Articles by Mari Yamaguchi

Weakened Typhoon Halong Lashes Japan; 1 Dead, Dozens Hurt

A tropical storm was moving out into the Sea of Japan on Sunday after lashing the country with rain and winds, leaving one person dead, more than 50 injured and prompting evacuation alerts for about 1.2 million residents near swollen …

Powerful Typhoon Man-yi Downgraded after Lashing Japan

Crews were cleaning up wrecked houses and assessing damage Tuesday in the wake of a powerful typhoon that lashed Japan with torrential rains, leaving at least two people dead. Typhoon Man-yi weakened into a tropical storm by late Monday, though …

Japan Nuclear Agency Halts Test Reactor Over Safety

Japan’s nuclear watchdog announced Wednesday that the nation’s trouble-plagued next-generation test reactor will not be allowed to restart due to safety violations, dealing a setback to the country’s pro-nuclear government. The Nuclear Regulation Authority’s decision is the latest blow to …

Japan’s Clean-Up from 2011 Tsunami, Nuclear Accident Lagging

Two years after the triple calamities of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster ravaged Japan’s northeastern Pacific coast, debris containing asbestos, lead, PCBs — and perhaps most worrying — radioactive waste due to the crippled Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant looms as …

Japan Cabinet Approves Cap on Nuclear Reactor Lifespan

Japan’s Cabinet approved bills Tuesday aimed at bolstering nuclear safety regulations following last year’s Fukushima disaster, including one that would put a 40-year cap on the operational life of nuclear reactors. The approval came as a team of International Atomic …

Study: Major Earthquake Could Hit Tokyo Within Years

A new study is warning that the Tokyo region has a 70 percent chance of being hit directly by a powerful magnitude-7 earthquake within four years. The study by University of Tokyo seismologists bases the estimate on an increase in …

More Workers May Exceed Japan’s Radiation Limit

Six more workers at Japan’s tsunami-damaged nuclear power plant may have exceeded the radiation exposure limit, bringing the total to eight, the government said this week. The health and labor ministry released the preliminary results of tests on how much …

Aging, Skyscrapers, Malls Place Japan at Higher Risk of Disaster

Japan’s vulnerability to natural disasters is increasing as skyscrapers mushroom in cities, shopping malls go underground and the population ages, a recent government report said. While earthquakes are a primary disaster concern, Japan has also suffered from increasingly abnormal weather …