Japan

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Quake Brings Tokyo to a Standstill

Hordes look for emergency shelter with no way to get home

(Newser) - Japan's huge earthquake brought super-modern Tokyo to a standstill today, paralyzing trains that normally run like clockwork and stranding hordes of commuters carrying mobile phones rendered largely useless by widespread outages. The magnitude-8.9 quake shook buildings in the capital, left millions of homes across Japan without electricity, shut down...

Japan's Geologists Had the 'Big One' All Wrong

They'd predicted a massive quake southwest of Tokyo

(Newser) - For years, Japan’s scientists have been expecting a giant earthquake, pinpointing its location along a fault line southwest of Tokyo—but today’s disaster defied their forecasts. The country’s biggest earthquake occurred 231 miles northeast of the capital along a different fault, the Washington Post reports. Scientists had...

Tsunami Warning Extended to Entire US West Coast
 Tsunami Waves Hit 
 US Mainland 
UPDATED
Mar 11, 2011 11:15 AM CST

Tsunami Waves Hit US Mainland

But no major damage reported

(Newser) - The first tsunami waves triggered by Japan's massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake have hit the US mainland, the AP reports. Waves surged slightly along the northern coast of California and could reach seven feet; Oregon also saw high water. The tsunami was earlier moving through all the Hawaiian islands, according to...

Hundreds of Bodies Found in Japanese Coastal City

Earthquake also spawns fears over nuclear power plant

(Newser) - The death toll continues to rise in the wake of Japan's massive earthquake , and police say between 200 and 300 bodies have been found in the coastal city of Sendai. Another 88 have been confirmed dead and 349 are missing, the AP reports. More than 50 aftershocks went on for...

Japan Quake: Scenes of Devastation

40 reported dead, figure all but certain to rise

(Newser) - At least 40 people were killed in the 8.9-magnitude earthquake and ensuing 23-foot tsunami that struck Japan today, and another 39 are confirmed missing, officials tell the AP , though they cautioned that the figure was all but certain to rise given the scale of the disaster. There have now...

Japan Reeling in Aftermath of Massive Quake

Reports of deaths, massive damage

(Newser) - A devastated Japan is reeling in the wake of one of the biggest earthquakes on record , which left behind a cracked and shaken Tokyo and coastal towns ripped apart by a 23-foot tsunami. The effects of the massive shaker aren't over yet as sirens in Russia and Hawaii warn of...

8.9 Quake Rips Tokyo, Tsunami Shatters Coast

Wall of water rips down buildings

(Newser) - A tsunami rammed the coast of Japan following a powerful 8.9-magnitude earthquake that violently shook buildings in Tokyo and sent panicked residents into the streets. The extent of damage and injuries is not yet known from the quake and aftermath, but TV cameras showed a powerful Pacific wave ripping...

Japan Digs for Evidence of WWII Human Experiments

Excavates ground in search of remains linked to Unit 731

(Newser) - It's a grisly and mysterious effort: Japan today began excavations at a former army medical school—in the search for human remains linked to the military's shadowy Unit 731. It ran a notorious World War II program that allegedly conducted live experiments on foreign prisoners of war, most of them...

Activists Halt Japan Whale Hunt
 Activists Halt Japan Whale Hunt 
Feb 16, 2011 4:00 AM CST

Activists Halt Japan Whale Hunt

Harassment making Antarctic hunt 'unsafe,' says fisheries official

(Newser) - The Japanese have temporarily suspended an Antarctic whale hunt because of repeated harassment by activists from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The hunt, aiming to bag as many as 945 whales, has been halted because of "violent" disruptions, said the nation's top fisheries officials. No one has been injured...

China Economy Zooms by Japan to No. 2 Spot

Nation's now gearing up to take on No. 1 US

(Newser) - China has steamed past Japan to become the world's second-largest economy. Japan's economy, hit by a drop in exports and consumer demand, was worth $5.5 trillion at the end of last year, while China's was estimated at $5.8 trillion. China is expected to take over the US as...

700K Condoms Missing in Japan

Malaysian police investigating disappearance

(Newser) - Say, have you by any chance seen 700,000 condoms laying around? If so, you might want to let Malaysian police know. They’re investigating the disappearance of ultrathin Japanese condoms after the shipment went missing somewhere between Malaysia and Japan, AFP reports. The container arrived in Tokyo from the...

Throngs Gather for... Hole-Digging Contest?

Winner of Japanese competition gets $1,215—and Golden Shovel

(Newser) - And you thought hot-dog-eating competitions were weird. Try this one on for size: Japan has an All-National Hole-Digging Competition, in which participants, yep, dig holes. The contest, which drew more than a thousand participants to the outskirts of Tokyo yesterday, awards the following feats: deepest hole, most creative digging, and...

Say It Ain't So: Sumo's Fixed!
 Say It Ain't So: Sumo's Fixed! 
Feb 3, 2011 6:39 PM CST

Say It Ain't So: Sumo's Fixed!

Wrestlers admit arranging matches in Japan

(Newser) - Three Sumo wrestlers have admitted fixing matches in Japan, and the scandal is only expected to grow, reports the Guardian . "It is certainly the national sport," said Prime Minister Naoto Kan. "If matches have been fixed, it is a serious betrayal of the people." Police found...

Japan Volcano Breaks Windows 5 Miles Away

Biggest blast yet could be heard more than four miles away

(Newser) - Japan’s Shinmoedake peak gave off its biggest explosion yet today, shooting debris 6500 feet into the air and shattering windows five miles away. The eruption was five times larger than the volcano’s initial activity, and Japan widened the danger zone to a two-and-a-half-mile radius around the crater, the...

Japanese Party Honcho Indicted

Divisive decision could push Japan toward new election

(Newser) - The man behind the Japanese ruling party’s historic 2009 victory has been indicted for misreporting political funds. The move could expand divisions among members of the Democratic Party of Japan and help drive the opposition’s push for a new election, the New York Times reports. Ichiro Ozawa may...

Japanese Volcano May Be Headed for Big Bang

Officials urge 1K to evacuate as Shinmoedake spews ash

(Newser) - Japanese officials urged more than 1,000 people to evacuate today, as the Shinmoedake volcano's first eruption in 52 years rages on, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The order is not mandatory, however, and some are opting to stay in their homes. But vulcanologists warn that the eruptions, which have...

Japan Recaptures Rogue Monkey
 Japan Recaptures 
 Rogue Monkey 
Jan 25, 2011 12:43 AM CST

Japan Recaptures Rogue Monkey

'Lucky' bit 120 during rampage last fall

(Newser) - Japan's most notorious monkey is back in custody after a daring zoo breakout. Keepers raised the alarm after Lucky, a macaque that bit around 120 people in resort towns in central Japan last fall, was found missing from her cage, AP reports. Locals feared another biting spree would ensue, but...

Japan Frets Over Sexless Teens
Japan Frets Over
Sexless Teens
Jan 14, 2011 6:30 AM CST

Japan Frets Over Sexless Teens

A third of young men not interested in sex, survey finds

(Newser) - Japanese people just aren't having enough sex, laments the head of the country's family planning association. A full 36% of Japanese men aged 16 to 19 say they're uninterested in or averse to sex, according to a recent survey. That's 19% more than just two years ago, and some 59%...

Japanese Women Sue to Keep Maiden Names

Group is challenging requirement to take husband's name

(Newser) - Reminiscent of the Shogun TV miniseries set in 17th-century Japan, women there still must change their last names to that of their husbands when they marry. So a number of happily married women are suing the government over the requirement, seeking to use their maiden names instead, reports the Guardian...

Aging Japan Gets 'Hotel for the Dead'

Nation's funeral industry is booming

(Newser) - Just how big is the funeral industry in Japan, the world's fastest aging nation? Consider a successful new venture near Tokyo called the Liss Center. It's a "business hotel for the dead," its proprietor tells ABC News . Families check in their dearly departed for $88 a night to...

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