Japan

Chiyomi Endo stands beside her husband's grave. "Remember that this family evacuated Futaba town, Fukushima prefecture," the stone reads, "and moved here due to the nuclear accident following the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011

After 2011 Disaster, Fukushima Embraced Solar Power. The Rest Of Japan Has Not

4:15pm September 09, 2020

by Kat Lonsdorf

After the nuclear catastrophe, the nation's investment in renewable energy soared. Many of those affected in Fukushima started production. But Japan is pushing fossil fuels, causing climate concerns.

A view over a gate blocking off the old downtown of Okuma, in Fukushima Prefecture. Fukushima was forever changed by one of the world's biggest nuclear disasters nearly a decade ago.

World News

The Ghost Towns Behind The Gates

9:11am September 08, 2020

Fukushima was forever changed by a nuclear disaster in 2011. What does recovery mean for the region? It's an answer filled with resilience, reinvention and regret.

Typhoon Haishen is poised to make landfall in southwestern Japan Sunday, bringing with it heavy rains and lashing winds. Forecasters predict it will then head toward the Korean peninsula.

World News

Southwestern Japan Braces For Powerful Typhoon Haishen

8:54pm September 05, 2020

by Jason Slotkin

The storm expected to bring heavy rainfall and high-speed winds on Sunday. Authorities are urging residents of islands of Kyushu and Okinawa to exercise caution.

An unoccupied lifeboat drifts near Kodakarajima island. Japanese authorities are racing to find dozens of missing sailors from a cargo ship that sank in a typhoon.

World News

2nd Crew Member Found Alive From Cattle-Carrying Ship That Sank Off Japan

12:11pm September 04, 2020

by Scott Neuman

Another typhoon is bearing down on the search area as rescuers rush to find more survivors from the Gulf Livestock 1, which went down Wednesday with 43 crew and some 5,800 head of cattle aboard.

The Gulf Livestock 1 cargo vessel sails through Port Phillip heading into Bass Strait in Australia in April 2019. Japanese rescuers were searching Thursday for the livestock ship carrying more than 40 crew members and thousands of animals.

World News

42 Crew, Nearly 6,000 Cows Missing After Ship Sinks In Storm-Tossed Seas Off Japan

1:20pm September 03, 2020

by Scott Neuman

The Gulf Livestock 1 reportedly capsized in heavy seas near the island of Amami Oshima just as a typhoon was passing through the area. Only one crew member is known to have survived.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks during a ceremony at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on Aug. 6 to mark the 75th anniversary of the U.S. atomic attack. Abe announced his resignation Thursday.

World News

Japan's Shinzo Abe Is Stepping Down As Prime Minister

11:36am August 28, 2020

Abe announced he is leaving office before his term ends in 2021 because of poor health. His legacy is controversial and a successor is unclear.

Queue Listen Now

A photograph shows Toyama, Japan, aflame after the U.S. attack on Aug. 1, 1945. Most of the city's population was left homeless.

World News

Opinion: 75 Years On, Remember Hiroshima And Nagasaki. But Remember Toyama Too

2:17pm August 01, 2020

A U.S. firebombing campaign targeted Toyama and other Japanese cities, killing 180,000 before the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, write geographer Cary Karacas and historian David Fedman.

Pictured in 2019, Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki on Tuesday questioned U.S. measures to stop the coronavirus from spreading on the island.

Coronavirus Surge For U.S. Military On Okinawa Adds To Soured Relations There

6:09pm July 14, 2020

by David Welna

One hundred newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 among U.S. forces on the small island that hosts about half the Americans stationed in Japan are further testing tense ties with Okinawa.

A display at Hello Kitty's Kawaii Paradise in Tokyo. Sanrio's new president and CEO Tomokuni Tsuji will be steering a company that has seen slumping revenues in recent years.

World News

What Will Sanrio's New Leadership Mean For Hello Kitty?

12:22pm July 10, 2020

by Ashley Westerman

A new CEO is steering a company that's seen years of slumping revenues and whose home market of Japan has an aging population. But "don't count out Hello Kitty," says an author of a book about Sanrio.

Japan's Tokyo Dome is shown before amusement rides began to reopen in the country. Japanese amusement park operators have asked people on rides at some parks not to scream.

Health & Safety

'Please Scream Inside Your Heart,' Japanese Amusement Park Tells Thrill-Seekers

4:18pm July 09, 2020

by Austin Horn

Several park-goers have complained that the request for those on roller coasters to remain silent is unrealistic. "If a scream comes out, it comes out," one visitor said.