A Taiwanese diver suffered a seizure and died on Saturday while taking part in a search for remains at the site of a 1942 undersea coal mine disaster in western Japan that killed 183 people, including 136 Koreans, a civic…
Worker dies in controlled blaze at limestone plateau park in Yamaguchi
A worker died on Saturday in a traditional mountain burning event at Akiyoshidai park in Yamaguchi Prefecture, the site of Japan’s largest karst plateau, having suffered severe burns all over his body, authorities said. The controlled burning began at around…
Japan researchers develop device to reduce lithium-ion battery fire risk
A research group at a Japanese university has developed a portable device for the safe storage, collection, transport and disposal of lithium-ion batteries, as fires linked to such batteries have been increasing in the country. The team led by Norikazu…
Deadly rain in central Japan highlights problems with alert system
KANAZAWA At least 10 of the 16 people who died as the result of torrential rain in central Japan last September were believed to have been caught up in flooding or landslides before the weather agency raised its disaster alert…
Exterior of fire-hit Shuri Castle in Okinawa restored
Restoration work on the exterior of the main building of Okinawa’s iconic Shuri Castle has been completed, following a massive fire that burned down the structure six years ago, and it will hopefully be unveiled in late October. The Seiden…
Japan is not doing enough to avoid ‘toilet panic’ in disasters
Soon after a powerful earthquake devastated Japan’s Noto Peninsula on New Year’s Day 2024, councilor Tsuyoshi Yamahana heard about the dire state of public restrooms at a local train station. Yamahana, a member of the Nanao City Council in Ishikawa…
Rescuers race to pull out truck driver stuck in Japan sinkhole for days Rescuers race to pull out truck driver stuck in Japan sinkhole for days
Rescue workers in Japan are trying to pull out a truck driver from a sinkhole that appeared on Tuesday and has since widened. The sinkhole appeared in Yashio city in Saitama prefecture, near the capital Tokyo, swallowing a truck. Rescue…
Japan sees 5,400 deaths from post-disaster fatigue, stress since 1995
More than 5,400 people died in Japan over the past 30 years due to severe stress and exhaustion caused by evacuation following earthquakes and other natural disasters, according to a recent tally by Kyodo News. At least 5,456 “disaster-related deaths”…
M6.6 quake hits central Japan; no tsunami warning issued
An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 struck Ishikawa and other central Japan prefectures Tuesday, the weather agency said, but no tsunami warning was issued. The 10:47 p.m. quake measured a lower 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of…
Fire breaks out on Japan MSDF ship; one crew member missing
Fire broke out on a Japanese warship sailing near the western part of the country, causing one crew member to be hospitalised due to smoke inhalation, while another was missing, Japan’s navy said on Sunday. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) said the minesweeper Ukushima was…
Japan records second-hottest September on record
Japan had its second-hottest September since records began with some regions the warmest yet, the weather agency said, in a year likely to become the warmest in human history. Across the archipelago the month’s average temperature was 2.52 degrees Celsius…
Japan weather bureau says no signs of El Nino, La Nina now
Japan’s weather bureau said on Thursday there were neither signs of El Nino nor La Nina phenomena at this moment, but it is approaching characteristics of La Nina. The bureau also said characteristics of La Nina will become clearer towards…
6 dead, 10 unaccounted for after rainfall in quake-hit Noto, Japan
Six people were killed and 10 remained unaccounted for Sunday, as search efforts continued a day after heavy rain hit Noto, a region in Ishikawa Prefecture already devastated by a powerful New Year’s Day earthquake. Rescue operations and restoration work…
Does Japan’s megaquake alert mean the ‘big one’ is coming?
On the face of it, the earthquake that struck southern Japan on Thursday was not a big deal. The magnitude 7.1 quake did little damage and the tsunami warning was quickly scaled back. But the earthquake was swiftly followed by…
Japan swelters through hottest July in recorded history
Japan has experienced its hottest July in recorded history. Temperatures in the country were 2.16 degrees Celsius higher than average, the hottest since records began in 1898, the Japan Meteorological Agency said on Thursday. The previous record for July, set…
Record 3,568 people needed assistance on Japan’s mountains in 2023
The number of people who required assistance on Japanese mountains hit a record high of 3,568 in 2023, police data showed Thursday, breaking the previous record set a year earlier as climbers returned to Mount Fuji and other popular peaks…
M6.6 quake in western Japan leaves at least 12 injured
At least 12 people were injured following a magnitude-6.6 earthquake that struck a wide area of western Japan the previous night, authorities said Thursday. The quake at 11:14 p.m. Wednesday 17th April, registered lower 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity…
Volcano erupts on Southwestern Japan island
A volcano on a southwestern Japan island erupted early Sunday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, urging climbers and others to take actions to protect their lives. The eruption occurred at 12:22 a.m. at Mt Otake on Suwanose Island of Kagoshima…
Japan jet crash: Airline pilots unaware of cabin fire until crew told them
Pilots of a Japanese airliner that collided with a smaller plane at Tokyo Haneda Airport were initially unaware that their jet was on fire. It was a flight attendant who informed them of the cabin fire, a Japan Airlines spokesperson…
Strong earthquake kills one, destroys houses in Japan
A powerful earthquake struck central Japan on Friday (May 5), leaving at least one person dead and 21 injured, as rescuers searched for another trapped under rubble after several houses collapsed. The 6.5 magnitude quake hit the central Ishikawa region…
60% of city halls in quake-hit areas of Japan at risk of flooding are not relocating
More than 60% of municipalities in the north-eastern prefectures of Iwate and Miyagi do not plan to relocate their city or town halls despite being designated as areas at risk of flooding in the event of a large-scale tsunami, a…
Two dead, three injured after crane truck collides with vehicle in Ibaraki
A crane truck collided with a passenger car on Tuesday in Japan’s Ibaraki Prefecture, leaving two men dead and three others injured, local police and rescuers said. Both men who died were 18, with one believed to have been the…