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July 12, 2026
 

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RADIATION

Waste collected during decontamination work in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, in February
JAPAN
Jun 22, 2026
Fukushima town contaminated following 2011 nuclear meltdown eases entry restrictions
Extensive decontamination work has been carried out in areas impacted by the 2011 nuclear disaster in order to enable registered residents to return to their original homes.
Tanks at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture. Air radiation levels have fallen to around the national average in about 70% of the prefecture, according to Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2026
Air radiation levels down to national average in about 70% of Fukushima
Decreases have been notable at building lots and agricultural sites, but moderate in forests, where decontamination is difficult.
Soil collected during decontamination work at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant is moved for use in flower beds at the industry ministry in Tokyo in September.
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2026
Japan aims to expand use of soil from Fukushima decontamination
The Environment Ministry is seeking to reuse soil with low levels of radioactive contamination, collected from areas polluted due to the 2011 meltdown.
Hiromichi Sato cuts a tree with a chainsaw in Furudono, Fukushima Prefecture. The 39-year-old native of the city coastal town of Namie, which was evacuated following the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant meltdown in 2011, hopes to revive his hometown through forestry.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Dec 15, 2025
Forester dreams of reviving woodlands in disaster-hit hometown
Hiromichi Sato is equipping himself with the skills necessary to rejuvenate the forestry sector of the coastal town of Namie.
Authorities have been working to clean up an industrial park where they say a small steel company appears to have smelted scrap metal mixed with cesium, contaminating various nearby factories.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 14, 2025
How the U.S. ended up with radioactive shrimp and sneakers from Indonesia
The case lays bare shortcomings with oversight in Indonesia’s growing scrap-metal trade and underscores how a single industrial mishap can reverberate through global supply chains.
Takeo Fukuda, head of Shimonagatsuka district, stands in front of his home in the town of Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture, on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Nov 4, 2025
Fukushima town eases entry restrictions in contaminated areas
Following the easing of the restrictions, residents can enter their homes without permission, though they are not permitted to stay overnight.
A storage pool for spent nuclear fuel at Japan Nuclear Fuel's reprocessing plant in the village of Rokkasho in Aomori Prefecture on May 30. Radiation was detected Friday inside the nasal cavity of one of three workers who had been sent to work in a controlled area of the plant.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 29, 2025
Three workers at nuclear fuel reprocessing plant possibly exposed to radiation
Radiation was detected inside the nasal cavity of a worker at a plant in Aomori Prefecture, prompting Japan Nuclear Fuel to check whether all three workers were internally exposed.
A worker feeds shrimp in Pandeglang, Banten province, Indonesia, on July 29.
ENVIRONMENT
Oct 9, 2025
Indonesia says no to scrap metal after shrimp radiation scare
Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said the pause aims to ensure that the local steel-recycling industry meets radiation safety standards.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (right) inspects an interim storage facility where soil from decontamination work is temporarily stored, at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture on Aug. 10.
JAPAN
Aug 25, 2025
Government to use more soil from Fukushima decontamination work
The moves are aimed at gaining public understanding of the safety of the soil and encouraging wider use.
Soil from the Fukushima No. 1 plant is delivered to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's office in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2025
Fukushima soil delivered to Ishiba’s office for reuse
With few willing to take the contaminated earth, the government took it upon itself to reuse some of the soil to show it is not dangerous.
Workers add clean topsoil to a rice field, part of a government pilot project to add fresh earth to recycled and removed soil taken from areas affected by the 2011 nuclear disaster, in the village of Iitate, Fukushima Prefecture, in April.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 1, 2025
Recycling contaminated soil from Fukushima: Japan’s dilemma
Massive amounts of the soil — around 14 million cubic meters of it — remain in storage near the damaged plant.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi says the government will take the lead in reusing soil removed during decontamination work at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
JAPAN
May 27, 2025
Soil from Fukushima radiation decontamination to be reused in Tokyo
The soil will be reused within the grounds of central government agencies and the prime minister’s office, in hope of promoting its reuse throughout the country.
The Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo
JAPAN
May 23, 2025
Government may reuse Fukushima soil at Prime Minister’s Office
The government hopes to promote public understanding over the reuse of the soil from the decontamination work.
A combination of images released on April 15 illustrate the end jig passing through the isolation valve during the second fuel debris trial retrieval at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2025
Second debris removal trial at Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant is completed
High radiation levels mean removing melted fuel and other debris from the plant is seen as the most daunting challenge in the decommissioning project.
The crew of NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 mission, including NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, pose for a photo aboard the International Space Station on Feb. 26.
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 19, 2025
What happens to the human body in deep space?
Bone and muscle deterioration, radiation exposure and vision impairment are just a few of the challenges space travelers face.
Naohisa Hoshikawa, chief executive officer and founder of Ookuma Diamond Device, in Sapporo in February. Hoshikawa says the potential of diamond semiconductors goes beyond decommissioning work, likening them to the U.S. Apollo manned lunar landing program, which gave birth to technological innovations affecting everyday life.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 12, 2025
Diamond chips could be key to decommissioning of Fukushima nuclear plant
Made with artificial diamonds, such chips are regarded as the “ultimate semiconductors” — they can withstand high levels of radiation as well as high voltages and temperatures.
Fukushima Gov. Masao Uchibori says he wants the central government to clarify and accelerate the plan for disposing of soil from radiation decontamination work.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2025
Governor urges contaminated soil be disposed of outside Fukushima by 2045
A law states all contaminated soil must be disposed of outside Fukushima by March 2045.
Fukushima University student Itsuki Yamada (right) takes part in a workshop in December in the village of Iitate, Fukushima Prefecture, together with local residents. Yamada leads a group of student volunteers that runs an internet community radio program featuring Iitate.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Feb 17, 2025
University students launch community radio show for Fukushima village
The program aims to spread word about the realities faced by Iitate’s aging population, and support the village’s revitalization.
The top lid of a tank at the "J9" area is removed at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, on Friday.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Feb 15, 2025
Tepco takes on challenge of making space for Fukushima nuclear debris
Workers at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant have started dismantling water storage tanks to free up space for tons of nuclear debris.
A Ukrainian serviceman watches an inspection of damage to the radiation containment shield of Reactor 4 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant following a Russian drone strike in Chernobyl, Ukraine, on Friday.
WORLD
Feb 15, 2025
Russian drone attack ‘damaged Chernobyl plant’s confinement structure’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the International Atomic Energy Agency had earlier reported that radiation levels remained normal at the plant.
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
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