Japan News

Researchers Examine Ocean Radiation From Japan Nuclear Power Plant

Scientists have crowdsourced a network of volunteers taking water samples at beaches along the West Coast in hopes of capturing a detailed look at low levels of radiation drifting across the ocean since the 2011 tsunami that devastated a nuclear …

Japan Readies Additional $30B for Fukushima Clean-Up

Japan’s government is finalising plans to borrow an additional 3 trillion yen ($30 billion) to pay for compensating Fukushima evacuees and cleaning up the area outside the wrecked nuclear plant, said people with knowledge of the situation. The additional borrowing …

“Once in a Decade” Typhoon Threatens Japanese Capital

A once-in-a-decade typhoon threatened Japan on Tuesday forcing the cancellation of flights and trains and disrupting oil shipments as it made its way across the Pacific directly towards the capital, Tokyo. Typhoon Wipha is expected to make landfall right around …

Powerful Typhoon Lashes Japan; Thousands Evacuated

A powerful typhoon lashed Japan with torrential rain Monday, leaving two dead as it damaged homes and flooded parts of the country’s popular tourist destination of Kyoto, where 260,000 people were ordered to evacuate to shelters. Typhoon Man-yi, packing wind …

U.S. Trade Rep Urges Japan Progress on Auto and Insurer Access

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman on Monday urged Japan to open its market to American cars and insurance companies, which would pave the way for a broader regional free trade agreement. Froman told reporters that the ongoing talks with Japan …

Japan Vows to Tighten Nuke Safety After Accident

Japan pledged better safety practices for its troubled nuclear industry Tuesday after an accident at a government research facility that exposed 33 people to minor excess radiation and had not been immediately disclosed. Education Minister Hakubun Shimomura, whose agency oversees …

Japan Confirms Boat on Washington Beach From Tsunami

State and federal officials have confirmed that the boat that washed ashore near Long Beach, Wash., with several fish native to Japan inside, did travel across the Pacific after the 2011 tsunami. The Japanese consulate told the state’s Emergency Management …

Japan Experts Say New Nuclear Safety Plan too Lax

Experts who investigated Japan’s nuclear crisis said Monday that a watchdog’s oversight of the crippled plant’s operator is still too lax, amid renewed public fear over a recent spate of safety problems. The Fukushima Dai-ichi plant has been plagued with …

Removal of Japanese Dock on Olympic Coast Completed

A 185-ton dock that washed out to sea during the March 2011 tsunami in Japan has now been removed from Washington’s Olympic Coast. Crews from The Undersea Company of Port Townsend, Wash., removed the last of the dock’s concrete and …

Emergency Landing Grounds Boeing 787 Jets in Japan

Japan’s two biggest airlines grounded all their Boeing 787 aircraft for safety checks Wednesday after one was forced to make an emergency landing in the latest blow for the new jet. All Nippon Airways said a cockpit message showed battery …