Tag - disasters

 
 

DISASTERS

Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 14, 2019
Typhoon-hit Chiba seeking volunteers to help with repairs amid power outage
Some municipalities in typhoon-hit Chiba Prefecture start recruiting volunteers as more than 100,000 households remained without electricity nearly a week after the typhoon blew through.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 9, 2019
Commuters and travelers face grueling Monday morning in typhoon-hit Tokyo
Tokyo's morning rush was more hellish than usual Monday, with massive crowds of commuters gathering at train stations across the metropolitan area to wait for train services disrupted by Typhoon Faxai.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2019
Hokkaido marks first anniversary of earthquake that left 44 people dead
Hokkaido on Friday marked the first anniversary of a powerful earthquake that claimed 44 lives and triggered the nation's first prefecture-wide blackout.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2019
Donations to quake-hit towns in Hokkaido rose sharply in fiscal 2018
Donations to three towns in Hokkaido hit by a powerful earthquake last year expanded sharply in fiscal 2018 under the government's furusato nōzei (hometown tax donation) system, according to local municipalities.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 1, 2019
Oil leak at ironworks complicates disastrous flooding in Saga
Volunteers help clean up parts of Saga Prefecture flooded by the recent torrential rains, but oil that leaked from an ironworks is compounding their troubles.
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2019
Survey finds 56% of municipalities in Tokyo, surrounding prefectures in favor of disclosing names of missing people following disasters
More than half of municipalities in Tokyo and neighboring prefectures will disclose the names of missing people in a disaster despite concerns about personal information protection, a Kyodo News survey showed Saturday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 30, 2019
Japan's emergency advisories are too complex and hard to understand, even for fluent Japanese speakers, experts say
On the eve of Disaster Prevention Day in Japan, communications experts urged authorities using social media to improve messaging targeting foreign residents of Japan and visitors to the country so that what they are trying to convey will come through loud and clear.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 30, 2019
Tokyo stays on top for third year, with Osaka No. 3 in ranking of world's safest cities
Tokyo has been ranked the world's safest city for the third year running, followed by Singapore and Osaka, according to the latest report by the Economist Intelligence Unit released Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2019
Japan to train firefighters to operate drones with an eye toward disaster response
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency will train firefighters to operate drones in an attempt to promote the use of them in disaster response efforts.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2019
Less than 6% of families in Japan thoroughly prepare children for natural disasters, survey shows
Only 5.9 percent of families in Japan thoroughly prepare their children for natural disasters or other emergencies, according to a recent survey by toymaker Bandai Co.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 21, 2019
Japan earthquake task force to redesign hazard maps to aid people with color vision deficiencies
A government task force focused on earthquake research intends to redesign its hazard maps to make it easier for those with color vision deficiencies to identify risks, an official said Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 20, 2019
Hiroshima marks fifth anniversary of deadly mudslides
Hiroshima marked the fifth anniversary on Tuesday of landslides that claimed 77 lives, with residents in the affected areas holding a memorial service to mourn the victims.
JAPAN
Aug 17, 2019
Japanese government to give budget priority to municipal anti-disaster projects
The government plans to introduce a system in fiscal 2020 to provide subsidies on a priority basis for projects included in municipal anti-disaster plans adopted under a basic law on developing resilient infrastructure, sources have said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 16, 2019
Japanese team developing AI-based system to forecast chance of tsunami and scale of damage
Drawing lessons from one of the worst disasters in the nation's history, a team of Japanese researchers is developing an artificial intelligence-based tsunami-forecasting system set for release in fiscal 2020 that could help limit loss of life and property in future calamities.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2019
Japan aims to boost disaster response with more efficient TEC Force
The land ministry is establishing a system to allow for the quick dispatch of workers with civil engineering and other expertise to areas hit by natural disasters, after a succession of torrential downpours and other large-scale calamities hit the nation in recent years.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Jul 26, 2019
Data shows Kyushu river pump systems were overwhelmed by 2018 torrential rains
A year after torrential rains hit western Japan, newly disclosed data by the Fukuoka Prefectural Government showed that massive inland flooding of the six tributaries flowing into the Chikugo River in the prefecture occurred because the amount of rain that fell is estimated to be about three to 10 times...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional voices: Chubu
Jul 26, 2019
Toyota looks to develop ways to disaster-proof its supply chains
Toyota Motor Corp. has been applying its kaizen (continuous improvement) principle to the management of its parts suppliers so that it can maintain or swiftly resume production in the event of natural disasters.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Jul 26, 2019
Bangladesh tries doling out cash in advance to aid flood-threatened families
Parvin Begum, who saw her home on a secluded island in northern Bangladesh steadily devoured by floods this month, feels lucky.
WORLD
Jul 25, 2019
'Ecological Chernobyl' looms at abandoned Siberian chemical factory, official warns
A Russian state official warned on Wednesday that an abandoned chemicals factory in Siberia could cause an environmental disaster akin to the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident unless urgent action is taken to tackle it.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 16, 2019
Over 100 killed, 4 million displaced from floods in India, Nepal and Bangladesh
Floods have forced more than 4 million people from their homes across India, Nepal and Bangladesh and killed more than 100 people as torrential rains in the initial days of monsoons wreaked havoc.

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