Earthquake Disaster in Japan

Removal of fuel in pool at Fukushima's melted reactor begins

The operator of the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant has begun removing fuel from a cooling pool at one of three reactors that melted down in the 2011 disaster, a milestone in the decades-long process to decommission the plant.
Japan lifts evacuation in parts of Fukushima plant hometown

Decontamination efforts have lowered radiation levels significantly in the area about 4 miles southwest of the plant where three reactors had meltdowns due to the damage caused by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Sirens at Misawa mark eight years since devastating quake and tsunami in Japan

The base in Japan took time to remember the eighth anniversary of a combination of disasters that killed more than 15,000 people.
Trust fails to recover from nuclear disaster

Eight years after an earthquake, tsunami and one of the most severe nuclear accidents in history, the Japanese prefecture of Fukushima is getting back on its feet.
Near the site of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, a shattered town and scattered lives

Noboru Honda lost 12 members of his extended family when a tsunami struck the Fukushima prefecture in northern Japan nearly eight years ago. Last year, he was diagnosed with cancer and initially given a few months to live.
Filmmakers seek Yokota airmen to serve as extras in ‘Fukushima 50,’ starring Ken Watanabe

“Fukushima 50” tells the story of powerplant workers who mounted a heroic effort to bring the damaged reactors under control after they were struck by a massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.
Japan plans to decommission its only tactical reconnaissance squadron

The Defense Ministry is planning to replace the Tactical Reconnaissance Group’s 40-year-old RF-4E Phantom II reconnaissance jets with state-of-the-art F-35A and F-35B Lightning IIs, a spokesman said.
Japanese prefecture devastated by 2011 earthquake thanks Yokota for relief efforts

Japanese residents from Miyagi prefecture recently brought food, drinks and crafts to the home of U.S. Forces Japan to thank Americans for their help in the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
ANALYSIS

Okinawa election shaping up as a political main event in 2018

The year 2018 is shaping up to be the first year in a decade without national or other large-scale elections, so the Okinawa gubernatorial race will be a major focus of this year's political calendar in Japan.
Fukushima looks to top-tier sake to beat nuclear stigma

The hope is that Fukushima's championship sake — made from local rice and water — will serve as a symbol of the safety of local agricultural and fishery products and of the prospects for the prefecture's broader revival.
Risky stalemate as science battles human fears at Fukushima

More than six years after a tsunami overwhelmed the Fukushima nuclear power plant, Japan has yet to reach consensus on what to do with a million tons of radioactive water, stored on site in around 900 large and densely packed tanks that could spill should another major earthquake or tsunami strike.
Woods Hole scientists return to site of 1946-58 nuclear bomb testing in Pacific

Even though the last nuclear test bomb detonated by the U.S. military on two remote Pacific Ocean atolls was 60 years ago, Woods Hole scientists found radioactivity continues to linger in the lagoons there.
Nuke-sniffer, ballistic recon aircraft deploy to Okinawa amid rising tensions with N. Korea

Air Force aircraft that detect radioactive fallout and track ballistic missiles are operating on Okinawa in the wake of North Korea’s sixth nuclear test and ahead of an anticipated intercontinental ballistic missile launch.
PACOM: Chinese jets’ intercept of US nuke-sniffer was ‘unprofessional’

The intercept occurred Wednesday over the East China Sea, where the WC-135 Constant Phoenix was "conducting a routine mission," said Lt. Col. Lori Hodge, a Pacific Air Forces spokeswoman.
New South Korean president seen hindering nuclear ambitions

The irony is that even as Moon Jae-in turns his back on nuclear, South Korea has proven itself as one of only a few nations capable of successfully designing and starting up a nuclear reactor using the most advanced technology available.
Nuke-sniffer aircraft arrives on Okinawa as tensions rise on Korean peninsula

A U.S. aircraft that specializes in detecting radioactive debris after the detonation of a nuclear device has arrived on Okinawa amid rising tensions on the Korean peninsula.
Japan overturns ruling barring nuclear reactor operation

A Japan appeals court overturned a ruling that barred the operation of two nuclear reactors, a win for the nation's atomic operators and government amid public opposition to the technology following the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
ANALYSIS

Are elevated Fukushima radiation levels cause for alarm?

The utility company that operated the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan — the one that went into triple meltdown after the enormous 2011 earthquake and tsunami — has released some jaw-dropping figures.
Japan hits back at charge that it is devaluing the yen

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, his main lieutenant in the Cabinet and Japan's top foreign exchange official on Wednesday all pushed back against President Donald Trump's assertion that Japan is keeping its currency devalued.
GALLERY

Stars and Stripes' top photos of 2016: Pacific

Stars and Stripes’ Pacific reporters this year covered everything from protests in South Korea to the aftershocks of the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster in Japan. Here are some of their favorite shots of 2016.
No damage at US bases after 7.4-magnitude quake sparks tsunami waves in Japan November 21, 2016
From Operation Tomodachi to Hiroshima visit, exiting Obama viewed favorably in Japan November 7, 2016
New Godzilla film imagines a strong Japan pushing back against the US September 24, 2016
Thousands work daily at Japan nuclear plant selling no power September 15, 2016
Former senator pledges to support vets in Fukushima lawsuit August 31, 2016
US military warns Pokemon trainers: 'Do not do stupid stuff' July 29, 2016
Former Japanese leader starts fund for US vets who helped Fukushima July 7, 2016
China to build nuclear power plants on artificial islands April 22, 2016
Navy families help quake survivors; official aid efforts continue April 22, 2016
Japanese tsunami debris: It’s not the problem California feared March 16, 2016
16 US ships that aided in Operation Tomodachi still contaminated with radiation March 13, 2016
Spurred by help from military families, tsunami victims aid others in need March 8, 2016
Fukushima radiation poses little risk, but lack of trust lingers March 7, 2016
Five years after nuclear meltdown, no one knows what to do with Fukushima February 10, 2016
Japanese government to ease radioactive waste rules February 4, 2016
Air Force radiation sniffer plane to deploy after North Korea's nuclear test January 6, 2016
Robots readied to decontaminate Japanese nuclear plant December 17, 2015
USS Ronald Reagan focus of radiation disaster drill in Japan December 17, 2015
China has awful safety record and wants to run 110 nuclear reactors by 2030 December 5, 2015
Tokyo confirms Fukushima worker's cancer claim October 20, 2015
Public can tour USS Ronald Reagan Monday in Japan October 9, 2015
USS Ronald Reagan docks at new home in Japan October 1, 2015
Protesters rally against USS Ronald Reagan arrival, Japan security bills September 13, 2015
Large protest against USS Reagan, security bills set for Sunday in Yokosuka September 11, 2015
Japanese troops rescue residents trapped by raging floodwaters September 10, 2015
Aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan: New symbol of US in Asia September 1, 2015
Abe weathers ‘hot summer’ of protests as support bounces back August 31, 2015
At DARPA challenge, rescue robots demonstrate future of disaster relief June 10, 2015
Robots at Pentagon-sponsored competition for disaster relief, not war May 28, 2015
Japanese court forbids Takahama nuclear plant restart April 15, 2015
4 years after tsunami, Japanese coastal town near nuclear plant remains deserted March 10, 2015
Far from the Fukushima spotlight, disaster recovery in Japan’s Tohoku continues March 10, 2015
US nuclear cleanup specialist goes from Hanford to Fukushima January 21, 2015
Tracking the Fukushima radioactivity plume across the Pacific December 30, 2014
Decades of complications and cleanup remain at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant December 17, 2014
Vessel swept away in 2011 tsunami is found near Hawaii, returned to Japanese owner November 24, 2014
Study: Fukushima health risks underestimated November 16, 2014
US, China announce ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions November 11, 2014
Judge: Sailors' class-action suit can proceed over alleged radiation exposure October 30, 2014
IG report finds health hazards in Japan base housing, questions Pentagon policy October 2, 2014
Navy wants to harvest retired Japanese Sea Dragon helos for parts September 15, 2014
USS Reagan sailors not exposed to high radiation levels in Japan, report finds July 17, 2014
Japanese utility faces down protest to press ahead with atomic restarts June 26, 2014
Misawa-bound C-12 makes emergency landing May 23, 2014
Caroline Kennedy visits crippled Japanese nuke plant May 14, 2014
Despite doubts, Japan prepares end to ban on defending allies April 16, 2014
3 years later, many survivors of tsunami, Fukushima disaster still living in temporary housing April 8, 2014
Report: USS Reagan exposed to radiation levels exceeding what Japanese government said March 14, 2014
Is Japan’s new nuclear facility secure enough? March 12, 2014
Even now, Japan’s 2011 earthquake remains an ongoing disaster March 10, 2014
Hundreds sue makers of Fukushima nuclear plant January 30, 2014
Congress wants answers on health impacts of Japan disaster relief January 27, 2014
Services planned for Yokota airman killed in crash January 15, 2014
Scientists debunk viral video of high California radiation from Fukushima January 9, 2014
Legal experts worry Japan's secrecy law may silence journalists December 17, 2013

Spc. Timothy Jones, right, and Spc. Ivan Santos, background center, toss debris while clearing out Nobiru train station, in Japan's tsunami-battered northeast, in April 2011.<br>Erik Slavin/Stars and Stripes

Photo gallery: Stars and Stripes' coverage of the quake aftermath and relief efforts

Opinions

Nuke plant operators ignore flood facts March 15, 2019

U.S. military facilities in the earthquake area.

Stripes.com Editors' Picks

Grand jury dismisses assault charge against Army sergeant in road rage case

Sgt. 1st Class Kai Waters, a 15-year veteran with combat tours of Afghanistan and Iraq and a clean military record, was charged with felony assault after a February road rage incident. Waters claimed she was acting in self-defense.
House lawmakers Crenshaw, Ocasio-Cortez spotlight opposite views on VA reform

Freshmen lawmakers Reps. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. have become media sensations in their respective parties, each gaining hundreds of thousands of social media followers during their first months in the House.
New legislation would recognize nine more diseases caused by Agent Orange

“American heroes affected by Agent Orange deserve the peace of mind knowing that the federal government recognizes the existing link between their exposure and illness,” said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn.

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Removal of fuel in pool at Fukushima's melted reactor begins

Japan lifts evacuation in parts of Fukushima plant hometown

Sirens at Misawa mark eight years since devastating quake and tsunami in Japan

Trust fails to recover from nuclear disaster

Near the site of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, a shattered town and scattered lives

Filmmakers seek Yokota airmen to serve as extras in ‘Fukushima 50,’ starring Ken Watanabe

Japan plans to decommission its only tactical reconnaissance squadron

Japanese prefecture devastated by 2011 earthquake thanks Yokota for relief efforts

ANALYSIS

Okinawa election shaping up as a political main event in 2018

Fukushima looks to top-tier sake to beat nuclear stigma

Risky stalemate as science battles human fears at Fukushima

Woods Hole scientists return to site of 1946-58 nuclear bomb testing in Pacific

Nuke-sniffer, ballistic recon aircraft deploy to Okinawa amid rising tensions with N. Korea

PACOM: Chinese jets’ intercept of US nuke-sniffer was ‘unprofessional’

New South Korean president seen hindering nuclear ambitions

Nuke-sniffer aircraft arrives on Okinawa as tensions rise on Korean peninsula

Japan overturns ruling barring nuclear reactor operation

ANALYSIS

Are elevated Fukushima radiation levels cause for alarm?

Japan hits back at charge that it is devaluing the yen

GALLERY

Stars and Stripes' top photos of 2016: Pacific

Opinions

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Information links

Graphics

Stripes.com Editors' Picks

Grand jury dismisses assault charge against Army sergeant in road rage case

House lawmakers Crenshaw, Ocasio-Cortez spotlight opposite views on VA reform

New legislation would recognize nine more diseases caused by Agent Orange

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