Japan earthquake

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New Trouble for Fukushima Reactor

Officials detect radioactive xenon, but reactor is stable

(Newser) - A potential new setback for Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant: Utility officials have detected radioactive xenon particles inside the No. 2 reactor, suggesting unexpected nuclear fission may have taken place. Boric acid, which can counteract nuclear fission, was injected as a precaution, but Tokyo Electric Power says that...

Experts: 30 Years Until Fukushima Can Be Closed

Process will be time-consuming and costly

(Newser) - Officials say Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant is relatively stable, but a government panel still believes it will be at least 30 years before it can be safely decommissioned and closed. The panel of experts, named by Japan’s Atomic Energy Commission, noted that it took a decade...

20M Tons of Tsunami Debris Heads for US Shores

Expected to reach Hawaii in early 2013, then mainland in 2014

(Newser) - Debris from the massive tsunami that struck Japan in March is on its way: Up to 20 million tons of trash, like "confetti soup," is slowly drifting across the Pacific Ocean and heading toward the United States, reports the LA Times . Already garbage has been found 2,000...

Want to Go to Japan? It's Doling Out 10K Flights

Officials reassure foreign travelers that country is safe to visit

(Newser) - How to cope with the unpleasant reality of a major drop in tourism following March's earthquake and tsunami? Free stuff for tourists! Japan will attempt to woo back wary travelers by doling out 10,000 free airline tickets next year, the Japan Tourism Agency announced this week. Officials are...

6.0, 6.2 Quakes Hit Off Cuba, Japan

Smaller quake rattles California

(Newser) - It's been a shaky day all around the globe: A 6.2 earthquake hit off Japan's coast today, and a 6.0 shaker also struck off Cuba's coast. No tsunami warnings have been issued in either location, and no injuries or damage have been reported. In Japan,...

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan Resigning
 Japan PM Resigning 
Aug 26, 2011 8:27 AM CDT

Japan PM Resigning

Naoto Kan will officially quit next week

(Newser) - Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan announced today he would resign after almost 15 months in office amid plunging approval ratings over his government's handling of the tsunami disaster and nuclear crisis. In a nationally televised speech, Kan said he was stepping down as chief of the ruling Democratic Party...

Towns Near Fukushima May Be Shut for Decades

Surrounding 12 miles show continuing radiation

(Newser) - Japan has been telling residents of the 12-mile evacuation zone around Fukushima Dai-ichi that they'll likely be going home next year—but now it looks like the government is finally ready to say otherwise. With dangerous radiation still evident in the area, it could be decades before those who...

Quake Survivors Return $78M in Found Cash

Nearly 6,000 safes have washed ashore in Japan

(Newser) - In the five months since a massive earthquake and tsunami devastated the east coast of Japan, honest citizens have returned $78 million in cash—$48 million found in thousands of wallets, and $30 million from some 5,700 safes that turned up onshore, reports ABC News . One safe had $1...

Japanese Seethe Over Hushed Radiation Forecasts

Thousands exposed because gov't agencies refused responsibility

(Newser) - Anger is growing in Japan over the government hiding radiation forecasts from the public, causing unnecessary exposure to thousands, letting contaminants into the country's food supply, and not acknowledging that there even was a meltdown for three months after the initial disaster, reports the New York Times . Thousands of...

Japanese Earthquake: 6.4 Temblor Rattles Northeast
 6.4 Quake Rattles Japan 
Jul 23, 2011 5:55 AM CDT

6.4 Quake Rattles Japan

Northeast hit again, but no serious damage reported

(Newser) - A strong earthquake has jolted northeastern Japan, the same region devastated by March's massive quake and tsunami. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the quake, and no tsunami warning was issued. Japanese utility Tepco reported no damage at its Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant.

Fukushima Nuclear Plant Stabilized

Workers on track for cold shutdown within six months

(Newser) - Some good news from Japan: The Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant is stabilized and a cold shutdown should be achieved within six months. Even so, Tokyo Electric Power Co. warns that final cleanup—which will involve encasing the plant in concrete—could take more than 10 years. Engineers have recently...

Japan Tsunami Taller Than 10-Story Building

Giant wave was biggest recorded in decades: Experts

(Newser) - The tsunami that struck Japan in March rose to a staggering 132.5 feet at its highest, taller than a 10-story building, according to 150 researchers who have collected data from thousands of locations along the country's east coast. Here's how it stacks up: The killer wave was...

Tepco Knew of Fukushima Design Flaw, Did Nothing

Electric switcher swamped by tsunami, killing plant's cooling system

(Newser) - Senior Tepco engineers were aware of design flaws at five of its Fukushima Dai-ichi reactors for decades, but complacency and cost-consciousness prevented the company from fixing those problems, reports the Wall Street Journal . While newer reactors have backup diesel generators and electrical switchers placed securely in the well-protected reactor building,...

Japan's Big Roadblock: 25M Tons of Debris

Before the nation can fully rebuild, it has years of cleanup ahead

(Newser) - A giant kiln at a cement factory in Japan finally returned to action today and incinerated 10 tons of debris from the March earthquake. Which sounds like a handsome total until you consider that an estimated 25 million tons remain, reports the Wall Street Journal . The nation is now grappling...

Stradivarius Violin Sells for $16M

Violin built in 1721 has hardly been played

(Newser) - A Japanese music foundation has sold a renowned Stradivarius violin for $16 million at a London auction to raise money for tsunami disaster relief. Proceeds from selling the nearly 300-year-old violin known as the Lady Blunt will go to relief projects in northern Japan, the nonprofit Nippon Foundation said today....

Tepco Halts Water Filtering at Fukushima

Power company running out of room to store contaminated water

(Newser) - Tokyo Electric launched its much-hyped water filtration system yesterday at its foundering Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant—only to shut it down a mere five hours later. The setback is very serious, notes the New York Times, with Tepco in grave danger of running out of room for the tens of...

Tsunami-Tossed Ships Return to Water, Slowly

Each ship will cost roughly $1M to put back

(Newser) - Remember the shocking pictures of beached boats and ships after Japan’s March tsunami attack? in one fishing town, they’re still there, untouched months after the disaster. More than a dozen ships heaved inland sit with red bellies and propellers exposed among the demolished houses of Kesennuma, a jarring...

In Tokyo, Workers Told to Show Up an Hour Earlier

As part of an attempt to conserve energy

(Newser) - Summer days will mean setting the alarm clock much earlier for some Tokyo city government employees: They began working an hour earlier today to conserve energy amid shortages caused by the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Workers on the earliest shift will start at 7:30am and be allowed to leave at...

Japan's PM Beats Censure, Hints He'll Resign

Naoto Kan acknowledged 'shortcomings' after earthquake

(Newser) - Prime Minister Naoto Kan defeated a no-confidence motion today over his handling of Japan's triple disasters, but the victory may be short lived—he said he is willing to resign once the country's recovery kicks in. Kan, who has been criticized for delays in the construction of temporary...

Fukushima's Tsunami Plan: One Page

Nuclear plant thought it was immune to waves, thanks to decade-old memo

(Newser) - Nuclear officials in Japan thought the Fukushima reactors were safe from the biggest waves a quake could hurl at them—thanks to a decade-old, one-page memo from the plant operator, reports the AP . Granted, it’s a double-size page, but it gives few details to back its claim that no...

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