Latest Japan Headlines

All the headlines from our Japan Topic Page, ordered by recency.

AIR Estimates Typhoon Roke Insured Losses at $150 to $600 Million

Sep 23 2011 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide has given preliminary estimates of the insured losses from Typhoon Roke at between JPY 12 billion ($150 million) and JPY 46 billion ($600 million). As reported earlier, Typhoon Roke,...

Typhoon Roke Threatens Japan: AIR Report

Sep 21 2011 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide more than a million people were evacuated in central and western Japan in advance of Typhoon Roke’s arrival. The storm formed on September 10 and is the 15th named...

Japan Marks 6 Months Since Earthquake, Tsunami

Sep 13 2011 // 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...

AIR Estimates Talas Insured Losses between $150 -$600 Million

Sep 8 2011 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide’s initial estimates for insured losses from Tropical Storm Talas are between JPY 12 billion ($150 million) and JPY 46 billion ($600 million). Talas is the season’s 12th...

UPDATE: Killer Typhoon Talas Brings More Misery to Japan

Sep 7 2011 // Japan braced for more heavy rain and floods Monday as the death toll from the worst typhoon to hit the country in seven years climbed to 34. Rescuers searched for 55 others who remained missing, and tens of thousands of...

Typhoon Talas Kills At Least 15 As It Passes Japan

Sep 6 2011 // Heavy rains and mudslides from powerful Typhoon Talas killed at least 15 people in Japan as the storm moved northward past the country Sunday. At least 43 others are missing, local media said. [Ed. Note – latest...

Typhoon Talas Heading for Japan

Sep 2 2011 // A report from catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, notes that Typhoon Talas, which formed in the western Pacific on the 25th of August, is the 12th named storm of the 2011, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency...

Pacific Coast Towns Rethink Tsunami ‘Vertical’ Evacuation Options

Aug 29 2011 // When the next devastating earthquake strikes off the Northwest coast, it is expected to send a tsunami so fast that it could leave coastal communities with perhaps 20 minutes to escape the surge of water. For small towns...

East Coast Earthquake: Fear, Damage Mixed with Relief, Teasing

Aug 26 2011 // For a few minutes from Georgia to Maine, the question rang out: What was that? The answer — a rare East Coast earthquake, magnitude 5.8 — was far down on the list for most not used to the earth shaking beneath them. In...

U.N. Nuclear Chief Sees Added Safety Costs As Manageable

Aug 23 2011 // Planned steps to boost global nuclear safety after Japan’s Fukushima disaster will not lead to any major increase in costs for reactor operators, the U.N. atomic energy chief says. “It is true there is...

LA Car Arson Suspect May Have Set Fires in Japan

Aug 5 2011 // Fire investigators tried to determine Wednesday whether a man arrested for investigation of a serial arson spree in the San Fernando Valley served time for torching bars and restaurants in Japan a decade ago while he was...

Waffle House Serves Up Lessons in Risk Management

Aug 1 2011 // What can Waffle House teach about disaster preparedness and risk management, especially in the wake of this spring’s devastating tornadoes? Plenty, says a supply chain expert at Olin Business School, Washington...

Aon Benfield Guide: All You Need to Know on Volcanoes, Landslides, Tsunamis

Jul 26 2011 // The Aon Benfield UCL Hazard Centre has launched an introductory guide -“Getting to Grips with Non-Modelled Perils” – on volcanoes, landslides and tsunamis, which highlights the important characteristics...

Japan Committee Clears Nuclear Compensation Bill

Jul 26 2011 // A lower house committee of Japan’s parliament on Tuesday passed a bill to help Tokyo Electric Power pay billions of dollars in compensation to those hurt by the Fukushima nuclear disaster, ensuring a law will soon be...

Tropical Storm Ma-On Makes Landfall, Heavy Rains in Southern Japan

Jul 20 2011 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, Tropical Storm Ma-On made landfall in southern Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku Island late Tuesday night local time. Dr. Peter Sousounis, principal scientist at AIR...

What the Waffle House Can Teach About Managing Supply Chain Risk

Jul 19 2011 // What can Waffle House teach about disaster preparedness and risk management, especially in the wake of this spring’s devastating tornadoes? Plenty, says a supply chain expert at Olin Business School, Washington...

Typhoon Ma-On Nears Japan

Jul 18 2011 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, Category 2 Typhoon Ma-On (local name Ineng) is currently about 885 kilometers (550 miles) southwest of Tokyo. The storm packs winds with gusts up to 157 km/h (98 mph)....

Magnitude 5.5 Quake Jolts Eastern Japan

Jul 15 2011 // An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.5 jolted the Tokyo area on Friday, the Japan Meteorological Agency reported. There were no immediate reports of damage and no tsunami alert was issued following the quake,...

Catastrophe Costs Will Set Record: Munich Re

Jul 12 2011 // The total costs associated with natural catastrophes will reach a record this year after an earthquake in Japan pushed first-half losses to $265 billion, according to Munich Re. The world’s biggest reinsurer by...

Japan to Conduct Stress Tests on All Nuclear Plants

Jul 7 2011 // Japan said Wednesday it will conduct “stress tests” on all the country’s nuclear plants to ease heightened concerns about disaster preparedness after this year’s tsunami sparked the worst nuclear...