Tag - disasters

 
 

DISASTERS

Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2019
Emperor, empress console victims in typhoon-hit areas of Japan's northeast
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako on Thursday visited areas in northeastern Japan that were hit by a powerful typhoon in October and consoled the victims of the deadly storm.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2019
Father of Nasu avalanche victim conflicted about media naming victims
Masaru Oku, father of one of the seven high school students killed in a March 2017 avalanche in Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture, says he is torn over identifying crime and accident victims by name: He wants to stay anonymous so he can grieve silently without having to deal with the media, but he also feels...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 24, 2019
New airborne disaster response group on target to deliver
ARROWS is aimed at providing timely assistance by bringing together and coordinating the expertise and manpower of many organizations.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 22, 2019
Indonesian miracle survivor is on a mission to help close gaps in tsunami warning system
Arif Munandar had been pronounced dead before he woke up in a body bag four days after a monstrous wave swept his village in Indonesia's northern Aceh province 15 years ago.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 17, 2019
Chilly Ishinomaki taps olive oil to boost tsunami recovery
The scene of olive trees bearing green and black fruit in November is growing familiar to residents of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, a city that often sees temperatures drop to below zero in the winter months.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 16, 2019
Probes into New Zealand volcano tragedy to take months and carry criminal penalties
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday that official inquiries into last week's fatal volcano eruption could take up to a year, and will carry potential criminal penalties of up to five years in jail.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 15, 2019
Japan sees local government sign-ups for evacuation insurance triple in 18 months
Evacuations are such a major expense for cities, towns and villages that government sign-ups for disaster insurance have nearly tripled, an insurer says.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 12, 2019
New Zealand police plan mission to recover bodies from volcano island
Police in New Zealand are planning a mission to volcanic White Island on Friday to retrieve bodies of people killed in this week's eruption, while the known death toll from the disaster climbed to eight, with two people dying in the hospital.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 12, 2019
Disasters and downturn challenge New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern going into election year
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern faces tough challenges as she heads into a general election campaign next year, with economic growth slowing, divisive referendums looming and a country reeling from disasters both natural and man-made.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 11, 2019
Tremors worsen around New Zealand volcano, preventing recovery of bodies
Increasing tremors on a volcanic island in New Zealand on Wednesday prevented the recovery of the bodies of eight people thought to be left on the island, two days after an eruption engulfed dozens of tourists in steam and hot ash.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 10, 2019
Japan estimates post-3/11 reconstruction costs at ¥1.5 trillion for fiscal 2021-25
The government announced an estimate Monday that it will spend around ¥1.5 trillion on reconstruction projects for areas devastated by the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami in the five-year period starting from fiscal 2021.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 4, 2019
Typhoon Kammuri leaves at least 17 dead as it passes south of Manila
The death toll from Typhoon Kammuri rose to 17 after destroying houses and displacing hundreds of thousands on its path across the Philippines.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Nov 29, 2019
Sendai launches new waterway project to prevent city flooding
Deadly Typhoon Hagibis caused riverbanks to burst across Japan in October, and also led to sewer flooding around Sendai Station, known as the gateway to the Tohoku region, leaving roads and underground passages in the heart of the city underwater.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 29, 2019
October's 4.2% output drop poses risk of steeper economic slide in Japan
The plunge in industrial production signals that a steeper than expected contraction in economic growth might be ahead that will require even bigger government stimulus.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 27, 2019
Nuclear watchdog approves restart of Onagawa reactor in Miyagi hit by 3/11 tsunami
The No. 2 unit of Tohoku Electric Power's Onagawa plant received the green light after the addition of disaster prevention measures, including a towering seawall.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Nov 22, 2019
Less than a quarter of Kyushu municipalities have up-to-date flood risk maps
Production of flood hazard maps along rivers in Kyushu is lagging far behind other regions in Japan, with less than a quarter of municipalities required by law to create such maps having finished the work as of the end of March.
EDITORIALS
Nov 14, 2019
Ensure effective state spending to prevent disasters
Whenever the nation is hit by a major disaster, infrastructure shortcomings become painfully clear.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2019
Japan marks one month since deadly Typhoon Hagibis
A month after Typhoon Hagibis roared through central and eastern Japan, friends, family members and neighbors mourned the victims of the powerful storm, which claimed at least 90 lives and flooded tens of thousands of homes.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2019
A month after Typhoon Hagibis, volunteers, local officials and SDF tackling mountains of waste
The SDF is working to coordinate disaster waste and rubble removal efforts through officers dispatched to municipalities affected by the 19th named storm of the season.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 11, 2019
Nagano counseling center praised for offering typhoon information in 15 languages and simple Japanese
Staffers at the prefecture's Multicultural Counseling Center offered telephone consultation services to residents in languages including English, Chinese, Tagalog and Portuguese, after Typhoon Hagibis tore through the area.

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals