Earthquake Disaster in Japan

Fukushima nuclear plant out of space for radioactive water

The utility company operating Fukushima’s tsunami-devastated nuclear power plant said Friday it will run out of space to store massive amounts of contaminated water in three years, adding pressure on the government and the public to reach a consensus on what to do with it.
Japan OKs first export to South Korea under new trade restrictions

Japan said Thursday it has granted its first permit for a South Korea-bound shipment of chemicals to produce high-tech materials under Tokyo's new export requirement that has increased tensions with Seoul.
A flying car in Japan hovered above the ground for about a minute

It's like "Back to the Future," but real: a prototype of a flying car hovered 10 feet above the ground for about a minute in Japan on Monday. Designed for autonomous delivery flights, the early prototype looks more like a large drone than a typical car.
Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force to acquire 20 unmanned helicopters

The Japanese government plans to introduce about 20 large, unmanned helicopters to Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers and other ships, several government sources said.
Radioactivity in parts of the Marshall Islands is far higher than Chernobyl, study says

Think of the most radioactive landscapes on the planet and the names Chernobyl and Fukushima may come to mind. Yet research published Monday suggests that parts of the Marshall Islands in the central Pacific, where the United States conducted 67 nuclear tests during the Cold War, should be added to the list.
Military families’ grassroots charity still supports Japan tsunami victims, eight years after disaster

Nearly a decade after the disaster, victims continue rebuilding their lives in Tohoku, and Helping Hands is still involved. Many of the American volunteers have moved on to other posts around the world while others are back on their second or third tours in Japan.
New Misawa Queen looks forward to serving as ambassador for US air base in Japan

Airman 1st Class Brooklyn Shedd will represent Misawa Air Base, attending nine festivals with two Japanese beauty queens and joining a sports team.
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 April 12, 2017
Japan overturns ruling barring nuclear reactor operation March 28, 2017
Are elevated Fukushima radiation levels cause for alarm? February 8, 2017
Japan hits back at charge that it is devaluing the yen February 1, 2017
Stars and Stripes' top photos of 2016: Pacific December 29, 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

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

U.S. military facilities in the earthquake area.

Stripes.com Editors' Picks

Law change has opened the American Legion's doors to many more veterans

The Let Everyone Get Involved in Opportunities for National Service LEGION Act, signed into law by President Trump on July 30, allows any honorably discharged veterans who’ve served since Dec. 7, 1941, to join the American Legion and access its programs and benefits.
Fifth airman death since May at Shaw Air Force Base is third by suicide, coroner says

Suicide is the leading cause of death among airmen over the past five years. As of Aug. 1, the Air Force reported 78 airman suicides in 2019.
Firing of the Army’s installation management commander 'not mission related'

Lt. Gen. Brad Becker was relieved of his position as commander of Installation Management Command, or IMCOM, due to a “loss of trust and confidence in his ability to command,” said Cynthia Smith, an Army spokeswoman.

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Fukushima nuclear plant out of space for radioactive water

Japan OKs first export to South Korea under new trade restrictions

A flying car in Japan hovered above the ground for about a minute

Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force to acquire 20 unmanned helicopters

Radioactivity in parts of the Marshall Islands is far higher than Chernobyl, study says

Military families’ grassroots charity still supports Japan tsunami victims, eight years after disaster

New Misawa Queen looks forward to serving as ambassador for US air base in Japan

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

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Stripes.com Editors' Picks

Law change has opened the American Legion's doors to many more veterans

Fifth airman death since May at Shaw Air Force Base is third by suicide, coroner says

Firing of the Army’s installation management commander 'not mission related'

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