Japan

Japan: Health Warnings Issued as Smog Rolls in From China

Date: February 6th, 2013 |

Public health warnings went out Feb. 4 as a thick cloud of smog from China blew in on the wind, causing air pollution levels to exceed government limits in some parts of the island nation. The highest concentration of dangerous particles hovered over Kyushu, worrying residents about the effects of exposure. Under such conditions, small [read more]

Japan: Unexploded WWII Bomb Forces Sendai Airport Closure

Date: October 31st, 2012 |

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Construction workers unearthed a 550-pound, unexploded World War II bomb near a runway at Sendai Airport Oct. 28, forcing closure of the facility and cancellation of all flights. A special military team was called in to safely remove the device, and airport operations were expected to resume quickly. Japan was heavily bombed during World War [read more]

Japan: New Airport Security Measures to Come

Date: April 25th, 2012 |

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Passengers who complain of untimely security delays at American airports take notice: international airports in Japan will shortly begin random body searches and baggage checks. According to the Kyodo news agency, the transport ministry has decreed that roughly 10 percent of passengers will be selected for the new procedures. In line with other countries that [read more]

Japan: Radioactive Cesium found in Powdered Baby Mild

Date: December 10th, 2011 |

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Though it has been nine months since the initial disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, new concerns have arisen about radioactive fallout. Most recently, radioactive cesium was found in cans of powdered baby milk, adding to fears that some of Japan’s food sources have been tainted and contaminated with radioactive material from Fukushima. Though [read more]

Japan: Some Evacuation Advisories Lifted

Date: August 11th, 2011 |

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The Japanese government has lifted evacuation advisories in some areas more than 12 miles (20 km) from the troubled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant. This allows thousands of people to return home after months of displacement. A 12 mile “no-go” zone will remain in place, however, as the government is still working to resolve the radiation [read more]

Japan: Tokyo Snowstorm Strands Thousands

Date: January 20th, 2013 |

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As many as 3,400 passengers were stranded at Narita airport overnight after 3 inches of snowfall dumped across the Tokyo metropolitan area in 9 hours Jan. 14. During the worst of the storm, aviation officials were forced to cancel at least 460 domestic flights, while airport staff handed out food and blankets and travelers tried [read more]

Japan: Monsoon Floods, Landslides Claim 28 Lives

Date: July 18th, 2012 |

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At least 28 people were killed when record-breaking rains swept across the southwest last week, triggering massive flooding and mudslides. The southern island of Kyushu was hardest hit, although the storm’s impact reached as far north as Kyoto, with some areas receiving a year’s worth of rain in one weekend. Thousands of people had to [read more]

Japan: Fukushima Finally Stable

Date: December 17th, 2011 |

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Nearly ten months after the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan and caused the worst nuclear disaster in the world since Chernobyl, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda announced that the Fukushima plant has been stabilized. The government acknowledged that it will take decades to completely dismantle the plant, but this is good news for a [read more]

Japan: More Evacuation Advisories Lifted; 12-mile No-Go Zone Remains

Date: October 8th, 2011 |

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Japan lifted some of the evacuation advisories surrounding the devastated Fukushima nuclear plant Sept. 30. A 12-mile no-go zone still surrounds the plant, which is home to the worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. The evacuation advisories have been lifted for five municipalities within 12-19 miles from Fukushima because the plant is said [read more]

Japan: State Department updates Fukushima Risks

Date: July 25th, 2011 |

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The U.S. State Department updated its travel alert reconfirming that the health and safety risks to areas outside a 50-mile radius of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant are low and do not pose significant risks to travelers. The State Department continues to advise citizens against traveling to areas within the radius out of “an [read more]

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