Hokkaido

8 Stories

Tons of Fish Mysteriously Wash Ashore in Japan

But Fukushima is not to blame, authorities say

(Newser) - Authorities in Japan aren't sure why more than a thousand tons of dead fish have washed ashore in recent days—but they don't recommend eating them. Last week, around 1,200 tons of sardines and mackerels washed up on a beach in Hokkaido, leaving what the AP describes...

After Decade Without Fatal Bear Attacks, a Chilling Shift in Japan

College student among at least 5 people thought to have been killed by bears this year

(Newser) - Prior to this year, no fatal bear attacks were reported in Japan for more than a decade. Now, police in the country are investigating what's thought to be at least the fifth such attack of 2023. Police on the northern Hokkaido island, where brown bears roam, say the body...

Hokkaido's Bears Are Starving Amid Fish Shortage

Up to 80% of brown bear cubs in one area have died

(Newser) - This is the time of year when brown bears in Japan's northernmost island usually feast on salmon, packing on weight to prepare for hibernation. But this year, salmon numbers are very low and bears on Hokkaido's Shiretoko Peninsula are starving. Last week, people on a tour boat captured...

7 Dead, Dozens Missing in Hokkaido Quake

6.7 quake caused landslides, blackout

(Newser) - Rescuers are rushing to unearth survivors and restore power after a powerful earthquake jolted Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido, buckling roads, knocking homes off their foundations and causing entire hillsides to collapse. Residents in Sapporo were shaken from their beds when the magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck southern...

Boy Left in Woods as Punishment Disappears

7-year-old's parents drove off and returned to find him gone

(Newser) - Rescuers are scouring bear-infested woods in northern Japan for a little boy who was abandoned by his parents as punishment. Police say that the parents of 7-year-old Yamato Tanooka reported the boy missing on Saturday but initially lied to investigators, claiming he had vanished while they were picking wild vegetables,...

Phone Lost in Oklahoma Is Found in Japan

Farmer's iPhone traveled to Hokkaido and back

(Newser) - When Oklahoma farmer Kevin Whitney's phone slipped out of his pocket into a silo containing 290,000 bushels of grain, he figured it was gone for good—but it was just beginning a journey around the world. Some eight months later, he was reunited with the iPhone, and some...

Japan Scrambles Jets, Says Russia Violated Airspace

As Japan holds rally demanding Moscow return group of disputed islands

(Newser) - Japan's Defense Ministry says two Russian fighter jets briefly intruded into Japanese airspace today off the northern tip of the island of Hokkaido. Japanese jets scrambled after the intrusion by the two SU-27 jets off the coast of Rishiri island, which lasted just over a minute, according to ministry...

US Grounds F-16 Squadron After Japan Crash

With Japanese worried over fighter safety, US looks to reassure

(Newser) - The entire F-16 squadron has been grounded for safety checks following a crash of one of the jets off Japan yesterday, reports AP . The fighter craft crashed while flying to Alaska Sunday morning, falling into the ocean 250 miles from the coast of Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island. The...

8 Stories