Powerful M6.7 quake jolts Hokkaido, causing damage to infrastructure and agriculture

HOKKAIDO, Sept. 7 – A magnitude 6.7 earthquake, which registered up to 7 on the 7-point Japanese seismic intensity scale, hit the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido on Sept. 6 at 3:07 a.m. The earthquake, with its epicenter in the Iburi region in southwestern Hokkaido, triggered massive landslides and damaged houses. The death toll rose to 35 (updated as of 8 p.m. Sept. 8), out of which 31 were confirmed at the worst-hit mountainous town of Atsuma,  and one each in Mukawa, Shinhidaka, Tomakomai and the prefectural capital of Sapporo, according to the Hokkaido Prefectural Government. Some 2.95 million households throughout the prefecture was temporarily left without power, as all thermal … Continue reading

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Brazil lifts restrictions on Fukushima food after nuclear disaster

TOKYO, Aug. 23 ― Brazil has lifted import restrictions on foods from Fukushima prefecture, which were placed in after the 2011 earthquake and nuclear disaster in Fukushima. Brazil was the last Latin American country that lifted the restrictions on food products from Fukushima. The move comes after the World Trade Organization (WTO) in March backed a Japanese complaint against South Korea’s import ban on seafood as well as additional testing requirements on agricultural foods. In the wake of the disaster in 2011, like South Korea and other countries, Brazil imposed restrictions on food imports from Fukushima and 11 prefectures: Gunma, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Miyagi, Yamagata, Niigata, Nagano, Yamanashi, Saitama, Chiba and … Continue reading

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Rise in Malaysian visitors to Japan pushes up Japan’s fruits export to Malaysia

TOKYO, Aug. 19 – Japan’s fruits export to Malaysia is expanding significantly. Notably, the export of Japanese pears and peaches is experiencing a big surge.   As the number of Malaysian travelers grew, a greater number of the Malaysians have become big fans of Japanese fruits and they buy more fruits from Japan even after returning home.  The number of visitors from Malaysia to Japan is expected to rise in the future, and the number of fruits export from Japan is likely to elevate as well. According to the trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance, Japan’s fruits export to Malaysia in 2017 was 245 tons, up 15% from a … Continue reading

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Japan’s growers aim to revive floral tradition at Tokyo Olympics

TOKYO, Aug. 12 ― Athletes who finished in the top three received Japanese flower bouquets at the 2018 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships held in Tokyo on Aug. 9-14. This is a part of efforts that the Japan Flower Growers Association (JFGA) has been pushing. The organization aims to bring the floral tradition back at the world’s biggest sport event: the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in 2020. Such tradition, however, could be controversial because some consider it unsustainable for the environment. At the 2018 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, medalists were given a doll of the games mascot wearing a gold, silver or bronze hat, instead of … Continue reading

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Sunflowers in full bloom in empty town in Fukushima, as hopes rise for lifting of evacuation orders

FUKUSHIMA, Aug. 29 – Sunflowers are in full bloom in the town of Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, where all the residents have been unable to return after the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant accident brought about by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. A group of 50 residents sowed the seeds on a 1.8-hectare land in June in an effort to maintain the weakening ties between the town and the evacuated residents, as more than seven years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake. The yellow flowers fill the fields besides a street in the town’s Ogawara district where people drive on to return to their homes temporarily. A message … Continue reading

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