Strong earthquake hits northeast Japan, no tsunami (AP)

TOKYO – A magnitude-6.2 earthquake struck off Japan's battered northeastern coast Thursday, but there was no risk of a tsunami and there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Japan's Meteorological Agency said the quake was centered off the coast of Ibaraki, about 140 miles (220 kilometers) east of Tokyo, at a depth of 6 miles (10 kilometers). The agency said there was no danger of a tsunami from the quake.

Nearly 20,000 people died or were left missing across Japan's northeastern coast after a massive earthquake and tsunami on March 11. The disaster damaged a nuclear power plant, forcing another 100,000 people to leave their homes because of a radiation threat.

The operator of the tsunami-hit Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co., said the plant's cooling functions were intact after Thursday's quake and there was no change to radiation levels around the plant. The plant is about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of the epicenter.

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Strong Earthquake Hits Northeast Japan - Voice of America

A powerful earthquake struck off Japan's northeastern coast late Thursday, but no tsunami warnings were issued.

The U.S. Geological Survey says a 6.2 magnitude quake struck near the coast of Honshu, about 155 kilometers east of Tokyo, at a depth of 10 kilometers.  

Japan's Meteorological Agency said there was no risk of a tsunami. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

A massive earthquake and tsunami devastated northeast Japan in March, leaving nearly 20,000 people dead or missing and triggering a meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.  

A spokesman for Tokyo Electric Power Company, Fukushima's operator, said the plant was not damaged by Thursday's quake.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.

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Strong earthquake hits northeast Japan, no tsunami

Strong earthquake hits northeast Japan, no tsunami A magnitude-6.2 earthquake struck off Japan's battered northeastern coast Thursday, but there was no risk of a tsunami and there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. Japan's Meteorological Agency said the quake was centered off the coast of Ibaraki, about 140 miles (220 kilometers) east of Tokyo, at a depth of 6 miles (10 kilometers). The agency said there was no danger of a tsunami from the quake. Nearly 20,000 people died or were left missing across Japan's northeastern coast after a massive earthquake and tsunami on March 11. The disaster damaged a nuclear power plant, forcing another 100,000 people to leave their homes because of a radiation threat.
15 Sep Shimoda, a small seaside city in Shizuoka prefecture, was home to as many as 200 geisha working its tea-houses as recently as 30 years ago. However, the number of geisha currently based in Shimoda has now declined to just five, prompting the rare intervention of government officials to keep their presence alive. As part of the plan, three prospective geisha will receive wages from central government employment subsidies for a six-month period, during which they will be trained fully in traditional singing, dancing and instrument playing. The geisha training proposal aims to reverse the city's dramatic decline of its geisha population - a problem replicated across much of modern-day Japan. (telegraph.co.uk)
15 Sep The Kyoto Prefectural Government has drafted an ordinance to make it the first prefecture in Japan to outlaw possession of pornographic images or video featuring children under 18. Under Japan's Law for Punishing Acts Related to Child Prostitution and Protecting Children, the manufacturing and trafficking of pornography featuring children under 18 is prohibited, but possession of child porn is not illegal. If Kyoto passes the draft and forms an ordinance outlawing possession of child pornography, it will seek to issue governor's orders to destroy the material and levy fines of up to 300,000 yen ($3,913) on offenders. (majirox news)
15 Sep Following her arrest last month for hemp possession, DJ and model Ayumi Takahashi has been arrested again - this time for stimulant use, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Sept. 14). Takahashi, 26, residing in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward, was cited today by officers of the the Tanishi station of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police for violating the stimulants control law. "I received it from my boyfriend's older brother," she is quoted as telling police. (Tokyo Reporter)
14 Sep Japan's Supreme Court said Tuesday it has turned down an appeal from a former Japanese Red Army member who was sentenced to life imprisonment by lower courts for his involvement in the 1977 hijacking of a Japan Airlines plane and the 1974 seizure of the French Embassy in The Hague. The defendant, Jun Nishikawa, 61, can still file an objection with the top court against the decision but it is limited to technicalities such as errors in wording. Tuesday's decision is expected to become final and binding as the court rarely accepts such objections. Lower court rulings show that Nishikawa conspired with other Japanese Red Army members to seize the French Embassy in The Hague in September 1974, held hostages for up to about 100 hours, and fired at policemen, wounding two of them. (Mainichi)
14 Sep "My boyfriend was so busy, he repeatedly cancelled our dates, and we finally wound up on a 'date' at his house, watching DVDs together. We were slouching on the sofa and he had his hands around my waist. It felt so good! Having gone so long without any lovin', my expectations were soaring." Thus begins an inspired amateur account of lusty romance from the June edition of ladies' magazine Renai Tengoku, as introduced in Shukan Bunshun (Sept. 8). "Then suddenly - you're never gonna believe this - his cell phone rang and he got summoned to an urgent job. He dashed into the other room to change his clothes, and there I sat, wallowing in shock and disappointment." (Tokyo Reporter)

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Japan marks 6 months since earthquake, tsunami (AP)

By TOMOKO A. HOSAKA, Associated Press Tomoko A. Hosaka, Associated Press – 1 hr 38 mins ago

TOKYO – As the world commemorates the 10th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks, Sunday is doubly significant for Japan. It marks six months since the massive earthquake and tsunami on March 11, a date now seared in the national consciousness.

Up and down the hard-hit northeast coast, families and communities came together to remember victims. Monks chanted. Survivors prayed. Mothers hung colorful paper cranes for their lost children.

At precisely 2:46 p.m., they stopped and observed a minute of silence. March 11 changed everything for them and their country.

The magnitude-9.0 earthquake produced the sort of devastation Japan hadn't seen since World War II. The tsunami that followed engulfed the northeast and wiped out entire towns. The waves inundated the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, triggering the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.

Some 20,000 people are dead or missing. More than 800,000 homes were completely or partially destroyed. The disaster crippled businesses, roads and infrastructure. The Japanese Red Cross Society estimates that 400,000 people were displaced.

Half a year later, there are physical signs of progress.

Much of the debris has been cleared away or at least organized into big piles. In the port city of Kesennuma, many of the boats carried inland by the tsunami have been removed. Most evacuees have moved out of high school gyms and into temporary shelters or apartments.

The supply chain problems that led to critical parts shortages for Japan's auto and electronics makers are nearly resolved. Industrial production has almost recovered to pre-quake levels.

But beyond the surface is anxiety and frustration among survivors facing an uncertain future. They are growing increasingly impatient with a government they describe as too slow and without direction.

Masayuki Komatsu, a fisherman in Kesennuma, wants to restart his abalone farming business.

But he worries about radiation in the sea from the still-leaking Fukushima plant and isn't sure if his products will be safe enough to sell. He said officials are not providing adequate radiation information for local fisherman.

"I wonder if the government considers our horrible circumstances and the radiation concerns of people in my business," said Komatsu, who also lost his home.

Another resident, 80-year-old Takashi Sugawara, lost his sister in the tsunami and now lives in temporary housing. He wants to rebuild his home but is stuck in limbo for the time being.

"My family is not very wealthy, and I only wish that the country would decide what to do about the area as soon as possible," Sugawara said.

He might be waiting for a while. The Nikkei financial newspaper reported this week that many municipalities in the hardest-hit prefecture of Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima have yet to draft reconstruction plans.

Of the 31 cities, towns and villages severely damaged by the disaster, just four have finalized their plans, the Nikkei said. The scale of the disaster, the national government's slow response and quarrels among residents have delayed the rebuilding process.

The Red Cross also expressed frustration over the layers of bureaucracy that delayed distribution of assistance to victims.

"The speed and scope of implementing the response during the emergency phase was not as swift and comprehensive as (the Red Cross) wished, partly due to the structure of disaster management in Japan, partly because of insufficient preparedness," it said in a six-month report.

Criticism of the government's handling of the disaster and nuclear crisis led former Prime Minister Naoto Kan to resign. Former Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda took over nine days ago, becoming Japan's sixth new prime minister in five years.

He spent much of Saturday visiting Miyage and Iwate prefectures, promising more funding to speed up recovery efforts and trying to shore up confidence in his administration.

But the trip was overshadowed later in the day by his first big political embarrassment. Noda's new trade minister Yoshio Hachiro resigned, caving into intense pressure after calling the area around the nuclear plant "a town of death," a comment seen as insensitive to nuclear evacuees.

Public support for the new government started out strong, with an approval rating of 62.8 percent in a Kyodo News poll released last Saturday. Hachiro's resignation will likely translate into a drop and new doubts about Noda's ability to lead.

On Sunday, he apologized for hurting the feelings of Fukushima residents.

"I continue to believe that without a revival in Fukushima, there will be no revival of Japan," Noda said.

Regardless of politics, what's clear is that the road ahead will be long.

"Given the enormous scale of the destruction and the massive area affected, this will be a long and complex recovery and reconstruction operation," Tadateru Konoe, the Red Cross president, said in a statement. "It will take at least five years to rebuild, but healing the mental scars could take much longer."

___

APTN Videojournalist Miki Toda in Kesennuma contributed to this report.

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Japan holds annual earthquake drill, first since March disaster - Telegraph.co.uk

The government conducted drills based on the scenario of a 7.3 magnitude earthquake striking Tokyo, which would have catastrophic consequences given that the capital and its surrounding prefectures account for over a quarter of Japan's population and about a third of its economy. The March earthquake measured 9.0.

More than a thousand people participated in exercises in central Tokyo's Yoyogi Park, where military helicopters buzzed overhead, police bikes sped past and medical personnel tended to people trapped under a damaged car in a mock emergency situation.

Outgoing Prime Minister Naoto Kan, whose support ratings plummeted due to disapproval of his administration's response to the March disaster, held a mock press conference in which he told the public that the government was doing its utmost to minimise the damage.

"It feels more real, that this place could actually be filled by people unable to get home," said Ikuo Suzuki, an official at Yoyogi Park, which is a designated evacuation area in the event of a major earthquake.

Preparedness exercises included experiencing various disaster situations, such as boarding a specially designed elevator that shakes violently as if in a strong earthquake.

"It has a tenser atmosphere than I expected," said Masako Yoshida, a mother of two who was participating for the first time. "I remembered how on that day (March 11), I was separated from my children. Transport had stopped."

The police also conducted exercises in which they blocked traffic at about 100 locations in Tokyo to practice ensuring the passage of emergency vehicles.

The preparedness drills are held every year on Sept. 1, the anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake that killed 140,000 people in the Tokyo area.

The government forecasts that a 7.3 magnitude quake directly under Tokyo would kill up to 11,000 people, injure about 210,000, force 7 million to evacuate and cost the $5 trillion economy around $1 trillion in damages – five times the estimated damages from the March 11 disaster.

Kishie Shigekawa, a professor of environmental disaster studies at Fuji Tokoha University, said progress has been made in improving Tokyo buildings' anti-quake reinforcements, after the 1995 Kobe earthquake in western Japan took so many lives due to lack of structural strength in that city's buildings.

But she warned that post-quake fires were an urgent issue given Tokyo's dense population and crowded architectural landscape.

"It inevitably takes time, but long-term city planning to reduce loss of life ... is something we need to keep on pushing for," Shigekawa said.

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iOS 5 to include early earthquake warnings in Japan

Jeff is the Mac Observer's Managing Editor, and co-host of the Apple Context Machine podcast. He is the author of "The Designer's Guide to Mac OS X" from Peachpit Press, and writes for several design-related publications. Jeff has presented at events such as Macworld Expo, the RSA Conference, and the Mac Computer Expo. In all his spare time, he also co-hosts the We Have Communicators podcast, and makes guest appearances on several other podcasts, too. Jeff dreams in HD.

When iOS 5 for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad is released later this year, it will include a tie-in to Japan’s earthquake early warning notification system. Earlier versions of iOS don’t include the feature, making iPhone owners in Japan rely on third-party apps for earthquake alerts.

iOS 5 to include early earthquake warning support in Japan

Users will be able to choose whether or not they want to enable the feature, according to 9 to 5 Mac, just like other iOS features such as Location Services.

Apple said iOS 5 will ship this fall, but hasn’t announced an actual release date yet. The update is, however, generally expected to roll out some time in September or October along with a new version of the iPhone.

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Japanese Version of Apple's IOS 5 To Include Earthquake Warnings - Mobiledia

By Margaret Rock | Mon Aug 22, 2011 3:58 pm

Japan's version of iOS 5 is expected to have an earthquake notification system, another example of how Apple is fulfilling its pledge to help the country in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami this past spring.

A special widget will appear on the Japanese version of the new operating system. It uses the iPhone's old notifications, but uses a screen that is reportedly easier to read and stores the last few messages. When activated, it will connect the device to Japan's earthquake early warning system.

Reportedly, the system is so sensitive that it may reduce battery life when turned on, as it polls the warning servers constantly.

Apple took many steps to help its Japanese customers after the twin disasters earlier this spring. Apple's flagship store in Tokyo remained open, providing survivors with a place to stay and offering them use of iPhones and FaceTime to check in with friends and family, as well as devices to follow the news and check e-mail, Facebook and Twitter.

Apple also made provisions for its employees by allowing them and their families to remain overnight in the store, which was stocked with food and supplies. For those who chose to leave, Apple reportedly picked up the transportation cost.

After its immediate response, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company urged Japanese users to contact local Apple retail stores and schedule appointments to drop off their damaged devices, rather than making appointments online, speeding up repair rates.

Along with providing aid during the earthquake, Apple created a donation page on its Web site allowing people to send money to those in need. The iTunes creator also sells the Sichuan Earthquake Relief album, with profits going to the relief as well.

But Apple isn't the only tech company that came to Japan's aid in the trying post-earthquake times. Google dispatched Google Maps' Street View cameras to photograph tsunami-ravaged streets in Japan, recording both the devastation and reconstruction efforts. In addition, Google's "Person Finder" also helped Japanese track down missing people, and the company's YouTube and Picasa websites assisted in sharing and distributing photos and video of the missing.

Mon Aug 22, 2011 3:34 pm
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One of AT&T's vice presidents may have confirmed to several employees that the iPhone 5 is expected to launch in early October, the latest rumor to fix a date for the highly anticipated latest generation smartphone.

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Apple iOS 5 to include earthquake alerts for Japanese users (Digital Trends)

If you thought the most useful part of Apple’s upcoming iOS 5 mobile operating system was iMessage, then you might want to reconsider: According to 9to5Mac, Apple is incorporating early earthquake warning notifications directly into iOS 5.

The notification system will be directly connected to Japan’s highly-complex national earthquake early-alert system, which gained international attention for its sophistication after the devastating eathquakes and tsunamis that caused mass destruction to the Asian country during March of this year.

In fact, according to Time magazine, Japan’s earthquake early-warning system is the “most advanced” such system in the entire world. “[I]t detects tremors, calculates an earthquake’s epicenter and sends out brief warnings from its 1,000-plus seismographs scattered throughout the country, one of the most earthquake-prone nations on the planet,” writes Lucy Birmingham in Time.

As of now, the Japanese often rely upon third-party mobile applications like Yurekuru Call, which also sends alerts to users when an earthquake may be imminent. In iOS 5, users will be able to turn the notifications on and off, depending on preference. Why wouldn’t someone want to be warned if an earthquake is coming? Well, the system does quickly deplete the iPhone battery life, as it is constantly communicating with the national earthquake monitoring system to check for updates.

Matters of life and death aside, iOS 5 will be packed with a variety of awesome-looking features, including the aforementioned iMessage, which is an private messaging system between iOS device users, similar to BlackBerry Messenger. Another notable add-on is Twitter integration, which makes it easier for iPhone users to share everything from pictures and videos to contacts and maps.

We don’t yet have a release date for iOS 5, though it will likely become available with the release of Apple’s next iPhone (purportedly called iPhone 5), which is said to be set to hit stores in October.

Check out everything you need to know about iOS 5 here.

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Early earthquake warning pops up in iOS 5 beta - GigaOm

A new feature has appeared in iOS 5: It’s a built-in notification system tied to Japan’s sophisticated early-earthquake-detection service, which can provide between a few seconds and a couple of minutes of advance notice prior to an earthquake’s actually hitting. The new notification can be activated or deactivated from within the Notifications pane of an iPhone’s settings on Japanese devices, according to 9t05Mac.

Japan’s early-warning system for earthquakes is the “most advanced in the world,” according to Time magazine, and with the change, iPhones will be able to receive messages broadcast by the service that are pushed to devices by the carriers. Previously, third-party apps provided a similar function, but Apple’s making this a system-level tool will ensure that if users want to receive those notifications, they won’t have to make sure that an app is running in the background or that they have installed a specific app.

The iPhone is far from the first device on the Japanese market to plug into the earthquake-early-warning system. Feature phones in Japan have offered a similar ability for years. But it is a sign that Apple is willing to make modifications to its iOS software that are regionally specific when it comes to safety issues. Other places in the world, including Mexico, also have early-warning systems in place for earthquakes and other natural disasters like tsunamis and tidal waves. California is set to see its own early-detection system up and running sometime around 2013. Emergency notification alerts about things like wildfires that are triggered based on your device’s location might also prove effective in helping people steer clear of danger.

Apple probably can institute similar tools the world over, but whether it will is another question entirely. In Japan, the service is offered on many other devices, so there’s a clear precedent. In other parts of the world, such precedents might not exist, and such a system might even encourage some to sue or seek damages if warnings don’t work properly or fail to prevent injury.

Since people are turning more and more toward smartphones and away from broadcast sources for news and information, I think opt-in OS-level warning and notification systems for things like dangerous weather systems and natural disasters is a great idea. Here’s hoping this addition to iOS 5 is a first sign that Apple agrees.

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Strong earthquake hits north-eastern Japan, tsunami warning issued - Sacramento Bee

TOKYO - A magnitude-6.8 earthquake jolted north-eastern Japan on Friday and a tsunami warning was issued, the Meteorological Agency said.

The warning was issued for the coastal areas in the prefectures of Fukushima and Miyagi.

No immediate casualties or damage were reported.

The quake occurred at 2:36 pm (0536GMT) with its epicenter off Fukushima prefecture at a depth of 20 kilometers, the agency said.

No immediate new damage was found at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, public broadcaster NHK said, citing operator Tokyo Electric Power Company.

The same region was hit by a magnitude-9.0 quake and tsunami on March 11, causing damage to the plant, which has been leaking radioactive material ever since.

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Earthquake jolts northeastern Japan (AP)

NEW YORK – The U.S. Geological Survey reports that a strong earthquake has shaken northeastern Japan, the same region devastated by the massive quake and tsunami in March.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, and no tsunami warning was issued.

The U.S.G.S. reports a magnitude of 5.9 quake struck at 3:23 a.m. Friday local time off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture. The epicenter was about 11 miles (18 kilometers) east-southeast of Iwaki on Honshu Island, 114 miles (184 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo.

About 23,000 people died or disappeared across Japan's northeast coastline after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Another 80,000 were forced to evacuate because of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant's radiation threat.

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