court on Wednesday found three former utility company executives not guilty of negligence over the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster and the subsequent deaths of more than 40 elderly residents during their forced evacuation. …

US Naval Officer in Japan Faces Prison over Deadly Crash

WASHINGTON (AP) — For Ridge Alkonis, a U.S. Navy lieutenant living in Japan, a springtime trip with his wife and three children to Mount Fuji was intended as fun and leisurely family time before an expected deployment. What happened next, …

Japan Court: Nuclear Plant’s Tsunami Safeguards Inadequate

TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese court on Tuesday ordered a utility not to restart a nuclear power plant because of inadequate tsunami safeguards, backing the safety concerns of residents at a time the government is pushing for more reactors to …