Articles by Mari Yamaguchi

Japan Officials Investigate Previous Accidents of Operator of Sunken Japan Tour Boat

TOKYO (AP) – The head of the company that operated a tourist boat that sank off northern Japan with 26 people aboard said Wednesday he approved the trip despite a broken communication device and forecasts of rough weather, as officials …

Team of Nuclear Experts to Visit Wrecked Fukushima Plant to Check Water Release Plan

A team of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency will visit Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant next week to review plans to begin releasing more than a million tons of treated radioactive water into the sea, a mission …

Fukushima Plant Officials Admit Failure to Probe Cause of Faulty Filters

TOKYO — Officials at Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant have acknowledged they neglected to investigate the cause of faulty exhaust filters that are key to preventing radioactive pollution, after being forced to replace them twice. Representatives of the operator, …

Atomic Energy Agency Seeks Japan Transparency on Release of Fukushima Water

TOKYO —Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency asked Japan on Tuesday for full and detailed information about a plan to release treated but still radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean. The three-member team, which …

Japan’s Fukushima Plant to Build Undersea Tunnel to Release Nuclear Water Into Ocean

The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant said Wednesday it plans to build an undersea tunnel so that massive amounts of treated but still radioactive water can be released into the ocean about 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) away …

How Dangerous Is Japan’s Fukushima Nuclear Plant After 10 Years of Cleanup?

OKUMA, Japan – A decade ago, a massive tsunami crashed into the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Three of its reactors melted down, leaving it looking like a bombed-out factory. Emergency workers risked their lives trying to keep one of …

Coronvirus Discrimination and Bullying Hinders Battle Against Pandemic in Japan

The coronavirus in Japan has brought not just an epidemic of infections, but also an onslaught of bullying and discrimination against the sick, their families and health workers. A government campaign to raise awareness seems to be helping, at least …

Torrential Rain Causes Flooding, Mudslides in Japan, Killing at Least 10

Torrential rain that caused flooding and mudslides in towns east of Tokyo left at least 10 people dead and added fresh damage in areas still recovering from recent typhoons, officials said Saturday. Rescue workers found the body of a person …

Tsunami-Wrecked Fukushima Nuclear Plant Begins Fuel Removal in Melted Reactor

The operator of the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant began removing fuel Monday [April 15] from a cooling pool at one of three reactors that melted down in the 2011 disaster, a milestone in what will be a decades-long process to …

Gov’t, TEPCO Held Accountable by Japan Court for Fukushima Nuclear Accident

A Japanese court on Tuesday [Oct. 10] ordered the government and the operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant to pay 500 million yen ($4.5 million) to thousands of area residents and evacuees who were demanding compensation for their livelihoods lost …