Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+

[makoto]

Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+

14:17 JST 05 Oct 2011 40.2N 142.0E 20 km M4.8 Iwate-ken Oki









jma http://www.jma.go.jp/en/quake/2/20111005142144391-051417.html

 

[makoto]

Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+

Autumn flowers from Iwate promoted in New York

Japanese flowers from quake-hit Iwate Prefecture have been shown at the New York flower market......

Wednesday, October 05, 2011 12:01 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/05_16.html
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Yomiuri online

Carmakers revving up again / Firms recover from post-disaster supply-chain disruptions

Car manufacturers and electrical machinery makers have recovered in their production, contributing to a V-shaped rebound in sentiment at large manufacturers in the central bank's quarterly Tankan survey in September from the previous survey three month earlier.......

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/T111004005755.htm

Dedicated minister for new agency / New post to be exclusively tasked with reconstruction projects, funding

The minister to be posted to the envisaged Reconstruction Agency will be tasked solely with reconstruction of areas hit by the March 11 disaster, according to an outline of the bill on establishing the agency, sources said.......

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111004004417.htm
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Asahi com

Senior IMF official backs hike in consumption tax rate

A senior official of the International Monetary Fund threw his support for Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's proposed hike in the consumption tax rate to finance rebuilding efforts in the tsunami-stricken Tohoku region......

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110040312.html
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Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)

Seven & I reports net profit fall on disaster, accounting change

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Seven & I Holdings Co. said Tuesday its group net profit for the March-August first half of its financial year in 2001 fell 15.4 percent from a year earlier to 52.79 billion yen due to special losses from the March disaster and an accounting procedure change......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/archive/news/2011/10/05/20111005p2g00m0bu066000c.html

Mitsubishi, Nissan see growth potential in EVs after March disaster

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Leaders of Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. said Tuesday they see potential growth in future demand for electric vehicles, particularly after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and called for more government support to promote them......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/archive/news/2011/10/05/20111005p2g00m0bu072000c.html

Foreign ambassadors to Japan to visit disaster-hit Iwate, Miyagi

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Ambassadors to Japan from 21 countries including Spain and the Philippines will visit disaster-hit Iwate and Miyagi prefectures from Thursday as part of the Foreign Ministry's reconstruction support programs, the ministry said Tuesday.......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/05/20111005p2g00m0dm003000c.html

Japan drafts bill to enhance measures to deal with tsunami

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The government has drafted a bill to enhance measures to deal with tsunami following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan, government sources said Tuesday......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/05/20111005p2g00m0dm005000c.html

70% of public donations delivered to March disaster victims

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Nearly 70 percent of public donations made over the March earthquake and tsunami has been distributed to people in the Tohoku and other affected areas, welfare ministry data showed Wednesday.....

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/05/20111005p2g00m0dm010000c.html


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Jiji press

2 Japan Opposition Parties Agree to Accept Budget Talks

Tokyo, Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)--Two major Japanese opposition parties agreed Wednesday to accept a call by the ruling party to hold talks on a third supplementary budget aimed at financing postdisaster reconstruction efforts.......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011100500357

Japan May Make Reconstruction Bond Redemption Period Longer

Tokyo, Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda Wednesday left open the possibility that the redemption period of government bonds designed to fund postdisaster reconstruction projects will be set longer than a planned 10 years......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011100500403

Japan FY 2012 Budget Requests Total Record 98.46 T. Yen

Tokyo, Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)--General-account budget requests from government agencies for fiscal 2012 have totaled a record high of 98,468.6 billion yen, the Ministry of Finance said Wednesday......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011100500820

Symposium Held on Revitalizing Tourism in Disaster-Hit Tohoku

Sendai, Miyagi Pref., Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)--Experts from Japan and abroad gathered at a symposium in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Wednesday to discuss how to revitalize tourism in Japan's Tohoku region ravaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011100500832
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Sankei news

reconstruction house at Ishinomaki city, Miyagi pref

Library reopens at Minamisanriku town, Miyagi pref

 

[makoto]

Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+

Govt to position Tohoku as hub for rare metal recovery

The government will launch a project to make the Tohoku region a hub for recovering rare metals from small electric appliances, including cell phones collected from across the country, to support the reconstruction of areas hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake, it was learned Wednesday......

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/T111005004501.htm

Tsunami-hit city shares its stories on Facebook

KESENNUMA, Miyagi--The city of Kesennuma, hit hard by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, has created a multilingual Facebook account to share locals' stories and pictures of the disaster and their reconstruction efforts with people around the world........

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111005003679.htm
KESENNUMA - BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE http://www.facebook.com/kesennuma

Longtime volunteer prepares farewell sushi at evacuation center

ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi--A little more than a week after the devastating March 11 disaster hit the Tohoku region, one man knew what he had to do, traveling nearly 2,000 kilometers to help people affected by the earthquake and tsunami........

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111005002255.htm

Liquefaction damage in Kawasaki / Local governments slow to inspect damage to privately owned land

KAWASAKI--Nine companies in a waterfront area of Kawasaki have suffered damage by liquefaction caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake, according to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey........

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111005004948.htm

Govt eyes additional tax relief measures

The government's Tax Commission decided on additional tax-relief measures Tuesday, worth 100 billion yen for individuals and companies affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, including tax credit for businesses based within a special zone to be designated for post-disaster reconstruction when they recruit disaster survivors........

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111005004834.htm
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Asahi com

Tourist numbers still down, but slowly picking up pace

As a tourist destination, Japan plummeted in the rankings following the March 11 disaster that triggered a partial meltdown of nuclear reactors northeast of Tokyo.......

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110050248.html

Search for missing people moves from land areas to the sea

Search efforts for people missing since the March 11 tsunami have shifted from the land to the sea in the hardest-hit prefectures of Iwate and Miyagi......

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110050228.html

Panel backs tax breaks for disaster-hit areas

The government's Tax Commission is proposing about 100 billion yen ($1.3 billion) per year in tax breaks for people and companies affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake........

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110050229.html
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Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)

Japan's April-Sept. imported vehicle sales rise 19.2%

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Dealers sold 141,919 new imported cars, trucks and buses in Japan in the first half of fiscal 2011, up 19.2 percent from a year earlier, despite worries the March 11 disasters would diminish sales, an industry body said Thursday........

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/archive/news/2011/10/06/20111006p2g00m0bu085000c.html

Toyota's global production back to normal after March disaster

NAGOYA (Kyodo) -- Toyota Motor Corp.'s production in and outside Japan returned in September to its "normal state" seen before the March earthquake and tsunami, two months earlier than initially projected, officials said Thursday.......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/archive/news/2011/10/06/20111006p2g00m0bu087000c.html

Japan's FY 2012 budget requests soar to record 98.47 tril. yen

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japanese government offices have requested a record 98.47 trillion yen ($1.28 trillion) budget for the next fiscal year starting in April as the country has been forced to carry out emergency spending on reconstruction work following the March earthquake and tsunami, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/06/20111006p2g00m0dm003000c.html

Tsunami-hit Japanese sites added to World Monuments Fund list

NEW YORK (Kyodo) -- The World Monuments Fund said Wednesday that areas struck by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan have been added to a list of 66 other at-risk sites in a total of 41 countries throughout the world.......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/06/20111006p2g00m0dm007000c.html


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Jiji press

Prius Tops Japan Auto Sales for 4th Month in Sept.

Tokyo, Oct. 6 (Jiji Press)--Toyota Motor Corp.'s <7203> Prius hybrid was the best-selling vehicle in Japan for the fourth straight month in September, industry data showed Thursday.......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=ind&k=2011100600447

4 Major Japan Convenience Store Operators Fare Well in 1st Half

Tokyo, Oct. 6 (Jiji Press)--Four major Japanese convenience store operators posted year-on-year growth in parent-only operating profits and all-store sales in the March-August first half, supported by brisk demand for food and other daily items in northeastern regions hit by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.....

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=ind&k=2011100600888

Toyota's Production Returns to Normal

Nagoya, Oct. 6 (Jiji Press)--Toyota Motor Corp. <7203> officials said Thursday that the automaker's domestic production capability has returned to normal by the end of September after a significant decline in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=ind&k=2011100600902

DBJ Sets Up Ibaraki Reconstruction Fund

Tokyo, Oct. 6 (Jiji Press)--The Development Bank of Japan said Thursday it has set up a fund to help rebuild disaster-hit companies in Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo.......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011100600629
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Sankei news

autumnal scenery
ex-Fujinuma dam at Sukagawa city, Fukushima

*The Fujinuma dam burst owing to 3/11 earthquake, 7 persons died from 1.5 million tons waters

ex-Fujinuma dam
<iframe width="300" height="233" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SXgYEJoWGFs?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> 4/12

 

[Emily]

Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44806297/ns/technology_and_science-science/#.To6lsXL-8kI

Massive Japanese earthquake altered Earth's gravity
Scientists now seeing if they can detect changes as crust settles back into place
By Charles Q. Choi
OurAmazingPlanet
updated 10/6/2011 3:45:38 PM ET
[snip]
"The most important implication of our findings is that the massive Tohoku-Oki earthquake brings significant changes to not only the ground but also the underground structure of Japan," researcher Koji Matsuo, a geophysicist at Hokkaido University in Japan, told OurAmazingPlanet...

 

[makoto]

Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+

Asian nations to stockpile rice for emergencies

Japan, China, South Korea, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are expected to agree that each country will stockpile rice to deal with possible serious food shortages after natural disasters......

Friday, October 07, 2011 06:15 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/07_04.html

BOJ maintains easy monetary policy

......The BOJ says in its latest assessment that the nation's economy has continued to pick up due to a rebound in auto production and exports after parts supply chains recovered from the March 11 disaster.......

Friday, October 07, 2011 15:21 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/07_22.html

Chinese diplomat thanks man who saved trainees

A diplomat from the Chinese embassy in Japan has expressed appreciation to the family of a Japanese man who died after saving Chinese trainees from the March 11th tsunami.......

Friday, October 07, 2011 20:08 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/07_30.html

Asian countries agree to stockpile rice

A group of Southeast Asian countries, along with Japan, China and South Korea, have agreed to set up a new system to stockpile rice in preparation for food shortages caused by natural disasters.....

Friday, October 07, 2011 22:05 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/07_38.html
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Yomiuri online

Natural disaster, natural levee / Coastal forests provide powerful defense against tsunami

The Forestry Agency plans to regenerate coastal forests hit by the March 11 tsunami, as research has shown the forests provided defense against the disaster by acting as "natural levees."........

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111006004865.htm
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Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)

Prius top-selling car in Japan in April-Sept. for 3rd straight year

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius hybrid car was the top-selling vehicle in Japan in the April-September period for the third straight year, despite a big decline in sales and production following the March earthquake and tsunami, industry bodies said Thursday.....

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/archive/news/2011/10/07/20111007p2g00m0bu061000c.html
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Jiji press

Govt Calls on Firms to Build Factories in Japan

Tokyo, Oct. 7 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government requested Friday that domestic companies build factories not in other countries but in Japan in order to bring about the country's early recovery from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011100700538

Disaster-Area Specialty Shop Opens in Ginza

Tokyo, Oct. 7 (Jiji Press)--A shop selling specialty foods and goods from northeastern and eastern Japan areas hit by the tsunami that followed the March 11 earthquake opened in a building in Tokyo's upscale Ginza district on Friday.......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011100700598

Japan Needs to Be More Aware of Downside Risks to Economy: BOJ Shirakawa

Tokyo, Oct. 7 (Jiji Press)--Japan should be more aware of downside risks to its economy, Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa said Friday......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011100700665

Ruling, Opposition Parties Began Talks on Reconstruction

Tokyo, Oct. 7 (Jiji Press)--The policy leaders of major Japanese ruling and opposition parties on Friday started discussions on postdisaster reconstruction and ways to finance such projects.....

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011100700853

Japan Outlines 12-T.-Yen 3rd Extra Budget

Tokyo, Oct. 7 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government at a cabinet meeting Friday adopted an outline of the fiscal 2011 third supplementary budget aimed mainly at financing projects to rebuild northeastern areas devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011100700916

Japan Central Govt to Cover All Reconstruction Costs

Tokyo, Oct. 7 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese central government will effectively cover all costs related to reconstruction after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that mainly hit northeastern areas, internal affairs minister Tatsuo Kawabata said Friday.......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011100700923
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Sankei news

autumnal scenery
ex-Fujinuma dam at Sukagawa city, Fukushima

 

[makoto]

Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+

Hosono inspects debris left by March disaster

Environment minister Goshi Hosono has visited a northeastern city to study ways to dispose of a huge amount of debris left by the earthquake and tsunami in March.....

Saturday, October 08, 2011 16:09 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/08_13.html
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Yomiuri online

Stores unveil New Year's osechi meal sets

Department stores and supermarkets have expanded their lineups of osechi--traditional meals for New Year's holidays--well ahead of the year-end shopping season.....

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/T111007002088.htm

Teenagers' tsunami art on postcard lifting spirits

SENDAI--A postcard illustrated with a painting by a young student whose grandfather and friends died in the Great East Japan Earthquake is lifting spirits in the disaster-stricken town of Onagawacho, Miyagi Prefecture.....

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111006003846.htm

Parties eye electoral reforms / Negotiations on disparity issue to begin in next Diet session

The ruling and main opposition parties have agreed to produce a reform plan for the House of Representatives electoral system. While differing on specifics, the parties aim to correct the imbalance in the weight of one vote in lower house elections......

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111007004209.htm
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Asahi com

temporary house at Onagawa town, Miyagi pref
<iframe width="300" height="233" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dlOSaF_zNEs?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

GYMNASTICS/ Gymnastics worlds can provide respite, reassurance
*THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The titles are important, the spots in the London Olympics even more so. The greatest significance of these world gymnastics championships, however, may have nothing to do with sports at all.....

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110070314.html

Strong yen, economy forcing cut in domestic auto output

Automakers are starting to put the brakes on domestic car production after months of accelerating output.....

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110070296.html

Cabinet OKs 3rd supplementary budget for rebuilding

The Cabinet of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Oct. 7 approved a third supplementary budget that includes 9.1 trillion yen ($119 billion) to go toward rebuilding efforts following the Great East Japan Earthquake......

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110070279.html
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Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)

Japan outlines 12 tril. yen 3rd extra budget for quake reconstruction

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Cabinet of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Friday approved the outline of a third extra budget for fiscal 2011 totaling around 12 trillion yen ($156.47 billion) to finance full-fledged reconstruction work following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami....

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/archive/news/2011/10/08/20111008p2g00m0dm027000c.html

Yoshinoya plans to triple overseas outlets to 1,500

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Yoshinoya Holdings Co., operator of a "gyudon" beef bowl restaurant chain, plans to triple the number of its overseas outlets to about 1,500 in its fiscal year to February 2016 from about 470 at present, its president said Friday.....

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/archive/news/2011/10/08/20111008p2g00m0bu118000c.html

Japan to increase oil stockpiling bases to prepare for disasters

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese government plans to increase its bases for stockpiling crude oil and petroleum products to reinforce preparations for possible major disasters, government sources said Saturday.....

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/archive/news/2011/10/08/20111008p2g00m0bu119000c.html

Japan, East Asian nations sign pact on emergency rice reserve

JAKARTA (Kyodo) -- The 10 agricultural ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and their counterparts from China, Japan and South Korea signed an agreement Friday to stockpile rice with the aim of aiding the signatories in the event of disasters or other contingencies.....

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/archive/news/2011/10/08/20111008p2g00m0bu125000c.html

Coincident index rises in August, but leading index signals slowdown

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's key gauge of current business conditions rose in August, the fourth increase in the past five months, reflecting the continuing recovery in production from the aftermath of the devastating March earthquake and tsunami, the government said Friday.....

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/archive/news/2011/10/08/20111008p2g00m0bu128000c.html

Fiscal policy minister suggests 5-year corporate tax exemption for disaster areas

NEW YORK -- Japan's State Minister of National Strategy, Economic and Fiscal Policy Motohisa Furukawa said on Oct. 7 that the government is considering exempting new companies set up in areas devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami from corporate tax for five years.....

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/08/20111008p2a00m0na009000c.html
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Jiji press

World Bank, Japan Launch Joint Project on Disaster Risk Management

Washington, Oct. 7 (Jiji Press)--The World Bank and the Japanese government said Friday that they have launched a joint project to share the lessons from disaster risk management Japan learned in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011100800211

Japan to Give Newcomers 5-Year Corporate Tax Exemption in Reconstruction Zones

Tokyo, Oct. 8 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government decided Saturday to effectively provide a five-year cooperate tax exemption to companies that will newly invest in special reconstruction zones to be created in areas devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011100800283
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Sankei news

pacific saury festival at Chuo ward, Osaka city
500 pacific sauries from Ofunato city, Iwate pref
<iframe width="300" height="233" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/YrPtt1JFg2A?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Hosono inspects debris at Miyako city, Iwate pref

Kodokan garden reopens at Mito city, Ibaraki pref
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Dd%C5%8Dkan_%28Mito%29

 

[makoto]

Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+

Japanese tourism promoted in Singapore

A 2-day fair to promote Japanese food and tourism opened in Singapore on Saturday. It is being held in an attempt to boost the number of tourists visiting Japan after the March 11th earthquake and tsunami......

Sunday, October 09, 2011 00:54 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/08_16.html

Iwate fishers sell oysters at traditional hut shop

Oyster farmers in northeastern Japan have served grilled oysters to customers for the first time since the March 11th disaster. The dish is a specialty of a town that was destroyed by tsunami.......

Sunday, October 09, 2011 00:54 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/08_20.html

Hosono meets governor of disaster-hit Iwate

Environment minister Goshi Hosono has visited the northeastern prefecture of Iwate to study ways to dispose of the huge amount of debris left by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.........

Sunday, October 09, 2011 00:54 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/08_21.html

Easing hiring conditions

In light of the yen's surge against foreign currencies, the government is to ease conditions for providing subsidies to domestic firms so that they can continue employing people at current levels.....

......As of August, more than 49,000 firms have taken advantage of the subsidy, including many of those affected by the March 11th disaster......

Sunday, October 09, 2011 12:49 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/09_18.html
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Yomiuri online

Tohoku oyster haul plummets / Catch about 10% of usual years; wakame crops suffer similar fate

This year's haul of oysters farmed in tsunami-devastated Miyagi and Iwate prefectures will likely be about 10 percent or less of the levels in usual years, according to projections by local fishery cooperative associations.....

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111008002929.htm

Tax exemption eyed for special recovery zones

The government will likely introduce a five-year corporate income tax exemption for those newly starting businesses in special reconstruction zones......

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111008002894.htm
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Asahi com

BASKETBALL/ Sendai 89ers bounce back after killer quake

SENDAI -- Hoping to provide inspiration -- and perhaps a bit of distraction -- a professional basketball team from Sendai has managed to bounce back after the devastation of March 11.........

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110080253.html

Tsunami survivors haunted by March 11

Some people are hitting the bottle heavily, while others are smoking more. What they all have in common is difficulty falling asleep.......

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110080259.html

Multi-storied temporary housing makes up for lack of level ground

ONAGAWA, Miyagi Prefecture--Two-storied and three-storied temporary apartment houses are being built with freight containers on a baseball field in this tsunami-devastated town, where the hilly coast means there is a dearth of level ground......

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110080260.html
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Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)


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Sankei news

Iware prefectural police searching Kirikiri port

Iware prefectural police searching Ryoishi bay

 

[makoto]

Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+

Symposium on post-disaster reconstruction held

Mayors of disaster-hit municipalities in northeastern Japan have called for wide-ranging cooperation to rebuild their devastated communities......

Monday, October 10, 2011 06:28 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/10_02.html

Japan Sea coast gets tsunami monitoring system

Japanese meteorologists will use newly deployed GPS technology to issue tsunami warnings more quickly and accurately for the Japan Sea coast.......

Monday, October 10, 2011 12:41 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/10_12.html

Motorcycle sales pick up pace since March disaster

Motorcycle sales in Japan are projected to post their first increase in 6 years in response to growing demand for emergency transportation.....

Monday, October 10, 2011 22:04 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/10_18.html

JETRO reaches out to disaster-affected firms

Japan's government-related trade promotion group is going to organize fairs in China to help small firms recover from the March 11th disaster......

Monday, October 10, 2011 22:04 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/10_20.html

All shelters closing in hard-hit Ishinomaki

Officials in the city of Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture are closing the last remaining shelters for survivors of the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. Residents and volunteers have renewed their vow to rebuild their community......

Monday, October 10, 2011 22:04 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/10_22.html
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Yomiuri online

Tsunami-hit train now cafe for residents, tourists

MORIOKA--An exchange and tourist information center recently opened at Sakari Station in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, using the station building and a train disabled in the March 11 tsunami turned into a coffee shop......

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111009001283.htm
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Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)

More than 3,900 still missing 7 months after quake, tsunami

SENDAI (Kyodo) -- More than 3,900 people are still listed as missing and nearly 16,000 people are confirmed dead from the quake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan nearly seven months ago.......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/10/20111010p2g00m0dm016000c.html

M-9 quake strikes off Tohoku about every 440 years: research institute

An earthquake as powerful as the magnitude 9 Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11 occurs off the Tohoku region about every 440 years, university researchers estimate......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/10/20111010p2a00m0na012000c.html
____________________________________________
Jiji press

INTERVIEW: LDP Aiming to Win Back Power in Next 12 Months

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101000102
______________________________________________
Sankei news

JR Jyoban line at Yamamoto town, Miyagi pref

9/30

Izushima, Miyagi pref

 

[makoto]

Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+

Onagawa residents move into temporary housing

Residents in the disaster-hit Onagawa Town in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, began moving into new temporary housing on Monday.......

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 03:37 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/11_05.html

Seven months since the disaster

It's been 7 months since the March 11th earthquake and tsunami......

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 07:20 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/11_09.html

Ishinomaki city closes all evacuation centers

Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, will close all its evacuation centers for survivors of the March 11 disaster on Tuesday.......

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 12:53 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/11_21.html

Noda support rate down to 53%

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 19:13 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/11_29.html
__________________________________________
Asahi com

Ministry aiming for earthquake alert systems in schools

With the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake as a wake-up call, the education ministry wants to ensure that all schools across the nation have an early earthquake alert system........

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110100225.html

JMA Earthquake Early Warning http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/en/Activities/eew.html

ex: Earthquake Early Warning "EEW"

2011 4/28 M5.7 Fukushima
<iframe width="300" height="233" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/YssbPk5bUmE?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

2011 6/30 M5.1 Nagano
<iframe width="300" height="233" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7YnQG5XWxrs?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

2011 7/23 M6.5 Miyagi
<iframe width="300" height="233" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/a5-_MGuRgsM?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
_____________________________________________
Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)

Japan's Aug. current account surplus at lowest in over 2 yrs

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's current account surplus shrank 64.3 percent in August from a year earlier to 407.5 billion yen, its lowest level in more than two years, on rising imports amid higher commodity prices, the government said Tuesday.......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/archive/news/2011/10/11/20111011p2g00m0bu079000c.html

Last shelters for tsunami evacuees close in Ishinomaki

ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi -- The city of Ishinomaki, which was devastated by the massive tsunami of March 11, closed the last of its shelters on Oct. 11, seven months after the disaster, forcing people still waiting for home repairs to move to "standby" facilities......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/11/20111011p2a00m0na008000c.html

Noda calls for measures to prepare for any large disaster

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda called Tuesday for measures to prepare for any possible disaster, including an "unexpectedly" large disaster -- as the March earthquake and tsunami is often described -- at a meeting of the government's Central Disaster Prevention Council.....

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/11/20111011p2g00m0dm102000c.html
________________________________________
Jiji press

Toyota Details Northeastern Japan Units' Merger Plan

Tokyo, Oct. 11 (Jiji Press)--Toyota Motor Corp. <7203> said Tuesday Senior Managing Officer Takeshi Shirane will become president of a new company to be created through a merger of three subsidiaries in the Tohoku northeastern Japan region.......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=ind&k=2011101100713

Tokyo Electron Opens New Miyagi Plant

Sendai, Miyagi Pref., Oct. 11 (Jiji Press)--Tokyo Electron Ltd. <8035> started operations at a new plant in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, Tuesday.....

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=ind&k=2011101100973

Fishery Industry in Disaster-Hit Miyagi Pref. Facing Crisis

Kesennuma, Miyagi Pref., Oct. 11 (Jiji Press)--The northeastern Japan prefecture of Miyagi is facing a fishery industry crisis because many seafood processing plants have been unable to resume operations even seven months after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101100554

Nurses to Visit Elderly in Disaster Areas to Advise on Health

Tokyo, Oct. 11 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said Tuesday that starting late this month, nurses and community health workers will visit elderly people in areas devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami to provide medical advice.....

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101100569

Japan to Consider Comprehensive Anti-Disaster Measures

Tokyo, Oct. 11 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government set up a research panel Tuesday to study comprehensive anti-disaster measures, including those against mega earthquakes and torrential rain.......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101100582

Ishinomaki Closes All Remaining Shelters for Disaster Victims

Ishinomaki, Miyagi Pref., Oct. 11 (Jiji Press)--The northeastern Japan city of Ishinomaki shut all remaining shelters Tuesday for people whose homes were heavily damaged by the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami seven months ago.......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101100837

Over 3,900 Still Missing after Japan's March Disaster

Tokyo, Oct. 11 (Jiji Press)--More than 3,900 people were still unaccounted for as Tuesday marked seven months since the earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan.....

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101100850

Japan Panel Adopts Additional Reconstruction Tax Breaks

Tokyo, Oct. 11 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Tax Commission Tuesday adopted additional corporate tax breaks aimed at spurring investment and creating jobs in areas devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101100939

60 Pct of Japan Coastal Municipalities Have No Tsunami Measures

Tokyo, Oct. 11 (Jiji Press)--Over 60 pct of municipalities in Japanese coastal areas surveyed do not assume tsunami damage in their disaster prevention plans, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Tuesday.....

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101100982
__________________________________________
Sankei news

Last shelters for tsunami evacuees close in Ishinomaki city, Miyagi pref

10/11, Thank you

7 months since 3/11 earthquake at Okawa school, Miyagi pref
Okawa school news by Yomiuri online
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110412006337.htm
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110602004982.htm
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110823005568.htm

 

[makoto]

Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+

Indian Ocean tsunami warning system launched

A tsunami warning system has begun serving countries on the Indian Ocean, 7 years after the region was devastated by tsunamis.......

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 12:11 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/12_17.html

Japan to continue tsunami support

Japan's Meteorological Agency says it will continue to provide tsunami information to Indian Ocean countries until the new warning system is confirmed to be operating properly.......

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 13:42 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/12_18.html

370 companies bankrupt following March quake

A survey has found that nearly 400 companies have gone bankrupt in Japan as a result of the March 11th earthquake.......

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 15:14 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/12_22.html

re:Indian Ocean tsunami warning system launched

A tsunami warning system for countries on the Indian Ocean has been launched 7 years after the region was devastated by a tsunami......

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 18:25 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/12_27.html

Tokyo ward passes ordinance on stranded commuters

A ward in central Tokyo has passed an ordinance asking local firms to keep employees in company buildings after disasters such as major earthquakes to prevent confusion on streets......

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 18:29 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/12_30.html

Kuwait sends crude oil for Japan disaster recovery

Kuwait has given 5 million barrels of crude oil to Japan for post-disaster reconstruction.......

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 20:23 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/12_35.html
______________________________________________
Yomiuri online

Support for Noda Cabinet creeps down to 55%

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111011004758.htm

Ishinomaki girl comforts friends' families

ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi--Amane Ukitsu was one of the students at Okawa Primary School in Ishinomaki that survived the March 11 tsunami..........

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111011004865.htm

Last Ishinomaki shelters close

ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi--The last evacuation centers in Ishinomaki, which suffered the largest number of killed or missing people among municipalities hit by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, closed Tuesday--seven months to the day after the disaster.......

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111011004844.htm
___________________________________________
Asahi com

temporary house at Onagawa town, Miyagi pref
<iframe width="300" height="233" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nPoaFhn2Py0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Good for business: 3/11 disaster triggers wedding boom

Yuichi Ishihara had been vaguely thinking about popping the question to his girlfriend, Kumiko Ueda. But that was before the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake.....

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110110224.html

Scientists: Stuck seamount may have caused mega-quake

The power of the magnitude-9.0 Great East Japan Earthquake may have been the result of a huge accumulation of energy caused by a seamount stuck along the plate boundary, a team of scientists said......

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110110209.html

Residents of tsunami-hit town plan disaster tourism

OTSUCHI, Iwate Prefecture -- A group of residents is using what little is left in their tsunami-devastated town to raise funds through tourism.........

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110110215.html
______________________________________________
Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)

Economy watchers index down in Sept. for 2nd straight month

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Business confidence among people with jobs sensitive to domestic economic trends deteriorated for the second consecutive month in September, due partly to the adverse impact of the yen's appreciation and several typhoons last month, the government said Tuesday........

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/archive/news/2011/10/12/20111012p2g00m0bu089000c.html

Corporate taxable income up for 1st time in 4 years

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Taxable income declared by corporations that settled their accounts during fiscal 2010 ended March rose 7 percent from a year earlier to 36.18 trillion yen, marking the first increase in four years, the National Tax Agency said Tuesday........

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/archive/news/2011/10/12/20111012p2g00m0bu091000c.html

Tsunami alert system for Indian Ocean rim formally kicks off

JAKARTA (Kyodo) -- A tsunami alert system for Indian Ocean rim countries officially kicked off Wednesday, almost seven years after massive tsunamis triggered by a major earthquake off Indonesia's Sumatra Island left at least 230,000 people dead or missing........

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/12/20111012p2g00m0dm015000c.html

Temporary housing in stacked shipping containers welcomes first residents

ONAGAWA, Miyagi -- Temporary housing here built of stacked shipping containers began welcoming residents in earnest on Oct. 11, offering homes to many who have been without a place to call their own since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/12/20111012p2a00m0na008000c.html
__________________________________________
Jiji press

June Welfare Recipients in Japan Near Record High of 2.04 M.

Tokyo, Oct. 12 (Jiji Press)--The number of people who received welfare benefits in Japan in June stood at 2,041,592, almost on par with the average monthly record high of 2,046,646 marked in fiscal 1951, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said Wednesday.......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101200431

Japan Disaster Victims in Temp Homes Preparing for Winter

Sendai, Miyagi Pref., Oct. 12 (Jiji Press)--Some seven months after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, people living in temporary housing in the affected Tohoku northeastern region are stepping up preparations for the arrival of winter.......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101200556

Kuwaiti Oil Reaches Japan to Support Reconstruction

Yokohama, Oct. 12 (Jiji Press)--The first batch of crude oil provided by Kuwait free of charge arrived in Japan Wednesday to help rebuild areas devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101200992
__________________________________________
Sankei news

Kesennuma port, Miyagi pref

 

[makoto]

Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+

Underwater debris videotaped and analyzed

Researchers have found that the tsunami that devastated the town of Minamisanriku in Miyagi Prefecture on March 11th has left heavy debris scattered on the seabed along the coast......

Thursday, October 13, 2011 17:36 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/13_32.html

Bhutan celebrates royal wedding

The young king of the Himalayan nation of Bhutan married a commoner in a traditional Tibetan Buddhist ceremony on Thursday......

........Japan plans to invite the newly-married couple as state guests in the middle of November as both sides observe the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations.....

Thursday, October 13, 2011 19:01 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/13_36.html

Vienna Philharmonic sets up fund for quake victims

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and a leading Japanese beverage maker have unveiled plans to establish a fund for victims of the March 11th disaster........

Thursday, October 13, 2011 19:01 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/13_37.html

Iwate students get cheer-up letters from overseas

Students in disaster-hit Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan have received letters of encouragement from young people overseas.....

Thursday, October 13, 2011 20:04 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/13_39.html
___________________________________________
Yomiuri online

Answers sought over evacuation center deaths

Seven months after the Great East Japan Earthquake, there have been growing calls in disaster-hit areas to look into why so many people died after taking shelter in buildings designated as evacuation centers......

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111012005605.htm

Free trip aims to reassure intl students

The education ministry plans to invite 150 foreign university students who are interested in studying in Japan to join free "trial study trips" to this nation, it was learned Wednesday........

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111012006453.htm
__________________________________________
Asahi com

BOJ: Tohoku economy back to pre-quake levels except in worst-hit areas

The economy of the quake-battered Tohoku region has shown steady improvement for five consecutive months, the Bank of Japan's Sendai Branch said in its latest monthly assessment.......

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110120312.html

Business leader: Companies need to cash in on growth in emerging economies

Business leaders have griped for ages that Japanese companies are at a major disadvantage in the global market because of five difficulties.......

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110120317.html

Scientists: 3/11 fault slip matched pre-quake strain accumulation

The pattern of extensive strain accumulation on a tectonic plate before March 11 largely matched the actual fault slip that caused the Great East Japan Earthquake, a team of researchers said......

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110120296.html
__________________________________________
Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)


___________________________________________
Jiji press

Tokyo-Area New Condo Supply Up 16.7 Pct in Sept.

Tokyo, Oct. 13 (Jiji Press)--The number of condominiums put up for sale in the greater Tokyo area in September rose 16.7 pct from a year before to 3,713 units, the Real Estate Economic Institute said Thursday.....

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=ind&k=2011101300671

25,751 Children Change School After Japan's March Disaster

Tokyo, Oct. 13 (Jiji Press)--The number of children forced to change school because of the effects of the March 11 disaster stood at 25,751 as of Sept. 1, a Japanese government survey revealed Thursday.....

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101300640

Japan to Open Diet Session on Oct. 20

Tokyo, Oct. 13 (Jiji Press)--Japan's government and ruling party plan to convene a special Diet session on Oct. 20 for a 51-day run through Dec. 9, officials said Thursday.......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101300759
__________________________________________
Sankei news

a clone of lone pine tree at Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute(FFPRI), TOHOKU Research Center
http://www.ffpri-thk.affrc.go.jp/index-e.html
ノビル(nobiru) = grow

coho salmon(Oncorhynchus kisutsh) returns to Urahama river
Ofunato city, Iwate pref

 

[makoto]

Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+

IMF urges Japan to raise taxes for reconstruction

The International Monetary Fund has urged Japan to raise taxes to help pay for reconstruction from the March earthquake and tsunami and rehabilitate public finances.....

Friday, October 14, 2011 06:53 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/14_02.html

Govt. to outline concrete plans for reconstruction

The Japanese government will explain the details of its reconstruction plans as early as next week to local governments hit hard by the March earthquake and tsunami......

Friday, October 14, 2011 06:54 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/14_05.html

Azumi leaves for G20 summit

......Azumi and Shirakawa are to announce that Japan will work to promote reconstruction from the March 11th disaster and fiscal reconstruction. This reflects the widespread concern that massive sovereign debts could drag down the global economy......

Friday, October 14, 2011 15:26 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/14_23.html

Messages from Canadian children made into quilts

Two huge patchwork quilts with messages from Canadian children to young survivors of Japan's March 11th disaster are on display at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo......

Friday, October 14, 2011 19:41 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/14_28.html

Earthquake drill held in Tokyo Bay area

Firefighters have held drills in the Tokyo Bay area to prepare for major earthquakes that could cause massive damage to ships and facilities.......

Friday, October 14, 2011 19:41 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/14_34.html
____________________________________________
Yomiuri online

Preparing for airport disaster / Haneda to be evacuated 10 minutes after tsunami warning

In the wake of the March tsunami that heavily damaged Sendai Airport, the transport ministry is planning to evacuate people at Haneda Airport within 10 minutes after a tsunami warning is issued, according to sources......

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111013004990.htm
___________________________________________
Asahi com

Huge memorial park to be set up in quake-stricken Tohoku region

Six parks in the disaster-stricken Tohoku region are to be reorganized into a single national park covering about 300 kilometers of coastline as a memorial to the devastation caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake......

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110130286.html
____________________________________________
Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)

Sept. condo supply in Tokyo area logs 1st 2-digit rise in 7 months

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- New condominium supply in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures in September increased 16.7 percent from a year earlier to 3,713 units, marking the first double-digit year-on-year growth in seven months, a research agency said Thursday......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/archive/news/2011/10/14/20111014p2g00m0bu103000c.html

4 major convenience store operators see profit rises in first half

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Four major convenience store operators logged 8 to 21 percent rises in parent-only operating profits in the March-August first half of fiscal 2010 due to brisk sales of boxed lunches and sweets, according to their earnings reports released by Thursday......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/archive/news/2011/10/14/20111014p2g00m0bu104000c.html

Bereaved families sue driving school for negligence over March 11 quake and tsunami

YAMAMOTO, Miyagi -- The bereaved families of teenage students at a local driving school who were killed on their way home from the facility by the March 11 tsunami triggered by a massive quake, are suing the school for damages totaling about 1.9 billion yen for "failure to fulfill duty of risk avoidance.".......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/14/20111014p2a00m0na003000c.html

Iwate brewery set to ship sake for first time since tsunami with help of rival

ICHINOSEKI, Iwate -- A long-established sake brewery company in the Iwate Prefecture city of Rikuzentakata, which suffered damage in the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, has relaunched its business by renting part of the facilities at another brewery here.....

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/14/20111014p2a00m0na005000c.html


____________________________________________
Jiji press

Noda Cabinet Support Rating Falls to 42 Pct: Jiji Poll

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101400539

(Update) Noda Cabinet Support Rating Falls to 42 Pct: Jiji Poll

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101400586

Japan Govt Adds 100 B. Yen to Planned 3rd Extra Budget

Tokyo, Oct. 14 (Jiji Press)--Japanese government and ruling party leaders agreed Friday to add some 100 billion yen to the planned 12-trillion-yen supplementary budget for postdisaster reconstruction measures.....

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101400957
___________________________________________
Sankei news

Earthquake drill held in Tokyo Bay area

Bereaved families sue driving school for negligence over March 11 quake and tsunami

 

[makoto]

Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+

March disaster debris may reach Hawaii next year

US researchers say some of the huge amount of debris that has been drifting in the Pacific Ocean as a result of Japan's disaster in March may reach Hawaii next year......

Saturday, October 15, 2011 13:05 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/15_17.html

Seismologists discuss 3/11

Japanese earthquake experts, at their first symposium since the March 11th disaster, have discussed improving ways to provide society with information on major earthquakes.......

Saturday, October 15, 2011 22:21 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/15_25.html
______________________________________________
Yomiuri online

Siblings delivering good news to Ishinomaki

ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi--Although tsunami-hit Ishinomaki has not had much good news since the March 11 disaster, two primary school children are making handwritten newspapers featuring local stories--and even a scoop--to cheer and encourage residents here.....

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111014005085.htm

Survivors suffer from mental strain / Psychiatrists offer counseling services at Hello Work offices in disaster areas

More and more survivors of the Great East Japan Earthquake are reporting symptoms of depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has reported.....

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111014005614.htm
_______________________________________________________
Asahi com

RUGBY/ Player banned after making insensitive quake crack

The Japan East Rugby Football Union has suspended a player for 30 days for making an insensitive and offensive remark about the March 11 earthquake to a team based in quake-hit Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture........

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110140358.html
__________________________________________________________
Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)

Soccer: Nadeshiko League champs to play Arsenal Ladies for charity

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The top-tier Japanese women's soccer league said Friday its champions this year will play a charity match against England's Arsenal Ladies on Nov. 30 to help provide support for reconstruction efforts following the massive earthquake and tsunami in March......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/sports/archive/news/2011/10/15/20111015p2g00m0sp033000c.html
_______________________________________________________________
Jiji press

Japanese Fishing Boat Makers Rush to Increase Production

Tokyo, Oct. 15 (Jiji Press)--Japanese fishing boat makers have started to raise production after more than 20,000 boats were swept away by the tsunami caused by the March 11 earthquake.....

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=ind&k=2011101500278
___________________________________________________
Sankei news

Seismologists discuss 3/11

March disaster debris may reach Hawaii next year

Hikifune festival at kamaishi port, Iwate pref

 

[makoto]

Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+

Azumi announces consumption tax hike plan

Finance Minister Jun Azumi told the G20 meeting that the Japanese government intends to raise its consumption tax to 10 percent........

Sunday, October 16, 2011 08:59 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/16_05.html
_____________________________________________
Yomiuri online

Govt to appoint top officials for rebuilding body

The government plans to appoint a Cabinet minister and four other officials to an agency tasked with reconstruction of areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, it has been learned.......

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111015002540.htm

Autumn festivals dealt blow / March 11 disaster forces cancellation, cutbacks in Tohoku events

KAMAISHI, Iwate--Many autumn festivals in the Tohoku region have been canceled or downscaled due to financial difficulties and physical damage caused by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.......

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111015002292.htm
___________________________________________
Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)

Tokyo municipality looks to FM radio as way to get out information in emergencies

As Japan seeks ways to prepare for another major calamity like the one that struck the Tohoku region on March 11, local FM radio is being looked at by at least one Tokyo municipality as a reliable way to get out information when other lines of communication are cut........

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/16/20111016p2a00m0na003000c.html

Folk singer rekindles memories about city that was devastated by tsunami

A Japanese folk singer is helping revive memories about the tsunami-devastated city of Rikuzentakata with a song that he wrote several years before it was hit by the March 11 quake and tsunami......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/16/20111016p2g00m0et012000c.html

Blueprint for mass relocations dashes parent's hopes to keep hometown for children

SENDAI -- A reconstruction blueprint, unveiled by the city government of Sendai in September, in principal bans the building of new houses and the renovation of existing houses in the Arahama district of the city's Wakabayashi Ward, where more than 170 people were killed by the March 11 tsunami......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/16/20111016p2g00m0dm013000c.html
___________________________________________
Sankei news

Kamaishi city, Iwate pref

tokyo midtown

 

[makoto]

Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+

Sendai seeking panda loan

Sendai City in northeastern Japan has asked China to loan a pair of pandas to a local zoo to boost the city's efforts to rebuild after the March 11th disaster........

Monday, October 17, 2011 14:29 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/17_16.html

Temporary medical center opens in Kamaishi

Residents of a community in Iwate Prefecture have a new medical center after all the town's clinics were damaged by tsunami that hit northeastern Japan in March.....

Monday, October 17, 2011 14:53 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/17_19.html

Disaster-hit sake brewer celebrates 1st shipment

A sake maker in Iwate, northeastern Japan has celebrated the first shipment of its new products after losing its brewery in the huge tsunami 7 months ago.....

Monday, October 17, 2011 15:10 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/17_20.html
___________________________________________
Yomiuri online

More bike accidents in Tokyo since quake

With more and more people commuting by bicycle since the Great East Japan Earthquake, the number of accidents involving bicycle commuters in Tokyo is also increasing, the Metropolitan Police Department has found......

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111016001761.htm
____________________________________________
Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)

Real challenge for Japan economy may come once Europe finds way

PARIS (Kyodo) -- Those unfamiliar with Japan may wonder why the yen has been rising against the U.S. dollar, the euro and other major currencies, indicating investor confidence in the country's economy, at least so far, despite the devastating earthquake and tsunami in March.....

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/archive/news/2011/10/17/20111017p2g00m0bu072000c.html

Raised roads could reduce momentum of tsunami

SENDAI (Kyodo) -- The momentum of tsunami could be reduced by constructing raised roads and railways in parallel with sea embankments, the Miyagi prefectural government said Sunday......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/17/20111017p2g00m0dm001000c.html

Japan mulls asking China to lease pandas to tsunami-affected city

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese government is considering asking the Chinese government to lease giant pandas to a zoo in the city of Sendai, which was hit by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, government sources said Sunday......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/17/20111017p2g00m0dm003000c.html
______________________________________________
Jiji press

Pele Visits Elementary School in Disaster-Hit Miyagi

Natori, Miyagi Pref., Oct. 17 (Jiji Press)--Brazilian soccer legend Pele visited an elementary school in a disaster-hit area of northeastern Japan on Monday to cheer up children there.......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101700748

Further Talks Needed for Panda Lease to Sendai: China Spokesman

Beijing, Oct. 17 (Jiji Press)--Further communications between the Japanese and Chinese sides are necessary on the possible leasing of giant pandas to the northwestern Japan city of Sendai, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said Monday......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101700787

Govt to Provide 196 B. Yen for Postdisaster Reconstruction Fund

Tokyo, Oct. 17 (Jiji Press)--Japanese internal affairs minister Tatsuo Kawabata said Monday that the government will provide a total of 196 billion yen for a fund to assist reconstruction in nine prefectures after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.....

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101700907
___________________________________________
Sankei news

Pele Visits Elementary School in Disaster-Hit Miyagi

fire from debris place
Yamada town, Iwate pref

right side: volleyball education, left side: home economics education
in Toni junior high school' gymnasium, Iwate pref

Temporary medical center opens in Kamaishi city

 

[makoto]

Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+

Tokyo assembly votes to bid for 2020 Summer Games

The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly has voted for making a bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics in the metropolis.....

.....The 3 parties say hosting the 2020 Summer Olympics would be a symbolic goal to encourage people to reconstruct from the March 11th earthquake and tsunami that severely hit Japan's northeastern Tohoku region.....

Tuesday, October 18, 2011 18:43 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/18_28.html
____________________________________________
Yomiuri online

Heroic citizens face needless danger / Shortage of remotely controlled floodgates imperils volunteer firefighters

KAMAISHI, Iwate--Floodgates that can be remotely operated could make the difference between life and death for volunteer firefighters and others involved in rescue operations.......

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111017004481.htm

72 lost volunteer firefighters responsible for gate-closing

Of 253 volunteer firefighters who were killed or went missing in three disaster-hit prefectures as a result of the March 11 tsunami, at least 72 were in charge of closing floodgates or seawall gates in coastal areas, it has been learned.......

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111017004847.htm

Reconstruction subsidies tipped for 40 projects

Forty reconstruction projects under the jurisdiction of five ministries will be granted government subsidies to be incorporated in the third supplementary budget for this fiscal year, sources said Monday......

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111017004992.htm
__________________________________________
Asahi com

Japan downgrades economic outlook for 1st time in 6 months

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110170229.html

Officials complain Noda wavering on key policy issues

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110170372.html

Recognition for disaster-related deaths remain stalled

SENDAI -- Only 13 percent of applications for recognizing deaths as caused indirectly by the Great East Japan Earthquake have been approved amid a lack of experts and an absence of unified standards......

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110170370.html

Survey: Less than half of voters support tax-hike plan

Forty-nine percent of Japanese voters oppose the government's tax-hike plan for post-quake reconstruction, while 65 percent feel more can be done to cut wasteful spending, an Asahi Shimbun survey found......

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110170395.html
____________________________________________
Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)

Japan cuts economic view in face of slowing overseas economies

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/archive/news/2011/10/18/20111018p2g00m0bu101000c.html

Nagoya airport prepares for tsunami overrunning seawall

NAGOYA (Kyodo) -- Central Japan International Airport serving Nagoya city said Monday it has drawn up a new disaster preparedness manual that assumes for the first time that a tsunami could overrun the protective seawall surrounding the airport on a man-made island in Ise Bay....

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/18/20111018p2g00m0dm011000c.html

March disaster prolongs college students' search for jobs

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Many fourth-year university students have yet to land jobs as major corporations pushed back their recruitment schedules by one or two months this year in view of the plight of young survivors of the March earthquake and tsunami who needed more time before starting to look for jobs......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/18/20111018p2g00m0dm015000c.html

Japan asks for Dutch support in restoring tsunami-damaged farmland

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan called on Monday for the Netherlands' cooperation in restoring farmland damaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, Foreign Ministry officials said.......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/18/20111018p2g00m0dm017000c.html

Soccer legend Pele visits elementary school in disaster-hit Miyagi

NATORI, Miyagi -- Brazilian soccer legend Pele visited an elementary school here, to the delight of children and local residents affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/18/20111018p2a00m0na009000c.html

Approaching winter brings isolation concerns for seniors living in temporary housing

RIKUZENTAKATA, Iwate -- Hiroko Maeda, 64, often drives her car to visit elderly acquaintances who lived in the same district as her before the March 11 disasters. She worries, however, that winter will take away her ability to drive and isolate her companions.....

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/18/20111018p2a00m0na013000c.html


______________________________________
Jiji press

March 11 Quake-Induced Dam Failure Being Probed

Sukagawa, Fukushima Pref., Oct. 18 (Jiji Press)--The 9.0-magnitude earthquake on March 11 triggered a deadly flood in a mountainous area in this northeastern Japan municipality, in addition to the huge tsunami that devastated coastal areas.......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101800580

Japan Likely to Redeem Reconstruction Bonds in 15-20 Years

Tokyo, Oct. 18 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government and the ruling Democratic Party of Japan now plan to redeem disaster reconstruction bonds in 15 to 20 years, against the initially planned 10 years, sources said Tuesday.......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101800730

To Cooperate in Leasing Pandas to Disaster-Hit Sendai: China Envoy

Sendai, Miyagi Pref., Oct. 18 (Jiji Press)--Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua said Tuesday that he is ready to cooperate in realizing the lease of giant pandas to a zoo in Sendai, the capital of Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, which was hit hard by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami........

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101800827

Japan Minister Calls Tsunami Victims Like His Old Classmate as Idiots

Nihonmatsu, Fukushima Pref., Oct. 18 (Jiji Press)--Tatsuo Hirano, Japanese minister in charge of postdisaster reconstruction, said Tuesday that some people, like one of his old high school classmates, were idiots for not escaping when the tsunami caused by the 9.0-magnitude earthquake hit the northeastern Japan coast on March 11.....

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101800966

Japan Not to Follow Recommendation on Govt Workers' Salaries

Tokyo, Oct. 18 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government plans not to implement a salary cut for national civil servants in fiscal 2011 proposed by the National Personnel Authority, seeking to adopt a wider cut for reconstruction funding, government officials said Tuesday.....

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101800974
____________________________________________
Sankei news

Japanese vertical datum moved by 3/11 earthquake
27cm to the east, down 2.4 cm
Chiyoda ward, Tokyo

 

[makoto]

Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+

Japan to revise geodetic data

The Japanese government is officially revising some geodetic measurements after tectonic changes caused by the March 11th earthquake..........

Wednesday, October 19, 2011 12:44 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/19_18.html

Keene: Miracle will happen in northeastern Japan

One of the world's top experts on Japanese literature, Donald Keene, says a miracle will happen in disaster-hit northeastern Japan.......

Wednesday, October 19, 2011 13:50 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/19_21.html

Government plays down Hirano remark

Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura has played down a cabinet minister's controversial remarks about the March 11th tsunami.......

Wednesday, October 19, 2011 15:57 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/19_23.html
__________________________________________
Asahi com

Japan downgrades economic picture first time in 6 months

With smaller growth in exports and production due to slowing economies abroad, the government downgraded its economic assessment for the first time in six months, officials said on Oct. 17......

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110180302.html
_____________________________________________
Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)

Ministry upgrades econ view on all 10 regions for 1st time since 2002

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry raised its assessment Tuesday on all of Japan's 10 regional economies for the July to September quarter for the first time since the corresponding period in 2002......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/archive/news/2011/10/19/20111019p2g00m0bu113000c.html

Spirit of journalism shines through in times of devastation

At a round-table talk held last month at the Mainichi's Sendai bureau by a panel of third-party experts comprising the Open Newspaper Committee, Koichi Omi, the president of the publisher of the Ishinomaki Hibi Shimbun, explained what motivated the paper's staff to continue providing news with pen and poster paper in the immediate aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20111019p2a00m0na001000c.html

Cabinet minister apologizes for remark about quake-tsunami deaths

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Disaster management minister Tatsuo Hirano apologized Tuesday for a remark he made the same day about people who died in the March 11 earthquake-tsunami disaster in northeastern Japan......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/19/20111019p2g00m0dm012000c.html

34 Mainichi photos of March 11 tsunami on exhibition at U.N. headquarters in NY

NEW YORK -- An exhibition of Mainichi Shimbun photos of the destruction caused by the tsunami triggered by the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake is under way here.....

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/19/20111019p2a00m0na008000c.html
______________________________________________
Jiji press

Overseas Package Tour Demand in Summer Recovers in Japan

Tokyo, Oct. 19 (Jiji Press)--The number of people in Japan who went abroad on package tours marked year-on-year increases from July to September, recovering from a slump after the March 11 disaster, an industry group said Wednesday.......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=ind&k=2011101900968

Workforce in Eastern Japan Falls for 7th Straight Month

Tokyo, Oct. 19 (Jiji Press)--The eastern Japan regions of Tohoku and Kanto saw an overall loss of jobs for the seventh straight month in August, reflecting the lingering impact of the March 11 disaster, labor ministry data showed Wednesday........

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101900664

Japan Govt Urged to Sell Some JT Shares for Reconstruction

Tokyo, Oct. 19 (Jiji Press)--A Japanese Finance Ministry panel proposed Wednesday that the government sell some of its shareholdings in Japan Tobacco Inc. <2914> to help fund reconstruction projects in areas devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101900727

March Disaster Boosts Marriage Appeal to Single Japanese Women: Survey

Tokyo, Oct. 19 (Jiji Press)--After the March 11 catastrophe, a total of 36 pct of single Japanese women turned positive about marriage or grew more positive about it, an online survey revealed Wednesday......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101900809

Japan to Invite 10,000 Foreign Visitors with Free Air Tickets

Singapore, Oct. 19 (Jiji Press)--Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Hiroshi Mizohata said Wednesday that the agency plans to invite 10,000 foreign tourists to Japan with free air tickets in fiscal 2012, which starts next April.....

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101900952

Japan's Business Cycle Hits Peak in February 2008: Govt Panel

Tokyo, Oct. 19 (Jiji Press)--Japan's business cycle reached a recent peak in February 2008, four months later than the previously identified October 2007, a Cabinet Office panel of experts said Wednesday......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011101901011

INTERVIEW: Aide to Noda Seeks 10-Yr Corporate Tax Relief in Disaster Areas

Tokyo, Oct. 19 (Jiji Press)--An aide to Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Wednesday stressed the need to exempt all companies in areas ravaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami from corporate tax payments over 10 years to promote postdisaster reconstruction......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011102000040
______________________________________________
Sankei news

fire from debris place
Yamada town, Iwate pref

 

[makoto]

Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+

Empress celebrates 77th birthday

Japan's Empress Michiko turns 77 on Thursday.

.....The Empress said the past year has brought her much sorrow as natural disasters struck various parts of the country.......

Thursday, October 20, 2011 09:57 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20_15.html

Extraordinary Diet session convened

An extraordinary session of Japan's Diet has been convened to discuss an extra budget bill for post-disaster reconstruction.......

Thursday, October 20, 2011 12:26 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20_24.html

Govt panel to review Tokyo disaster measures

The Japanese government has set up a panel to review disaster control measures for Tokyo. The aim is to prevent the loss of capital functions in case of a major earthquake......

Thursday, October 20, 2011 12:57 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20_23.html

Ship washed ashore by tsunami returns to sea

A huge freighter washed ashore in Iwate Prefecture by the March 11th tsunami has returned to sea.......

Thursday, October 20, 2011 14:10 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20_26.html

Fishing boat maker in Miyagi receives big orders

A leading Japanese boat maker is busy filling orders for fishing boats following the loss of over 25,000 small fishing craft nationwide in the March tsunami......

Thursday, October 20, 2011 18:18 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20_31.html

Sylvie Guillem to dance for disaster victims

Top French ballet star Sylvie Guillem says she hopes to encourage victims of Japan's March disaster by performing in the country.......

Thursday, October 20, 2011 21:06 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20_39.html
___________________________________________
Yomiuri online

Study pinpoints trigger of March 11 earthquake

The Great East Japan Earthquake was triggered when plate boundaries that had been stuck tightly together broke apart in an area measuring several dozen square kilometers off Miyagi Prefecture, according to researchers.....

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/science/T111017005339.htm

Tohoku universities scrambling for applicants

Tohoku region universities and junior colleges affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake are struggling to attract applicants to take entrance examinations for the upcoming academic year.......

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111019004552.htm

Key pier subsided in quake / 35% of local firms affected; Yokohama govt to bear repair costs

The premises of 37 of the 100 companies on Daikoku Pier--reclaimed land in Tsurumi Ward, Yokohama--have been damaged by subsidence due to the Great East Japan Earthquake, it was learned......

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111019005271.htm

Reconstruction bonds may be extended to 20 years / Govt amenable to opposition plan

The redemption period for post-disaster reconstruction bonds could be extended from the originally planned 10 years to 15 or 20 years, under a proposal formulated by the government and ruling coalition parties.....

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111019004512.htm

A glimmer of hope


In an event that takes place over two weeks in February and October each year, the morning sun peeks through a three-meter-wide space between cliffs separating Minami-Sanrikucho and Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on Wednesday morning. The scenic spot "Kamiwarizaki" (cape divided by god) was named after a legend in which the neighboring villages fought over land until a huge cliff suddenly split in half.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20111020dy01.htm
_____________________________________________
Asahi com

returns to sea
<iframe width="300" height="233" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2c87JafUgL8?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

OLYMPICS/ Sports organizations boost spirits of quake survivors

The Japanese Olympic Committee and other sports organizations have been sending athletes to areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake to host sporting events and visit elementary school children in an attempt to cheer up the survivors of March 11......

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110190293.html

Newspaper heads pledge to continue their mission

KYOTO -- The March 11 disaster showed that newspapers can play an indispensable role when tragedy strikes......

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110190345.html

Japan sinks 2.4 cm after March 11 quake

The Great East Japan Earthquake not only shifted Japan 2.4 meters closer to the United States, but scientists have now confirmed that the events of March 11 also caused the nation to sink 2.4 centimeters.......

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110190338.html

DPJ agrees on plan to buy up liabilities in disaster areas

The ruling Democratic Party of Japan plans to go along with an opposition proposal to establish a program to buy up liabilities of small businesses in disaster-stricken Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima prefectures......

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110190347.html
____________________________________________
Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)

Japan economy in recession for 13 months through March 2009: gov't

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese economy shrank for 13 months through March 2009, the government said Wednesday, specifying for the first time the country's 14th recession since the end of World War II......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/archive/news/2011/10/20/20111020p2g00m0bu093000c.html

Empress expresses sympathy on 77th birthday for victims of disasters

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Empress Michiko, on the occasion of her 77th birthday on Thursday, extended her sympathy and support to people affected by the March earthquake-tsunami catastrophe that claimed the lives of nearly 20,000.......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/20/20111020p2g00m0dm007000c.html
Activities of Her Majesty the Empress over the past year
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/20/20111020p2a00m0na020000c.html

Stranded freighter at quake-hit Kamaishi lifted back on water

KAMAISHI (Kyodo) -- A large freighter that ran aground on a dock at Kamaishi port in Iwate Prefecture following the March earthquake and tsunami was lifted back onto the water Thursday.......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/20/20111020p2g00m0dm061000c.html

Body to buy loans to disaster-hit small businesses to be created

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The ruling Democratic Party of Japan agreed with two major opposition parties Thursday to create a new organization to purchase outstanding loans to small businesses damaged by the March disaster to mitigate their debt payment burdens.......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/20/20111020p2g00m0dm062000c.html

Japan to draw up 12 tril. yen 3rd extra budget for quake relief

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese government will create a 12.10 trillion yen ($157.66 billion) third extra budget for fiscal 2011 to additionally finance reconstruction work following the March earthquake and tsunami, government officials said Thursday......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/20/20111020p2g00m0dm063000c.html

Scholar Donald Keene gives words of encouragement in Sendai

SENDAI -- Donald Keene, 89, a pre-eminent scholar of Japanese culture, spoke to reporters in Sendai on Oct. 19, giving words of encouragement for the disaster-hit Tohoku region.......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/20/20111020p2a00m0na011000c.html


_____________________________________________
Jiji press

Japan Diet Convenes for 51-Day Extra Session

Tokyo, Oct. 20 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Diet convened for a 51-day extraordinary session through Dec. 9 on Thursday....

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011102000361

Japan's Key Parties Agree on Double-Loan Relief Expansion

Tokyo, Oct. 20 (Jiji Press)--Major Japanese ruling and opposition parties on Thursday agreed to expand relief measures for those suffering from the so-called double-loan problems due to the March 11 earthquake and tsunami........

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011102000567

BOJ Ups Economic Assessment for 5 of 9 Regions

Tokyo, Oct. 20 (Jiji Press)--The Bank of Japan on Thursday raised its economic assessment for five of the country's nine regions from three months ago thanks to the recovery of the supply chains disrupted by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011102000640

Panel to Discuss Steps to Protect Capital Functions from Huge Quake

Tokyo, Oct. 20 (Jiji Press)--A Japanese government panel on Thursday launched discussions to compile a set of measures to help Tokyo continue offering its political, economic and administrative functions as the nation's capital in case a massive earthquake directly hits the heart of the city........

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011102000837

DPJ to Mull Special Account for Reconstruction in FY '12 at Earliest

Tokyo, Oct. 20 (Jiji Press)--Ruling Democratic Party of Japan policy chief Seiji Maehara told his opposition counterparts Thursday that the DPJ is considering establishing a special account for reconstruction budgets, but no earlier than in fiscal 2012 from April......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011102000980

Japan to Allow Local Govts to Ease National Rules in Disaster Areas

Tokyo, Oct. 20 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government plans to allow local governments in areas hit by the March disaster to ease some national regulations in their reconstruction special zones, it was learned Thursday......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011102001016

2 Major Japan Opposition Parties to OK 3rd Extra Budget

Tokyo, Oct. 20 (Jiji Press)--The largest Japanese opposition Liberal Democratic Party and second-biggest New Komeito decided Thursday to support the government's planned fiscal 2011 third supplementary budget mainly for financing reconstruction projects in areas devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011102100008
_____________________________________________
Sankei news

 

[makoto]

Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+

Charity concert in China for tsunami survivors

Japanese residents of Shanghai have held a charity concert for children in areas of northeastern Japan that were hit by the March 11th quake and tsunami......

Friday, October 21, 2011 11:41 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/21_22.html

Cabinet approves third supplementary budget

The government has approved a draft of a third supplementary budget for the current fiscal year through March 2012, worth over 150 billion dollars........

Friday, October 21, 2011 13:43 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/21_26.html

JET program teachers pledge assistance to Tohoku

Foreign former teachers at Japanese schools have pledged to increase their assistance to areas hit by the March 11th disaster.......

Friday, October 21, 2011 15:51 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/21_28.html

Miyagi farmer delivers rice to disaster victims

A farmer in disaster-hit Ishinomaki City in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, has given his rice harvest for this year to people living in temporary housing......

Friday, October 21, 2011 17:16 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/21_32.html

"Kotatsu" heaters delivered to disaster survivors

Volunteers are delivering traditional Japanese heaters to survivors of the March 11th disaster, before the start of the harsh winter.......

Friday, October 21, 2011 17:24 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/21_31.html

Japan to give away air tickets to 10,000 visitors

Japan's Tourism Agency may soon be giving away 10,000 round-trip air tickets to the country in an effort to encourage visitors.......

Friday, October 21, 2011 20:52 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/21_37.html
_____________________________________________
Yomiuri online

Insomnia soars in disaster-hit prefectures

Four months after the Great East Japan Earthquake, the rate of insomnia among people in the three prefectures hit hardest by the disaster was about five times the level there before the disaster, it has been learned.......

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111020003916.htm
_____________________________________________
Asahi com/Asahi Japan Watch(AJW)

Tohoku children's cakes express their hopes for the future

OTSUCHI, Iwate Prefecture--Rarely has a cake expressed such sincere feeling.....
<iframe width="300" height="233" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6feBb7bT_bE?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110200335.html

Empress Michiko turns 77, and is feeling her age

Empress Michiko, marking her 77th birthday on Oct. 20, referred to the "anguish and despair" she felt after the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11.

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110200383.html

Salmon return to tsunami-affected river in Tohoku

One of nature's most spectacular events occurring in a river in tsunami-affected Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, is signifying a welcome recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake.......

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110200330.html
______________________________________________
Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)

Japan's Ibaraki Airport wins low-cost airport of the year award

SINGAPORE (Kyodo) -- Japan's Ibaraki Airport won the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation's best low-cost airport of the year award Thursday......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/archive/news/2011/10/21/20111021p2g00m0bu089000c.html

Hitachi group firm's India hotel thrives as it targets Japanese guests

MUMBAI (Kyodo) -- A hotel operated by a Japanese company in New Delhi is becoming popular among Japanese expatriates who have yet to adapt to the local cuisine and climate......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/archive/news/2011/10/21/20111021p2g00m0bu091000c.html

BOJ raises assessment on 5 out of 9 regional economies

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/archive/news/2011/10/21/20111021p2g00m0bu099000c.html

Cabinet OKs 2 tril. yen policy package to ease impact of rising yen

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Cabinet approved a 2 trillion yen ($26 billion) policy package Friday to ease the negative impact on the Japanese economy from the recent sharp rise of the yen, including a loan program for companies to boost their foreign investment, benefiting from the stronger currency.........

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/21/20111021p2g00m0dm027000c.html

New disaster recovery bill offers to help private companies obtain fishery rights

Legislation to set special districts for earthquake recovery efforts includes tax breaks and help for private companies to obtain fishery rights, according to an outline of the bill obtained by the Mainichi.......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/21/20111021p2a00m0na012000c.html
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Jiji press

Japan Adopts 12-T.-Yen Extra Budget for Reconstruction

Tokyo, Oct. 21 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government, at a cabinet meeting on Friday, adopted a 12,102.5-billion-yen supplementary budget for fiscal 2011 designed mainly to finance postdisaster reconstruction, the second-biggest extra budget ever..........

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011102100363

Japan to Introduce Seismometers Resilient to Massive Quakes

Tokyo, Oct. 21 (Jiji Press)--Japan will introduce new seismometers that can measure earthquakes of magnitude 8 or greater, the Meteorological Agency said Friday......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011102100370

Quake-Hit Japan Modifies Land Measurement Benchmarks

Tokyo, Oct. 21 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Geospatial Information Authority modified land measurement benchmarks on Friday as the nation's main island was yanked slightly eastward and downward due to the 9.0-magnitude earthquake on March 11......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011102100409

Japan Midsize Firms' Sentiment Improves for 1st Time in 5 Quarters

Tokyo, Oct. 21 (Jiji Press)--Business sentiment among midsize Japanese companies improved for the first time in five quarters in July-September, a survey by a government-affiliated lender showed Friday.......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011102100666

Foreign Visitors to Japan Down 25 Pct in Sept.

Tokyo, Oct. 21 (Jiji Press)--The number of visitors to Japan fell 24.9 pct in September from a year earlier to 539,000, down for the seventh straight month, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Friday......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011102100714

Japan to Use Carbon Credits Trading for Disaster Donations

Tokyo, Oct. 21 (Jiji Press)--Japan's industry ministry said Friday it will launch a program aimed at raising funds for three northeastern prefectures hit hardest by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami by taking advantage of an existing carbon credit trading system.......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011102100835

Japan to Improve Temporary Housing in Disaster-Hit Areas

Tokyo, Oct. 21 (Jiji Press)--A special project team of the Japanese government on Friday compiled a set of measures to improve living conditions in temporary housing in northeastern areas hit by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.....

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011102100893

Japan Debts to Top 1,000 T. Yen

Tokyo, Oct. 21 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government's outstanding debts are expected to exceed 1,000 trillion yen at the March 31 end of fiscal 2011, it was learned Friday.......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011102100989

Japan Draws Up Anti-Tsunami Guidelines for Airports

Tokyo, Oct. 21 (Jiji Press)--Japan's transport ministry on Friday drew up guidelines for anti-tsunami measures for airports that call on aircraft on runways and taxiways to return to the terminal buildings in principle for evacuation of passengers and crew members in the event of a disaster.......

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011102100992
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Sankei news

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda bows deeply to "okami" (landladies) of inns and hotels in the Tohoku region on Oct. 21

 

[makoto]

Re: Japan - Major Earthquake Magnitude 9.0 on Mar 11, Many thousands dead & missing - March 27+

Tokyo International Film Festival gets underway

The largest film festival in Asia kicked off on Saturday.....

Saturday, October 22, 2011 22:37 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/22_22.html

Fillon inspects disaster-hit areas

Visiting French Prime Minister Francois Fillon has inspected disaster-hit areas in Japan's Miyagi Prefecture.....

Saturday, October 22, 2011 22:42 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/22_25.html
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Yomiuri online

Cabinet approves 3rd extra budget for FY11

The government approved the detailed outline of a third supplementary budget for fiscal 2011, totaling about 12.1 trillion yen, at a Cabinet meeting Friday morning.....

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111021005455.htm
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Asahi com/AJW

BOJ report: Economic recovery up in 5 regions

Five of the nine regions in Japan saw signs of economic recovery for the previous three months, according to the October Regional Economic Report released on Oct. 20 by the Bank of Japan.

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110210346.html

Sendai company president calls for 100-year plan

With the chance to make something good from the Great East Japan Earthquake tragedy, the government should compile an ambitious rebuilding plan that extends for 100 years, says Kentaro Ohyama, president of the household goods manufacturer Iris Ohyama Inc.

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110210350.html

Flying ball could be new tool in rescue efforts

An engineer unveiled what he says is the world's first highly functional flying ball at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo's Koto Ward.
<iframe width="300" height="233" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/euldInFR0Oo?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110210333.html

Kyoto temple dragons lit up to pray for Tohoku

KYOTO -- The grounds at Kyoto's Kodaiji temple will be lit up from Oct. 21 through Dec. 4 in an event set up to pray for reconstruction efforts in the quake-hit Tohoku region.

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110210332.html

If government raises taxes, it must also cut wasteful spending

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has said his administration will submit to next year's ordinary Diet session bills to scale back branch offices of the government's ministries and agencies in an effort to promote greater local autonomy.

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110210313.html

Study: Solid bedrock off Miyagi Prefecture vulnerable to huge quakes

Areas in the ocean floor off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, site of the epicenter of the Great East Japan Earthquake, have characteristics that make them particularly prone to major earthquakes, a Tohoku University research team found.

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110210334.html

Disaster eyesore finally removed after seven months

KAMAISHI, Iwate Prefecture--A 4,724-ton freighter that was swept inland by the March 11 tsunami has been finally returned to its natural setting.

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201110210319.html
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Mainichi jp(Kyodo, AP)

UN chief emphasizes global support for Japan quake, tsunami recovery

NEW YORK -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has emphasized that the world is supporting Japan's recovery from the devastation left by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.......

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/22/20111022p2a00m0na019000c.html

Court orders insurance firm to pay for quake-related water leak in Tokyo condo

The Tokyo District Court has ordered a major insurance company to pay a man and his family about 1.18 million yen in compensation for a water leak in his Tokyo condominium triggered by the March 11 earthquake.....

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/10/22/20111022p2a00m0na025000c.html


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Sankei news

Fran?ois Fillon visits disaster area
Ishinomaki city, Miyagi pref
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Fillon

memorial service
Rikuzentakata city, Iwate pref