Japan Tsunami Debris: Under Control or on the Brink of Disaster?
Hemera Technologies/Photos.com(NEW YORK) — Scientists estimate that the mass of debris from the Japanese earthquake making its way to the United States and Canadian coastlines is three times the size of the U.S. While the government says the situation…
Japanese Prime Minister Promotes Nuclear Power
Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg via Getty Images(TOKYO) — All of Japan’s nuclear power plants remain offline, but that could change soon. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda made his case in a live primetime address, telling the public Japan could not op…
Beached Dock a Remnant of Japan Tsunami?
Image Credit: KATU/ABC News(SALEM, Ore.) — Oregonians awoke to a huge surprise Tuesday when a 7-foot-tall dock washed ashore, leaving local and state officials wondering whether it’s just the beginning of the bulk of tsunami debris set to arrive…
Japan Intensifies Search for Man Allegedly Involved in ’95 Subway Attack
YOSHIKATSU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images(TOKYO) — Japanese police have launched a nationwide manhunt for the member of a doomsday cult that masterminded deadly attacks on Tokyo subways 17 years ago.Police say Katsuya Takahashi drove a car for fellow cult mem…
Japanese Brewery Introduces Soft-Serve Beer
Hemera/Thinkstock(TOKYO) — With Japan facing the prospect of yet another sweltering summer with limited power and air conditioning, one beverage company has come up with a creative solution to stay cool: soft serve beer. The drink, concocted by brewin…
Americans Arrested in Tokyo Death Investigation
(Facebook)(NEW YORK) — Tokyo police investigating the death of an Irish exchange student have arrested two American men, the Japan Times reported. Nicola Furlong, 21, was found unconscious in an upscale Tokyo hotel room early Thursday morning after at…
Tsunami Debris Cleanup: Lawmakers Frustrated Over Lack of Plan
Sankei via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — A set of lawmakers on Capitol Hill expressed frustration Thursday that states, not the federal government, will have to deal with the majority of clean-up when marine debris from last year’s tsunami in Japan…
Rogue Penguin Resurfaces in Tokyo Bay
File photo. (iStockphoto/Thinkstock)(TOKYO) — A Humboldt penguin that made a daring escape from a Tokyo aquarium has resurfaced two months later.The year-old feathered creature was spotted in a Japanese Coast Guard video, swimming in Tokyo Bay and loo…
Japan Tsunami Debris: Canadian Museum Launches Recovery Project
File photo. iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Pieces of debris from last year’s Japanese tsunami, carried by the currents, have begun to show up on the West Coast of the United States and Canada, including most recently, a Harley-Davidson moto…
US, Japan Reach Deal on Moving Marines Out of Okinawa
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(TOKYO) — The U.S. and Japan have reached an agreement to move 9,000 Marines off the southern island of Okinawa.The proposal, which is part of the Obama administration’s larger push to beef up security in Asia, was announced by b…
KFC Japan’s New Bar Serves Chicken and Whiskey
KFC(TOKYO) — A new KFC restaurant in Japan has given fast food a boozy boost with a fully-stocked bar featuring whiskey cocktails.Located in Tokyo, the three-story restaurant opened Wednesday and is the company’s first location to include a bar. …
Escaped Bears in Japan Maul Two Women to Death
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(TOKYO) — Half-a-dozen bears escaped from a remote park in northwest Japan on Friday, mauling two women to death before they were hunted down and killed.A local hunting group was called in to assist police and firefighters. …
World’s Oldest Living Man Turns 115
ABC News(TOKYO) — Japanese centenarian Jiroemon Kimura is proving that a sense of humor may truly be the secret to longevity. On his 115th birthday, he faced reporters gathered at his home in Kyotango City west of Kyoto, with a smile and a brief messa…
Japan Facing Criticism over Response to North Korean Missile Launch
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(TOKYO) — The Japanese government is facing heavy criticism over its slow response to the failed North Korean rocket launch.While the country displayed a massive show of force in the lead-up to the planned launch, dispatching Pac…
Radiation from Japan Disaster Found Along California Coast
Hemera/Thinkstock(LONG BEACH, Calif.) — Kelp along the California coast was found to be contaminated with radioactive material from a nuclear plant damaged in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan, according to a recent study.Researc…
Another Toy Poodle Joins Japanese Police Ranks
MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images(KYOTO, Japan) — Police in Japan’s Kyoto Prefecture have enlisted a four-year-old toy poodle to join its crime-fighting ranks, joining a growing number of Japanese police departments that are taking on miniature cani…
North Korea Readies for Controversial Rocket Launch
Ryan McVay/Digital Vision/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — North Korea has moved a long-range rocket into place for a controversial launch later this month, the BBC reports. Pyongyang said the rocket will put a satellite into orbit, but opponents believe the na…
US Coast Guard Sinks Japanese Ghost Ship
File photo. iStockphoto/Thinkstock(SILVER SPRING, Md.) — The U.S. Coast Guard fired its guns on a derelict Japanese fishing boat Thursday, sinking it to the bottom of the ocean after a Canadian ship decided it wasn’t worth towing for salvage.Th…
More Radioactive Water Spotted Leaking from Japan’s Fukushima Plant
STR/AFP/Getty Images(TOKYO) — Radioactive water from Japan’s crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has leaked into the Pacific, yet again.Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) says workers spotted water spilling out of a broken …
Owner of Japanese Boat that Drifted to Canada Doesn’t Want It Back
Sankei via Getty Images(TOKYO) — The owner of an empty Japanese fishing boat that drifted across the Pacific after being washed away by the powerful tsunami last year, says he does not want the boat back, according to a Japanese Coast Guard official.T…