A 63-year-old former engineer may not fit the typical image of a dark-clad assassin with deadly weapons who can disappear into a cloud of smoke. But Jinichi Kawakami is reputedly Japan’s last ninja. As the 21st head of the Ban
A cooling fuel pool was shut down for a few hours Monday at Japan’s embattledFukushima nuclear power plant so workers could remove two dead rats. It was the third time in a little over a month that cooling equipment had to be shut down
Scientific studies have shown that hugs really have the power to make humans feel better. But at one point in your life, you probably wanted one but then there was no one around to give it to you. Some students at Tsukuba
Tensions remain high on the Korean Peninsula amid reports the US has deployed an unmanned spy plane to Japan to boost its surveillance after North Korea readied missile launchers on its east coast. The Global Hawk will be stationed at
Still think that the Fukushima nuclear meltdown of 2011 never affected the United States public? Young children born in the United States West Coast, right in the line of fire for radioactive isotopes, have been found to be 28% more
“Scent-delivery” technologies continue to interest marketers, who are always looking for ideas on how to deliver an enhanced shopper experience. Scent stimulation related to targeted products is one way to go. Now, a “smelling screen” has been developed by researchers
It is a nuclear-era Mary Celeste, a town left virtually untouched since its 21,000 residents fled two years ago. Click here for photos from the deserted town Rubble and roof tiles still litter the streets from the huge earthquake that
Join our cameras to see Japan’s Wild Secrets on Nat Geo WILD as they take an island-hopping excursion to explore this little-known Land of the Rising Sun.
The tsunami that engulfed northeastern Japan two years ago has left some survivors believing they are seeing ghosts. In a society wary of admitting to mental problems, many are turning to exorcists for help. Tales of spectral figures lined up
At the remote northwestern tip of a snowy peninsula, beyond a small road of fishing shacks and empty one-story homes, 600 construction workers and engineers are building a brand-new nuclear plant for a country still recovering from the most severe atomic
Recent surveys suggest that Japanese university students are finding it increasingly difficult to make friends, and that this is a leading cause for them failing to attend classes, and even dropping out of university altogether. But most striking of all,
It all began on February 11, 1933 when a 21-year old student named Kiyoko Matsumoto committed suicide by throwing herself into the volcanic crater of Mount Mihara on the Japanese island of Izu Oshima. Matsumoto, a student at Tokyo’s Jissan College, developed an infatuation
“Even one atom of uranium undergoing alpha decay has the potential for creating a fatal cancer.” – Paul Zimmerman, A Primer in the Art of Deception (1; p. 53) “When a well-packaged web of lies has been sold gradually to
Almost two years after the triple meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi power plant sent shockwaves around the world, Japan‘s government is attempting to resell the nuclear dream to a traumatised public. Japan appeared to have ended its addiction to nuclear power when the previous centre-left government
Drones have taken centre stage in an escalating arms race between China and Japan as they struggle to assert their dominance over disputed islands in the East China Sea. China is rapidly expanding its nascent drone programme, while Japan has begun preparations to purchase an
The territorial standoff between China and Japan over disputed islands in the East China Sea further escalated today after a Chinese plane was spotted in what Tokyo considers its airspace. Though the Chinese plane was not a military aircraft, its
A strong quake centered off northeastern Japan shook buildings as far away as Tokyo on Friday and triggered a one-meter tsunami in an area devastated by last year’s Fukushima disaster, but there were no reports of deaths or serious damage. The quake
A major road tunnel has collapsed in Japan, trapping a number of vehicles and leaving seven people missing, local media reports say. Survivors described how large sections of concrete fell on top of cars in the Sasago tunnel. Rescuers managed
Three weeks before Japan’s first national election since the March 2011 earthquake, none of the contenders has managed to win the hearts, and votes, of those hardest-hit by the disaster – with many feeling let down by the entire political
At last, a really practical use for technology in the workplace. A Japanese railway company, concerned that its employees may not be looking delighted enough to see passengers, has introduced “smile scanning” software to keep tabs on how enthusiastically they are grinning.
If you happen to be in Japan from now to March 31, 2013, make sure to check out one of Japan’s most stunning displays of light called Winter Illuminations at Nabana no Sato, a botanical garden turned light theme park on
Sunday saw the Japanese Navy celebrate its 60th anniversary with the equivalent of an ocean-based military parade featuring around 40 of the country’s ships. The exercise, held in waters south of Tokyo, was clearly intended to be a display of maritime strength
Dogs that went through through the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, triggered by the massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake in Japan last year, tended to have symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a new study. The paper, published Thursday in
