Japan earthquake News

Officials Tracking Debris off Washington Coast

Federal, state and tribal officials are attempting to track a large dock that was reported drifting off the coast of Washington state, one of potentially hundreds of objects that could wash up along the West Coast from the tsunami that …

Biologist: Tsunami Debris Overwhelming In Spots In Alaska

Debris that gathered this past summer on Alaska’s Kayak Island made walking on its beaches feel like walking through a natural disaster zone, a federal biologist said Thursday. Jacek Maselko, a biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in …

UPDATE: 7.3 Quake off Japan; Tsunami Warnings Cancelled

News reports are describing an earthquake off the east coast of Japan with a magnitude, estimated by the U.S. Geological Survey, of 7.3. The quake struck approximately 245 kms (153 miles) east-southeast of Kamaishi early this morning. The quake, which …

Hawaii Finds Boat That May Be Tsunami Debris

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources says a boat recovered from Kahana Bay on Oahu’s windward coast may be tsunami debris that arrived in Hawaii from Japan. The department said Tuesday staff collected two species of mussels attached …

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 …

Strong Quake Jolts Eastern Japan

A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.5 jolted eastern Japan on Saturday morning, but there were no immediate reports of injury or damage and no tsunami warning was issued. The focus of the tremor was 20 km (12 …

Japan’s Stricken Nuclear Operator to Get $13 Billion Bailout

Japan is set to launch a $13 billion bailout of the owner of its stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant after the utility dropped resistance to a public fund injection, sources said on Thursday, as the country debates the future of …

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 …

Thai Flood May Hit Asia Harder Than Japan Disaster: Official

The impact from Thailand floods on Asia’s production networks may last longer and be deeper than that from Japan’s March earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis, a senior Asian Development Bank official said on Tuesday. Iwan Azis, head of ADB’s Office …

Japan Marks 6 Months Since Earthquake, Tsunami

Up and down Japan’s devastated northeast coast, survivors prayed and communities came together Sunday to mark six months since the massive earthquake and tsunami struck on March 11, a date that changed everything for them and their country. As the …