Japan tsunami News

Japan Court Orders Government, Utility Accountable in Fukushima Accident

A Japanese court on Tuesday ordered the government and the operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant to pay 500 million yen ($4.5 million) to thousands of area residents and evacuees who were demanding compensation for their livelihoods lost in the …

Japan Quake and Tsunami Reminder of 2011 Catastrophic Event

At first, it was 2011 all over again. “It really came back. And it was so awful. The sways to the side were huge,” Kazuhiro Onuki said after northeastern Japan was jolted Tuesday by a magnitude-7.4 earthquake, the strongest since …

Tsunami-Vulnerable West Coast Towns Grapple With How to Save Lives

Bracing for a tsunami like the one that devastated Japanese communities during a 2011 mega-earthquake, coastal communities from British Columbia to California have been grappling with how to protect people from a similar catastrophe. One of those towns is constructing …

More Tsunami Debris Found on Washington Coast

More than three years after the tsunami hit Japan, evidence of the disaster continues to haunt the West Coast where residents know they also are vulnerable. A skiff that was once used by someone near Sendai washed ashore in January …

Japan Tsunami Rebuilding Slows Due to Lagging Construction Industry

Tens of thousands of people on Japan’s northeastern coast who were left homeless in the March 2011 tsunami are shivering their way through yet another winter in cramped temporary housing, with perhaps several more to go. Reconstruction plans are taking …

Workers Removing Tsunami Dock on Washington Coast

Workers are dismantling a 65-foot-long dock from the Japanese tsunami that washed ashore on a remote beach on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. A spokeswoman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Keeley Belva, said Tuesday they are making progress. The Peninsula …

Tsunami-Hit Towns Still Barren as Rebuilding Lags

Like tens of thousands of people who lost everything in the tsunami that pulverized Japan’s northeastern coast two years ago, 83-year-old Hide Sato is living in one-room temporary housing, and longing for a home of her own. Chances are she …

Alaska to Get $1M for Tsunami Debris Cleanup

Japan is providing money for cleanup of debris from that country’s tsunami last year. KTUU-TV reports that Alaska will receive $1 million from Japan. The money is part of a $6 million appropriation for the task to the U.S. and …

Scientists Discuss Latest Tsunami Debris Forecast

Tsunami waves generated by the magnitude-9 earthquake in Japan last March dragged 3 million to 4 million tons of debris into the ocean after tearing up Japanese harbors and homes. Scientists believe ocean currents are carrying some of the lumber, …