Articles by Shoko Oda

Capture of Israeli-Owned Ship Reignites Fears Over Mideast Shipping

An Israeli-owned ship seized in the Red Sea by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in retaliation for the war in Gaza is raising fears over more widespread disruption in one of the world’s busiest shipping routes. The Galaxy Leader, beneficially owned by …

Japan Begins Releasing Nuclear Wastewater in Process That Could Last 30 Years

Japan started the release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear site into the Pacific Ocean in a process that could last about 30 years, triggering an immediate retaliation by China to curb seafood imports. Tokyo Electric Power Co., which …

Japan to Release Fukushima Water as Soon as August: Reports

The Japanese government is preparing to start releasing treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear disaster site into the sea as early as late August, local newspapers including the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will meet with cabinet members …

Japanese Shipping Firm Seeks Government Support for Russia Insurance Risk

Major Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen KK is seeking a government guarantee to insure vessels at risk from Russia’s war in Ukraine. Conditions for getting war insurance for ships entering Russian territorial water have gotten stricter, said Takaya Soga, the …

Japan’s LNG Buyers Assess How Insurance Halt Will Affect Supplies

Japan’s buyers of Russian liquefied natural gas are assessing how imminent changes to shipping insurance — triggered by the ongoing war in Ukraine — will affect supplies from the key Sakhalin-2 project in Russia’s Far East. Three Japanese insurance companies …

Update: Magnitude 7.4 Earthquake Hits Near Japan’s Fukushima

A magnitude-7.4 earthquake struck northern Japan near Fukushima prefecture late on Wednesday, killing two people and injuring dozens, as well as disrupting power and some factories. About 2,000 buildings were still without power as of 4:25 p.m. in Japan’s northeastern …

Hack of Leading Japanese Dating App Could Expose Personal Data of 2 Million Users

A leading Japanese matchmaking app was hacked, likely exposing the personal information of more than 1.7 million account holders, in the latest high-profile online attack. Net Marketing Co., which runs the Omiai dating app, said that it found evidence of …

ConEd Faces Heat After Times Square Goes Dark

It lasted all of five hours – and hit just the spot on New York’s power system to take out the lights in Times Square, force the evacuation of Madison Square Garden in the middle of a Jennifer Lopez concert …

Rescues, Power Restoration Underway on Japan’s Northern Island Hit by Quake

Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido began to restore power after a strong earthquake overnight knocked out electricity throughout the entire prefecture of more than 5 million people. The magnitude 6.7 quake that hit on the western part of the island …

Japan Flooding After Record Rains Leaves 3 Dead, 23 Missing

Three people died and 23 were missing in floods after record rains burst the banks of two rivers in Japan in two days, public broadcaster NHK said. The Shibuigawa river in Miyagi Prefecture, an area hit by the record 2011 …