A Tokyo ordinance starting April 1 will require publishers to impose self-restrictions on sexual depictions in manga comic books. Authorities will be able to ban books they judge have extreme sexual content to children. The ordinance was proposed by Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara (regular readers of my blog already know my opinion on him). The […]
An Associated Press investigation found that Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) officials ignored glaring scientific evidence regarding the risk of a major earthquake or tsunami in constructing the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. In assessing the risk of a tsunami striking the Fukushima reactor, TEPCO officials did not account for a wave larger than 18 […]
Radioactive isotope iodine-131 has been found in water samples from six states: Massachusetts, Nevada, California, Hawaii, Colorado and Washington. The radiation undoubtedly came from Japan’s leaking reactors following damage from the Mar. 11 earthquake and tsunami. The radiation levels found in the samples were low, with a half-life of only eight days, and should not […]
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano urged Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) to be more transparent and provide information to the government more quickly. The government revealed a series of missteps taken by TEPCO Saturday, including sending workers into the radiation-leaking plant in Fukushima without protective foot gear. Two workers at the Daiichi plant suffered […]
After more than two weeks of unrelenting news from Japan following the March 11 9.0-magnitude quake, tsunami and nuclear crisis, here is a bit of soft news. Four major record labels–Sony Entertainment Music, EMI Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group–will collaborate to release a 38-track digital album with proceeds going to the Japanese […]
The Tokyo District Court sentenced Tomohiro Kato, who committed a stabbing rampage in 2008, to death Thursday. Kato had been caught red-handed by police in the rampage on June 8, 2008, in Tokyo’s Akihabara district. The rampage, which Japanese media refer to as the “Akihabara phantom-killer incident,” left seven people dead and 10 injured. While […]
The economic cost of the March 11 earthquake is estimated to be between 16 trillion yen ($198 billion) and 25 trillion yen ($309 billion)–7 percent of Japan’s GDP by purchasing power parity. This estimate comes from a government report released Wednesday. According to the Cabinet Office, this could slow Japan’s growth rate to 0.5 percent. […]
Taylor Anderson from Richmond, Va., is the first known American victim of the March 11 tsunami. The tsunami hit the Tohoku region of Japan after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast. (See timeline.) Anderson, 24, taught English as an Assistant Language Teacher in Ishinomaki, Miyagi. She had moved to Japan in 2008 as a […]
Officials are still struggling to restore power at the Fukushima nuclear power plant 11 days after the worst earthquake in Japanese history and subsequent tsunami triggered an automatic shut down at the plant and destroyed backup generators, which caused a partial meltdown. As of this writing, an estimated 18,400 people have died in the 9.0-magnitude […]
Today I will look at another story that fell through the cracks this past week during the earthquake/nuclear crisis coverage–that of four Somali pirates brought to Japan to face trial. This is the first transfer of pirates to Japan since the passing of Japan’s antipiracy laws in July 2009. The four pirates were captured after […]
Traces of radiation have been found in milk and spinach near the Fukushima nuclear power plant, as well as in tap water in Tokyo. Tests done on milk found 20 miles from the plant detected small amounts iodine-131 and cesium-137. Iodine has been linked to thyroid cancer, and cesium poses a cancer risk to the […]
The nuclear crisis following March 11’s earthquake and tsunami is still top news in Japan, but for today’s post, I’ll be taking a look at an important story that fell through the cracks this past week. Tsunehiko Maeda, former Osaka prosecutor, may be facing two years in prison after tampering with evidence in an investigation […]
Today marks one week since an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale devastated the Tohoku region of Japan and caused a tsunami with 33-foot waves that swept six miles inland. As of this writing, 5,692 deaths have been confirmed, along with 2,409 injuries and 9,522 people missing as a result of the disaster. Tokyo […]
Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) spokesman Hajime Motojuku claimed the “condition is stable” at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 4 reactor. Another TEPCO spokesman, Naoki Tsunoda, said they are close to completing a new power line that could end the crisis. This seems at odds with the surge in radiation levels, unexplained white smoke and spent fuel […]
Two explosions at Fukushima’s Daiichi nuclear power plant have caused the nuclear situation to deteriorate rapidly. The explosions follow Friday’s 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami, which Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara referred to as “tembatsu,” divine retribution, for the greed of the Japanese people. (This is the same man I referred to in Sunday’s post. I […]