National
The towering sea wall legacy of Japan's 2011 tsunami
The Japanese town of Taro in Iwate Prefecture had sea walls that were supposed to be able to survive almost anything the ocean could offer up, but the 2011 tsunami still brought utter destruction. A decade after the deadly waves unleashed by one of the most powerful earthquakes in recorded… Read
Arguments for 'right to disconnect' from work draw more attention amid pandemic
With more people teleworking in Japan amid the coronavirus pandemic, some are demanding action to ensure employees can refuse phone calls and emails on their days off to clarify the blurred boundaries between personal and professional life. The debate about the "right to disconnect," which has caught on as law… Read
Shizuoka Pref bans teachers from personal communication with students on social media
Like pretty much all forms of communications technology, social media has progressed from being only for tech-savvy enthusiasts to something just about everyone makes use of. With that diffusion coming on the heels of smartphones becoming commonplace, most Japanese adolescents now have a personal device with which they can connect with the… Read
Suga apologizes as gov't extends Tokyo area state of emergency to March 21
Japan extended a state of emergency in the Tokyo area by two weeks on Friday to try to combat COVID-19, prompting a "heartfelt apology" by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. The state of emergency had been set to end on March 7. But 4 1/2 months before Tokyo is due to… Read
Tokyo reports 301 coronavirus cases; nationwide tally 1,148
The Tokyo metropolitan government on Friday reported 301 new cases of the coronavirus, up 22 from Thursday. The number (153 men and 148 women) is the result of 7,621 tests conducted on March 2. The number of cases aged 60 and over is 89. The number of infected people hospitalized… Read
Supercomputer shows doubling masks offers little help preventing viral spread
Japanese supercomputer simulations showed that wearing two masks gave limited benefit in blocking viral spread compared with one properly fitted mask. The findings in part contradict recent recommendations from the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that two masks were better than one at reducing a person's exposure… Read
10 years after Fukushima disaster, Japan's nuclear industry stalled
Ten years after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant disaster, Japan's nuclear industry remains crippled, with the majority of its reactors halted or on the path towards decommissioning. The government still hopes to revitalize the sector, in part to reduce the country's dependence on energy imports as well as help it… Read
Japan to extend state of emergency for 2 weeks in Tokyo area
Japan's government will extend a state of emergency in the Tokyo region for another two weeks because its medical systems are still strained by COVID-19 patients, the minister in charge of virus response said Friday. "For two more weeks, we will keep the measure in place ... so that we… Read
Discovered remains identified as those of woman killed in 2011 tsunami
Remains of a person discovered last month near a coast in the northeastern prefecture of Miyagi have been identified as those of a woman who went missing during the massive earthquake and tsunami that devastated the region nearly 10 years ago, police said Thursday. The local police found that the… Read
Japanese firms send canned fish to kids in developing countries in gratitude for 2011 aid
Manufacturers of canned fish in eastern and northeastern Japan that was devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster have been offering the protein-rich items to feed school children in developing countries in gratitude for reconstruction aid given to them. Ahead of the 10th anniversary of the March 11 catastrophe… Read
