Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has indicated that Ghana and Japan have announced a commitment to advancing key infrastructural and agricultural initiatives, focusing on improving regional connectivity and agricultural output.
The two nations have agreed to prioritize the revival of the Volivo to Dorfor Adidome bridge project. This bridge will serve as a critical link between the Greater Accra, Volta, and Eastern Regions, enhancing transportation and trade across these areas.
Additionally, they plan to develop an interchange in the Ashanti Region to reduce congestion, improving traffic flow and accessibility for both residents and businesses.
Another significant area of focus is providing technical support to boost rice production in Ghana. This initiative aims to increase local rice yields, thereby promoting food security and reducing dependence on imported rice.
In addition to these projects, Ghana will be fully represented at the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), where discussions will focus on strengthening ties with Japan. A key area of focus will be scaling up chocolate exports to Japan, in response to the growing demand for high-quality Ghanaian chocolate in the Japanese market.
President Mahama’s government reaffirmed its commitment to further strengthening Ghana-Japan relations, reflecting on the historical collaboration and honoring the legacy of figures like Dr. Noguchi.
Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister, Emelia Arthur, has held discussions with Tsubasa Nakagawa of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) to explore potential partnerships between Ghana and Japan in the fisheries industry.
The meeting focused on key areas of collaboration aimed at enhancing sustainable fisheries management and sector development. The minister emphasized that such partnerships align with Ghana’s broader vision for the industry under the Blue Economy Initiative.
“By working together, we can drive sustainable growth, improve livelihoods, and promote environmentally responsible practices in our fisheries sector,” Arthur stated in a Facebook post on March 28.
The discussions highlighted opportunities for technology transfer, capacity building, and investment in aquaculture to boost the industry’s long-term sustainability. The engagement marks a step forward in strengthening ties between Ghana and Japan in the fisheries sector.
Ghana has secured a $13.44 million grant from Japan to improve electricity supply in Tamale, the capital of the Northern Region.
The funding, facilitated through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), aims to boost the region’s energy infrastructure, ensuring a more stable and reliable power supply for residents, businesses, and essential services.
Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, who announced the agreement on his official Facebook page on Friday, March 14, 2025, described the partnership as a significant investment in Tamale’s power network.
Under the agreement, Ghana’s government and JICA will collaborate on the construction of a new power substation and the expansion of electricity distribution lines. The initiative is expected to strengthen the region’s energy framework, reducing disruptions and supporting economic growth.
The signing ceremony saw Dr. Forson represent Ghana, while JICA’s Chief Representative, Her Excellency Suzuki Momoko, signed on behalf of Japan.
Speaking on the significance of the project, Dr. Forson highlighted its potential to drive economic progress, create jobs, and enhance the overall quality of life in the Northern Region.
“This project represents a major milestone in our commitment to economic development, job creation, and enhanced livelihoods in the Northern Region.
“By ensuring uninterrupted electricity supply, we are providing businesses, households, and critical services with the energy security they need to thrive,” he stated.
He further commended Japan for its ongoing support, emphasizing that strategic collaborations such as this play a vital role in addressing Ghana’s energy challenges and fostering industrialization.
Upon completion, the project is expected to significantly transform Tamale’s power landscape, supporting local enterprises and improving the region’s overall development.
Ghana has secured a $13 million grant from the Japanese government to enhance and stabilize electricity supply in Tamale, a major urban hub in the Northern Region.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, announced that he had signed an Exchange of Notes with Japan’s Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Yoshimoto Hiroshi, to formalize the grant agreement.
The funding, amounting to 1.92 billion Japanese Yen, will be directed toward improving Tamale’s power infrastructure to ensure a more reliable electricity supply.
Expressing his satisfaction with the development, Mr. Ablakwa highlighted the importance of the initiative in addressing the city’s growing energy demands.
“This project and many others under discussion highlight the outstanding bond of friendship between Ghana and Japan,” he stated.
Meanwhile, concerns over power theft in the Northern Region have been raised by the Acting Managing Director of the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo), John Okine Yamoah. He disclosed that five out of every ten houses in the Northern Area are likely engaged in illegal power connections, with most cases recorded in the Tamale Metropolis and Yendi Municipality.
According to Mr. Yamoah, NEDCo suffers significant financial losses due to power theft, with 45% of distributed electricity lost each month in the region. He further revealed that illegal connections account for 70 to 80% of these losses, exacerbating challenges in the local electricity sector.
The $13 million grant from Japan is expected to play a vital role in stabilizing Tamale’s power supply, but authorities acknowledge that addressing power theft remains a pressing issue in ensuring sustainable electricity distribution.
Ghana’s hopes for their first win in theFIFA U-20 Women’s World Cupwere dashed after a 4-1 defeat to Japan in their second Group E match in Colombia.
The Black Princesses initially showed promise, maintaining composure for the first 40 minutes.
However, Japan broke the deadlock with Sasai’s goal in the 45th minute, followed by Matsukubo’s strike in stoppage time after a goalkeeping error by Afi Amenyeku.
Two more goals in the second half sealed Ghana’s second consecutive loss in the tournament.
In the second half, Mafia Nyame and Mercy Attobra replaced Wasiima Mohammed and Mary Amponsah, but their introduction did little to change the course of the game.
Bayana capitalized on a chaotic goalmouth scramble, scoring Japan’s third goal. Ghana briefly regained hope when Stella Nyamekye converted a penalty after being fouled in the 83rd minute.
However, any chance of a comeback was short-lived as Matsunaga struck once more for Japan, sealing the 4-1 victory and deepening the Black Princesses’ struggles in the tournament.
Fermin Lopez scored twice as Spain defeated Japan 3-0 in Lyon to advance to the Olympic men’s football semi-finals.
The Barcelona midfielder, who is also a member of Spain’s Euro 2024-winning team, scored his first goal early with a left-footed strike into the right corner. He added a second after halftime with a stunning right-foot shot from 20 yards.
Japan’s Mao Hosoya, who struck the post, had a goal disallowed late in the first half after a protracted VAR review confirmed he was offside.
Abel Ruiz completed Spain’s victory with a late tap-in, setting up a semi-final clash with Morocco in Marseille on Monday at 17:00 BST.
Morocco secured their spot in the last four for the first time with a dominant 4-0 victory over the United States at Parc des Princes.
Soufiane Rahimi opened the scoring with a penalty, marking his fifth goal of the tournament.
Ilias Akhomach added to their lead with a close-range finish, followed by a goal from captain Achraf Hakimi, who curled in a left-footed shot after a brilliant run.
Substitute Mehdi Maouhoub completed the scoring with another penalty in stoppage time, awarded after a VAR review for a handball.
Hakimi, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain in France, expressed his gratitude to the fans, saying, “Playing in this stadium, where I’m familiar, felt like home. Our supporters have been incredible throughout the tournament, and we hope they will continue to back us all the way to the final. We aim to make them proud.”
In an exciting international women’s friendly match, Japan’s Nadeshiko team outclassedGhana’s Black Queens with a 4-0 victory at the Kanazawa Go-Go Curry Stadium on Saturday morning.
The game served as crucial preparation for both sides, with Japan gearing up for the 2024 Paris Olympics and Ghana focusing on the upcoming 2023 Women African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.
The first half saw an evenly matched contest, with neither team able to score.
However, Ghana’s Vivian Adjei’s entry in the 46th minute proved pivotal, as Japan seized momentum and broke the deadlock with Mina Tanaka scoring in the 51st minute.
Maika Hamano extended Japan’s lead in the 65th minute, followed quickly by Aoba Fujino’s goal just two minutes later.
Despite making three substitutions, Ghana struggled to halt Japan’s dominance, with Riko Ueki sealing the victory with a goal in the 80th minute.
This comprehensive win provides Japan with a confidence boost headinginto the Olympics,while Ghana aims to regroup from this defeat ahead of their next friendly against an as-yet-unannounced opponent.
A 58-year-old man, Yasuhiro Kobayashi, has been killed in a suspected bear attack in Japan.
Kobayashi, a construction worker, was found in a forest in Nagano Prefecture on Friday afternoon with severe wounds on his head and back, according to a spokesperson from Nagano Central Police Station.
This incident is part of a rising number of bear attacks, as the animals increasingly encroach into populated areas.
Kobayashi was discovered by a colleague who went searching for him after he failed to return to work from a construction site, reported Japanese broadcaster NHK.
The newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported that four people were injured in bear attacks in Nagano this month alone. Authorities in the prefecture have issued stern warnings to residents, advising them to avoid venturing into the mountains at dawn or dusk, when bears are most active.
Residents are also encouraged to travel in groups and carry noise-making items like bells.
Bear sightings and incidents typically peak in April, when bears emerge from hibernation in search of food, and again in September and October as they prepare for winter.
However, reduced acorn yields, a primary food source for bears, have made their movements more unpredictable.
In December, Japan’s environment ministry reported that six people were killed and 212 injured in bear attacks between April and November of the previous year, surpassing the previous record of 158 injuries in the 12 months from April 2020.
In response, a panel appointed by the environment ministry suggested revising hunting laws to permit the use of guns, including tranquilizer guns, against bears entering residential areas.
Currently, firearms can only be used on a bear in a residential property if ordered by police.
Additionally, some municipalities are usingArtificial Intelligence (AI)to manage the problem. AI-linked cameras can detect bears approaching city centers and notify officials accordingly.
North Korea told Japan’s coast guard that they are going to launch a satellite rocket between Monday and June 3.
The Japanese Prime Minister’s Office said it’s no longer worried about a missile hitting Okinawa after North Korea launched one.
Last year, North Korea sent its first military satellite into space to keep an eye on the US-led military threats. They want to build a surveillance network in space. North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un said at a meeting with his ruling party that the country will send three more military spy satellites into space in 2024.
The UN doesn’t allow North Korea to launch satellites because they think it’s really a way for them to test their long-range missiles. North Korea insists that it is allowed to send satellites into space and test missiles. Kim said that spy satellites will help his military watch US and South Korean military activities more closely and make their nuclear-capable missiles more dangerous.
North Korea gives Japan its information about when they will launch missiles because Japan’s coast guard helps to keep ships safe in East Asia.
Leaders from South Korea, Japan, and China met in Seoul for their first joint meeting on Monday, and they received a notification about a launch.
Japan’s coast guard was told by North Korea that they plan to launch a “satellite rocket” in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and China, and east of the Philippine island of Luzon starting on Monday and lasting until midnight on June 3.
North Korea shares its rocket launch details with Japan because Japan’s coast guard helps keep ships safe in the region.
The Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, told officials to work together with the United States, South Korea, and other countries to ask North Korea not to launch anything and to be ready in case something goes wrong.
In November, North Korea sent its first military satellite into space to spy on the US and other military threats. North Korea wants spy satellites to watch the US and South Korea closely and make its missiles more accurate.
Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, said at a meeting at the end of the year that the country will send three more military spy satellites into space in 2024.
The UN tells North Korea it can’t launch any satellites because they think it’s really a way for them to test their missile technology. North Korea says it can launch satellites and test missiles.
The satellite launch in November made tensions between North and South Korea worse. Both countries are now breaking the agreement they made in 2018 to reduce military tensions.
In the last few years, North Korea has been doing a lot of missile tests to make its weapons stronger. This has made the US, South Korea and Japan work together to make their security stronger too. According to experts, North Korea probably thinks that having more weapons would give them more power when negotiating with the US in the future.
North Korea was not on the list of topics for Monday’s meeting between Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
On Sunday, Yoon talked to Li about North Korea’s nuclear program and military ties with Russia. Yoon also asked China to help promote peace on the Korean Peninsula because it is a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
South Korea, Japan, and the US have been asking China, who is North Korea’s main friend and provides them with money, to help convince North Korea to stop trying to build nuclear weapons. China is believed to not be following all the rules set by the UN to stop North Korea. They are also thought to be sending secret aid to help North Korea.
On Sunday, the North Korean Vice Defence Minister, Kim Kang Il, said they might take aggressive action in response to South Korean navy and coast guard ships crossing the disputed sea boundary. There have been many fights in that area in recent years.
He promised to get back at South Korean activists who were sending negative messages about North Korea across the border.
The Liberal Democratic Party lost because voters were mad about its connection to a corruption scandal that has been going on for years and has hurt Kishida’s leadership. It’s not very likely that his party will lose power because the other parties are not united.
“The results were very bad,” said LDP Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi to reporters in Tokyo. “We are sorry for the serious consequences and will work hard to earn back the public’s trust as we keep trying to improve and solve the problems. ” According to surveys done by NHK television, Kyodo News and other media, the liberal Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan was expected to win in Shimane, Nagasaki, and Tokyo.
CPDJ leader Kenta Izumi said the special elections were about changing the way politics work. “He said many people in the country want to share the same opinions. If the governing party doesn’t make changes quickly, he will ask for national elections to happen sooner. ”
The governing party was really shocked by the loss in Shimane prefecture. It could weaken Kishida’s power, because other party members might try to remove him and choose someone else for the next general election. This move would ruin Kishida’s plans to run for the party president again in September for another three years. He can choose when to have the election before October 2025.
Kishida’s support has dropped a lot since the corruption scandal last year. He fired some government officials and is trying to make changes, but not many people support his government anymore.
The problem is about money that was collected for the party events, but was not reported to the government. In January, 10 people, including lawmakers and their assistants, were accused of a crime.
Over 80 lawmakers from the ruling party, many of them from a group once led by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, have admitted to not reporting funds, which may have broken the law. The money made from long-term practice is said to have gone into secret funds that were not being watched.
In the Sunday by-elections, the LDP didn’t have their own candidates in the Tokyo and Nagasaki districts because it seemed like not many people supported the party. It worked to keep the seat in the Shimane district after the former LDP House Speaker Hiroyuki Hosoda passed away. He was connected to some suspected illegal activities, like hidden money.
Akiko Kamei, a candidate in Shimane, won against Norimasa Nishikori from LDP. She said her win sends a big message to Kishida in Japan.
She said, “I think the people were mad about LDP’s secret money problem and the fact that things in our area aren’t getting better. That’s why they supported me. ”
The final results will be known by Monday morning.
The Japanese government warned and its coast guard reported that North Korea had launched what seemed to be a missile. NHK broadcaster said the projectile seemed to have landed outside the area that belongs only to Japan.
The military in South Korea said that North Korea fired some short-range ballistic missiles from near its capital, Pyongyang. The missiles traveled 300 kilometers (186 miles) and landed in the ocean.
The US Indo-Pacific Command said on Monday that they knew about the missile launch. They also said that they don’t think it’s a danger to US people, land, or friends.
After a meeting between the leaders of the two countries in September, people think North Korea gave weapons and ammunition to Russia for its attack on Ukraine. But both North Korea and Russia say this isn’t true.
The North is getting ready to send another spy satellite into space, following the successful launch of a reconnaissance satellite in November.
Last week, North Korea said they launched a special cruise missile to test a big warhead, and a new missile to shoot down aircraft.
In April, North Korea launched a new type of missile called a hypersonic missile. This is part of their plan to develop more powerful missiles, and their leader, Kim Jong Un, is in charge of this.
“Professor Leif-Eric Easley from Ewha University in Seoul said that North Korea is focusing on developing weapons quickly, not only to gain a military advantage but also to show off its political power. ”
Last month, Russia said no to renewing the sanctions against North Korea. US and South Korean officials blamed Russia for making North Korea more confident. China did not vote for or against the decision in the Security Council.
Russia and China wanted to make the sanctions against North Korea to be renewed every year, but they were not successful.
Two Japanese navy helicopters with eight crew members crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Tokyo during a training flight at night. It’s possible they collided with each other. The defense minister of Japan said this on Sunday. One person from the crew was found in the water and died. Rescuers are still looking for seven others who are missing.
The two SH-60K helicopters from the Maritime Self Defence Force had four crew members on board each. They lost contact near Torishima island, which is about 600 kilometers south of Tokyo. Defence Minister Minoru Kihara told reporters about this on Saturday.
“We don’t know why the crash happened yet, but it’s possible that the two helicopters ran into each other before they crashed into the water,” Kihara explained.
Rescuers found a device that records flight data, a piece from each helicopter’s blade, and some broken parts that are thought to be from both helicopters in the same place. This indicates that the two helicopters were flying near each other, Kihara explained. Authorities will study the information from the flight to find out what caused the plane to crash.
The MSDF sent eight warships and five aircraft to look for the missing crew and help them if they need it.
The helicopters called Seahawks were made by Sikorsky and then changed and built in Japan by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. They were practicing finding and stopping submarines at night in the ocean, Kihara said. One person lost their contact at 10:38 pm and a minute later, they sent an automatic emergency signal.
Only one signal for help was heard. This shows that the two helicopters were close to each other because their signals were on the same frequency and couldn’t be told apart, according to Kihara.
One was from an air base in Nagasaki, and the other was from a base in Tokushima prefecture.
The SH-60K helicopter is often used on warships to find and attack submarines.
On Saturday, only the Japanese navy did training. It was not part of a training with other countries, according to defence officials. They said they didn’t see any aircraft or warships from other countries in the area.
Japan is making its military stronger by building up its forces in the islands in the Pacific and East China Sea. They are doing this to protect themselves from China’s growing military actions. In the past few years, Japan has done a lot of practice with its navy, both by itself and with the United States and other friends.
A helicopter crashed last Saturday, one year after another helicopter crashed and killed all 10 crew members off the coast of Miyako island in Japan. In January 2022, a military plane crashed into the sea near the middle of Japan, and two people on board died.
NHK public television in Japan said they did not warn about the weather in the area at the time of Saturday’s crash.
A big earthquake hit southwestern Japan causing nine people to get hurt a little. It also caused damage like broken water pipes and small landslides, the government said on Thursday. There was no risk of a tsunami.
The earthquake on Wednesday night had a magnitude of 6.6 It happened just off the coast of Shikoku, in an area called the Bungo Channel, which is a narrow stretch of water between Shikoku and Kyushu.
The earthquake happened deep under the sea, and the Japanese Meteorological Agency said there’s no risk of a tsunami.
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency reported on Thursday that six people in Ehime prefecture, one in neighbouring Kochi, and two others in Oita on Kyushu island got hurt, mostly from falling at home.
Pipes broke in Sukumo City and stones fell at a Buddhist temple in Ainan town, according to local news. Roof tiles were falling down too.
Japan is in a place where there are a lot of earthquakes because it is in the “ring of fire” in the Pacific Ocean. In March 2011, a very big earthquake and tsunami hit Japan’s northeast coast. It destroyed a lot of places, killed almost 20,000 people, and caused the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to have meltdowns.
A group of US ships, led by the USS Theodore Roosevelt, practiced together with Japan and South Korea for two days. At the same time, US President Joe Biden was talking with leaders from Japan and the Philippines at the White House. The military and diplomatic actions are meant to make the partners stronger together in response to what they see as China’s aggressive military actions in the region.
Several warships from the US, South Korea, and Japan are training together in the East China Sea, where there is concern about China’s claims to the area. The Associated Press and some other news groups were given a close-up view of the drills.
Rear Adm Christopher Alexander, who is in charge of a group of ships, said that three countries practiced fighting underwater, stopping boats at sea, finding and rescuing people, and working together to share information. He said on Thursday that doing these drills will make it easier for the United States and its friends to talk to each other and get ready for a problem in the area.
F/A-18E Super Hornet jets flew off the carrier’s deck, and it also had anti-submarine MH-60R Seahawk helicopters. Reporters were brought by plane for more than an hour from Kadena Air Base, which is the main center for US Pacific air power. Kadena is located on the southern island of Okinawa in Japan. It is where about half of the 50,000 American soldiers in Japan are based.
“Things are very busy right now and there’s a lot happening in the world,” Alexander said. This exercise is important because three countries and their navies all want peace, security, and stability in the western Pacific.
Earlier, China said the US and Japan were saying bad things about China and that they should stop causing trouble in the region. China also said it will strongly protect its security and development.
Japan and South Korea worked together in a practice event, showing that their relationship is getting better. The friendship between the two countries has sometimes been shaky because Korea remembers when Japan controlled it for 35 years. Washington wants them to work together so the three countries can better handle problems from China and North Korea.
The President of South Korea’s party lost a big election this week. He wants to have better relations with Japan. This might make it harder for him to be Japan-friendly, but most experts think the relationship between the two countries will stay the same.
The training exercises were about making sure the three countries can work together better to deal with North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats, according to South Korea’s navy. The navies practiced finding and stopping North Korean submarines and stopping them from moving illegal weapons.
The recent navy practice is a part of Biden’s effort to strengthen security and diplomacy with countries in the Indo-Pacific region. Biden asked Kishida and Marcos to come to the White House for their first three-way talks on Thursday. He said the US will definitely support its allies in the Pacific.
China and the Philippines are having more problems because their coast guard ships keep fighting in the South China Sea. Chinese coast guard boats often come near islands in the East China Sea that Japan controls, and Taiwan also claims.
Beijing said it is just doing its work in the South China Sea and that the United States is causing problems. The leader of China, Xi Jinping, talked with important people from Vietnam, Russia, and Taiwan this week.
US and Japan-South Korea navy exercises happened after joint drills in the South China Sea with Japan, US, Australia, and the Philippines. The people in the exercises didn’t talk about China. They said they were doing the exercises to keep the Indo-Pacific peaceful and stable.
“This behavior is not responsible and very risky,” said Senior Col. Wu Qian wrote a message on the internet.
The South China Sea is an important place for trade and has been a source of arguments for a long time. Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and Taiwan are worried governments.
The controversial choice to allow selling weapons to other countries will help Japan to have a part in the joint fighter jet project. This is also a step to help build up Japan’s arms industry and increase its role in global security.
The Cabinet approved a change to Japan’s rules on selling military equipment and technology. Now, we can sell weapons made with another country to other countries too, not just the ones we work with.
Japan has always limited how many weapons it exports because of its peaceful constitution. But recently, it has started to relax these rules because of tensions with China and other countries nearby.
The choice to sell jets will let Japan sell weapons it helps make to other countries for the first time.
Japan, Italy, and the UK are working together to make a new and better fighter jet to take the place of their old American F-2 fighters and Eurofighter Typhoons.
Japan wants the new plane to have better abilities that will help them in the region where there are more problems. They want to be more advanced than China and Russia.
Japan doesn’t have a big military because it caused a lot of harm in the past and was defeated in World War II. Its constitution only allows the military to be used for self-defense. The country had a strong rule to not send weapons or military technology to other countries, and to never export deadly weapons.
Critics disagree with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government for deciding to go ahead with the fighter jet project without telling the public or getting approval for the big policy change.
To solve these worries, the government is only allowing a small amount of weapons to be sent to the jet that were developed together, and has promised not to sell any for use in wars happening right now.
The government said the new rule only affects the jet for now, and it needs approval from the Cabinet to apply to other things. Possible buyers can only come from the 15 countries that Japan has agreed to work with on defense and equipment transfer.
Recent surveys show that people have different opinions about the plan.
In 2014, Japan started sending non-deadly military supplies to other countries. Last December, they also said it’s okay to sell 80 deadly weapons and parts that they make to the countries that gave them the licenses to make those weapons. The change allowed Japan to sell U. SPatriot missiles to the United States, which will help replace weapons that the U. Sis giving to Ukraine.
The Cabinet said that stopping the sale of weapons would make it harder to make the new jet and would make Japan less important in the project. Italy and the UK want to sell the jets to help pay for the cost of making them.
Kishida wanted the Cabinet to agree before signing the GCAP agreement in February, but it was delayed because his coalition partner, the Komeito party, disagreed.
Exports would also make Japan’s defense industry stronger because they have only sold to their own military in the past. Kishida wants to make their military stronger. Even though the industry has tried hard for the last ten years, it still hasn’t been able to attract many customers.
Authorities stated that the big ship was carrying 980 tons of a chemical called acrylic acid. This chemical is corrosive and is used in things like glue, paint, and polish. Officials are checking for leaks and figuring out what to do to protect the environment if there is a leak.
The Japan Coast Guard got a call for help from a chemical tanker called Keoyoung Sun. The tanker said it was leaning to one side and trying to stay safe from the bad weather near Mutsure Island in Japan. Mutsure Island is about 1,000 kilometers away from Tokyo in southwest Japan.
The ship had flipped over by the time the rescuers got there. On NHK television in Japan, a video showed the ship upside down with waves crashing against its red bottom.
The boat had 11 people on it, but only nine have been found, officials said. One person from Indonesia is the only crew member that is confirmed to be alive. The coast guard is still looking for two more people.
South Korean officials met on Wednesday to talk about the boat tipping over. At the meeting, Vice Foreign Minister Kang Insun asked officials to use all their resources to help with the rescue efforts and support the families of South Korean crew members. This information comes from the Foreign Ministry.
The ship was going from Himeji in Japan to Ulsan in South Korea, according to the coast guard. The ship’s captain was from South Korea, and the crew also had one more person from South Korea, someone from China, and eight people from Indonesia, said the coast guard.
Acrylic acid is used in making plastic, resin and coatings. It can make skin, eyes and the insides of your nose and mouth feel uncomfortable, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
We don’t have any other information about how the ship turned over.
A Japanese coast guard helicopter saved 24 fishermen who were hanging onto a tilting, half-sunken ship during a storm near an island chain southwest of Tokyo on Monday morning. One person who was on the ship fell into the rough ocean and died before the rescuers came.
According to a coast guard statement, the Fukuei Maru No. 8 halted owing to an engine failure on Sunday evening in the Pacific Ocean, around five hours after it left the Yaizu Port in central Japan on its way to South America for tuna fishing.
The ship got caught in rough seas and strong winds, then hit some rocks. The captain called for help five hours later. It was reported that the ship told the rescuers that one crew member was missing within two hours of their arrival.
The coast guard sent three ships and three helicopters with special rescue teams to where a big ship got stuck near Kozushima Island. Kozushima Island is part of the Izu group and is about 170 kilometers southwest of Tokyo.
The TV station NHK showed the crew standing on the ship as the waves hit it. They were waiting for a helicopter to rescue them one by one.
The boat had 20 people from Indonesia and 5 people from Japan, including the captain, the coast guard said.
Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George, disclosed a hidden facet behind the funding of the Tema Interchange, attributing its realization to the efforts of former President John Dramani Mahama.
George asserted that Mahama’s rapport with the Japanese community played a pivotal role in securing a substantial 1.2 trillion yen from Japan for the project.
During an interview on Onua FM, MP Sam Nartey George highlighted Mahama’s unique connection with Japan, stemming from his previous collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) before entering politics.
George underlined the significance of Mahama’s personal ties with Japan, emphasizing that it was instrumental in breaking an 11-year funding hiatus from the Japanese government to Ghana.
“Tema Interchange, JICA, the Japanese government gave us the money.The Japanese government had stopped providing funds to Ghana for 11 years. It took John Mahama to go and unlock it and get 1.2 trillion yen for that project,”George stated, shedding light on Mahama’s role in revitalizing the financial support from Japan.
Explaining the background, George shared, “John Mahama had worked with JICA before at the Japanese Embassy before he became a politician. And so he is a very well-known person in Japan.”
He detailed the enduring relationship between Mahama and Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister at the time, who had previously headed JICA when Mahama served as the country manager.
“At that time, Shinzo Abe, who was Prime Minister had been head of JICA at the time Mahama WA country manager here. They had a long-term work relationship for over 20 years. So John went back to Japan and said Prime Minister, you know what, Japan and Ghana, you have helped us a lot. Under Rawlings, Japan did a lot of funding,” George recounted.
Sam Nartey George revealed this information while expressing discontent over the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) alleged failure to acknowledge the National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) contributions to initiated projects.
In 2013, the Government of Ghana under the John Dramani Mahama administration requested a grant from the Government of Japan to implement the project (The Tema Motorway Interchange).
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) then selected and dispatched a survey team, which was headed by Mr. Ryohei Watanabe of CTI Engineering International Co., LTD. from March 2015 to March 2017.
The initial survey and detailed designs were undertaken between March 2015 and December 2016 and the final report was submitted to the Ministry of Roads and Highways for review and approval. This was also noted in the 2016 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Ghana.
Although then president John Dramani Mahama had mentioned in his 2016 State of the Nation address that “preparatory works for the redevelopment of the Accra-Tema motorway into a six-lane road with four interchanges at Adjei Kojo, Abattoir, Teshie Link, and Tema Roundabout will commence soon,” the project did not start until February 2018.
In 2017, the Government of Ghana signed grant agreements with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to provide aid of up to a total of 6,459 million yen for two programmes in Ghana, of which the Tema Motorway roundabout was included. The two specific projects were:
The Programme for Improvement of Ghanaian International Corridors (6,259 million yen)
The Programme for Poverty Reduction Strategy (Health Sector) (200 million yen)
The details of the first part of the program state that “the project will build an underpass at the Tema Motorway Roundabout in the core city of the Accra economic zone, and will also conduct detailed design improvements for rehabilitation of National Trunk Road N8 in the Central Region. These measures will ensure safe, efficient road transportation and contribute to the efficient flow of goods between international corridors (the Lagos-Abidjan Highway and the Eastern Corridor of Ghana).”
In December 2017, the Government of Ghana, the Ministry of Roads and Highways, and Shimizu-Dai Nippon JV signed a contract for the execution of the project. In February 2018, the vice president of Ghana, H.E Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia cut sod for the commencement of the project.
Other things that need to be kept safe are Cornish Pasties and Anglesey Sea Salt. These will now be protected from being copied in East Asia.
The UK government said that businesses in the country were happy about the announcement.
Additional protections will be announced after more work is finished.
A person who speaks for the government said: “A lot of people in Japan, about 125 million, really like to eat and drink food from other countries. ”
They said: “Protecting the names of famous British products like Melton Mowbray Pork Pies, Welsh Beef, and Staffordshire Cheese stops fake products from being sold in Japan. This helps UK companies sell their products there and makes sure that people get real, good-quality items. ”
Food and farming minister Mark Spencer said that the protection guarantees that the goods Japanese consumers are buying are of good quality.
‘Classic cheese from Britain’
Mary Button from Staffordshire Cheese Co in Cheddleton said that anyone who wants to make Staffordshire cheese has to follow strict rules to use the name.
These tell us where it’s from, how it’s made, and how big it is. “If someone makes cheese and doesn’t follow the rules, they could get in trouble,”. She said Staffordshire Cheese is made from a traditional, strong British cheese. It is believed to have been made in the area for many years.
Ms Button said that her company is the only one making this thing right now.
In addition to Japan’s new protections, the UK will also protect the names and locations of certain Japanese food and drink products, like Hokkaido wine and Hiba beef.
“Atsuko Tamakoshi, whose family has been working at the Konomiya festival for a long time, says that women have always worked very hard behind the scenes to help the men during the festival. ”
However, it seems like no one has ever thought of participating in the festival where men try to drive away evil spirits and pray for happiness at the shrine.
Naruhito Tsunoda says there has never been a real ban. No one had ever asked before.
And when they tried, they found the answer quickly.
“Many people were worried about us joining in. They asked, ‘Why are women in a men’s festival. ‘ and said, ‘This festival is for men, it’s important,’” said Tamakoshi, a 56-year-old grandmother.
But we all agreed on what we wanted to do together. We thought that if we were honest, God would take care of us.
The women waiting are truly honest. They are not naked.
Instead of wearing loincloths, many people are wearing long purple robes called “happi coats” and white shorts. They are also carrying their own bamboo offerings.
They won’t be in the rush with the men to the shrine or pushing and shoving to touch the chosen man at the shrine. The tradition says that touching him is supposed to make evil spirits go away.
This moment is still important.
“I think things have really changed now,” Yumiko Fujie tells the media. “But I also feel like I have to do my part. ”
These women are not just breaking rules about men and women by taking part. They are also continuing to do things the same way as before.
This week, a festival where people are naked at Kokuseki Temple in Japan’s north said it would be the last time they have this festival. There were not enough young people to continue the festival.
Japan has a lot of old people compared to other countries. This past year, over 10% of people were 80 years old or older for the first time. At the same time, there were only 800,000 babies born last year and each woman on average had only 1. 3
It’s time for the women to go to the shrine.
They stand in two straight lines and hold long bamboo sticks with red and white ribbons wrapped around them.
Atsuko Tamakoshi is in the front, using her whistle to start the rhythmic chant that the men have been saying for a long time.
“The women are shouting ‘Washoi Washoi’. ”
The women are concentrating on the moves and speed that they have been practicing for weeks. They understand that they must do this correctly.
Knowing that the media and people are watching them, they are smiling nervously but also excited.
The people watching are cheering and telling the person to keep going, even though it’s very cold.
They go into the courtyard of the Konomiya Shinto shrine and get sprayed with cold water, just like the men. It seems to make them even more energetic.
After their gift is approved, the women finish the ceremony by doing two bows, two claps, and one last bow, which is the traditional way to say goodbye.
And then, I realize how big this moment is. The women started cheering, jumping, hugging, and crying in excitement. “Thank you very much. Thank you” They say to each other and the crowd claps for them.
“I cried a lot,” Michiko Ikai says. “I didn’t think I could do it, but now I feel proud of myself. ”
As the women leave the shrine, people from the public want to take pictures with them and media want to ask them questions. They willingly agree.
“I did it. ” “I am very happy,” Mineko Akahori tells the media. “I’m very thankful that I, as a woman, could take part for the first time. ”
Her friend Minako Ando says it’s great to be the first to do something like this.
“Hiromo Maeda says that things are changing. ” Her family has been operating a small hotel that has accommodated some of the men attending the local festival for the past 30 years.
“I believe we both pray for the same things. ” Gender doesn’t make a difference. We both love the same thing.
Atsuko Tamakoshi has been important today, and now she can think about what they have all accomplished together. She feels happy and emotional.
“My husband always joins in this festival,” she tells the media. “I always watched from the sidelines. ” I am very thankful and happy right now.
American legal authorities have accused a suspected member of the Japanese mafia of planning to transport nuclear materials illegally.
It is said that 60-year-old Takeshi Ebisawa tried to sell uranium and plutonium to Iran so they could make a nuclear bomb.
In April 2022, Mr Ebisawa and another person from Thailand were accused of having weapons and drugs.
He could go to jail for the rest of his life if he is found guilty of the new charges.
US officials say Mr. Ebisawa is a big part of a criminal group from Japan called the Yakuza. They do illegal things in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, and the US. Ebisawa is in a jail in Brooklyn.
The US Department of Justice said that Mr. Ebisawa and his friends showed samples of nuclear materials in Thailand to an undercover agent from the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
The person was pretending to be a person who sells drugs and weapons and had connections to an Iranian general.
The nuclear samples from Myanmar were taken by Thai authorities and given to US investigators. A US lab found uranium and plutonium that can be used to make weapons.
Prosecutors claim that Mr. Ebisawa tried to get a lot of powerful weapons for a rebel group in Myanmar.
The weapons included missiles that can shoot from the ground to the sky, rifles for close combat and shooting from a distance, guns that shoot a lot of bullets at once, rockets of different sizes, and different types of gear for military purposes.
Assistant attorney general Matthew G Olden said on Wednesday that it’s scary to think about what would have happened if these efforts had worked. The justice department will punish anyone who tries to sell these materials and put US national security and international stability in danger.
In February 2020, it is said that Mr. Ebisawa talked to a DEA agent about selling stuff for nuclear bombs. According to US lawyers, he said in secret messages that uranium is not healthy for you.
In September of that year, Mr. Ebisawa supposedly sent an email to a secret DEA agent with a letter from a mining company. He said he would sell 50 tonnes of uranium and thorium for $6. 85 million (or £5. 4 million)
The lawyers also say that he sent pictures of a dark, rocky substance with a device that measures radiation levels.
Mr Ebisawa is accused of working with others to illegally trade nuclear materials, bring drugs into the country, try to get and own anti-aircraft missiles, and wash money.
The other person involved in the case is a 61-year-old man from Thailand named Somphop Singhasiri. He is being accused of having drugs and weapons.
The two people will appear in a New York court on Thursday.
The Ghana Enterprise Agency (GEA), under the close leadership of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, has received support in the form of six Toyota Hilux pick-ups, alongside essential office equipment, a significant boost to Ghana’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
This support, provided by the Government of Japan with technical assistance from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), aims to enhance GEA’s capacity to deliver training services across the nation using the Kaizen Approach, a testament to the collaborative efforts aimed at economic development and MSME support in Ghana.
The support forms part of the “Expanding the Kaizen Initiative by Enhancing Sustainable Agri-Business” project, funded by Japan.
This initiative underscores the commitment to scale national efforts for MSME promotion, focusing on sustainable and continual enhancement of business quality and productivity across Ghana.
Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Hisanobu Mochizuki, highlighted Japan’s dedication to Ghana’s development journey during the ceremony.
“This support to GEA reaffirms our unwavering commitment to Ghana’s growth, particularly in improving economic prospects and enterprise performance through efficient resource maximization,” stated Ambassador Mochizuki.
Acknowledging the challenges posed by global disruptions, including the COVID-19 pandemic, Charles Abani, UN Resident Coordinator, emphasized the timeliness of this project.
He noted, “MSMEs play a crucial role in Ghana’s economy, driving societal development and generating employment. Through capacity building, the UN’s support in Ghana aims to facilitate MSME growth, market access, and international trade.”
Stavros Papastavrou, representing UNIDO in Ghana and Liberia, pledged continued support using UNIDO’s expertise in Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) to promote the Kaizen approach and industrial development in Ghana.
Expressing gratitude for this international cooperation, Kosi Yankey, Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Enterprises Agency, highlighted the government’s prioritisation of MSME development as a cornerstone for job creation and economic development.
“The support from the Government of Japan and UNIDO is invaluable to our Industrial Transformation Agenda and the post-COVID recovery efforts,” said Madam Kosie.
She added: “Recognizing the pivotal role of MSMEs in driving economic growth, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI) and UNIDO have forged a strategic partnership, focusing on empowering women — a vital component of Ghana’s economic fabric.”
Launched in September 2022, the project aims to improve the quality and productivity of Ghana’s MSMEs through Kaizen practices and UNIDO’s digital dashboard system, “Smart and Sustainable Agri-Business (SSAB),” illustrating a commitment to revitalizing the economy and transforming industry and agriculture in line with Ghana’s national goals.
Japan unexpectedly entered a recession as its economy contracted for two consecutive quarters.
The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by 0.4% in the last three months of 2023, following a 3.3% contraction in the previous quarter.
This decline caused Japan to lose its position as the world’s third-largest economy to Germany. Economists had anticipated a GDP growth of over 1% for the fourth quarter of the year.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) had forecasted Germany’s likely overtaking of Japan as the world’s third-largest economy, based on US dollar measurements.
However, Japan’s economy could regain its position if the yen strengthens against the dollar. The yen’s weakness has benefited Japanese exporters by making their products cheaper in international markets.
Despite the economic downturn, Tokyo’s main stock index, the Nikkei 225, reached its highest level since 1990.
The Bank of Japan may postpone raising interest rates further due to the recession, as negative rates have helped boost spending and investment in the past.
A technical recession is when the economy shrinks for two quarters in a row.
In October, the IMF said that Germany is expected to become the world’s third-biggest economy when measured in US dollars, surpassing Japan.
The IMF will only say which country is doing better once both countries have shared their final economic growth numbers. It started sharing information about different economies in 1980.
This happened because the Japanese money was not very strong compared to the dollar. If the yen gets stronger again, Japan could become the third biggest economy again, Mr.
At a meeting for the media in Tokyo, the IMF’s second in command, Gita Gopinath, said an important reason Japan might drop in the rankings is because the yen dropped 9% against the US dollar last year.
However, the yen is not very strong, which has made the stock prices of big Japanese companies go up. This is because it makes it cheaper for other countries to buy Japanese exports like cars.
This week, Tokyo’s main stock index, the Nikkei 225, reached 38,000 for the first time since 1990, when a drop in property prices caused an economic crisis. The Nikkei 225 reached its highest point ever on December 29, 1989, at 38,915. 87
The new GDP data might also mean that the country’s central bank will wait even longer to decide to increase the cost of borrowing.
The Bank of Japan made interest rates below zero in 2016 to encourage people to spend and invest more money.
Negative rates make the yen less appealing to people around the world, so the value of the currency has gone down.
A woman from Ukraine who won the Miss Japan beauty contest has given back her title because a magazine said she had a relationship with a man who is already married.
26-year-old Karolina Shiino just won the Miss Japan title, but some people are talking about it because of her background.
Some people were happy about the new citizen being made queen, but others said she didn’t match the usual idea of what a beautiful Japanese person looks like.
During the chaos, a magazine in the area published a story claiming that someone is having a secret relationship.
Ms Shiino won a competition on 22 January and became the first person of European descent to receive this honor. She was born in Ukraine and then went to Japan with her mom when she was five. She got her step-dad’s last name.
She can speak and write Japanese very well and became a citizen in 2022.
When she got the title, she said in her speech: “I have not been seen as Japanese many times, but I am thankful to be seen as Japanese today. “
The loss of 36 lives is very sad and serious. The dead people were very scared and hurt. That’s what a Japanese TV station said.
A lot of the young artists who worked on the animated movies died because they couldn’t escape from the higher floors of the studio when the fire got bigger.
The attack was one of the worst in Japan in a long time and made many people in the country very sad. The people and news have been paying a lot of attention to the case in the country.
The prosecutors wanted Aoba to be killed because they believed he attacked the studio because he thought someone stole his work. He said that Kyoto Animation, also known as KyoAni, had copied a novel he submitted to their contest.
In July 2019, he came into the studio while people were working, poured gasoline on the floor, and lit it on fire while yelling “Drop dead” over and over.
During his guilty plea in September 2023, he said that he didn’t realize so many people would die.
“I had to do it, I didn’t have a choice,” he said then.
“I feel really bad and I also feel guilty. ”
Aoba got badly burned in the fire and had to have lots of operations. He was arrested after he got better. Shinji Aoba, who said he set fire to the Kyoto Animation studio, is being carried on a stretcher to a police station in Kyoto.
“The belief that KyoAni Studio copied his work affected his motivation,” prosecutors told the court.
But they said he was not influenced by those wrong beliefs and he understood what he was doing.
On Thursday, the judge explained why he made his decision and listened to the victims before saying if the person was guilty or not. More than half of the 70 people who worked at the animation studio were killed, and 32 others were hurt.
“Judge Masuda said that some people saw their friends on fire and now feel really sad and guilty, and are also having a hard time with their feelings. ”
The families of the people Aoba hurt were in the court. They looked upset while the judge talked about what Aoba did. NHK told this.
The news said that Aoba kept looking down when the judge said he would be given the death penalty.
Japan still uses the death penalty for its worst crimes, such as when someone commits multiple murders. Those found guilty usually stay on death row for a long time, sometimes even for many years. The death penalty is when someone is killed by hanging.
The KyoAni studio in Kyoto makes movies and comic books that people really like. They are famous for making K-On. and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.
“Japanese people have faced racism and it has been hard for them to be accepted. ”
Carolina Shiino said in perfect Japanese that she was very happy and crying after she won Miss Japan on Monday.
The model is 26 years old and from Ukraine. She moved to Japan when she was 5 and grew up in Nagoya.
She is the first person who became Japanese citizen to win the pageant, but her win has started a debate about what it really means to be Japanese.
Some people think her win shows that society is changing, but others say she doesn’t fit the traditional image of a Miss Japan.
She won nearly 10 years after Ariana Miyamoto, who became the first bi-racial woman to win Miss Japan in 2015.
In the past, people were unsure if someone with parents from different races should be allowed to win the competition after Ms. Miyamoto, who had a Japanese mother and an African American father, won.
Some people on social media are upset that Ms Shiino does not have Japanese parents.
“This person who was picked as Miss Japan is not Japanese, she is completely from Ukraine. ” She is pretty, but she is ‘Miss Japan’. A message on X, used to be Twitter, asked “Where is the Japanese culture. ”
“If she was part Japanese, then it’s no problem. ” Another person said that she is not Japanese at all and was not born in Japan.
Some people said her victory was sending a negative message to others in the country.
“I believe that Japanese people might misunderstand if a person who looks European is called the most beautiful Japanese. ”
Some people wondered if it was a political choice to select a model from Ukraine.
“If she had been born in Russia, she wouldn’t have won. ” No way Clearly, the standards are now decided by politicians. “Someone said it’s a very sad day for Japan. ”
Ai Wada, who runs the Miss Japan Grand Prix pageant, told the media that the judges picked Ms Shiino as the winner with a lot of belief in their choice.
Ms Wada said that she speaks and writes in nice and polite Japanese. “She is more like a Japanese person than we are. ”
Last year, Ms. Shiino posted on Instagram that she got Japanese nationality. She said that even though she doesn’t look Japanese, she feels Japanese because she grew up in Japan.
She was very happy to win the Miss Japan 2024 title and called it a dream come true.
“I am happy to be recognized as a Japanese in this competition. “
North Korea says it tested its “underwater nuclear weapon” because of military exercises by the US, South Korea, and Japan.
State media reported that the underwater drone, which might be able to hold a nuclear weapon, was tested in the ocean on the east side.
Seoul had earlier said that the North’s descriptions of the drones’ capability were wrong and there is no evidence of the tests being done.
South Korea said the reported tests were a “provocation”.
The South Korea defense ministry said that North Korea’s actions are dangerous and could cause problems in the Korean Peninsula and the world. If North Korea makes a direct attack, South Korea will respond strongly and decisively.
The North has tested its “Haeil-5-23” system before, but now they are doing more military actions.
On Sunday, it said it had used a new missile that uses solid fuel and can go a medium distance.
This means that there were military exercises with actual gunfire at the ocean border with South Korea in early January.
Kim Jong Un, the leader of Pyongyang, has been acting more aggressive lately by canceling agreements aimed at keeping the peace.
On Friday, North Korea said it was provoked by joint military exercises by the US, South Korea, and Japan. They said this made them want to test their underwater weapons. This was reported by the state agency KCNA.
It accused the exercises of making the situation in the region more unstable and putting North Korea’s security at risk.
The US, South Korea, and Japan have been doing more military exercises to stop North Korea from doing more military actions. North Korea has been doing tests of its nuclear bombs and launching new weapons more often. So the other countries want to show that they are ready to fight back. These actions go against the rules set by the United Nations.
Mr Kim keeps saying that his country is getting more weapons ready for a war that could start at any time.
During the New Year, he showed some big changes in his government’s position on South Korea.
And earlier this week, he said that the old goal of joining together with South Korea was no longer important. He called South Korea the “main enemy”.
The speech talks about improvements in the military and nuclear capabilities of the country, especially in its underwater operations.
In September, the North showed their first submarine that they say can shoot nuclear weapons.
Since March 2023, it has been testing its Haeil system, which are unmanned nuclear-armed drones that work underwater. Haeil means “tidal wave” in the Korean language.
We don’t know much about these weapons or how well they work, but North Korean media say they can go into enemy waters and make big explosions underwater.
Experts believe that if the weapons work the way North Korea says they do, they would be less important than the country’s nuclear missiles.
North Korea’s weapons are still being developed, so they are not a big threat yet. Ahn Chan-il, who used to live in North Korea and now studies it, said this to the news agency AFP.
Last year, North Korea said it put a spy satellite in space. They want to put three more up this year.
It is still unclear if the satellite is working properly and this has not been confirmed by an independent source.
South Korea said North Korea got its satellite up with help from Russia. Russia reportedly got weapons from North Korea for its war in Ukraine.
Last year, Mr Kim had important meetings with Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin and defense minister Sergei Shoigu. This week the foreign minister of North Korea was also in Moscow.
More than 160 people have died because of the big earthquake in Japan on New Year’s Day.
Efforts are still going on to find over 100 people who are still missing after a week.
The bad weather is making it difficult for rescuers to help people. There is heavy rain and snow, which could cause landslides and building collapses.
A big earthquake with a 7. 6 magnitude hit the far-away Noto peninsula. It knocked down buildings and caused a big fire.
Most of the deaths occurred in the cities of Wajima and Suzu, which were heavily affected.
At the same time, the number of missing people decreased from 195 to a little over 100. The number of people who have died has increased from 120 on Sunday.
More than 2,000 people are still unable to reach places because the roads are badly damaged. Many other people are staying in temporary shelters because they need help.
The Japanese army has been giving out food, water, and blankets to people who had to leave their homes.
The defence ministry said on Sunday that they sent almost 6,000 soldiers to help with the relief effort.
They said they think there are still people who need help and promised to keep rescuing them even though the 72 hour window has passed.
There are stories of people getting better in amazing ways. A 90-year-old woman was found alive under a pile of broken buildings in Suzu after five days.
People in the hardest-hit areas need to stay alert because they are still having more earthquakes.
As of Monday morning, over 1,200 earthquakes have happened in Japan since the start of the New Year, according to NHK, a Japanese TV station.
Japan has a lot of earthquakes, and there have been more near Noto since the end of 2020.
Over the last three years, more than 500 small and medium earthquakes have occurred there.
A woman who is 90 years old was found alive under a collapsed building five days after a big earthquake hit central Japan.
Rescuers found her in a damaged two-story building in the town of Suzu.
A big earthquake with a magnitude of 7. 5 hit the coast of Japan’s sea on Monday. It caused a lot of damage to the towns on the Noto peninsula.
Over 120 people have been found dead, and 200 more are missing.
The newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reported that 100 people were sent to the town of Suzu to rescue two women who were trapped underground.
The newspaper said that the old lady was talking and awake, but she might have hypothermia. They got this information from the local police.
At the same place, rescuers also found a woman in her 40s who was not breathing and her heart had stopped beating, reports said.
The first 3 days of a rescue are very important because after that, it’s unlikely to find people alive. The two women were discovered several days after the window was closed.
The military in Japan is using helicopters to help people in isolated areas. They are also using the helicopters to bring supplies to those areas because many roads are still closed.
As said by NHK, it might be difficult to rescue people because of the expected rainy weather in some areas affected by the earthquake on Sunday. Officials are cautioning that even a little rain could cause more landslides.
They also said that it will get very cold on Sunday and it might snow in the mountainous areas of Ishikawa prefecture until Monday.
Over 30,000 people are living in shelters run by the government.
As of Saturday, about 23,200 homes had no power in Ishikawa, and over 66,400 didn’t have running water.
Hiroshi Hase, the governor of Ishikawa, said that the area is in big trouble during a meeting about handling disasters.
He said it will take a long time to fix the water because there are many pipes with holes.
Some nursing homes and places that help elderly and disabled people are also without electricity and running water.
Japan has a lot of earthquakes, and there have been more of them near Noto since the end of 2020. Over the last three years, there have been over 500 small and medium earthquakes in that area.
He was getting better, but then he got worse again, according to officials in Ishikawa, the area most affected.
Rescue efforts are still happening, but they are being slowed down by more shaking that could cause more damage.
A man is searching for his family in a city called Anamizu, in Japan. The city was hit by an earthquake and some of the houses have fallen down. The man is walking in front of one of those houses. The fifth of May, 2024. On Monday, a big earthquake destroyed houses, damaged roads, and caused boats to be tossed around in the water. It also led to warnings about a possible tsunami.
Some roads are already cracked, and there’s a worry that they might collapse, especially if it rains or snows tonight and on Sunday.
Wajima city has had 69 people die, which is the most, followed by Suzu with 38. Over 500 people got hurt, and at least 27 of them were hurt badly.
More than 200 people are believed to be missing right now.
On Tuesday, January 15th, we saw houses ruined near the ocean in Suzu, Ishikawa, Japan. On July 2, 2024. Several big earthquakes hit the western part of Japan, causing a lot of damage to buildings, cars, and boats. Officials are telling people in some places to stay away from their homes because there might be more earthquakes.
The earthquakes made a big fire in Wajima town. There were also landslides and other fires in the area.
The University of Tokyo’s earthquake research institute found that the western coast of Japan moved up to 820ft closer to the sea in some places.
North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, did something unexpected by sending a message of sympathy to the Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida. The news was reported by the official Korean Central News Agency.
Yoshimasa Hayashi, a government spokesperson, said that Japan was thankful for all the messages they got, including the one from Mr.
He said Japan hasn’t received a condolence message for a disaster in almost 30 years, since 1995.
Yesterday, it was announced that Japan will get $100,000 (£78,600) from the US to help, and they will also receive more assistance in the future.
Electricity is slowly coming back in the areas near the ocean, but there is still not enough water. This is made worse because the systems providing emergency water are also broken.
Many soldiers are bringing water, food, and medicine to over 30,000 people who lost their homes and are staying in auditoriums, schools, and other buildings.
On Tuesday, a plane from the coast guard that was carrying help for the area affected by the disaster crashed into a plane carrying passengers on the runway at a Tokyo airport.
Five out of the six people on the coast guard plane died, but all 379 people on the passenger plane survived, even though it was on fire.
When a very strong earthquake hit a remote part of Japan on New Year’s Day, a small company warned millions of people. The company has a history of doing big things even though it is small.
NERV is managed by a small private company called Gehirn, which means brain in German. Gehirn has only 13 full-time employees.
However, its alerts about Japan’s frequent earthquakes are usually quicker than the ones issued by official organizations and the country‘s public broadcaster, NHK.
NERV’s account in Japanese on X (formerly Twitter) has 2. 2 million followers, and there are 35,000 people who use it in English. The app came out in September 2019 and has been downloaded over four million times from the Apple Store and Google Play.
It was made in 2010 as an account by a 19-year-old named Daiki Ishimori.
X is very popular in Japan and is the main social media platform for getting information about disasters in the country, especially after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
The account gathers and shares information about natural disasters from different agencies. It often shares the information faster than the agencies do.
Mr Ishimori said that NERV is very affected by a popular anime TV show called Neon Genesis Evangelion. The show is about a world after a big disaster where half of the people are gone.
The account is named after an organization in the show that warns people about dangers to humanity.
“I made NERV as a fake account to make fun of Twitter because it was becoming popular,” Mr. Ishimori tells the BBC.
“I began as a hobby to program tweets automatically about weather alerts using data from the Japan Meteorological Agency. ”
Back then, the account only had about 300 people following it.
However, in 2011, the strongest earthquake ever recorded hit Japan.
The earthquake caused a tsunami and a nuclear accident in Fukushima. It also caused a lot of deaths in Ishinomaki in Miyagi.
Mr Ishimori couldn’t reach his family for four days. “Actually, I thought they were probably dead,” he remembers. He later learned that although his close family was safe, one of his aunts had passed away.
“I found out that we needed different ways, not just TV and radio, to share disaster information,” he says, because TV didn’t work when the power went out.
He began talking about earthquakes, and as Japan had more natural disasters, the account gained lots of new followers.
But, the recent changes to X affected NERV during the earthquake on New Year’s Day.
Last year, X started making users pay to use its application programming interface (API), which connects X to outside systems and allows for automatic posts on the platform.
Before, the platform’s API was free to use, but now you can only make up to 1,500 free automated posts every month.
Brain has a basic plan that costs $100 (£79) a month and allows 100 posts a day.
NERV sent out alerts about an earthquake and tsunami on Monday. They said it looked like they reached the limit and told their followers to download their app.
A few hours later, X registered its accounts in both Japanese and English as “public utility”, which fixed the problem.
However, NERV had already begun moving away from the platform in 2019 when its account was temporarily locked during an earthquake.
Mr Ishimori says that if we use someone else’s platform, their rules can change. That’s why we should focus on our own platform.
He says his goal has always been to “make Japan safer” – not to make money. He also wants to make the NERV app easy for everyone to use, including people with disabilities.
However, Ishimori agrees that as the app becomes more popular, his company needs to make money.
In 2020, the company started a paid membership program called the “supporters’ club” to help pay for its expenses. The cost is about 120 million yen ($829,200; £653,172) per year.
Mr Ishimori says we are not making money yet. He also says that about one third of our costs are paid by supporters.
“We need more money to buy new information, so that’s why we’re still losing money,” he says with a laugh.
Mr Ishimori feels really bad because he couldn’t help his aunt in 2011 and it still bothers him.
“We are aware that there will be another strong earthquake and a big tsunami. ” My goal is to make it easy for people to get information about disasters.
Nostradamus predicted something bad would happen in 2024, and it has already come true at the beginning of the year.
Known as the ‘prophet of doom’, a French astrologer from the 16th century predicted things like the Great Fire of London, the rise of Adolf Hitler, and even Bitcoin.
He wrote his ideas about the future in a book called ‘Les Propheties’ in 1555. Some people think he predicted the big earthquake in Japan, even though his writing is not very clear.
The prophet said that the Earth will become very dry and then there will be big floods.
He also said that in 2024 there will be a big shortage of food because of an earthquake.
It is one of the worst disasters ever in the country and some people think it was predicted by Nostradamus.
Another famous psychic, Baba Vanga from Bulgaria, also seems to have foretold the disaster in Japan, where at least 84 people died.
She predicted that the weather would get worse and there would be many disasters during the year. But she wasn’t sure about it.
Vanga became well-known in Europe for predicting the Chernobyl disaster, Princess Diana‘s death, 9/11 in New York, and even her own death on August 11, 1996, at the age of 85, according to her followers.
Many people are searching for survivors of the New Year’s Day earthquake. They want to save as many people as they can before Thursday afternoon.
“We need to keep working hard to save people, even after 72 hours after the disaster,” said Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida at a press conference.
Rescuers in Japan are hurrying to find 242 people who are missing after a very bad earthquake on New Year’s Day.
A very important 72-hour time to find people alive after the earthquake ended late on Thursday.
On Friday, 92 people died from the strong earthquake in the faraway Noto peninsula.
According to Kyodo news agency, Japan’s Self-Defense Forces increased the number of soldiers helping with rescue and relief to 4,600.
Several people are believed to be stuck under their fallen homes, mostly in the towns of Suzu and Wajima. The buildings made of wood can’t handle strong earthquakes that happen often in this country.
Many people still don’t have electricity and water, and some are stuck because of landslides and blocked roads.
Mr Kishida asked the rescue and relief workers to do everything they can to help the people in the affected areas.
The earthquake on Monday also caused a small tsunami which flooded at least 296 acres of land in Japan.
Japan said it will use 4. 74 billion yen from its budget to help the victims.
Pictures from the Japan Ground Self Defense Force show soldiers putting food, water, and other supplies onto trucks parked on the road. Soldiers are removing dirt and rubble from roads that were damaged by landslides.
In another picture, soldiers were seen carrying a person on a stretcher along a snowy path.
The BBC saw a lot of damage when they visited Wajima on Wednesday. Some houses and cars were crushed by falling concrete. Several old wooden houses in the town fell down.
The town, which has 23,000 people, looks like a ghost town because most people left when they were told a tsunami might come.
An 80-year-old woman was rescued from the remains of her fallen house in Japan, three days after the earthquake on New Year’s Day.
The NHK news agency showed a video of a woman being carried out of her house in Wajima town.
Rescue workers are hurrying to find people who are still alive, but the time to find them is running out.
At least 82 people died when a very strong earthquake hit the Noto peninsula on Monday.
Many people are believed to be stuck under their fallen homes, mostly in the towns of Suzu and Wajima.
The old woman was stuck on the first floor of her house after the earthquake.
After 3 days, it’s unlikely to find people alive. The window is closed because there was an earthquake at 16:10 local time (07:10 GMT) on Monday.
Many people don’t have electricity and water, and some can’t get help because of landslides and blocked roads.
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Thursday that 150 people have been saved and rescue teams will keep working hard to save more people.
This is a very hard situation. “But please try your best to save as many lives as you can by tonight, when it will be 72 hours since the disaster happened,” he said.
The earthquake on Monday hurt at least 330 people, and there were more smaller earthquakes afterward. This information comes from the AFP news agency.
More than 30,000 people who were affected by the earthquake are still living in shelters. Some towns don’t have water, electricity, or internet.
At the same time, exciting stories about saving people are spreading widely on the internet. A video shared by Peace Winds Japan, a local group that helps people, shows a group of rescuers clearing away debris to save a woman stuck under her house. They put a warm, thick blanket on her.
The BBC saw a lot of damage in Wajima on Wednesday. Some houses and cars were crushed by falling concrete. Please simplify this text. Lots of the town’s old, traditional wooden houses fell down.
Japan made new rules to keep buildings safe from earthquakes in 1981, but many wooden houses were built before these rules were made.
Some of the people in Wajima, many of them old, did not update their homes. In 2018, most of the buildings in the town did not meet the new standards.
Wajima has about 23,000 people. Many people left the town when they were told a tsunami might come. Now, Wajima looks like a ghost town because most people are gone.
But it has recorded the most deaths, with 48 confirmed deaths – more than half of the total number of casualties. The number is likely to go up because some areas near the town still have broken roads and landslides, so it’s hard for rescuers to reach people for help.
The mayor of Wajima said that only 2,000 out of 10,000 people who had to leave town have gotten food and other things they need.
The mayor of Suzu, a town with about 13,000 people, says that almost all of its houses are destroyed. About 90% are fully or mostly collapsed, said Masuhiro Izumiya.
A little wave hit the town just after the big earthquake.
Japan has a lot of earthquakes and the number of earthquakes around Noto has been going up since the end of 2020. In the last three years, there have been over 500 small and medium earthquakes in this area.
A flight attendant told the cockpit about the fire in the cabin, according to a Japan Airlines representative speaking to the BBC.
After that, all 379 people on Japan Airlines Flight 516 were evacuated very carefully to save their lives.
Five out of six people on the smaller coastguard plane, a Bombardier Dash-8, were killed.
“As soon as the plane landed, the pilot felt a sudden jolt and couldn’t steer the plane on the runway. ” There was a fire on the plane, but the pilots didn’t know about it at first. They found out about it from the flight attendant.
There were three people flying the plane and twelve staff helping the passengers when the problem happened. The airplane’s announcement system was broken, so the crew had to yell instructions using megaphones and their own voices.
When the cabin crew noticed that some passengers saw the fire on the plane, they told them to stay calm and stay in their seats so that it would be easier to get off the plane if needed. The announcement system didn’t work, so we made these instructions without using it.
The Japanese media said that the evacuation happened very quickly, like a miracle, in just 18 minutes. People left their bags, ran to the emergency doors, and slid out of the plane before it caught on fire.
Smoke started to come into the cabin and spread out. The flight attendants started to yell at the passengers, telling them to leave their things, take off their high heels, and put their heads down.
They worked together. “The key for all passengers to escape quickly and safely was important,” they added.
The Japanese officials said on Wednesday night that the coastguard plane was not allowed to take off from Haneda’s runway. The little airplane was supposed to bring food and medicine to places affected by an earthquake.
The pilots of the airplane said they felt a big bump when they landed, showing that the plane had crashed on Tuesday evening. Japan Airlines said this in a statement. They said their Airbus A350 also moved to the right side of the runway.
The pilots said they couldn’t see the coastguard plane, so they didn’t talk about canceling their landing.
The way people act on the Japan Airlines plane is very different from how they act in other planes during an emergency.
In 2016, a plane called Emirates Boeing 777 had a crash landing in Dubai. A video showed passengers being really disorganized, trying to grab their bags and leave the plane using emergency slides. The crew did a great job getting all the passengers off the Dubai flight safely. Thankfully, everyone, all 300 people, made it out alive.
The accident on Tuesday was the first big crash of an Airbus A350. This plane is made mostly of new, strong materials like carbon fiber-reinforced plastic.
The airplane maker is sending a group of experts to help with the investigation by the Japan Transport Safety Board.
Rescue workers in Japan are in a hurry to find people who are still alive after an earthquake on New Year’s. They are worried because the first three days after the earthquake are the most important for finding survivors.
At least 77 people died when a very strong earthquake hit a remote area called the Noto peninsula on Monday at 4:10pm local time (7:10am GMT).
Several people are believed to be stuck under their houses that have fallen down, mainly in the towns of Suzu and Wajima.
After 3 days, it is much less likely to find people alive.
Many people still don’t have electricity or running water, and some are stuck because of landslides and roads that are blocked.
Japan’s leader, Fumio Kishida, said on Thursday that 150 people have been saved and rescuers will keep working to save more.
This is a really tough situation. “But please try to save as many lives as possible by tonight, when the first 72 hours have passed,” he said, focusing on saving lives.
The earthquake on Monday hurt at least 330 people and was followed by more shaking. This information comes from the AFP news agency.
Over 30,000 people affected by the earthquake are still living in shelters. Some towns do not have water, electricity, or internet.
At the same time, exciting stories of lifesaving rescues have been spreading quickly on the internet. A video from Peace Winds Japan, a local group that helped in the rescue, shows people digging through broken furniture to save a woman stuck under her house. They put a big blanket around her.
The media saw a lot of damage in Wajima on Wednesday. Houses and cars were crushed under falling concrete.
The town has about 23,000 people, but most of them left when they were told a tsunami might come. Now, it looks empty like a ghost town.
However, it has recorded the highest number of deaths so far, with more than thirty confirmed deaths, but that number is likely to increase. Some areas of the town are still blocked by broken roads and landslides, making it difficult for help to reach people.
The mayor of Wajima, Shigeru Sakaguchi, said that only 2,000 out of 10,000 people who had to leave their homes have received food and other help.
The mayor of Suzu, a town with 13,000 people, said that almost all the houses there were destroyed. About 90% are totally or almost totally collapsed, according to Masuhiro Izumiya.
A small tsunami hit the town shortly after the big earthquake.
Japan has a lot of earthquakes, and there have been more earthquakes near Noto since the end of 2020. Over the last three years, there were over 500 small and medium earthquakes here.
People quickly went to the emergency doors of a plane that was on fire without bringing their bags, because the flight crew told them to.
According to aviation experts, one big reason why all 379 people on board were able to evacuate quickly before the plane caught fire at Haneda Airport in Tokyo last Tuesday was because they left their valuable things behind.
Japan Airlines Flight 516 caught on fire when it hit a coastguard plane while landing. Five out of the six people on the small plane died.
The perfect rescue on the Japan Airlines plane has amazed everyone and received compliments from many. Flight experts and crew members told the media that the successful flight was due to the crew following their intense training and passengers who followed safety rules.
“I watched some videos, but I didn’t see anyone carrying their bags while getting off the plane. Taking your bags during an emergency can be dangerous and slow down the escape,” explained Prof Ed Galea, who works at the University of Greenwich.
Professor Galea said that the condition of the Airbus A350 made it hard to evacuate.
“This accident was not good. ” The plane was tilted downwards, making it hard for people to walk around, he said.
Only three bouncy slides could be used to help people get out of the plane, but they weren’t put out correctly because of the way the plane landed. The slide was really steep, which could have been risky.
The plane’s announcement system broke and the flight crew had to use a megaphone and shout to give instructions during the evacuation, Japan Airlines reported.
One person has bruises and 13 others asked for medical help because they felt unwell, the airline said.
The Japan Airlines plane flew from Sapporo’s New Chitose airport at 4:00 pm local time (7:00 am GMT) and arrived at Haneda just before 6:00 pm. The small coastguard plane was supposed to bring help to people hurt by a big earthquake on New Year’s Day. An investigation is happening to find out what caused the crash.
Safety training started working.
An ex-Japan Airlines flight attendant told the media that the passengers on the plane were very lucky.
I was happy to learn that everyone on the plane was OK. “I got scared and anxious when I thought about the emergency evacuation plan,” she said. “If the two planes crashed and the fire spread in a different way, it could have been much more dangerous. ”
The former flight attendant said it can be hard to keep passengers from panicking in real-life situations. She didn’t want her name to be shared.
“But what they accomplished is really difficult to understand. ” She said that everyone was able to escape because the crew and passengers worked well together and followed instructions.
She said new crew members have to undergo tough training on how to evacuate and rescue people for up to three weeks before they can work on commercial flights. The training happens again every year.
“We take a test, talk about real-life situations, and practice using examples like landing a plane on water and dealing with a fire on board. ” The people who fix things are also part of the training,” said the person who used to work on the plane and left 10 years ago.
A pilot from an airline in South East Asia, who didn’t want to be named, said that the thorough training of the flight crew helped them to evacuate quickly.
It was really great. I believe that what happened in this situation was that the person’s training took over. He said in a situation like this, you don’t have time to think, so you just do what you were trained to do.
Airlines have to prove that all passengers can get off the plane in 90 seconds to be certified for international flights. Drills to evacuate may have real passengers participating, he said.
The pilot said that the rules for keeping planes safe had been made much stronger after some accidents in the past.
For example, when two Boeing 747 planes crashed at Los Rodeos Airport in Spain in 1977, it caused 583 people to die. This was the worst accident ever in aviation. After this happened, they looked at how pilots do things in the cockpit and how they talk on the radio. The plane crash happened because the pilots and the people who control the planes in the air didn’t understand each other.
In August 1985, a Japan Airlines plane crashed into a mountain soon after it took off from Tokyo Haneda, while on its way to Osaka. It was later said that Boeing, the company that made the airplane, didn’t repair it properly. Out of 524 people in the crash, only four survived at first, but one of them later died from their injuries.
In 2006, Japan Airlines built a museum-like place near Haneda. It has pieces from the accident. It’s meant to teach their workers about being safe.
“On our website, Japan Airlines promised that after the 1985 crash we would work to prevent another tragic accident, and we feel very sorry for the families and people who were affected. ”
We need to remember that people’s lives and property are important and we are responsible for taking care of them in our job.
Rescuers are still working to help people in Japan after a strong earthquake on New Year’s Day killed at least 62 people.
Houses fell down, buildings started burning, and roads were badly broken, making it hard for rescue teams to help.
The middle of the big earthquake was in the Noto peninsula in central Japan.
The Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, said that emergency teams are working quickly to save people who are still alive.
He also said that 3,000 people are trying to reach parts of the Noto peninsula to try to help. “Helicopter surveys revealed lots of fires and damage to buildings and infrastructure. ” Wajima, a city at the top of Noto, can’t be reached by road.
In Suzu, a city by the coast in Ishikawa prefecture, almost all of the homes were “completely or nearly completely destroyed”, according to the mayor, Masushiro Izumiya, who told the news outlet Kyodo.
The Japanese army is giving things like food, water, and blankets to people who had to leave their homes. The government said 57,360 people had to leave their homes.
Tens of thousands of meals are being brought to the area where people need them.
Aftershocks kept happening on Tuesday. Yoshimasa Hayashi, the top government official, told people to watch out for more strong earthquakes in the next week.
Ishikawa, which is 155 kilometers (96. 3 miles) south of the Noto peninsula, had a 4. 9 earthquake on Tuesday afternoon.
The big tsunami warnings from Japan’s government on Monday were changed to be less serious later. By Tuesday, all warnings about a tsunami along the Sea of Japan were taken away, so there was no more danger of a tsunami happening.
People living in the area of Japan that was affected by the earthquake have been talking about what happened during the quake, which went on for a few minutes.
An 82-year-old man from Nanao named Toshio Iwahama said to the BBC that his old wooden house partially fell down. He said that even though he had been through many earthquakes, he had never felt one as strong as this.
41-year-old Emma Ward from Britain was on a skiing holiday in a place called Hakuba. She said that the earthquake hit suddenly and they had to take cover under a table in a cafe. She said to the BBC that the shaking was so strong that people ran out of the building. “The scariest part of the earthquake was not knowing how bad it was going to get. ” “It’s really scary,” said Ms.
Many people also said that the earthquake made them think of the terrible earthquake and tsunami in 2011. That one killed 18,000 people and caused a nuclear accident in Fukushima.
A Japan Airlines plane caught fire on Tuesday because it crashed into a coastguard aircraft at Tokyo’s Haneda airport. This happened as the plane was heading to help with the earthquake relief.
Five people on the coastguard plane died, but all 379 passengers and crew from the Japan Airlines plane were able to get away safely.
Japan has a lot of earthquakes because it’s on the Pacific Ring of Fire where tectonic plates meet.
Japan has made a really good warning system for tsunamis because they are always worried about earthquakes.
As we approached the epicenter, we discovered isolated areas of damage – single-family homes reduced to rubble.
These are often old wooden houses that were not built to withstand such earthquakes.
We met Toshio Iwahama, 82, whose wooden house partially collapsed. He lives alone since his wife passed away and doesn’t know how he will pay to repair the house, which is now uninhabitable.
He told us that he always fears a big earthquake but hopes it won’t happen in his town.
Like everyone we spoke to, he said that although he had been through many earthquakes, he had never experienced one this strong.
We are trying to reach the worst affected town of Wajima, where more than a dozen people have died and we believe others are trapped in their homes. But all the roads leading in this direction seem to have broken down.
There are large cracks in the middle making them inaccessible.
This means that rescue teams also have difficulty accessing the area. Therefore, we are still trying to assess the extent of the damage as well as the number of people killed and trapped.
Thousands of Japanese people had to spend the night in evacuation centers after a strong earthquake. Kyodo news agency reported that at least two people were believed to have died and the number of casualties was expected to rise in the coming days.
Dozens of buildings collapsed in several cities, leaving countless people trapped under rubble.
The magnitude 7. 6 earthquake occurred at around 4:10 p. m local time (07:10 GMT) on Monday.
Tsunami warnings were issued and then lowered. About 60 tremors were recorded after the first earthquake.
The extent of the damage was unlikely to be known until Tuesday morning, but significant infrastructure damage was evident.
National broadcaster NHK reported that the government of Suzu town, Ishikawa province, said a number of houses and electricity poles had collapsed.
According to utility provider Hokuriku Electric Power, major highways near the quake’s epicenter were closed and more than 36,000 homes were without power.
Former BBC Japan correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes – who was reporting from Taiwan – said hundreds of meters of the main highway between the towns of Toyama and Kanazawa were destroyed by a landslide.
Video from Uchinada, also in Ishikawa Prefecture, showed rippling and cracking road surfaces. Damage to Onohiyoshi Shrine in Kanazawa was also photographed.
Initially, a major tsunami warning was issued for the Noto coastal area in Ishikawa – near the quake’s epicenter – and authorities said waves could reach heights of 5 meters (16 feet).
According to local reports, this is the first such warning issued in Japan since 2011, when a powerful earthquake devastated the country’s northeast and caused waves up to 40 meters high.
The waves that actually crashed onto the Sea of Japan coast in Ishikawa on Monday were no more than a meter high.
The main warning was later downgraded to a simple warning and then a “warning”, NHK reported. Neighboring Niigata and Toyama prefectures were also placed on alert.
Japan is one of the most seismically active countries in the world due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where many tectonic plates intersect.
The constant threat of earthquakes has prompted Japan to develop one of the world’s most sophisticated tsunami warning systems. There are several nuclear power plants in the affected areas, but Japan’s nuclear agency said there was “no risk of radiation leaks” from these facilities.
South Korean and Russian weather agencies also issued tsunami warnings after the quake.
The 9. 0 magnitude earthquake that hit Japan in 2011 caused a tsunami that devastated coastal communities in the country’s northeast, killing nearly 18,000 people and displacing tens of thousands.
These tsunami waves caused a nuclear explosion at the Fukushima power plant, causing the most serious nuclear accident since Chernobyl.
Japan has called on people to “immediately evacuate” after a 7. 6 magnitude earthquake occurred in the central region.
A major tsunami warning has been issued for the coastal area from Noto to Ishikawa, warning of waves up to 5 meters high.
Authorities also issued a tsunami warning for neighboring Niigata and Toyama prefectures, where they said waves could be as high as 3 meters.
The public television station broadcast an “evacuation” message in large letters, urging people to evacuate to higher ground despite the cold. An NHK host called on concerned viewers: “We know your house, your belongings are precious to you, but your life is more important than anything.
People also posted videos of houses and subway trains shaking during the quake.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said a series of earthquakes struck the Noto region in the afternoon, starting with a magnitude 5. 7 quake at 4:06 p. m local time (07:06 GMT).
This was followed by a magnitude 7. 6 earthquake and at least five other earthquakes within an hour.
Japanese government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi warned people to prepare for further earthquakes.
The country’s largest nuclear operator, Kansai Electric, said there was “nothing unusual” at nuclear plants in the affected area.
The Korean weather agency warned that a tsunami up to 0. 3 m high could hit the country’s east coast between 6:29 p. m and 7:17 p. m
Russia has issued a tsunami warning for the port cities of Vladivostok and Nakhodka in the country’s far east, the country’s official TASS news agency reported.
In 2011, Japan suffered a magnitude 9 earthquake followed by a tsunami that devastated coastal communities in the country’s northeast, killing nearly 18,000 people and displacing tens of thousands.
The tsunami caused a nuclear explosion at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, causing the most serious nuclear accident since Chernobyl.
Japan has issued a large tidal wave warning after a 7. 6 magnitude earthquake struck the central region.
National broadcaster NHK said people in the Noto coastal area of Ishikawa Prefecture were encouraged to “quickly evacuate to higher ground”.
NHK said waves up to 5 meters high had flooded Noto.
Experts have also issued tidal wave advisories for neighboring Niigata and Toyama prefectures, warning that waves there could be as high as 3 meters.
The open television displayed the words “Clear” in large letters to encourage people to evacuate to higher ground despite the winter weather.
Individuals also posted recordings of the earthquake from their homes and from tram stations in the country.
The country’s largest nuclear control regulator, Kansai Electric, said there was “nothing unusual” at nuclear power plants located in the affected area.
The Korea Weather Bureau warned that tidal waves up to 0. 3 m high could hit the country’s east coast between 6:29 p. m and 7:17 p. m local time (9:29 a. m and 10:00 p. m local time) :17 am GMT).
Four important government leaders in Japan resigned on Thursday because of a problem with raising money for the ruling party’s strongest group.
It is claimed that over 500 million yen (equivalent to £2. 8 million or $3. 4 million) was put into secret funds between 2017 and 2022.
Tokyo prosecutors are investigating corruption, according to Nikkei.
The Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida‘s government is becoming more unpopular and his approval ratings are dropping. This is another setback for him.
A new survey from NHK showed that the support for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has dropped to under 30%. This is the first time it has been this low since 2012. The LDP has been in power for a long time, since 1955.
Voters are upset about prices going up and they are also angry about how Mr. Kishida dealt with past problems.
Hirokazu Matsuno, a top government spokesman and close advisor to Mr Kishida, was the most well-known of the four ministers. On Thursday, the Economy and Industry Minister, the Internal Affairs Minister, and the Agriculture Minister all resigned.
New people to take their place will be announced by the end of today.
Also, five high-ranking deputy ministers and one deputy minister from the same group, previously led by the late PM Shinzo Abe, also resigned.
The LDP now has no members from its biggest and most powerful group in the government because they have all quit.
Mr Kishida, who started his job in October 2021, said on Wednesday that he will address the accusations directly.
The group didn’t tell the authorities about the money they raised.
The Seiwa policy group set limits on how many tickets its members could sell for party fundraising events.
When they sold more than expected, the members got extra money. This itself does not break Japanese law.
However, in this case, it is suggested that the extra money was not recorded and instead put into secret funds, due to a criminal complaint.
Mr Matsuno is being accused of not reporting over 10 million yen in income.
Other big groups in the LDP, like the one Mr Kishida used to lead, are also being accused of not reporting all the money they raised.
On Wednesday, the lower house of Japan’s government voted against a motion to remove Mr Kishida’s cabinet, which was proposed by the opposition party.
The LDP will choose new leaders in September. There will be a big vote in 2025.
Some people think that even if Mr. Kishida keeps his job, the scandal will still make people less likely to trust him.
Kishida will continue as the president for now because no one else is an obvious choice for the next president. “But if someone else becomes a real competitor, they might consider replacing Kishida,” said Yu Uchiyama, a professor at the University of Tokyo, to Reuters.
The important decision was made after Rina Gonoi, who is 24 years old, shared her story on YouTube in 2022. This story caused a lot of people to be upset and caught the attention of the world.
The Fukushima prosecutors charged the three men in March after changing their minds.
Speaking up against sexual violence in very traditional Japan is uncommon and still considered a forbidden topic.
Many similar events are not reported, and people have only started paying attention to this issue in recent years after hearing about well-known cases like Ms. Gonoi, Shiori Ito’s trial, and the Johnny Kitagawa scandal.
The decision today shows that what they did was wrong, so I want them to admit it and think about what they did. “I hope this decision will help victims to be brave and speak up,” Ms. Ganoi said to the reporters after leaving the courtroom.
This is the first important decision on sexual assault in Japan since June when the country changed its laws on sex crimes. The changes included redefining rape and raising the age when people can give consent for sexual activity.
It happened because people worked for a long time to change things after some court decisions let attackers go free. Activists say the old laws often stopped survivors from speaking up.
Kanae Doi, who works for Human Rights Watch in Japan, said that the ruling today is good news. It shows that survivors of sexual violence in Japan will be listened to, and that people who hurt their rights can be held accountable. While there are still things to fix in society, this ruling is a positive step.
A survey by the government in 2021 found that 6% of people who were attacked went to the police. Nearly half of the women said they didn’t go because they felt too embarrassed.
In August 2021, three men held Ms. Gonoi down on a bed, opened her legs forcefully, and pressed their private areas against her repeatedly.
She told the BBC that about 12 other coworkers were there, but nobody stopped the three people. Many were laughing.
Ms Gonoi told her bosses about what happened, but they didn’t believe her because she couldn’t find anyone who saw it.
Later, the three men were accused of touching someone in a bad way by the Ground Self-Defence Force (GSDF) police, but the case was not pursued because there wasn’t enough proof. Ms Gonoi finally quit the army.
Last year, a lot of people watched her YouTube video and she got over 100,000 people to sign a petition asking the defense ministry to look into what happened to her. The ministry said sorry to her and started a special investigation. They found over 100 other complaints of harassment in the ministry.
However, along with the attention also came a lot of mean comments and even people threatening to harm or kill them online.
“Some people online said I was ugly. others asked if I was really a man,” she told the BBC. “When I was asking people to sign a petition, I received a scary email saying, ‘I will hurt you if you continue’”
She said that she was experiencing sexual harassment every day even before the incident happened. Her coworkers would say things about her body and touch her inappropriately while others looked on.
Ms Gonoi is suing the five people who hurt her and the government of Japan. She is asking for 5. 5 million yen (about $40,000 or £32,000) from the men for making her feel very upset, and 2 million yen from the government for not stopping the abuse.
In June, the government changed the sex crime laws in a big way. They expanded the definition of rape to include any non-consensual sexual intercourse, not just when force is used. This puts Japan in line with other countries’ laws. The legal age when someone can agree to have sex was changed from 13 to 16.
Also, the new laws clearly explain eight situations where a victim may find it hard to “say no” to sex.
These situations can happen when a person is drunk or on drugs, or when they are being hurt or threatened, or when they are really scared or surprised. Another situation shows someone using their power to harm others, and the person being hurt is afraid of what will happen if they say no.
Ms Gonoi was named as one of the inspiring and influential women on the BBC 100 Women list for 2023, and she was also included on the TIME100 Next 2023 List.
In a message, it said it was working with the government to look into the incident.
The company AJ Hackett Macau Tower Limited is sad because a tourist died after a medical problem at Macau Tower yesterday. This happened after they finished their bungy jump.
We are very sorry for the family of the person who passed away.
Keeping everyone safe is the most important thing for us. We make sure every customer follows strict safety rules.
Yesterday, the tourist did everything they were supposed to do to stay safe before they did the Bungy Jump.
‘Our staff helped him when they heard he wasn’t feeling well after landing. They gave him first aid and called for help. ‘
The Skypark website says it has done four million jumps in over 30 years and is proud of never having any accidents.
On the safety page, the company says it tries to stop accidents and illnesses by managing risks and reporting hazards.
The platform at Macau Tower is the second highest in the world, only beaten by the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge Bungee, which is also in China.
American and Japanese teams looking for things found five dead people in the remains of a US military plane that crashed near Yakushima island last week.
The CV-22 Osprey plane crashed last week while carrying eight people. Only one had been found before.
Two out of the five bodies that were found on Monday have been brought back.
The accident made Tokyo request that the US stop flying its Osprey planes in Japan.
During the accident, the Osprey was flying from a US Marine Corps air base in Yamaguchi Prefecture to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa for training.
It asked to land on Yukushima island right away before crashing into the water.
People who saw it happen said that the plane turned upside down and caught on fire before it crashed. We still don’t know why the incident happened.
On Monday, the US Air Force Special Operations Command announced that the US and Japanese teams searching for the aircraft made a big discovery. They found some parts of the plane and the main body of the wreckage with help from ships and dive teams.
Efforts to rescue the rest of the crew from the crash site are still going on, the statement said. They haven’t been found yet.
The first victim’s body was found a few hours after the crash.
The Air Force called him Staff Sgt Jake Galliher. He’s 24 years old and from Massachusetts. He was in an intelligence unit at Yokota Air Base in Japan.
Osprey was made in 2007. It works as a helicopter and a plane with a propeller.
The US military’s Ospreys have been in a few other serious crashes lately.
In August, another type of Osprey aircraft crashed during a military training in Australia. It resulted in the deaths of three US Marines and injuries to 20 other people.
Last year, a crash in the California desert involving an Osprey killed five Marines.
Japan, which is the only other country with Osprey aircraft, stopped using their fleet for a short time last week.
It also requested the United States to stop flying the 30 Osprey aircraft stationed in Japan until they could be inspected to make sure they are safe.
The Pentagon told the BBC that the aircraft’s unit is not flying right now. They are making sure it’s safe for all flights and operations.
Japan and the United States have an agreement about their military. Japan won’t be very involved in the investigation of the crash.
This made Japan very angry because the US did not follow this rule and did not stop its airplanes from flying.
Sabrina Singh, the assistant to the person in charge at the Pentagon, said that the US has already begun giving details about the accident to our partners in Japan. “We talk a lot with our leaders about airplane safety and other safety issues. “
