Articles by Mari Yamaguchi

Wildfires in Western Japan Damage Homes, Forcing Evacuations

Wildfires have hit several regions in western Japan, injuring at least two people, forcing dozens of residents to evacuate and damaging a number of homes as hundreds of firefighters battled the widening blazes in the mountainous areas. The fires in …

Massive Fukushima Plant Cleanup Involves High Radiation and Stress

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant’s radiation levels have significantly dropped since the cataclysmic meltdown in Japan 14 years ago. Workers walk around in many areas wearing only surgical masks and regular clothes. It’s a different story for those who …

Robot to Remove Melted Nuclear Fuel From Japan’s Damaged Fukushima Reactor

The operator of Japan’s destroyed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant demonstrated Tuesday how a remote-controlled robot would retrieve tiny bits of melted fuel debris from one of three damaged reactors later this year for the first time since the 2011 …

Tokyo Court Rules Only Fukushima Operator Must Pay Compensation, Cuts Damages

A Tokyo court has ruled that only the operator of the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant had to pay damages to dozens of evacuees, relieving the government of responsibility. Plaintiffs criticized the ruling as belittling their suffering and the severity …

Removing Fukushima’s Melted Nuclear Fuel Will Be Harder Than Wastewater Release

At a small section of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant’s central control room, the treated water transfer switch is on. A graph on a computer monitor nearby shows a steady decrease of water levels as treated radioactive wastewater is diluted …

Japan’s Top Court Rules Government Restrictions on Transgender Employee’s Use of Restrooms Illegal

Japan’s Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that restrictions imposed by a government ministry on a transgender female employee’s use of restrooms at her workplace are illegal, in a landmark decision that could promote the rights of LGBTQ+ people in a country …

New Images From Inside Fukushima Nuclear Reactor Spark Safety Concerns

Images captured by a robotic probe inside one of the three melted reactors at Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant showed exposed steel bars in the main supporting structure and parts of its thick external concrete wall missing, triggering concerns …

What’s Happening at Fukushima Nuclear Plant 12 Years After Meltdown?

Twelve years after the triple reactor meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Japan is preparing to release a massive amount of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea. Japanese officials say the release is unavoidable and should start soon. …

Japan Indicates Delay of Fukushima Plant Water Release

Japan has revised the timing of a planned release to the sea of treated but still radioactive wastewater at the Fukushima nuclear power plant to “around spring or summer,” indicating a delay from the initial target of this spring, after …

Japan Approves Plan to Release Wastewater From Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant

TOKYO (AP) – Japan’s nuclear regulator on Wednesday approved plans by the operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant to release its treated radioactive wastewater into the sea next year, saying the outlined methods are safe and risks to the …