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July 09, 2026
 

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3/11

Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and Princess Aiko arrive at Fukushima Station in the city of Fukushima on Monday.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 6, 2026
Imperial family visits Fukushima to inspect reconstruction efforts
The trip marks the first time since the disaster that the emperor and his family have visited the municipalities where the nuclear accident occurred.
Shunichi Koshimura, director of Tohoku University's International Research Institute of Disaster Science, speaks during a news conference in Sendai on Thursday.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 2026
Tohoku University and SoftBank to develop disaster prevention AI tech
The joint project aims to use generative artificial intelligence to pass on memories and lessons from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Visitors look at exhibits outside a 3/11 earthquake and tsunami memorial facility in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on March 11.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 2, 2026
Number of visitors to 3/11 memorial facilities drops further
“There are strong concerns about collective memories fading,” one local government official said.
Family members pray at the tombstone of a relative during a temporary return visit to the earthquake- and tsunami-damaged town of Okuma, the site of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, in February 2012.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 1, 2026
Who pays the price for Japan’s nuclear power?
In the context of a sluggish economy and rising energy prices, affordable electricity is widely seen as a prerequisite for Japan’s competitiveness.
Shubun Endo, president of Tomioka Winery in Tomioka, Fukushima Prefecture, in February
JAPAN
Apr 1, 2026
15 years since disaster, Fukushima winery becomes community hub
This spring, Tomioka Winery will sell the first wine made in the town.
Haruo Obata maintains mountain trails on Mount Yufu in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on March 17.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 27, 2026
86-year-old ‘super volunteer’ excited for return to school
“Life is a never-ending learning process,” said Haruo Obata, who will attend a night junior high school.
A scheduled visit to the Tohoku region by Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and Princess Aiko has been postponed.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2026
Imperial couple postpone Tohoku visit due to cold symptoms
The couple, along with Princess Aiko, were slated to inspect recovery efforts in areas affected by the March 2011 powerful earthquake and tsunami.
Jin Sato, former mayor of the town of Minamisanriku in Miyagi Prefecture, speaks during an interview in December in front of the remains of the town's former disaster management office building.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 23, 2026
Jin Sato, former mayor of tsunami-hit Minamisanriku, shares lessons across Japan
Sato served as mayor of the town in Miyagi Prefecture for 20 years, but since stepping down in November has been delivering lectures on disaster preparedness and mitigation.
Masanobu Osawa, head of Kamome Mirai Fisheries, inspects chub mackerel in a water tank in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, on Feb. 25.
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2026
15 years after quake, Namie finds new niche as thriving onshore aquaculture hub
Although a vast area of the Fukushima town remains a so-called difficult-to-return zone, businesses are reviving its fisheries industry through novel methods.
Toru Akama pets a cat at his animal shelter in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, on March 5.
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2026
Former Fukushima worker devotes life to abandoned pets
Toru Akama tends to dozens of pets abandoned after the catastrophe 15 years ago, work he sees as part of his quest for redemption.
Shogo Tsuchiya, the deputy secretary-general of the Futaba Project, provides consultations to people interested in relocating to the town of Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture. Amid a housing shortage, Tsuchiya himself couldn’t find a home in the town.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Mar 16, 2026
Amid housing shortage, migration stalls in disaster-hit Fukushima towns
Approximately 19,000 houses were demolished using state funds as part of reconstruction efforts but construction of new houses has been limited.
Akira Ono, an official from Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings in charge of the Fukushima No. 1 plant decommissioning project, speaks in Tokyo on March 4.
JAPAN
Mar 12, 2026
Tepco to maintain goal of decommissioning Fukushima plant by 2051
Over the coming year, the utility will carry out key tasks for debris removal, including recovering nuclear fuel from the spent fuel pool at the No. 2 reactor.
Residents take part in a tsunami evacuation drill using an app to register their evacuation in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, in November 2025.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 12, 2026
Tohoku still faces tsunami evacuation challenges 15 years after disaster
The region is facing a series of challenges to prepare for any future tsunami evacuation, such as trying to encourage people to use an app to register at evacuation sites.
An outlet of Aeon supermarket in Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture, sells a variety of goods, including over-the-counter drugs and local specialties, as well as fresh and prepared foods.
JAPAN
Mar 12, 2026
Supermarkets key to evacuees’ return to Fukushima communities
Creating an environment in which people can easily buy fresh foods and daily necessities is essential for attracting new residents, too.
People pray on a seawall in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, on Wednesday, the 15th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 11, 2026
Japan marks 15th anniversary of Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged to ensure that the invaluable lessons from the disaster are handed down to future generations.
People offer prayers at Kamaishi Memorial Park in Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture, on Tuesday. The Ashinaga Foundation, which provides financial support and emotional care to orphaned children worldwide, says it is important to have environments where disaster-affected children can talk about their bereavement experiences without worrying about the impact on others.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 11, 2026
Those orphaned in a disaster require a supportive environment, survey finds
The survey from a nonprofit organization found that respondents who could talk about their loss and did so tended to feel less lonely and have higher self-esteem.
Children listen to stories of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami told by a local resident in Higashimatsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, in January.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 11, 2026
Some disaster-hit regions struggle to pass down lessons to younger generation
Logistics and costs are among the hurdles faced in conducting disaster education for younger people with little or no memory of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
Fukushima Gov. Masao Uchibori speaks during an interview at the prefecutral government building on Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2026
Fukushima governor calls for further reconstruction efforts
Gov. Masao Uchibori noted that the prefectural government works to improve reconstruction measures every fiscal year, based on self-assessments and resident feedback.
Koji Yamaguchi, a teacher at Rokko Gakuin Junior and Senior High School in Kobe, shows in January a picture of a beach in Shichigahama, Miyagi Prefecture, which was affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2026
Teacher in Japan who experienced two disasters works to pass down memories
The Kobe teacher’s central message to his students is the importance of “everyday life before the disaster.”
Yuya Kyono (right), who heads the Miyagi Prefectural Police division that investigates unidentified remains and searches for missing people, in Sendai on Feb. 20
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2026
Miyagi police resolved to return remains of 3/11 victims to families
The discovery of a 6-year-old girl’s bone fragments renewed the prefecture’s officers’ commitment to returning as many remains as possible to their families.
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
Osaka trumps Tokyo as both ranked among world’s top 10 most livable cities
Osaka’s infrastructure earned higher marks than Tokyo’s in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Global Liveability Index.
Japanese teen arrested for booting users off streaming service
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has arrested a 15-year-old boy for allegedly creating a malicious program and canceling subscription accounts on the Bandai Channel.
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Long-stalled maglev line finally gets green light from Shizuoka Prefecture
Environmental concerns relating to the construction of Central Japan Railway’s high-speed maglev line had contributed to years of delays for the project.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
Takashi Nishihara, the director of "Now and Then," in Tokyo on Wednesday. The director has spent 10 years traversing politically charged terrain while exploring youth-driven grassroots political movements that scrutinize the status quo.
Japanese nail salons are tourists’ new obsession
Tourists in Japan have always been interested in quintessentially Japanese approaches to modern culture, and, increasingly, visits to nail salons have become the new hot thing.
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.
‘Defense,’ not ‘warfare,’ stressed as pacifist Japan beefs up capabilities
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi attends an annual training session near Mount Fuji at Higashifuji Training Field in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, on June 7.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
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