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July 02, 2026
 

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EARTHQUAKES

Residents take part in a tsunami evacuation drill using an app to register their evacuation in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, in November 2025.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 12, 2026
Tohoku still faces tsunami evacuation challenges 15 years after disaster
The region is facing a series of challenges to prepare for any future tsunami evacuation, such as trying to encourage people to use an app to register at evacuation sites.
Koji Yamaguchi, a teacher at Rokko Gakuin Junior and Senior High School in Kobe, shows in January a picture of a beach in Shichigahama, Miyagi Prefecture, which was affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2026
Teacher in Japan who experienced two disasters works to pass down memories
The Kobe teacher’s central message to his students is the importance of “everyday life before the disaster.”
Yoshiko Sato, visiting Minato Park in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, with her two sons, says the park carries a special meaning for her.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Mar 11, 2026
A Japanese city looks to pick up the pieces yet again
Fourteen years after the city of Ofunato in Iwate Prefecture was struck by the Great East Japan Earthquake, it experienced the nation’s worst wildfire in 60 years.
Residents evacuated from areas within around 20 kilometers of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant take shelter at an evacuation center in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, on March 31, 2011. Residents who faced long-term evacuation after the disaster suffered severe psychological and physical strain.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 10, 2026
Japan still struggles with disaster-related deaths 15 years later
Fifteen years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, but the government’s declared goal of reducing indirect deaths to zero still appears far from being achieved.
Members of the Self-Defense Forces search for missing people in the wake of the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami in Higashimatsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 10, 2026
Lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake
The long-term consequences of disasters are often understudied once media attention shifts to newer crises elsewhere.
Miyagi Prefectural Police officers in charge of searching for missing people, in Sendai in February
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2026
2,519 still unaccounted for 15 years after quake and tsunami
The death toll from the disaster came to 15,901 in 12 prefectures.
In a survey from the Japanese Red Cross Society, 80.3% of respondents said the Great East Japan Earthquake should not be forgotten when considering disaster preparedness measures and awareness.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 9, 2026
Over 80% in Japan believe a major disaster is coming in the near future
Many admit to being unprepared for one, however.
Haruna Kambayashi stands by her newly purchased home on a street now lined with mostly empty lots.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Mar 9, 2026
15 years after the Tohoku quake, the road home remains uncertain for many
In once-abandoned communities, life is cautiously returning as policymakers confront the staggering price of future recoveries.
Kirara Takahashi, who will become an elementary school teacher in April, visits the former Kadonowaki Elementary School in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, in January. The school has been preserved as an earthquake and tsunami memorial following the March 2011 disaster.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 8, 2026
Childhood vow with late friend inspires woman to become teacher
Kirara Takahashi was in first grade when the tsunami crashed into Ishinomaki. Now 22, she’s honoring her friend who didn’t make it.
Takao Makino, the minister in charge of preparations for the establishment of Japan's disaster management agency, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 6, 2026
Cabinet approves bill to create disaster management agency
The government aims to launch the agency, which will be headed by the prime minister and also have a dedicated minister, in autumn.
Suguru Kikuchi, an employee of the Yamamoto town government in Miyagi Prefecture, on Jan. 13
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2026
Using experience from 3/11 to help Noto reconstruction
Suguru Kikuchi had long hoped to repay the assistance his hometown received after the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.
Yumi Sakurai (second from left in the background) performs on a piano damaged in the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami and later restored, at Sendai Airport in Miyagi Prefecture, on Saturday.
JAPAN
Mar 4, 2026
Sendai Airport fills with music from piano once damaged in 2011 tsunami
After being made playable again, the piano has been placed at the airport for a limited period every year since 2021 to encourage people to reflect on the disaster.
Miyagi Gov. Yoshihiro Murai said during an interview in Sendai on Tuesday that he intends to have three seawalls finished before his current term ends in 2029.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 2026
Miyagi governor sees different challenges 15 years after Tohoku disaster
“When you get 15 years older, your health conditions and other circumstances change,” said the governor of Miyagi Prefecture, which was affected by the March 2011 disaster.
Norio Kimura (right), head of a group of 162 residents in Yamaguchi Prefecture and other areas seeking an injunction against the Ikata nuclear power plant in Ehime Prefecture, speaks at a news conference on Thursday in the city of Iwakuni after their lawsuit was dismissed.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 27, 2026
Court rejects bid to halt nuclear reactor in western Japan
The plaintiffs had argued that operations at the No. 3 reactor of the Ikata nuclear power plant in Ehime Prefecture should be suspended due to safety concerns.
A stone monument marking the tsunami’s furthest reach stands beside cherry trees, planted by Sakura Line 311 after the 2011 triple disaster, in full bloom at Jodoji Temple, in the city of Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, in April.
JAPAN
Feb 26, 2026
Flowers bloom in Tohoku as symbol of resilience
Colorful seasonal flowers bloom to symbolize the resilience of communities hit hard by the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.
People observe a moment of silence at a memorial ceremony marking the 15th anniversary of the New Zealand earthquake on Sunday in Christchurch.
JAPAN
Feb 22, 2026
Victims from Toyama mourned 15 years after New Zealand quake
The 12 Japanese students were studying at a language school in the country when a quake hit and the building that housed the school collapsed.
Iwate Gov. Takuya Tasso speaks during an interview on Monday at the Iwate Prefectural Government office.
JAPAN
Feb 17, 2026
Governor says Iwate still faces challenges 15 years after disaster
Iwate’s governor said the prefecture still faces challenges such as “mental health care support, rebuilding people’s livelihoods, rising prices and the impact of climate change.”
Chubu Electric Power President Kingo Hayashi. His company has come under scrutiny from regulators over falsified earthquake risk data at Hamaoka nuclear power plant.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2026
Authorities to launch inspection of Chubu Electric over data fraud
The Nuclear Regulation Authority will also halt screenings needed for reactivation of the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at the Hamaoka nuclear power plant.
Local governments have been asked to secure hotels as shelters during large-scale disasters.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2026
Prefectures asked to secure hotels as shelters in the event of disasters
Guidelines call on local officials, mainly at prefectural governments, to work to secure accommodation and match it with evacuees.
People observe a moment of silence at a memorial ceremony marking the 31st anniverary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, in Kobe on Saturday.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2026
Kobe marks 31st anniversary of Great Hanshin Earthquake
At a memorial gathering at park in Kobe, participants lit bamboo and paper lanterns and offered a silent prayer at 5:46 a.m., the exact time the earthquake struck.
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men’s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Reform panel calls for easing data center building standards
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi emphasized that the government will promote reforms of regulations and systems that fit the artificial intelligence era.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.

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