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Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+
Originally published Friday, March 9, 2012 at 5:32 AM
Seattle musicians blow 'Winds for Hope' to tsunami-struck Japan
Renowned jazz composer Toshiko Akiyoshi and other prominent musicians will play a March 11, 2012, Benaroya Hall concert to raise money to replace schools' musical instruments lost in the 2011 Tohoku tsunami. Joining the "Winds for Hope" effort: Ko-Ichiro Yamamoto, Eric Miyashiro, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Lew Tabackin and the Washington Wind Ensemble.
Sunday, March 11th marks the one-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan. Public opinion remains varied as the nation looks back upon the unexpected events of the past year.
Sunday marks the first anniversary of the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan.
However, local communities are still working hard to recover from the disaster. Many displaced people are having a hard time finding work and getting back on their feet.
Sunday, March 11, 2012 05:49 +0900 (JST) http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120311_02.html
One year after disaster
About 300 relief volunteers gathered at the beach and prayed for victims of the tsunami in Minamisanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture, at sunrise just before 6 AM on Sunday.
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who was the first foreign leader to visit areas affected by last March's disaster, has extended her condolences to the victims and their families.
Emperor Akihito has called on people to have sympathy for the sufferers of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and to continue to work to improve the situation in affected areas.
Sunday, March 11, 2012 16:49 +0900 (JST) http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120311_16.html
Prayers offered at memorial ceremony
The government has held a ceremony to remember the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan a year ago.
Sunday, March 11, 2012 18:25 +0900 (JST) http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120311_19.html
Foreign media cover disaster anniversary
Foreign media have covered the first anniversary of the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan a year ago.
About 45,000 people have attended a memorial service for the victims of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan one year ago.
MARCH 11--ONE YEAR ON / Frustrated with slow recovery / Leaders in quake-hit prefectures see little or moderate progress
Most leaders of Fukushima Prefecture municipalities affected by the March 11 disaster and ensuing nuclear crisis believe reconstruction has been too slow, but local government leaders in Iwate and Miyagi prefectures are more positive about progress in the recovery from the disaster, according to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120310003226.htm
MARCH 11--ONE YEAR ON / Fishery community battles back
MARCH 11--ONE YEAR ON / 20,000 households in disaster-hit areas may face relocation
Of 37 municipalities in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures surveyed by The Yomiuri Shimbun, 29 city, town and village governments are planning to relocate inland or to higher ground, or are considering it.
MARCH 11--ONE YEAR ON / City shifts to higher ground, goes high-tech / Tsunami-hit Higashi-Matsushima relocates, plans to set up online medical, welfare services for residents
Regions devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami have started developing new towns to recover from the damage. On March 2, the central government decided on the first allocation of restoration subsidies for projects such as the collective relocation of residents to protect them from future disasters. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120310002577.htm
ONE YEAR AFTER THE DISASTER / Recovery continues, step by step / Graduation ceremony held in tsunami-damaged school; bus removed from building
From graduation ceremonies to the removal of a bus that had been stranded on top of a two-story building by the March 11 tsunami, many people in disaster-hit areas spent Saturday at events that marked another step toward regaining a sense of normalcy ahead of Sunday's first anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
MARCH 11--ONE YEAR ON / Many mementos awaiting their owners
The owners of at least 2.2 million mementos recovered from debris in areas devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake have still not been identified, according to municipal governments in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures.
MARCH 11--ONE YEAR ON / Memorial Mass, concert held in Paris
PARIS--A memorial Mass for victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake and a concert by Japanese students were held at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Friday, ahead of the one year anniversary of the disaster.
Tokyo towers lit up to honor tsunami, bombing victims
Two eye-catching Tokyo illumination events were being held March 10-11 to commemorate a pair of devastating events in Japan's history--one that took place just a year ago and the other that occurred 67 years ago. http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203110030
Japan marks one year since quake, tsunami disaster
*THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Japan on March 11 was remembering the massive earthquake and tsunami on that struck the nation one year ago, killing just over 19,000 people and unleashing the world's worst nuclear crisis in a quarter century.
Close to Rikuzen-takata, Iwate Prefecture, still traces of the tsunami and signs of nature's progress: migrating geese feeding in a muddy field by abandoned, crushed trailer (Photo by The Asahi Shimbun/Louis Templado) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203110021
REMEMBERING 3/11: Disaster survivors feel spirits of loved ones calling out to them
Kanon Kumagai was pushing herself to the limit in a long-distance race at a school event last November when she "felt" her parents and older sister--who all perished in last year's disaster--egging her on.
Kanon Kumagai now lives with her grandmother as the home where she lived with her parents and older sister was swept away by last year's tsunami. (Naoko Kawamura) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203110019
REMEMBERING 3/11: Photographer on mission to convey disaster zone to the world
Atop the rubble was a stuffed animal, its head long gone--a teddy bear perhaps? A child must have held it in a loving embrace until the final moment.
A stuffed animal placed at the spot where Ueda's mother is believed to have been swept away by the March 11, 2011, tsunami. (Satoshi Ueda) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203110012
Business leaders concerned about declining population in Tohoku
Business owners in quake-hit areas of Tohoku are haunted by concerns about the long-term viability of their communities, despite the positive effects of the billions of yen being pumped into post-quake reconstruction.
Work continues in Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture, to remove buildings damaged by last year's quake and tsunami. (The Asahi Shimbun) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203110053
Residents of tsunami-hit Tohoku city recall those lost on 3/11
RIKUZENTAKATA, Iwate Prefecture--Naoya Okamoto, who saw his high school washed away in the tsunami spawned by last year's Great East Japan Earthquake, returned here on March 11 to help him forget the past.
Mourners in black head to the ceremony past the ruins of the town in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, on March 11. (Louis Templado) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203110056
Japan observes a moment of silence for quake, tsunami victims
Through silence and prayers, people across Japan on March 11 remembered the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck the nation one year ago, killing just over 19,000 people and unleashing the world's worst nuclear crisis in a quarter century.
Japan observes moment of silence for disaster victims
Emperor Akihito and Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda attended a memorial ceremony in Tokyo on March 11, as people across Japan remembered the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck one year ago, killing more than 19,000 people.
Survey: Evacuees struggling with torn families, employment
Nearly one-third of people who evacuated after the Tohoku disaster struck a year ago have seen their families torn apart, while about 40 percent lost their jobs, businesses or income, according to an Asahi Shimbun survey.
Only the foundations of homes remain in the Arahama district of Wakabayashi Ward in Sendai on March 10. (Takaharu Yagi) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203110044
3/11 FOR FOREIGNERS(1): Monkey Majik members trade guitars for shovels to help out
When push came to shove, members of the Sendai-based rock band Monkey Majik put down their guitars and backed up the messages of love they sing about with action.
Brothers Maynard Plant, left, and Blaise Plant of Monkey Majik give their account of the March 11 earthquake and the emotional year that followed at a Sendai studio on Feb. 14. (Hiroshi Matsubara) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203110005
French comic writer calls on artists to draw for post-quake Japan
When the Great East Japan Earthquake hit northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, French comic book writer Jean David Morvan felt a big tremor in the fashionable Kichijoji district of Musashino in Tokyo.
a bus removes
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1st anniversary of March 11
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Editorial: Japan must lead in NPO revolution
We have reached the one-year anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami -- let us pray once again for the souls of those who lost their lives to the disaster, and for the recovery of the devastated Tohoku region and Japan as a nation.
Tohoku sees signs of growth in auto industry after quake
TOME (Kyodo) -- To Matsushita Toso, a small auto surface treatment company in Tome, Miyagi Prefecture, the shiny black metal parts hanging at its newly introduced line are a sign of the Japanese auto industry's growth and recovery from the March 11, 2011 earthquake.
Soccer: FIFA sends message of condolence to mark March 11 tragedy
LONDON (Kyodo) -- FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Saturday he has sent a letter of condolence to the Japan Football Association to mark the first anniversary of the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan.
Miyagi, Iwate governors thank China for post-quake assistance
BEIJING (Kyodo) -- The governors of Miyagi and Iwate prefectures have expressed gratitude to China for the assistance it provided to the northeastern Japan prefectures following last year's massive earthquake and tsunami in messages posted on the websites of Xinhua News Agency and the People's Daily.
Japan marks 1 year from quake-tsunami disaster, nuclear crisis
SENDAI (Kyodo) -- Japan marked the one-year anniversary Sunday of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated the country's northeastern region, left around 19,000 people dead or missing, and triggered the world's worst nuclear crisis since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
Temple makes religious statues from fallen trees in disaster-stricken city
NAGANO -- A Buddhist temple here has made several wooden "Jizo," or guardian Buddhist deity statues, out of fallen trees from disaster-stricken Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, planning to send some to the city in hopes of a fast recovery.
British, Australian leaders praise Japan on anniversary of disaster
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The leaders of Britain and Australia offered words of praise and encouragement to Japan as the country marked Sunday the one-year anniversary of the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan last March 11.
Noda vows to achieve speedy reconstruction of disaster-hit areas
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda vowed Sunday, at a government-hosted ceremony to commemorate the first anniversary of the catastrophe, to continue making every effort to achieve speedy reconstruction of areas ravaged by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Australia Offers Condolences to Japan Disaster Victims
Sydney, March 11 (Jiji Press)--Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard offered her condolences on Sunday to the victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated the northeastern Japan coast one year ago.
With Prayers, Japan Marks Anniversary of Quake, Tsunami
Tokyo, March 11 (Jiji Press)--With silent prayers and renewed determination for reconstruction, Japan marked the first anniversary Sunday of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that left about 19,000 people dead or missing and set off the nation's worst-ever nuclear crisis.
Grief, Resilience Mark Disaster Anniversary in Tohoku
Rikuzentakata, Iwate Pref., March 11 (Jiji Press)--Marking a day that has been seared in its collective memory, Japan paused Sunday to remember those who were killed by a gigantic earthquake and tsunami one year ago.
Tsunami survivor struggles to rebuild her life
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/q5ztvUZQTi0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> English
__________________________________________________ ________ Sankei news
Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+
Gov't panel cautions for tremors, tsunami
A panel of seismologists says caution continues to be needed for tremors and tsunami in areas near the epicenter of the earthquake that occurred in March of last year.
Thai children who lost their parents in the Indian Ocean tsunami 8 years ago have drawn pictures to encourage survivors of last year's earthquake and tsunami in northeast Japan.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Disaster Prevention Council in 2006 predicted a magnitude-7.3 earthquake could hit the metropolitan area. It estimated that the quake would mainly jolt the eastern part of Tokyo and would register an upper 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7.
Preparations necessary for level 7 quake in Tokyo Bay area
Old buildings must be reinforced and other antiseismic measures taken as soon as possible, after a science ministry research team said that tremors from a major predicted earthquake with its epicenter in northern Tokyo Bay are likely to be a level seven on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, greater than previously predicted. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120309006889.htm
ONE YEAR AFTER THE DISASTER / Doctor shortage raises concerns in Tohoku / Patients in desperate need of diverse medical treatment
"Your neutral fat level is a bit high. You should start walking when spring arrives," Dr. Minoru Kawashima recently advised a woman in her 60s. He also asked her if she was suffering from hay fever when he examined her at a hospital in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, which is still recovering from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
ONE YEAR AFTER THE DISASTER / 231 strong aftershocks recorded after March 11
As of Wednesday, 231 aftershocks measuring 4 or higher on the Japanese seismic scale of 7 had occurred since the Great East Japan Earthquake, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120309005978.htm
Record high for youth suicide / Suicide rates among students increased nearly 11% last year
The number of students who committed suicide last year in the country hit a record figure of 1,029, up 101 cases or 10.9 percent from the previous year, the National Police Agency said Friday.
INTERVIEW/ Takashi Murakami: 3/11 brings Japan's subculture into perspective
After the Great East Japan Earthquake last March, the artist Takashi Murakami has been involved in various efforts to assist the victims of the quake and tsunami.
Toyota to increase production of Aqua compacts in Tohoku
Toyota Motor Corp. plans to bolster production of the Aqua compact hybrid vehicle, assembled only in the quake-hit Tohoku region, by up to 20 percent from May.
Uniqlo opens temporary outlets in disaster-hit cities
Instead of comfort food, major casual retailer Uniqlo Co. is bringing "comfort clothing" to disaster-hit Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, and Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture, with the opening of temporary stores on March 9. <iframe width="300" height="233" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dCd0u5ubQx8?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Shoppers walk into a newly opened Uniqlo shop in Kesennuma on March 9. (Shiro Nishihata) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203100007
REMEMBERING 3/11: 260,000 survivors remain in temporary housing
One year after the March 11 quake and tsunami, about 260,000 people in the stricken Tohoku region are still living in temporary housing, and the urgency is growing to secure them permanent places to call home.
Makeshift housing units built in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, are part of a total of 52,000 units constructed for survivors of the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami last year. (Asahi Shimbun file photo) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203100011
__________________________________________________ ___________ Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)
Editorial: Prep for big Tokyo quake pressing issue on 1st anniversary of 3/11
In the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami of March 2011, concerns have been growing over the possibility of another major earthquake striking Japan's capital. Experts point out that the forces exerted on the Earth's crust have changed, making it easier for an earthquake to occur. Preparation for a major temblor in the capital, Japan's political and economic nerve center, demands urgent attention.
Tornado survivor to bring 'Stars of Hope' to Japan's tsunami victims
NEW YORK (Kyodo) -- For the past week, Matt Deighton has been consumed with his dream of giving 14 wooden stars made by American disaster survivors as a gift to the Japanese victims of the earthquake and tsunami on March 11 last year.
Many in metropolitan area still reeling from liquefaction damage
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Nearly a year after the March 11, 2011, massive earthquake struck Japan, many residents in the Tokyo metropolitan area are still reeling from liquefaction damage that was caused to their homes, roads, gas pipes and sewage systems.
March 11 disaster causes 644 corporate bankruptcies in 40 prefectures
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A total of 644 companies have gone bankrupt in 40 of Japan's 47 prefectures in connection with last March's massive earthquake and tsunami, testifying to much wider effects of the disaster than those of the Great Hanshin Earthquake in January 1995, a credit research agency said Friday.
Toyota unit to transfer Ractis output to Shizuoka from Iwate
NAGOYA (Kyodo) -- A unit of Toyota Motor Corp. will transfer the production of Toyota's Ractis subcompact car from Iwate Prefecture to Shizuoka Prefecture to respond to a production increase in the Aqua compact hybrid, Kanto Auto Works Ltd. President Tetsuo Hattori said Friday.
Toyota to increase 'Aqua' hybrid production in disaster-hit Iwate Pref.
Facing an order backlog, Toyota Motor Corp. is set to boost domestic production of its popular Aqua hybrid car at a plant in disaster-hit Iwate Prefecture, the president of a Toyota production subsidiary said.
Major Tokyo train services to stop at 2:46 p.m. Sunday in drill
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Major private railway companies servicing the greater Tokyo area will briefly halt their trains Sunday afternoon as part of disaster drills on the first anniversary of March 11 quake-tsunami disaster last year, companies said Saturday.
Japan embassy puts newspaper ad to thank France for disaster aid
PARIS (Kyodo) -- The Japanese Embassy in France has reiterated Japan's gratitude for a disaster aid received from France by putting an ad in a Saturday edition of the French daily Le Monde on the eve of the first anniversary of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami disaster.
WASHINGTON (Kyodo) -- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda pledged to overcome various challenges stemming from last year's catastrophe and build "a new Japan" in an ad in a Friday online edition of the Washington Post on the eve of the first anniversary of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami disaster.
U.S. reaffirms friendship ahead of Japan's March 2011 quake anniv.
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reaffirmed "deep and lasting friendship" with Japan in a video message released Friday, two days before the first anniversary of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
Obama praises Japan's resilience, fortitude on quake anniv.
WASHINGTON (Kyodo) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday issued a statement on the first anniversary of the March 11 devastating earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan, praising the Japanese people's fortitude and resilience.
Emperor to attend ceremony Sunday to commemorate disaster victims
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japanese Emperor Akihito, who is recuperating from heart surgery, will attend a ceremony Sunday in Tokyo commemorating the victims of last March's earthquake and tsunami, the Imperial Household Agency said Friday.
Japan to mark 1st anniversary of quake, tsunami that killed thousands
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan will mark on Sunday the first anniversary of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated the country's northeastern shores, left about 19,000 people dead or missing, and triggered the world's worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
Japan tourism making recovery 1 year after disaster, but return of S. Korean visitors slow
The number of foreign visitors to Japan is making a sound recovery as the country prepares to mark the first anniversary of the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami that triggered the disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant. However, while Japan welcomes a steady influx of tourists from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, the number of visitors from South Korea, which accounts for a major share of Japan's tourism market, has yet to show a marked recovery.
Aung San Suu Kyi gives message of hope to Japan's disaster orphans
Myanmar's pro-democracy movement leader Aung San Suu Kyi has given a message of hope to children orphaned by the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, as Japan prepares to mark the first anniversary of the disaster.
90 percent of those missing in 3/11 disasters registered as dead
Of the 3,151 people still missing in the three prefectures worst hit by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, local authorities have accepted obituary notices for 2,860 -- or just over 90 percent of the total -- the Mainichi learned on March 9. http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/natio...na013000c.html
INTERVIEW: Miyagi Gov. Urges Better Homes, Jobs for Disaster Victims
Sendai, Miyagi Pref., March 10 (Jiji Press)--Yoshihiro Murai, governor of Miyagi Prefecture, has underscored the need to put priority on providing residential safety and jobs to victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Japanese Disaster Victims to Thank Taiwan in Commercial
Taipei, March 10 (Jiji Press)--A television commercial featuring survivors of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan will be broadcast through major networks in Taiwan to show their gratitude to assistance from the people of the island.
Over 90 Pct of Japanese Have Good Impression of SDF: Poll
Tokyo, March 10 (Jiji Press)--Over 90 pct of Japanese people have a favorable impression of the Self-Defense Forces, apparently reflecting a positive evaluation of SDF relief activities after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, a Cabinet Office survey revealed Saturday.
Japan Disaster Memorial Events Held in U.S. Cities
New York/Los Angeles, March 10 (Jiji Press)--Memorial events to mark the first anniversary of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan were held in the United States Saturday.
Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+
US pupils send video message to disaster-hit Iwate
Elementary school students in the US state of New Jersey have made a video message to encourage children in a town in northeastern Japan hit hard by last year's tsunami.
A photo exhibition has begun in Berlin that depicts last year's earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan, as well as people recovering from the disasters.
Music students from L'Aquila, Italy, have performed songs to encourage Japan's recovery at an event in Rome held ahead of the anniversary of the March 11th disaster.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says the United Nations will continue to support the reconstruction efforts for the March 11th earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.
The Tokyo Fire Department demonstrated its new earthquake simulator on Friday. It invited the media to its disaster prevention center in central Tokyo to try the machine.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released a video message for Japan on Friday, two days before the first anniversary of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Emperor Akihito plans to attend a memorial service on Sunday for March 11th disaster victims, one week after leaving hospital where he underwent a heart operation.
Editorial: Govt, private sectors must create jobs in disaster areas
Rehabilitation of companies damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake has been grossly delayed. To reconstruct regions devastated by last year's disaster, it is imperative to restore industries and secure job opportunities there.
Job recovery slow in Tohoku / Residents fearful as unemployment benefits expire
Nearly one year since the Great East Japan Earthquake, the unemployment situation in the Tohoku region is still dire, particularly in the severely hit Pacific coastal area, where about 65,000 people are still looking for jobs, according to the labor ministry. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/T120308005751.htm
GDP revised to 0.7% annual drop
The nation's economy shrank 0.7 percent in the October-December quarter on an annualized basis, revised upward from the initially estimated 2.3 percent drop, the government said Thursday.
Police to ban cars on 52 routes during major quake
The National Police Agency said Thursday it would ban the passage of regular vehicles on 52 expressway routes and other roads extending a total of 1,770 kilometers if a major earthquake directly hits the greater Tokyo area. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120308006607.htm
Keene becomes Japanese citizen
Donald Keene, a prominent scholar of Japanese literature and culture, has been granted Japanese citizenship, the Justice Ministry announced in a government gazette issued Thursday.
Parts of the Tokyo metropolitan area could be shaken to the maximum level of 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale in the event of a major quake with its focus under northern Tokyo Bay, according to a new map by a science ministry research team. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120308006605.htm
After quake, SDF face high trauma risk
Some Self-Defense Forces personnel dispatched to areas hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake have a high risk of suffering from trauma or depression, according to a survey conducted by the Defense Ministry.
ONE YEAR AFTER THE DISASTER / Aging complicates relocation
"Even though it's small, I want to live in my 'real home' as soon as possible. Until relocation sites are decided, we can't move forward," a participant said at a recent meeting on relocation in disaster-hit areas.
ONE YEAR AFTER THE DISASTER / No. of tsunami buildings rises
An increasing number of local governments have designated "tsunami evacuation" buildings and other structures to serve as temporary shelters from tsunami for residents living in coastal municipalities.
REMEMBERING 3/11: A year later, heroic little paper clings to life
Reporter Hiroyuki Yokoi has had a lot to write about the past 12 months: He saw his town washed away by the March 11 tsunami, his family briefly fled into his boss’s office and--in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake that claimed his town--he found a fiancee. But thinking back on the stories of the past year, he says it was Valentine’s Day at a local cake shop last month that he found most moving.
The Ishinomaki Hibi Shinbun newsroom just before deadline (Louis Templado)
A handwritten copy of the Ishinomaki Hibi Shinbun extra edition posted at the Ishinomaki city hall on March 18. The banner head reads: "Helping one another to overcome." (Takaharu Yagi) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203090001
REMEMBERING 3/11: Children to hold concert using donated instruments
HANAMAKI, Iwate Prefecture--A children’s orchestra formed after the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake and equipped with musical instruments donated from around Asia will hold its first concert on the one-year anniversary of the disaster.
Members of the Venus Junior Orchestra receive instructions from Shinichi Minami in Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture, on March 7. (Hiroshi Tataki) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203090011
Donald Keene acquires Japanese citizenship
Donald Keene, a famed U.S.-born scholar of Japanese literature, acquired Japanese citizenship on March 8 and urged his new homeland not to forget about disaster victims in the Tohoku region. http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_...AJ201203090029 welcome to Japan!
__________________________________________________ ____ ANN
Reconstruction Journey by Fixed Point camera
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Japanese town haunted by loss a year after tsunami
MINAMISANRIKU, Japan (AP) -- The squat 71-year-old fisherman turns his ruddy, weathered face toward the top of the hillside cemetery. With a heavy heart, he climbs steadily past row after row of tall tombstones, a bucket of water in each hand.
FamilyMart to use 'citizens funds' to help disaster-hit firms
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Convenience store chain FamilyMart Co. plans to use so-called "citizens funds" to financially support food producers hit by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan, company sources said Thursday.
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's key money supply index continued to rise in February, gaining 2.9 percent from a year earlier, signaling the continuing trend of companies and individuals keeping cash on hand, the Bank of Japan said Friday.
Nikkei briefly tops 10,000 for 1st time in 7 months
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Nikkei index briefly topped the 10,000 line Friday for the first time in seven months as Tokyo stocks surged in heavy trading as sentiment was buoyed amid an easing of concern over the Greek debt crisis and its impact on the global financial system.
Thai premier visits quake-hit city in Miyagi Pref. to encourage victims
SENDAI (Kyodo) -- Visiting Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra traveled to the city of Natori, Miyagi Prefecture, on Thursday to encourage local people affected by the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami.
Japan vows to be active in foreign development aid
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan said Friday it remains committed to actively providing foreign development aid, although the country is still struggling to rebuild itself from last year's catastrophic earthquake.
Emperor likely to attend memorial service on 1st quake anniv.
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Emperor Akihito is likely to attend a government-sponsored memorial service in Tokyo on Sunday to commemorate victims of last March's earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan, Imperial Household Agency officials said Thursday.
Japan emperor undergoes checkup ahead of quake memorial ceremony
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japanese Emperor Akihito, who is recuperating from heart surgery, underwent a checkup Friday before deciding whether to attend a ceremony Sunday in tribute to the victims of the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami, Imperial Household Agency sources said.
Recovered remains of around 480 persons unidentified
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The bodies or remains of 15,786 people have been recovered in the March disaster-hit Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures as of Feb. 29, of which 478 remain unidentified, according to National Police Agency data made available Thursday.
GSDF calls for care of members' stress from quake rescue operations
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Ground Self-Defense Force on Thursday emphasized the need to deal more carefully with its officers' stress from their rescue operations following the earthquake and tsunami disaster last March.
Number of suicides jumped shortly after March quake in 2011
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The number of suicides rose sharply in May last year, a police survey showed Friday, and the government suspects that economic hardship in the aftermath of the March 2011 earthquake was responsible for the spike.
Police, coast guard launch 3-day search for missing in Iwate Pref.
MORIOKA (Kyodo) -- Police and coast guard on Friday launched a three-day intensive search for people who remain missing in Iwate Prefecture after last year's March 11 earthquake and tsunami disaster.
Signboard built amid ruins in disaster-stricken Ishinomaki becomes symbol of hope
ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi -- "Hang in there, Ishinomaki!"
Amid remnants of houses, shops, and memories in the city of Ishinomaki, destroyed by the magnitude-9 earthquake that struck off the northeastern coast of Japan, triggering a series of massive tsunami on March 11, 2011, a signboard was built to give hope to people in the desire that one day their nightmare would end. http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/natio...na009000c.html
Scholar Donald Keene speaks of 3.11 disasters as he celebrates obtaining Japanese nationality
Prominent Japanologist Donald Keene celebrated his newly obtained Japanese nationality as he also spoke critically about Japanese society a year after the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, during a press conference in Tokyo on March 8.
Japan Thanks South Koreans for Prompt Relief Aid in March 2011 Disaster
Seoul, March 9 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese embassy in Seoul expressed through newspaper advertisements Japan's gratitude for the South Korean people's "warm" support in the aftermath of the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami on March 11 last year.
Tokyo, March 9 (Jiji Press)--The number of people who committed suicide in Japan unusually soared in May last year, a government analytical report showed Friday.
Memorial Ceremonies to Be Held Sunday for March 11 Victims
Tokyo, March 9 (Jiji Press)--Memorial ceremonies will be held in Japan on Sunday for those who died as a result of the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami of March 11 last year.
INTERVIEW: Int'l Red Cross Meeting to Be Held in Tokyo in May
Tokyo, March 9 (Jiji Press)--The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies plans to hold a conference in Tokyo in May to discuss health measures that should be taken after a nuclear disaster, the federation's president, Tadateru Konoe, has said in a recent interview with Jiji Press.
Tokyo, March 9 (Jiji Press)--The U.S. embassy here issued a statement Friday demonstrating the country's resolve to continue supporting Japan ahead of the first anniversary of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan.
Japan's Emperor to Attend March 11 Memorial Ceremony
Tokyo, March 9 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese Imperial Household Agency said Friday that Emperor Akihito will participate in a government-sponsored memorial ceremony on Sunday for those who died in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami last year.
Clinton Hopes for Deeper U.S.-Japan Ties A Year after Disaster
Tokyo, March 9 (Jiji Press)--U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed her hope for even stronger ties between the United States and Japan in a video message unveiled on Friday ahead of the one-year anniversary of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan.
Obama Inspired by Japan's Fortitude to Overcome Disaster
Washington, March 9 (Jiji Press)--U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday praised the Japanese people's "extraordinary fortitude" toward reconstruction after the devastating earthquake and subsequent monster tsunami hit the nation's northeastern region a year ago.
Noda Vows to "Build New Japan" after March 11 Disaster
Washington, March 9 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda expressed determination to "build a new Japan," in a contribution to The Washington Post ahead of the first anniversary Sunday of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Aerials of the moment the tsunami hit Japan
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'Years' for Japan communities to rebuild: Red Cross
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Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+
SDF members suffer stress after disaster relief
A survey has found that many Self-Defense Force members engaged in rescue operations after the March 11th disaster suffered psychological stress that could lead to mental disorders.
Thursday, March 08, 2012 09:56 +0900 (JST) http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120308_11.html
Highway traffic banned in future Tokyo quake
Traffic on 52 major roads in and around Tokyo will be restricted to emergency vehicles in the event of a major earthquake hitting the capital.
.....The Crown Prince expressed his gratitude for donations and support extended by the Thai royal family and government in the wake of the March 11th disaster.
A total of 1,046 people aged 19 or younger died or went missing in the three prefectures hit hardest by the Great East Japan Earthquake, and nearly two-thirds of the victims were aged 60 or older, according to the National Police Agency. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120307006207.htm
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Japan, Thailand to cooperate on disaster response measures
Tokyo and Bangkok have agreed to work closely on responding to natural disasters as part of efforts to encourage Japanese companies to return to Thailand.
REMEMBERING 3/11: Photos capture disaster zones now and then
A fishing vessel washed ashore by the tsunami, a train car lifted from its tracks by a wall of waves and a dimly lit gym packed with evacuees are some of the images forever etched in memory after the devastation wrought by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami last year.
Above left: The No. 18 Kyotoku Maru remains effectively intact in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, on March 3, a year after it was washed ashore by the tsunami. It has yet to be decided whether to scrap or preserve the 50-meter-long, 10-meter-wide fishing vessel. (Eiji Hori); right: The area around the No. 18 Kyotoku Maru is covered with water, with plumes of smoke rising due to fires, on March 12, 2011. (The Asahi Shimbun)
Top: Laughter from students taking a PE class echoes in the gym of Utatsu Junior High School in Minami-Sanriku, Miyagi Prefecture, on Feb. 28. (Shogo Koshida); bottom: The gym, which served as an evacuation shelter, is dimly lit due to a power outage on March 14, 2011. A graduation ceremony was originally scheduled to be held there March 12. (The Asahi Shimbun)
Top: A street has been cleared of rubble in Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture. (Toshiyuki Hayashi); bottom: Damaged firetrucks block the same debris-covered street on March 13, 2011. (The Asahi Shimbun)
Top: A fallen train car has been removed from the tracks of the JR Ishinomaki Line in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture. The repairing of headstones in a cemetery and the clearing of damaged houses are nearly complete. (Minako Yoshimoto); bottom: A train car remains on its side on March 26, 2011, 15 days after being left there from the tsunami. (The Asahi Shimbun)
Top: A lot for rubble collection has been set up in a residential area in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, for damaged and destroyed houses. (Toshiyuki Hayashi); bottom: The devastated area is blanketed by snow on March 16, 2011. (The Asahi Shimbun)
Scientists upgrade risk of massive earthquake shocks hitting Tokyo
A magnitude-7 class earthquake in Tokyo Bay could cause much stronger shocks than previously thought, according to the science ministry.
Participants in an evacuation drill line up at JR Shinagawa Station in Tokyo's Minato Ward on Sept. 1, 2011. (Hiroki Endo) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203080074
As lone pine withers, thoughts turn to how to replace it
RIKUZENTAKATA, Iwate Prefecture--For nearly a year, the “miracle pine” has stood as an imperfect symbol of hope amid the devastation wrought by the Great East Japan Earthquake. http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203080085
__________________________________________________ __________ Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)
Japan bankruptcies rise for 1st time in 3 months in Feb.
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The number of corporate bankruptcies in Japan in February increased 5.1 percent from a year earlier to 1,038 for the first rise in three months, a credit research agency said Thursday.
Japan bank lending rises 0.8% in Feb., up for 5th straight month
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The average daily balance of Japanese bank lending grew 0.8 percent in February from a year earlier to 395.27 trillion yen for the fifth straight monthly increase, with steady demand for business funds seen in areas hit by the massive earthquake in March last year, the Bank of Japan said Thursday.
Feb. economy watcher survey shows brighter outlook for Japan economy
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Business confidence among people with jobs sensitive to economic conditions in Japan improved last month as the sharp appreciation of the yen subsided, while a leading index signaled strong expansion in the near future for the first time in nearly five years, the government said Thursday.
EU voices sympathies before 1st anniversary of Japan's disaster
BRUSSELS (Kyodo) -- The European Union on Wednesday issued a statement before the first anniversary of Japan's March 11, 2011, disaster, expressing its "deepest sympathies" for those touched by it.
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Monetary and other donations for survivors of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami have surpassed 500 billion yen, and around 1 million volunteers are believed to have contributed to relief activities so far in the three most devastated prefectures, a Kyodo News tally showed Wednesday.
Japan, Thailand agree to cooperate on disaster management
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan and Thailand agreed Wednesday to cooperate closely on disaster management to ensure their economies become more resilient and interdependent.
Lower house to pass FY 2012 budget amid protest from opposition camp
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The lower house of the Japanese parliament will approve a 90.33 trillion yen ($1.1 trillion) draft budget for fiscal 2012 on Thursday, but opposition parties will protest the move, making it harder for the government to have the Diet enact the bill before the new fiscal year starts April 1.
Traffic to be banned on 52 roads in event of major Tokyo quake
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's National Police Agency on Thursday unveiled a plan to ban road traffic on a total of 52 expressway and conventional highway routes in the event of a major earthquake with a magnitude of around 7 striking the country's capital and its vicinity.
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Prominent Japanese literature scholar Donald Keene has been granted Japanese nationality, according to the government gazette issued Thursday.
Population in 3 disaster-hit prefectures drops by more than 80,000
The population in the three prefectures worst-hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami has dropped by more than 80,000 since the March 2011 disasters, according to a government estimate.
Japan Draws Up Extensive Traffic Control Plan for Tokyo Quakes
Tokyo, March 8 (Jiji Press)--Japanese police on Thursday released an extensive traffic control plan that will affect drivers in as many as 11 prefectures in case that a strong inland earthquake hits Tokyo.
Japan Police Eye 10,000-Strong Initial Disaster Response Units
Tokyo, March 8 (Jiji Press)--Japan's National Police Agency decided Thursday to immediately dispatch over 10,000 policemen to areas hit by a massive natural disaster.
Tokyo, March 8 (Jiji Press)-- Donald Keene, a leading scholar of Japanese literature, has obtained Japanese citizenship, the Justice Ministry said in a state gazette Thursday.
INTERVIEW: Japan Reconstruction Agency to Act for Disaster Areas
Tokyo, March 8 (Jiji Press)--Japan's new Reconstruction Agency will act as "a proxy" for municipalities in areas hit hard by a powerful earthquake and tsunami in March last year, Reconstruction Minister Tatsuo Hirano said.
One Year On: Recovery Work Still Continues at Disaster-Hit Factories
Tokyo, March 8 (Jiji Press)--Almost a year after the monster earthquake and tsunami struck the Tohoku northeastern Japan region on March 11, 2011, work is still under way to restore damaged factories and other facilities there.
(Update) Donald Keene Obtains Japanese Citizenship
Tokyo, March 8 (Jiji Press)--Donald Keene, a leading scholar of Japanese literature, has obtained Japanese citizenship, the Justice Ministry said in a state gazette Thursday.
A Japanese seismologist says the March 11th earthquake triggered about 80 separate quakes, one of them as far as 1,300 kilometers away from the original quake's epicenter.
Wednesday, March 07, 2012 16:46 +0900 (JST) http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120307_30.html
Quake epicenter to be shallower than estimated
A government team of earthquake experts says an expected powerful earthquake in northern Tokyo Bay would have an epicenter shallower than earlier estimated.
The prime ministers of Japan and Thailand have agreed to cooperate closely on disaster management and post-disaster reconstruction, based on Japan's March 11th disaster and Thailand's floods last year.
Japan and other Asian nations will take part in natural disaster preparedness exercises as part of an annual joint military drill between the United States and the Philippines.
Govt to send finance experts to disaster-hit municipalities
The government has announced it will send consultants and experts on the private finance initiative (PFI) method to municipalities hard-hit by the March 11 disaster starting in fiscal 2012, to promote rebuilding using private-sector funds and offer managerial expertise.
REVITALIZING JAPAN -- Creative use of land / Coordination needed to create hub ports
The following is the eighth installment in the "Creative use of land" section of a series of articles examining ways to restore Japan's vitality. This article looks at problems concerning the nation's commercial ports.
Japan Red Cross says whole year wasted in post-tsunami rebuilding
*REUTERS
The Japanese Red Cross said on March 7 an entire year has been lost in rebuilding tsunami-ravaged areas of the country because the central government and local authorities had failed to agree on a "master plan".
INSIGHT/ Japan missed tsunami wake-up call for change
*REUTERS
Three months after Japan's March 11 triple disaster, a long-time expert on the country arrived in Tokyo to research a book he intended to entitle "Rebirth of a Nation."
KESENNUMA, Miyagi Prefecture--It's not the Rias Ark Museum of Art's usual pieces, but the barrels that have swollen due to heat, stuffed animals and dolls covered with mud and downed traffic lights will make a powerful impact on museum-goers.
Objects that were washed away by the March 11 tsunami but were later collected by the staff of the Rias Ark Museum of Art (Shogo Koshida) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203070008
REMEMBERING 3/11: Boy's photos allow him to return to happier times
ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi Prefecture--The weather had warmed up a bit on March 1, but Tetsuya Tadano decides to remain comfortably seated at a “kotatsu” (foot warmer table) covered by a quilt.
Tsunami-affected foreign women struggle to land caregiver job
KESENNUMA (Kyodo) -- Determined to rebuild their lives after the devastation brought by the earthquake and tsunami in northeast Japan last March 11, 24 foreign women in disaster-ravaged coastal areas are working hard to overcome language barriers and land jobs as caregivers in communities that face a severe shortage of such workers.
About 40% of tsunami survivors in Iwate, Miyagi suffer sleep disorders
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Many survivors of the March 2011 tsunami in Iwate and Miyagi prefectures are suffering from various health problems, with about four in every 10 suspected of having sleep disorders and many showing symptoms of anxiety and depression, a health ministry research team said in a survey report on Tuesday.
Over 70% of farmers in quake-hit area still feel negative effects: poll
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- More than 71 percent of farming households responding to a survey in the three prefectures most severely stricken by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami feel their business is still being affected by the quake and consequent nuclear crisis, the Development Bank of Japan poll showed Tuesday.
Plans to move tsunami-hit homes to safer ground still far from reach
SENDAI (Kyodo) -- Despite the government's efforts to promote mass relocation of homes damaged by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami to inland areas or higher ground, none of the affected municipalities had drawn up the necessary plans as of Wednesday, according to a Kyodo News tally.
Panel revises upward intensity of anticipated Tokyo Bay quake
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A government project team said Wednesday a magnitude 7 earthquake with its epicenter in northern Tokyo Bay would register the maximum 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale on the eastern coast of Tokyo, higher than an earlier estimated level of upper 6.
Miyagi governor to visit Japan's neighbors this year to promote tourism
Miyagi Gov. Yoshihiro Murai said March 7 that he will visit Taiwan, South Korea and China this year to help revitalize the local tourism industry, which has been seriously affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami and subsequent Fukushima nuclear crisis.
Evacuees from March 11 disasters losing hope of going home
Of those who have evacuated from areas hit hard by the Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear crisis, an increasing number are considering settling down in locations away from their hometowns, a Mainichi survey has found.
56 percent of quake, tsunami victims in 3 hardest-hit prefectures aged 65 or over
A total of 56.1 percent of the people in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures who died in the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami last year were aged 65 or over, National Police Agency (NPA) figures have shown.
Some SDF Troops Face High PTSD Risk after Disaster Missions
Tokyo, March 7 (Jiji Press)--Some Japanese Self-Defense Forces personnel were at high risk of suffering posttraumatic stress disorder after working in areas ravaged by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, it was revealed Wednesday.
Tokyo, March 7 (Jiji Press)--To prevent secondary disasters, municipalities across Japan, particularly those in regions hit by the massive earthquake last March, is giving keen attention to a novel slope-stabilizing method that is both eco- and budget-friendly.
INTERVIEW: Iwate Gov. Tasso Calls for Realistic Tsunami Drills
Morioka, Iwate Pref., March 7 (Jiji Press)--More practical and realistic evacuation drills are needed in areas that may be hit by tsunami, Takuya Tasso, governor of the northeastern Japan prefecture of Iwate said in a recent interview with Jiji Press.
Tokyo May Be Hit by Highest-Intesity Quake on Japan Scale
Tokyo, March 7 (Jiji Press)--Central Tokyo could be hit by a powerful earthquake measuring the highest on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7, against the previously estimated maximum of upper 6, a Japanese research team said Wednesday.
Half of Japanese See March 11 Memories Fading: Survey
Tokyo, March 7 (Jiji Press)--A Dentsu Inc. <4324> survey showed Wednesday that 50.2 pct of Japanese people think that the memories of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami last year are fading and the lessons learned from the disaster have not been adequately used to better prepare for a future disaster.
a lone pine tree
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14:34 JST 07 Mar 2012 39.2N 142.4E 30 km M4.1 Iwate-ken Oki
Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+
UNESCO tea ceremony marks March 11th disaster
The former master of a Japanese traditional tea family has conducted a tea ceremony at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, to commemorate the first anniversary of Japan's March 11th triple disaster.
Editorial: Close the gap between govt and disaster-hit areas
All supplementary budgets related to reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake have passed the Diet, and systems are ready to provide reconstruction subsidies and to designate special zones to expedite the rebuilding of disaster-hit areas. The Reconstruction Agency, which is supposed to serve as the government's control tower, was inaugurated on Feb. 10.
REVITALIZING JAPAN--Creative use of land / Hokkaido puts snow, remoteness to good use
The following is the seventh installment in the "Creative use of land" section of a series of articles examining ways to restore Japan's vitality. This article looks at how Hokkaido is putting its so-called disadvantages to good use.
ONE YEAR AFTER THE DISASTER / Tohoku's transportation woes / Depopulation, slow rebuilding are mutually reinforcing problems
"I can't live if a bus doesn't come," Katsumi Niinuma, 79, muttered in a temporary housing unit built on the grounds of Ofunato Middle School in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture.
Miyagi teen paints flower field of hope at disposal site
Sixteen-year-old Mizuki Kanda thinks about the loss of her grandfather, her friends and seniors at her high school--as she paints a field of colorful flowers on walls surrounding a rubble disposal site in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture.
Mizuki Kanda, left, while her family watches, paints a field of flowers on walls around a rubble disposal site in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture. (Shinichi Iizuka) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203060004
Photo exhibition on 3/11 disaster opens in Bangkok
BANGKOK--A photo exhibition on the destruction and misery caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake nearly a year ago opened here on March 5.
A crew member of a Thai broadcasting station shoots the photo exhibition on the Great East Japan Earthquake in Bangkok on March 5. (Takeshi Fujitani)
A woman looks at a photo in the “Great East Japan Earthquake Exhibition” in the Central World shopping mall in Bangkok on March 5. (Takeshi Fujitani) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203060014
Despite JR denials, Shinkansen deaths expected in quake
Despite safeguards put in by Japan Railways, more than 100 passengers are expected to be killed in derailments of Shinkansen bullet trains if a major earthquake strikes Tokyo, Osaka or Aichi prefectures, according to the Central Disaster Management Council.
A train runs on elevated tracks for the Tohoku Shinkansen Line in Sendai on March 3. (The Asahi Shimbun) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203060001
Party for baby whose birth saved father from tsunami
*REUTERS
MINAMI-SANRIKU, Miyagi Prefecture -- Searching through piles of bodies after the March 11 tsunami, Kenji Sato was struck by the thought -- he could easily have been one of them, had it not been for his son born earlier that day.
Tsunami hits town of Minami-Sanriku, Miyagi Prefecture on March 11, 2011. (Provided by Isao Takahashi) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203060073
PHOTO/ Cyndi Lauper serenades students in Ishinomaki
ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi Prefecture--American singer Cyndi Lauper brought smiles to children in this tsunami-hit city on March 5.
Cyndi Lauper poses for a photo with pupils at Okaido Elementary School in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on March 5. (Masaru Komiyaji)
Cyndi Lauper is greeted by pupils at Okaido Elementary School in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on March 5. (Masaru Komiyaji) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203060017
REMEMBERING 3/11: Victims' relatives seek accountability for deaths
The four steeplejacks from Hiroshima knew all about the dangers of working at great heights.
Yasunori Asajima points to a photo in Hiroshima on Feb. 28. “Most of these floorboards dropped to the ground,” he said. (Atsushi Matsukawa) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203060050
ESSAY/ Robert J. Benson: 'Why are you here?' A volunteer in Tohoku shares the journey of his heart
“Why are you here?” It was a reasonable question, but it still took me by surprise. Only days earlier, I was working in my law office in Los Angeles. Yet here I was, on a cold January day, sharing tea with a fisherman on the floor of his temporary home in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture. Not far away, we could see the harbor that had risen with terrifying force on March 11, 2011, destroying his house, his boat and his livelihood. http://ajw.asahi.com/article/views/AJ201203060077
__________________________________________________ Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)
UNICEF photo exhibition on March 11 disaster opens in New York
NEW YORK (Kyodo) -- A photo exhibition on last year's March 11 earthquake and tsunami disaster that hit northeastern Japan opened Monday in New York, featuring works depicting damage and affected children by news photographers and freelancers based in Japan.
Tohoku artists give performance at U.N. headquarters
NEW YORK (Kyodo) -- A group of traditional artists from Japan, mostly from the quake-hit Tohoku region in the country's northeast, performed Monday in New York in a show of solidarity with disaster victims around the world.
Cherry trees planted as tsunami caution for future generations
RIKUZENTAKATA (Kyodo) -- Residents of the tsunami-ravaged coastal city of Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture have launched a project to plant cherry trees marking the points where waves reached on March 11 last year to warn future generations about a repeat of the catastrophe.
Soccer: Miyagi among 5 venues proposed for Women's U-20 World Cup, Fukushima misses cut
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japan Football Association has proposed using Miyagi Stadium as one of five venues to host the Women's Under-20 World Cup this summer, JFA vice president Kozo Tashima said Monday.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The economic cost of disasters in 2011 was the highest in history -- with a pricetag of at least $380 billion, mainly due to earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand, a U.N. envoy said Monday.
Tsunami-hit region still suffering fall in population, revenue
SENDAI (Kyodo) -- Total population and tax revenue have plummeted in the tsunami-hit coastal area in northeastern Japan over the past year since the March 2011 catastrophe, raising concerns that the municipalities' reconstruction efforts may be hindered by their weak finances.
15 tsunami-hit schools to move to high ground, 38 staying put: Mainichi survey
Among 86 public elementary and junior-high schools in three prefectures hit hardest by the March 2011 tsunami, only 15 will be moved to higher ground, a Mainichi survey has found. http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/natio...na011000c.html
Tokyo, March 6 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Weathernews Inc. <4825> has launched a radar system to monitor tsunami in the event of major earthquake, company officials said.
Major Japan Firms See 27 Pct Profit Growth for FY 2012
Tokyo, March 6 (Jiji Press)--Recurring profits at 353 major companies outside the financial sector are expected to grow 27.0 pct in fiscal 2012, leading Japanese brokerage house Nomura Securities Co. said Tuesday.
INTERVIEW: Sendai Mayor Urges Govt to Pay Heed to Disaster Areas in Tax Hike
Sendai, Miyagi Pref., March 6 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government should give proper consideration to areas affected by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami last year in implementing proposed consumption tax hikes, Sendai Mayor Emiko Okuyama has said.
Sleep Disorders Major Problem among Displaced Disaster Victims
Tokyo, March 6 (Jiji Press)--Sleep disorders are a major health problem among March 11 disaster victims who have lost their livelihoods or ties with their communities, a health ministry survey revealed Tuesday.
70 Pct of Missing in March 11 Disaster Aged 60 or Over
Tokyo, March 6 (Jiji Press)--About 70 pct of people still unaccounted for in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami last year were aged 60 or over, police data showed Tuesday.
US singer Cyndi Lauper has brought smiles to Japanese children who survived last year's earthquake and tsunami. we love!
Monday, March 05, 2012 17:32 +0900 (JST) http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120305_24.html
__________________________________________________ ______ Yomiuri online
Editorial: Talks on revising Constitution should focus on emergencies
The ruling and opposition parties should take this opportunity to resume discussion on what shape the nation should take.
ONE YEAR AFTER THE DISASTER / Fishermen shifting to incorporation
"Please punch your time card when you leave the office," Kazuhiko Endo told 11 relatively young fishermen belonging to a fishery cooperative in Minami-Sanriku, Miyagi Prefecture, on Feb. 23.
LOS ANGELES--Offering thanks through traditional Japanese dance, Koichi Fukuchi traveled here to acknowledge the support the Tohoku region received from around the world over the past year.
Wakumizu Kagura Hozon-kai from Tono, Iwate Prefecture, presents a dance in Los Angeles on March 2. (The Asahi Shimbun) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203050006
REMEMBERING 3/11: Woman lost mother, gave birth on fateful day
MIYAKO, Iwate Prefecture--To Etsuko Shimosawa, her baby Sakura, born 30 minutes before the Great East Japan Earthquake struck, may be the reincarnation of her late mother she first met only three months before the disaster.
Etsuko Shimosawa lifts Sakura in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, on Feb. 17, as her husband, Hiroki, looks on. (Shingo Kuzutani) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203050003
Memorial services held in disaster areas
Memorial services were held across the devastated Tohoku region on March 4 to mark last year's disaster that claimed some 20,000 lives.
Participants at a memorial service held in the Ishinomaki city government’s Kitakami Sogo branch office on March 4. (Shogo Koshida) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203050054
KAMAISHI, Iwate Prefecture--Shoko Kobayashi graduated from high school, determined to make good on her promise to her father who was killed by the tsunami from the Great East Japan Earthquake a year ago.
Shoko Kobayashi, left, and Eriko Ikuta, second from left, join classmates for a photograph before graduation in Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture, on March 1. (Naoko Kawamura) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203050063
__________________________________________________ ______ Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)
Pictures capture Japan's heartbreak after tsunami
(AP) -- It has been nearly one year since a monstrous earthquake triggered a tsunami that roared across Japan's coast on March 11, 2011, transforming once-pristine and thriving towns into waterlogged wastelands and sparking the world's worst nuclear crisis in a quarter-century. http://mdn.mainichi.jp/features/arch...fe101000c.html
500 mourn March disaster victims at Ishinomaki school
SENDAI (Kyodo) -- Around 500 people on Sunday mourned 74 students and 10 teachers at an elementary school in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, who were killed in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, ahead of the first anniversary of the disaster.
Japan launches quake reconstruction bonds with special coins
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan launched special government bonds Monday aimed at raising funds for reconstruction from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, saying it will present buyers with commemorative coins three years later bearing the image of a "miracle pine" that has come to symbolize hopes for recovery.
Tokyo, March 5 (Jiji Press)--Business sentiment in Japan improved for the third straight month in February due to robust demand related to reconstruction after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, a Teikoku Databank Ltd. survey showed Monday.
One Year On: German Tsunami Survivors Aim to Repay Japanese Locals
Berlin, March 5 (Jiji Press)--Juergen Spielberg, 73, a former lawyer from Duesseldorf, and his family are boosting friendship with Japanese citizens who helped them survive the devastating tsunami March 11 last year and return to Germany.
INTERVIEW: Japan Should Clarify Chain of Command in Emergencies
Tokyo, March 5 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government should clarify its chain of command for emergencies to ensure swift decision-making, Nobuo Ishihara, a former senior bureaucrat, said in a recent interview.
Tokyo Police Eye Closer Ties with Local People to Tackle Disasters
Tokyo, March 5 (Jiji Press)--The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is looking to closer ties with local people and the use of the Internet and robots in a review of its action plan for tackling large-scale disasters, officials said Monday.
Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+
Japanese, Thai prime ministers to issue statement
The prime ministers of Japan and Thailand will meet this week in Tokyo and issue a joint statement on strengthening cooperation in disaster preparedness following last year's natural disasters in the 2 countries.
ONE YEAR AFTER THE DISASTER / Quake-hit govts frustrated over funds
Following the Reconstruction Agency's announcement Friday of subsidies to be allocated to municipalities affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, local governments whose project applications were excluded have expressed anger and frustration.
A total of 72 percent of respondents said they could see little or no progress in reconstruction efforts for areas hit by last year's Great East Japan Earthquake, according to a recent survey by The Yomiuri Shimbun ahead of the first anniversary of the March 11 disaster.
REMEMBERING 3/11: Sobbing woman amid tsunami destruction makes a fresh start
About a year after appearing in an iconic photo of the devastation from the March 11 quake and tsunami, Akane Ito is pursuing her childhood dream of opening a pet grooming business.
Akane Ito sobs amid the destruction in the Yuriage district of Natori, Miyagi Prefecture, on March 13, 2011, in an Asahi Shimbun photo that was carried by many foreign newspapers. (Toshiyuki Tsunenari)
Ryo Abe and his sister, Kaho, take a break after the roads were swamped in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on March 15, 2011. (Takaharu Yagi)
Ryo Abe, 11, and his 8-year-old sister, Kaho, head to an elementary school on Feb. 22 in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, different from the one they attended before the March 11 disaster. They said they quickly made new friends, but Kaho still wants to see her friends at their former school. (Takaharu Yagi)
Yasuhito Yamaya comforts his wife, Rumi, on March 18, 2011, after the tsunami swept away their apartment building in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture. (Yasuhiro Sugimoto)
Yasuhito Yamaya, 32, and his wife, Rumi, 32, chat near temporary housing for evacuees in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, on Feb. 26. Yamaya works in a project to restore port facilities. Rumi said she still cannot overcome her fear of the sea. (Yasuhiro Sugimoto)
Reiko Obata is rescued by firefighters from the wreckage in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture, on March 12, 2011. (Noboru Tomura)
Reiko Obata, 59, poses in front of her home with her dog, Musashi, in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture, on Feb. 18. Obata and her grandchildren spent a sleepless night on the second floor of her home after the Great East Japan Earthquake before they were finally rescued. (Satoru Ogawa) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203040005
__________________________________________________ _______ Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)
Environmental award winner uses forest resources to bring cheer to disaster victims
When the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami hit in March last year, Toyoshi Sasaki, 54, a resident of Japan's Tohoku region, hurried to help at an evacuation shelter. When he found people there shivering from the cold with no heating he used his connections with a manufacturer to send wood-pellet fuel and stoves.
20% of those living in tsunami-damaged homes suffer from insomnia
ISHINOMAKI, Japan (Kyodo) -- Twenty percent of households in Ishinomaki and the neighboring town of Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, that continue to live in homes damaged in the March 2011 tsunami have members complaining of insomnia and other psychiatric problems, a survey showed Saturday.
Tokyo, March 4 (Jiji Press)--Former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama stressed that it is important for the government to make clear where responsibility lies in the time of a crisis like the one that hit Japan nearly a year ago.
Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+
Japan proposes sharing women's disaster experience
Japan will submit a draft resolution to the United Nations next week calling for greater recognition of women's roles and challenges in the event of major disasters.
The governor of Miyagi, one of Japan's prefectures hard hit by last year's disaster, has expressed anger at the government's decision to offer somewhat over half the requested grant to the prefecture.
Editorial: Lawmakers, local govt workers must accept cuts in pay
A special temporary law to reduce the salaries of central government employees has come into being at long last, thanks to the enactment of a lawmaker-sponsored bill based on an agreement between the Democratic Party of Japan, the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito.
Govt to pay 250 billion yen in first round of relief cash
The government announced on Friday it will pay out 250.9 billion yen in the first round of subsidies to be given to seven prefectures and 59 municipalities hard-hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Ropes used for growing seaweed stretch through clear waters near the Omoe Peninsula, the easternmost point of Honshu, in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture. Yoshinori Yamazaki, a 64-year-old fisherman, thought about giving up fishing as he lost everything in the March 11 tsunami.
Port town gives friendly 'sayonara' to Hiroshima ship
Residents of a port town in quake-ravaged Miyagi Prefecture on March 2 bid a fond farewell and heartfelt thanks to the people of Hiroshima, who played a big part in recovery efforts from the Great East Japan Earthquake. <iframe width="300" height="233" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eMRT-JtM5AI?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The Dream no Umi leaves Kesennuma Port on March 2. (Shogo Koshida) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203030003
REMEMBERING 3/11: Bereaved mother: 'I could not stand their smiling faces'
Shinichi Endo busies himself every day with woodcarving projects to help him deal with the loss of his three children who were killed in the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami last year.
Hina dolls are on display at Okawa Elementary School in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture. Eighty-four children and teachers at the school were killed in the March 11 disaster. (Masaru Komiyaji)
Shinichi Endo, whose three children were killed in the tsunami, works with pine in Higashi-Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture. (Minako Yoshimoto) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203030035
__________________________________________________ _______ Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)
Editorial: Lessons learned 1 year after March 2011 disasters
Ryoichi Abe, 51, a fisherman from Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, was operating off the Ojika Peninsula when a massive tsunami generated by the Great East Japan Earthquake hit his neighborhood on March 11, 2011.
Tsunami high water mark signs to be set up in disaster-hit areas
SENDAI (Kyodo) -- In an attempt to mitigate damage in future disasters, signs showing the height of killer tsunami waves following last March's powerful earthquake will be set up in three northeastern prefectures hard-hit by the catastrophe, the prefectures and the transport ministry said Friday.
1,331 deaths related to March 2011 disaster recognized in 5 prefectures
SENDAI (Kyodo) -- The number of deaths officially recognized as related to the March 2011 disaster, such as those resulting from the stresses of living in evacuation shelters, totaled 1,331 in five prefectures, exceeding the 921 recorded in Hyogo and Osaka prefectures after the Great Hanshin Earthquake in January 1995, a Kyodo News survey found Friday.
INTERVIEW: "Double Loan" Relief Body to Be Catalyst for Reconstruction
Tokyo, March 3 (Jiji Press)--Before the launch on Monday of a state-backed body to prevent firms from suffering additional loans due to the March 2011 disaster, the body's head, Norito Ikeda, pledged in a recent interview to play the role of a catalyst for reconstruction.
INTERVIEW: Crisis Management Should Be Handled by Top Officials: Japanese Expert
Tokyo, March 3 (Jiji Press)--Crisis management should be dealt with by a small group of top officials and any final decision should be made by the prime minister, former senior Japanese security official Atsuyuki Sassa said.
Few See Progress in Postdisaster Reconstruction: Jiji Poll
Tokyo, March 3 (Jiji Press)--A recent Jiji Press opinion poll shows that 81.2 pct of respondents see little or no progress in postdisaster reconstruction and work to end Japan's nuclear crisis.
Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+
Nara torch ceremony heralds arrival of spring
An annual torch ceremony has begun at Todaiji Temple in the ancient Japanese capital of Nara, signaling the arrival of spring.
....One visitor said he prayed for everyone's happiness, especially in light of the March 11th earthquake and tsunami in the country's northeast last year.
Friday, March 02, 2012 04:40 +0900 (JST) http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120302_01.html
Digital cherry blossoms bloom in New York City
Giant images of cherry blossoms were shown on video screens in Times Square, New York City, on Thursday to launch Japan Week.
REVITALIZING JAPAN--Creative use of land / Megaregion including east eyed to sustain Tokyo's growth
The following is the third installment in the "Creative use of land" section of a series of articles examining ways to restore Japan's vitality. This part of the series will explore how to utilize land in the face of problems common to all parts of the country. This article looks at what could be done to sustain the growth of the capital.
ONE YEAR AFTER THE DISASTER / 20% of disaster-hit businesses still closed
Of about 27,000 commercial and industrial businesses in Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima prefectures affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, more than 20 percent have not resumed operations, according to a recent Yomiuri Shimbun survey. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120301006659.htm
__________________________________________________ _________ AJW
Graduating high school seniors in disaster-hit northeastern Japan closed a chapter on their school days on a bittersweet note, remembering classmates who died on March 11, 2011, and thinking about the futures of their damaged hometowns.
Seniors from Takata High School carry photos of classmates who died on 3/11 at their graduation ceremony in Ofunato on March 1. (Toshiyuki Hayashi) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203020040
__________________________________________________ _______ Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)
Japan jobless rate up to 4.6% in Jan., gov't sees positive
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's unemployment rate rose to 4.6 percent in January from a downwardly revised 4.5 percent in December, the government said Friday, framing the result not as a negative but a sign of economic recovery, with the data pointing to already employed people seeking higher-paid positions.
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's new vehicle sales including minivehicles in February jumped 29.5 percent from a year earlier to 519,626 units for the fifth straight monthly rise due to the revival of subsidies for the purchase of environmentally friendly vehicles, industry bodies said Thursday.
Support groups struggle to get info on evacuees: survey
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- More than 47 percent of groups supporting evacuees who left their home prefectures after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami had difficulties offering assistance because authorities in the new areas housing the evacuees were reluctant to provide their personal information, a Kyodo News survey showed Thursday.
Mass media under scrutiny on 1st anniversary of 3/11 disasters
Domestic and foreign mass media are under close scrutiny as Japan prepares to mark the first anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami and subsequent crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
Tokyo, March 2 (Jiji Press)--Earthquake insurance benefit payments covering damage caused by the March 11 disaster totaled 1,216.7 billion yen as of Thursday, the General Insurance Association of Japan said Friday.
Steps Taken on 29 Disaster-Linked Human Rights Abuses
Tokyo, March 2 (Jiji Press)--Legal affairs bureaus in Japan recognized and took remedial action against 29 suspected human rights abuse cases related to the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in 2011, the Ministry of Justice said Friday.
59 Tsunami-Hit Municipalities to Receive 305-B.-Yen Grants
Tokyo, March 2 (Jiji Press)--Japan will distribute 305,320 million yen in special grants to 59 municipalities in northeastern and eastern Japan to finance postdisaster reconstruction projects, the Reconstruction Agency said Friday.
Japan to Support Volunteer Activities in Disaster-Hit Rural Areas
Tokyo, March 2 (Jiji Press)--The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries will start a project to encourage people living in urban areas to take part in volunteer work to rebuild rural communities in places devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami last year.
Over 180,000 Corporate Workers Join Disaster Volunteer Activities
Tokyo, March 2 (Jiji Press)--Over 180,000 corporate employees in Japan have taken part in volunteer activities to support people and areas affected by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, a survey by the Japan Business Federation showed Friday.
Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+
Gergiev conducts for 3/11 victims in Tokyo
A special concert dedicated to the victims of the March 11th quake and tsunami disaster was held in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Thursday, March 01, 2012 08:59 +0900 (JST) http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120301_01.html
Japan's capital spending rises 1st in 3 quarters
Japanese corporate capital spending in the October-December period posted the first year-on-year increase in 3 quarters, largely due to recovery efforts in the quake-hit region.
REVITALIZING JAPAN -- Creative use of land / Tokyo lags in attracting foreign companies
The following is the second installment in the "Creative use of land" section of a series of articles examining ways to restore Japan's vitality. This part of the series will explore how to utilize land in the face of problems common to all parts of the country. This article looks at what should be done toward creating a community with a unique character.
RIKUZEN-TAKATA, Iwate--A young lawyer who spent about a year as a legal apprentice in Iwate Prefecture will be stationed at a legal office scheduled to open on Monday in Rikuzen-Takata, a city in the prefecture devastated by last year's March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Diet OK's bill to reduce salaries / Government employee wage cuts to free 580 bil. yen for reconstruction
The House of Councillors on Wednesday passed a bill into law to cut national government employees' salaries by an average of 7.8 percent over two years from fiscal 2012.
Levee reconstruction in Tohoku falls behind schedule
Reconstruction work this fiscal year is expected to start on only 18 kilometers of the 190 km of levees destroyed by last year’s tsunami in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, according to an Asahi Shimbun survey.
Signs show the heights of planned levees in Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture. (Yasushi Sato) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201203010062
Hand-carved statues to be given to bereaved parents
SENDAI--Hundreds of hand-carved Buddhist statues are to be presented to parents who lost children in the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Capital spending by Japan firms grows as reconstruction work proceeds
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Capital spending by Japanese firms grew 7.6 percent in the final quarter of 2011 from a year earlier, reflecting accelerated work by some industries to rebuild their facilities and equipment damaged by the March earthquake and tsunami, the government said Thursday.
Law enacted to cut national civil servants' pay by average of 7.8%
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A special law to cut the salaries of national civil servants by an average of 7.8 percent cleared parliament on Wednesday, enabling the government to secure around 290 billion yen annually to fund reconstruction projects following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Over 90% of Tokyoites concern over disaster in metropolitan area
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- More than half of Tokyoites strongly worry that a massive disaster involving an earthquake and tsunami will hit the capital, a survey by the Tokyo police showed Thursday.
Tokyo, March 1 (Jiji Press)--The number of corporate bankruptcies related to the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan totaled 628 as of the end of February, industry data showed Thursday.
Contact with Family Members Deterred Rush Home after Quake: Survey
Tokyo, March 1 (Jiji Press)--People who were able to contact family members soon after the earthquake on March 11 last year resisted the urge to rush home, a Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department survey revealed Thursday.
Graduating Students Vow to Face Up to Disaster Consequences
Kesennuma, Miyagi Pref., March 1 (Jiji Press)--High school students in the tsunami-hit port city of Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, pledged Thursday not to ignore the consequences of the disaster as they bid farewell to their disrupted school life.
Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+
Yomiuri online
REVITALIZING JAPAN -- Creative use of land / Akita shares key to success with N. European city
Many areas struck by the Great East Japan Earthquake have felt the impact of the graying society, decline in birthrate and drop in population significantly longer than the rest of the country. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120228005147.htm
__________________________________________________ ______ AJW
Commemorative coins pay tribute to tales of endurance
The Finance Ministry is offering commemorative coins bearing iconic images of endurance from the Great East Japan Earthquake to encourage holders of government bonds to hang on to their investments for the long haul.
The lone pine tree in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, left, the No. 58 Daishin Maru, center, and a map of east Japan were chosen as motifs for a set of commemorative coins to be awarded to holders of government reconstruction bonds. (Provided by the Finance Ministry) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201202290052
Fast Retailing to invest in reconstruction efforts
Fast Retailing Co., operator of the Uniqlo casual clothing chain, said it will invest 300 million yen ($3.7 million) in economic recovery efforts in disaster-stricken areas of Japan.
Photo exhibitions offer glimpses of March 11 disaster
If a picture paints a thousand words, the powerful images in three photo exhibitions of the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake at various venues must be worth more than a million words.
A crying Eriko Kumagai sings the school song at the graduation ceremony on March 28, 2011, at Shizugawa Elementary School in Minami-Sanriku, Miyagi Prefecture. (The Asahi Shimbun/Shogo Koshida) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201202290003
__________________________________________________ ________ Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)
Uniqlo to help civic groups in quake-hit regions
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The operator of the Uniqlo casual clothing store chain said Tuesday it will give financial help to five nongovernmental organizations support rebuilding of regions devastated by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Industrial output up 2.0% in Jan. on strong demand for cars, cameras
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's industrial production rose a seasonally adjusted 2.0 percent in January from the previous month for the second straight monthly rise, buoyed by strong demand for automobiles and cameras, the government said Wednesday.
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's vehicle output in January rose 18.6 percent from a year earlier to 837,197 units, up for the fourth straight month, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said Wednesday.
Tsunami may override outer breakwater in big quake at major ports: gov't
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Tsunami waves may override the outermost breakwaters at eight or more of the 19 major ports on the Pacific from eastern to southwestern Japan if a worst-case tsunami is created by a large earthquake, the transport ministry's simulation results showed Wednesday.
HONOLULU (AP) -- Lumber, boats and other debris ripped from Japanese coastal towns by tsunamis last year have spread across some 3,000 miles (4,828 kilometers) of the northern Pacific, where they could wash ashore on the U.S. west coast as early as a year from now.
Koga resigns as head of war-bereaved group over quake deaths
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Makoto Koga stepped down Tuesday as chairman of the Japan War-Bereaved Association after heading it for a decade, to take responsibility over two quake-related deaths last year at a Tokyo facility run by the group, association sources said.
Tsunami Likely to Sweep over Breakwaters at 8 Japanese Ports
Tokyo, Feb. 29 (Jiji Press)--Breakwaters at eight ports in Japan are likely to be overwhelmed if they are hit by the highest likely tsunami after a giant earthquake, simulation data released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism showed Wednesday.
Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+
AJW
Tsunami-hit school to leave testimonies of pupils’ survival
An elementary school engulfed by the tsunami from the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake is recording the memories of pupils whose lives were narrowly saved by the decision of their principal and others to get them to higher ground.
Togura Elementary School is swallowed up by the tsunami on March 11. (Provided by Ichiro Abe) http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311dis...AJ201202280005
REMEMBERING 3/11: Images of the lost loom large in survivors' lives
ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi Prefecture--Fujio Sato lost his wife, grandson and granddaughter in the Great East Japan Earthquake, but sleeps with their photographs every night.
Disaster-hit kids' photos express affection for hometowns
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A book has been published featuring photographs taken by children in areas hit by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, expressive of their feelings for their families, lost homes, schools and separated friends.
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Mayumi Baba, 36, took part as a volunteer in a meeting for children who lost parents in the March 11 disasters at an auditorium in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture in September.
Gov't quake panel cut tsunami warning in report prior to March 11
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The science ministry's earthquake research panel omitted a warning that massive tsunami could hit northeastern Japan "at any moment" from a report prior to the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, having earlier planned to include it, a ministry document showed Tuesday.
Village residents grateful to ex-mayor for huge breakwater that prevented tsunami damage
FUDAI, Iwate -- A village here was spared tsunami damage in last year's Great East Japan Earthquake thanks to a high-rise breakwater introduced by a former mayor, local residents believe. http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/natio...na006000c.html
__________________________________________________ ________ Jiji press
Uniqlo to Invest 300 M. Yen to Support Quake-Hit Areas
Tokyo, Feb. 28 (Jiji Press)--Casual wear chain store Uniqlo Co. said Tuesday it will invest a total of 300 million yen in five nongovernmental organizations that help victims of last year's disaster rebuild their lives.
Job Mobility in Japan Hits Record Low in 1st Half of 2011
Tokyo, Feb. 28 (Jiji Press)--The total number of people who found and lost jobs in Japan fell by 240,000 from a year earlier to 7.25 million in January-June 2011, hitting the lowest level since 2004 when comparable data became available, a labor ministry survey showed Tuesday.
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