Japan has one of the highest installed renewable energy capacities in the world. The country is also one of the world’s largest consumers of energy. Lacking its own fossil fuel resources, it relies on imports for nearly all of its supply. This dependence on imports makes the country vulnerable to …
Japan will see mostly warmer weather from August to October, the official forecaster said on Monday. Eastern Japan, including the most densely populated Tokyo area, will have a 50 percent chance of hotter-than-average temperatures for the period, the Japan Meteorological Agency said in its monthly three-month forecast.
New research published by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy shows how metropolitan regions can rebuild for greater resilience during the reconstruction process after major disasters, whether earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, or terrorists attacks. After Great Disasters: How Six Countries Managed Community Recovery, by Laurie Johnson and Robert Olshansky, draws on …
New research published by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy shows how metropolitan regions can rebuild for greater resilience during the reconstruction process after major disasters, whether earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, or terrorists attacks. After Great Disasters: How Six Countries Managed Community Recovery, by Laurie Johnson and Robert Olshansky, draws on …
An earthquake with a magnitude of 5 struck the Kanto region at 7:25 a.m. Wednesday. It was the third moderate quake to hit the region since last Sunday. No tsunami alert was issued and there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake …
Research into the aftermath of the Fukushima earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear meltdown found that the oldest were least likely to experience a deterioration of existing chronic conditions. The study also reveals that the health of people living in the countryside was more resilient than that of urban dwellers following …
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.2 shook eastern Japan on Tuesday, but no tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of damage. The quake, centered east of Tokyo, shook buildings in the capital but was not strong enough to dislodge items from shelves. Earthquakes are …
The government on Tuesday further scaled down areas in Fukushima Prefecture subject to evacuation orders since the March 2011 nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi complex, enabling the return of more than 10,000 residents to the city of Minamisoma. Following the move, the city will become mostly habitable except for …
OSAKA, Japan - The world's first penguin conceived through artificial insemination tipped the scales at a healthy 1,210 grams (2.6 lbs) on Wednesday in Japan, where scientists have been working for six years to develop technology to preserve the species. The southern rockhopper penguin was born on June 6, according …
Three people died as about 490 were taken to hospitals due to heat stroke or heat exhaustion Thursday, a Kyodo News tally showed, as temperatures soared across much of Japan. At 929 observation points nationwide of the Japan Meteorological Agency, more than 400 logged highs of at least 30 degrees …
CHIBA – The Chiba Municipal Government on Tuesday filed for Environment Ministry approval to lift the radioactive designation for waste stored in the city that was contaminated by the Fukushima reactor meltdowns five years ago. This marked the first application in Japan seeking to lift the radioactive designation for waste …
The Kanto region may experience a serious drought this summer, possibly triggering a raft of restrictions, due to an “unprecedented” shortage of water in lakes and reservoirs supplying the area, officials warned Tuesday. Although the region expects decent rainfall over the next few days, hopes remain slim that it will …
Japanese automaker Nissan said Monday it is taking South Korea to court in response to Seoul’s claims that it manipulated emissions data on a popular sports utility vehicle. Nissan noted that it has invested heavily in green car technology—particularly electric vehicles—and would continue to “strongly deny” South Korea’s claims. Nissan …
Cases of heatstroke are likely to jump as temperatures surge this summer amid Japan’s first La Nina phenomenon in six years, according to the Meteorological Agency. La Nina, a natural cooling of parts of the Pacific that alters global weather and generally brings hot days to Japan during the summer …
A Japanese research team have applied a method used in human genetic analysis to rice and rapidly discovered four new genes that are potentially significant for agriculture. These findings could influence crop breeding and help combat food shortages caused by a growing population. The paper was published on June 21, …
This report discusses cities’ resilience from economic, social, environmental and institutional perspectives. Ten case studies, including Antalya (Turkey), Belo Horizonte (Brazil), Bursa (Turkey), Cardiff (United Kingdom), Kobe (Japan), Kyoto (Japan), Lisbon (Portugal), Oslo (Norway), Ottawa (Canada) and Tampere (Finland) provide important examples of how cities can promote innovative policy actions …
The transport ministry plans to adopt an internationally standardized method of testing car fuel economy, beginning in 2018. The standardized method will cut costs for automakers and help them provide consumers with fuel efficiency figures closer than ever to actual on-road performance, ministry officials said. The reduced burden on automakers …
When he realized he was not going to make it as a guitarist, Hiroaki Suga set out to find the origin of life, and ended up creating a new way to develop medicines. Many years spent fiddling with the building blocks of the universe — combining molecules to form compounds …
Two people were slightly injured and about 80 buildings damaged Thursday in the western Japan prefecture of Hiroshima, while evacuation orders or advisories were issued to some 703,000 people in five prefectures in northern Kyushu in southwestern Japan as torrential rain hit those areas. The Japan Meteorological Agency also warned …
At least six people died and a university student was missing on Wednesday as record-breaking rains battered parts of southwestern Japan still reeling from earthquakes two months ago, setting off flooding and landslides. Hundreds of thousands people were advised to evacuate a wide swathe of Kyushu, Japan's southernmost main island, …
Lightning is one of the major threats to multimegawatt wind turbines and a concern for modern aircraft due to the use of lightweight composite materials. Both wind turbines and aircraft can initiate lightning, and very favorable conditions for lightning initiation occur in winter thunderstorms. Moreover, winter thunderstorms are characterized by …
