Tag - earthquakes

 
 

EARTHQUAKES

Cardboard beds at an evacuation center in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 31. Because evacuation shelters are operated by municipalities, the quality of disaster relief varies depending on the strength of each local government, one expert points out.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 1, 2024
Over 8,000 still in evacuation centers three months after Noto quake
The patchy progress of Japan's decentralized disaster relief shows that lessons from past disasters have not been learned, experts say.
Residents take refuge at an evacuation center in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2024
Noto quake indirect death status sought for over 40 victims
In previous natural disasters, many victims recognized as disaster-linked deaths died within three months of such events.
Self-Defense Force soldiers search for survivors after a landslide swept through a residential area in Asaminami Ward, in the city of Hiroshima, in August 2014. Despite the nation’s numerous natural disasters, the government needs better contingency planning.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 28, 2024
Is Japan ready for the worst-case scenario?
Is the nation ready for massive disasters? Based on my studies of Japan’s crisis management system, I say “no” and unfortunately not.
High school students visit seawalls in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on Thursday during a weeklong tour of areas hit by the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami in the prefecture.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 26, 2024
Students from wildfire-struck Hawaii learn about disaster recovery in Miyagi
The students visited four municipalities in Miyagi Prefecture to study their efforts to rebuild following the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami.
Foreign trainees and local residents spend the night around an open fire in a mountain in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, after a strong quake hit the area on Jan. 1.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2024
Foreign trainees traumatized by Jan. 1 Noto Peninsula quake
The local fishing industry heavily depends on foreign trainees amid a shortage of fishers.
The Wajima Morning Market is held as a pop-up event in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Saturday.
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2024
Wajima morning market held for first time since Noto quake
The original site of the Wajima Asaichi market in the city of Wajima was reduced to ashes by a fire that broke out after the 7.6 magnitude earthquake.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako speak to evacuees at an evacuation shelter in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Friday.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 23, 2024
Imperial couple visits quake-hit Noto Peninsula
During their day trip, the imperial couple inspected afflicted areas in the prefecture's Noto Peninsula and met evacuees at a shelter.
Hisashi Yagi is full of enthusiasm as he reopens Iroha Bookstore at a temporary location in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 22, 2024
Beloved bookstore in quake-hit Ishikawa reopens at temporary site
The reopened Iroha Bookstore, which has a 75-year history, is lined with picture books taken from the original store and manga related to the prefecture.
A map from the Japan Meteorological Agency displays the shindo intensity of the quake that struck the Kanto region at 9:08 a.m. on Thursday.
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2024
Magnitude 5.3 quake jolts Saitama and Tochigi
The quake, which triggered quake alarms in Tokyo and neighboring areas, measured a low 5 on the Japanese shindo scale of intensity.
The outdoor version of an "instant house," developed and set up by architect Keisuke Kitagawa in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2024
'Instant Houses' used widely in Noto quake-hit areas
The structure, which can be erected in an hour, is 4 meters tall with a floor area of 20 square meters.
Satoshi Fujii (second from right), head of a subcommittee of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers, speaks at a news conference on Thursday about the potential costs of an inland quake hitting the Tokyo region.
JAPAN
Mar 15, 2024
Economic losses from massive Tokyo-area quake estimated to top ¥1 quadrillion
Engineers predict that indirect losses, including suspended production activities due to broken roads and bridges, will reach ¥954 trillion.
Children play around the giant Squid King statue in the town of Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Feb. 27.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 13, 2024
Noto symbol 'Squid King' stands resolute amid quake devastation
Once criticized as "wasteful," the statue's steadfast presence has become a source of solace for local residents as they strive toward recovery.
Yusuke Ishikawa, a 49-year-old coroner with  the Miyagi Prefectural Police, is working to identify six remains of victims of the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2024
Police continue work to identify 3/11 disaster victims
Officials are alarmed by a decrease in opportunities for the police to obtain information that could lead to victims being identified.
Schoolchildren wearing padded hoods to protect themselves from falling debris take part in an earthquake simulation drill at an elementary school in Tokyo in August 2018.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 10, 2024
13 years after 3/11, Japan's readiness for complex disasters remains inadequate
The Noto Peninsula earthquake has highlighted gaps in Japan's preparedness for a complex disaster, experts warn.
Chef Harutomo Hagi's self-named restaurant in Iwaki was selected as the 2023 Japan Times Destination Restaurant of the Year.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
Mar 10, 2024
Hagi: French restaurant leads Fukushima revival
The Japan Times’ 2023 Restaurant of the Year is a sterling example of Fukushima’s slow and steady post-disaster revival.
Residents of Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, participate in a nuclear disaster drill at an evacuation facility in Kurihara on Jan. 20.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 9, 2024
Nuclear plant restart raises evacuation concerns in Miyagi
Residents near the Onagawa nuclear plant on Miyagi's Oshika Peninsula are concerned about whether they could evacuate swiftly if disaster strikes.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2024
Reservations open for subsidized trips to areas hit by Noto quake
Tours to Niigata, Toyama and Fukui prefectures sold out on a host of websites soon after the start Friday, displaying robust demand for the campaign.
Any mix of the above foods that fit your dietary needs and preferences will make for filling and nutritious meals during an emergency.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 9, 2024
Don’t let the next quake catch you (or your stomach) off guard
There’s a hidden threat in the days of limited power and bare grocery store shelves that follow a natural disaster: nutritional deficiencies.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 7, 2024
Court rejects class action suit opposing nuclear plant in Ehime
Local residents in Oita, less than 50 kilometers from the facility, had called into question the safety of the plant during natural disasters.
An Upper House budget committee session for questions and answers on the fiscal 2024 draft budget held Wednesday
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 6, 2024
Japan's huge draft budget raises questions over fiscal accountability
The government allocates reserves and determines their use at Cabinet meetings, requiring only retroactive approval by parliament.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan