Tag - earthquakes

 
Menu
Search
 
July 12, 2026
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

EARTHQUAKES

Suguru Kikuchi, an employee of the Yamamoto town government in Miyagi Prefecture, on Jan. 13
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2026
Using experience from 3/11 to help Noto reconstruction
Suguru Kikuchi had long hoped to repay the assistance his hometown received after the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.
Yumi Sakurai (second from left in the background) performs on a piano damaged in the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami and later restored, at Sendai Airport in Miyagi Prefecture, on Saturday.
JAPAN
Mar 4, 2026
Sendai Airport fills with music from piano once damaged in 2011 tsunami
After being made playable again, the piano has been placed at the airport for a limited period every year since 2021 to encourage people to reflect on the disaster.
Miyagi Gov. Yoshihiro Murai said during an interview in Sendai on Tuesday that he intends to have three seawalls finished before his current term ends in 2029.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 2026
Miyagi governor sees different challenges 15 years after Tohoku disaster
“When you get 15 years older, your health conditions and other circumstances change,” said the governor of Miyagi Prefecture, which was affected by the March 2011 disaster.
Norio Kimura (right), head of a group of 162 residents in Yamaguchi Prefecture and other areas seeking an injunction against the Ikata nuclear power plant in Ehime Prefecture, speaks at a news conference on Thursday in the city of Iwakuni after their lawsuit was dismissed.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 27, 2026
Court rejects bid to halt nuclear reactor in western Japan
The plaintiffs had argued that operations at the No. 3 reactor of the Ikata nuclear power plant in Ehime Prefecture should be suspended due to safety concerns.
A stone monument marking the tsunami’s furthest reach stands beside cherry trees, planted by Sakura Line 311 after the 2011 triple disaster, in full bloom at Jodoji Temple, in the city of Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, in April.
JAPAN
Feb 26, 2026
Flowers bloom in Tohoku as symbol of resilience
Colorful seasonal flowers bloom to symbolize the resilience of communities hit hard by the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.
People observe a moment of silence at a memorial ceremony marking the 15th anniversary of the New Zealand earthquake on Sunday in Christchurch.
JAPAN
Feb 22, 2026
Victims from Toyama mourned 15 years after New Zealand quake
The 12 Japanese students were studying at a language school in the country when a quake hit and the building that housed the school collapsed.
Iwate Gov. Takuya Tasso speaks during an interview on Monday at the Iwate Prefectural Government office.
JAPAN
Feb 17, 2026
Governor says Iwate still faces challenges 15 years after disaster
Iwate’s governor said the prefecture still faces challenges such as “mental health care support, rebuilding people’s livelihoods, rising prices and the impact of climate change.”
Chubu Electric Power President Kingo Hayashi. His company has come under scrutiny from regulators over falsified earthquake risk data at Hamaoka nuclear power plant.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2026
Authorities to launch inspection of Chubu Electric over data fraud
The Nuclear Regulation Authority will also halt screenings needed for reactivation of the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at the Hamaoka nuclear power plant.
Local governments have been asked to secure hotels as shelters during large-scale disasters.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2026
Prefectures asked to secure hotels as shelters in the event of disasters
Guidelines call on local officials, mainly at prefectural governments, to work to secure accommodation and match it with evacuees.
People observe a moment of silence at a memorial ceremony marking the 31st anniverary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, in Kobe on Saturday.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2026
Kobe marks 31st anniversary of Great Hanshin Earthquake
At a memorial gathering at park in Kobe, participants lit bamboo and paper lanterns and offered a silent prayer at 5:46 a.m., the exact time the earthquake struck.
A Japanese government panel says the probability of a magnitude 7.8-8.5 earthquake occurring along the Chishima Trench off the city of Nemuro, Hokkaido, within the next 30 years has risen to about 90% from around 80%.
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2026
Hokkaido megaquake probability rises to around 90%, says panel
The panel estimated the probability of an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8-8.5 occurring along the Chishima Trench off the city of Nemuro in Hokkaido within 30 years.
Chubu Electric Power President Kingo Hayashi (center) bows in apology during his meeting with Masaru Shimomura, mayor of Omaezaki, Shizuoka Prefecture, in the city on Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 15, 2026
Chubu Electric chief apologizes to mayor over nuclear plant data fraud
It was the first time for Chubu Electric’s president to offer an apology to the Hamaoka plant host municipality in Shizuoka Prefecture since the scandal came to light.
Nuclear Regulation Authority Chairman Shinsuke Yamanaka (left) attends a regular commissioner meeting on Wednesday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2026
Japan stops Chubu Electric’s nuclear review due to flawed seismic data
The country’s nuclear watchdog said it was halting the screening needed to restart Chubu Electric Power’s only nuclear power ​plant.
The intensity of Tuesday morning's initial quake is shown on a weather agency map
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2026
Strong earthquake rattles western Japan, followed by several more shakes
The initial jolt was a magnitude 6.2 quake that measured a strong 5 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale. There was no threat of a tsunami.
Chubu Electric Power President Kingo Hayashi (left) and other company executives bow in apology on Monday in Nagoya after disclosing that the company might have cherry-picked earthquake data for the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka Prefecture for submission to a nuclear watchdog.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 6, 2026
Cherry-picked quake data might have been submitted for Hamaoka nuclear plant
Chubu Electric Power President Kingo Hayashi says the data could have caused a review of safety standards at the Shizuoka plant to be based on weaker quake projections.
Kazuma Naoi at Yaesu Ishikawa Terrace in Tokyo on Dec. 17
JAPAN / Society
Jan 5, 2026
Specialty shop in Tokyo aids reconstruction after Noto quake
The shop faced cancellations from businesses after its March 2024 opening, as they had to deal with the aftermath of the quake, but the situation has been improving.
A customer leaves Toge Marche, a supermarket and cafe in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in December. The store helps local residents hit by the Noto Peninsula earthquake in January 2024.
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2026
Facility doubling as cafeteria and supermarket offers lifeline in quake-hit Noto
A former school lunch cook came up with the idea of launching the facility after volunteering to provide afflicted locals with hot meals following the quake.
A memorial ceremony for victims of the Jan. 1, 2024, Noto Peninsula earthquake is held in the city of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 2, 2026
Noto quake victims mourned on second anniversary
A total of 698 people died as a result of the earthquake, including those who died from indirect causes, while two remain missing.
Since all 22 kilns in Suzu were destroyed in the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, many of the local potters came together for a joint firing in the municipal kiln.
LIFE / Style & Design
Jan 1, 2026
Noto’s Suzu ware reemerges from the earthquake rubble
Two years after the 2024 earthquake and tsunami, Noto potters find purpose in carrying on their craft.
Public housing under construction for victims of the 2024 Noto earthquake, on Dec. 24 in Anamizu, Ishikawa Prefecture
JAPAN
Dec 31, 2025
18,000 still in temporary housing two years after Noto earthquake
While infrastructure restoration is progressing in areas hit by the January 2024 quake, the road to reconstruction remains bumpy due to issues like population outflow and aging.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Sompo looks beyond insurance to focus on well-being
Sompo looks beyond insurance to focus on well-being

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER