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2011 Tohoku Earthquake

Annual Tokyo memorial for March 11 tsunami comes with a heartwarming musical surprise【Video】

In remembrance of those who passed away during the Great East Japan Earthquake.

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We visit a tsunami-ravaged region almost a decade after the Great East Japan Earthquake

Rather than forget the horrors of the disaster, this coastal town has set up daily reminders of the tsunami on the streets. 

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Kenshi Yonezu’s “Paprika” might be a much heavier song than we thought

Mega-hit kids’ song may very well be an ode to the dead.

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New study shows wildlife thriving in areas evacuated after Fukushima nuclear meltdown【Video】

As we reach almost a decade since the tragic incident which displaced over 100,000 individuals, Mother Nature makes her comeback.

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Great East Japan Earthquake memorial service broadcast in Shinjuku after years-long absence

People stopped to pray by a screen in the middle of busy Shinjuku.

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Great East Japan Earthquake: Commemorate eight years and donate with a search on Yahoo! Japan

Recovery efforts are ongoing following the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident, and the Tohoku region still needs your help.

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2020 Tokyo Olympic torch relay to tour all 47 prefectures of Japan starting from Fukushima

Will this flame of hope light the way for those still recovering from the Tohoku earthquake?

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NHK slips touching hidden message into TV listings on March 11

A subtle way to let certain people know they’re still on your mind.

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Video highlights remarkable recoveries of towns destroyed by the 3.11 Tsunami seven years later

Chris Broad’s look at the towns of Onagawa and Kesennuma are an inspiration.

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Moving video commemorates anniversary of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan

The tear-jerking video encourages viewers to “Search for 3.11” on the anniversary to help support reconstruction in the region.

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Shin Godzilla trailer released, hits very close to home【Video】

This retelling of the classic tokusatsu tale looks to be surprisingly fresh and nostalgic all at the same time.

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Five years on, Google Maps updates images of areas affected by 2011 earthquake and tsunami

Google Maps gives the world an opportunity to see how far the people of Tohoku have come since a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami turned their lives upside-down.

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LoCoS: The universal language we’ll be using by 2065, according to legendary Japanese designer

Yukio Ota is a legendary graphic designer in Japan. As the creator of the green “running man” pictogram that features on the nation’s emergency exit signs which have since spread to Europe, Canada and the Asia-Pacific, Ota is a frontrunner when it comes to developing images that convey a thousand words.

Now the designer of the exit sign is making headlines for his long-term project that aims to have the world using a universal language by 2065. Called the Lovers’ Communication System, or LoCoS, the standardised system based on pictographs has the power to overcome language barriers and revolutionise the world of communication as we know it.

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Tokyo schoolgirls invent eco and cost-friendly portable toilet for disaster relief【Video】

Although we explored public restrooms the world over in a previous article, we left out the fact that many refugees, natural disaster survivors, and other displaced people have no access to the modern plumbing many of us take for granted. For those living in areas where public toilets are unavailable, a trip to the bathroom is at best a chore, and at worst a major sanitary concern.

Luckily technological advances are being made in order to help remedy these problems, and so far 2015 has been a promising year in that regard. UK researchers and volunteers were able to successfully create an urine-powered outhouse, while over in Japan a high school girls’ volunteer club recently came up with a new economic and hygienic portable toilet option.

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Over 150 whales found beached in Ibaraki, same thing happened before 2011 Tohoku earthquake

A little over four years ago, a week before the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, 50 melon-headed whales were found beached in Ibaraki Prefecture, only about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the earthquake’s epicenter.

Now the same omen of bad things to come has happened again. On April 9, about 150 melon-headed whales were found beached in Ibaraki Prefecture. As emergency teams race to save the whales, one thought is sitting in the back of their minds: is this foreshadowing another giant earthquake?

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One man’s mission to record the stories of Tohoku survivors “revisited” by lost loved ones

What happens after we die? Is it possible to communicate with loved ones after they are gone? And if not, how can we explain the stories of those who claim to have done so? These questions are pertinent to the work of journalist Shuji Okuno, who researches the yūrei banashi, or ghost stories, of relatives bereaved by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

Over 18,000 people were killed in the disaster in March 2011, most by drowning; including 2,601 bodies that were never recovered. Okuno has been researching and recording the stories of Tohoku people bereaved by the disaster who say they were visited by the spirits of their deceased family members, often at the exact moment of their passing.

But reporting on ghost sightings in a disaster zone is controversial work. In an interview with Tohoku-area newspaper Kahoku Shimpo this week, Okuno spoke about the stories he has uncovered and the criticism he continues to face.

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First nuclear power plant set to restart in Japan after 2011 meltdown

Against much public backlash, two reactors at a nuclear power plant in Sendai are scheduled to be restarted. These will be the first to restart operations after all the country’s nuclear plants were shut down indefinitely following the meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in 2011. 

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Japanese scientist predicts another major earthquake in Japan by 2017

According to Japanese scientists, Japan might be in for another big one.

Dr. Masaaki Kimura, a seismologist who reportedly predicted the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake, recently appeared on Japanese TV to share his theory about the next major earthquake to strike Japan. Based on his estimates, the quake will occur by 2017 and will be of similar magnitude to 2011’s. Similarly, astronomer Yoshio Kushida continues to insist that a big quake is not too far away. Keep reading to find out more about their respective theories and which specific areas of Japan they’ve got on the radar.

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Tweeters urge Japanese to donate to Serbian flood relief as repayment for Tōhoku support

Japan is no stranger to natural disasters, and the world rose up in support after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011 left thousands dead and millions homeless. Now it’s time for Japanese people to repay that kindness by supporting one of their greatest benefactors through their own period of crisis.

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Kit Kat aims to bring train travelers back to Tōhoku with ticket biscuit

Japan probably has the world’s largest and most bizarre selection of Kit Kat flavours on offer, but this latest release is about more than just tickling your tastebuds. Nestle Japan is offering a specially-packaged version of their classic biscuit to help recovery in areas destroyed by the devastating tsunami of March 2011.

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