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☆ Strong Quake in Philippines Triggers Tsunami Warnings and Evacuations
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Dec. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

Evacuations were continuing in the Philippines, where there were no initial reports of significant wave damage or casualties despite continuing aftershocks. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, Phivolcs, maintained that the risk of a tsunami remained. However, the two provinces are largely rural and not densely populated, unlike other parts of the Philippines. The EMSC said the quake of magnitude 7.5 had struck at a depth of 63 km (39 miles), while the U.S. Geographic Survey put the quake at magnitude 7.6 and a depth of 32 km (20 miles), and said it had struck at 10:37 p.m. (1437 GMT).

Persons: Mikhail Flores MANILA, Phivolcs, Raymark Gentallan, James Soria, Cosme Calejesan, EMSC, Mrinmay Dey, Mikhail Flores, Karen Lema, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Kevin Liffey, Alison Williams, David Holmes, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: U.S ., Philippine Institute of, Japan Meteorological Agency, Seismological, Reuters, Earthquakes, U.S . Geographic Survey Locations: Philippines, Mindanao, Japan, U.S, Tokyo, Surigao Del Sur, Davao Oriental, Hinatuan, Surigao City, Bengaluru, Manila

☆ Earthquake of 7.5 strikes Philippines, tsunami expected in Philippines and Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 2 (Reuters) - An earthquake of at least magnitude 7.5 struck Mindanao in the southern Philippines late on Saturday, triggering evacuation orders for some areas and southwestern Japanese coasts because of warnings of tsunami waves of a metre (3 feet) or more. The Philippine Seismology Agency Phivolcs said the waves could hit the Philippines by midnight (1600 GMT) and continue for hours. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System said there could be waves of up to 3 metres above the tide level along some Philippine coasts. The Japanese broadcaster NHK said tsunami waves of up to a metre were expected to reach Japan's southwestern coast around 30 minutes later - by 1:30 a.m. on Sunday (1630 GMT on Saturday). The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said a quake of magnitude 7.5 had struck at a depth of 63 km (39 miles).

Persons: Agency Phivolcs, Phivolcs, Mrinmay Dey, Mikhail Flores, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Kevin Liffey, Diane Craft, Alison Williams Organizations: Agency, U.S ., NHK, Seismological, U.S . Geographic Survey, Thomson Locations: Mindanao, Philippines, Philippine, U.S, Surigao Del Sur, Davao Oriental, Japanese, Hinatuan, Earthquakes, Bengaluru, Manila, Tokyo

The U.S. military said the mishap occurred during a routine training mission off the shores of Yakushima Island, about 1,040 km (650 miles) southwest of the capital Tokyo. Another Osprey thought to have been travelling with the crashed aircraft landed safely at the island's airport on Wednesday afternoon, a spokesperson for the local government said. Japan, which also operates Osprey aircraft, said on Wednesday it had asked the U.S. military to investigate the crash. The deployment of the hybrid aircraft in Japan has been controversial, with critics saying it is prone to accidents. In August, a U.S. Osprey crashed off the coast of northern Australia while transporting troops during a routine military exercise, killing three U.S. Marines.

Persons: Kiyoshi Takenaka, Tim Kelly, Kantaro, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, John Geddie, David Dolan, Gerry Doyle, Nick Macfie, Deepa Babington Organizations: Japan Coast Guard, Yakushima Fisheries Cooperative, . Air Force Special, Command, United, ., Boeing, Bell Helicopter, U.S . Air Force, Marines, Navy, Japan Self - Defense Forces, Osprey, U.S, Thomson Locations: Kagoshima prefecture, Japan, TOKYO, U.S, Yakushima, Tokyo, Japan's, United States, Taiwan, Okinawa, Australia

TOKYO, Nov 29 (Reuters) - A U.S. military V-22 Osprey aircraft crashed near an island in western Japan on Wednesday with eight people onboard, Japan's coast guard said. The aircraft disappeared from radar at 2:40 p.m. local time, Japan Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said. Another crash-landed in the ocean off Japan's southern island of Okinawa in December 2016, prompting a temporary U.S. military grounding of the aircraft. The deployment of the Osprey in Japan has been controversial, with critics saying the hybrid aircraft is prone to accidents. The U.S. military and Japan say it is safe.

Persons: Hirokazu Matsuno, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Tim Kelly, Satoshi Sugiyama, John Geddie, David Dolan, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Osprey, U.S, Marines, U.S . Marines, U.S . Navy, Japan Self Defense Forces, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, U.S, Japan, Australia, Okinawa

China detained the executive, named in several media reports as Hiroshi Nishiyama, on suspicion of espionage in March, and he was formally arrested last month. Japan's then foreign minister protested the executive's detention with his Chinese counterpart on a visit to Beijing in April. China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Half the respondents in a recent survey of Japanese companies doing business in China said they would cut investments this year. It's a very difficult point in time to be navigating that as a decision maker, in business or politics," he said.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Xi Jinping, Rahm Emanuel, Hiroshi Nishiyama, Japan's, Xi, Masashi Mizobuchi, Nishiyama, Takeshi Niinami, Niinami, Stefan Angrick, Yukiko Toyoda, Kiyoshi Takenaka, John Geddie, Sakura Murakami, Francis Tang, Laurie Chen, Antoni Slodkowski, Andrew Silver, Lincoln Organizations: Economic Cooperation, Kyodo, drugmaker Astellas Pharma, APEC, Reuters, Japanese Chamber of Commerce, Japan Association of Corporate, Suntory, Moody's Analytics, Thomson Locations: Asia, Bangkok, Thailand, TOKYO, BEIJING, China, San Francisco, Tokyo, U.S, Japan, Beijing, officialdom, Shanghai

☆ Japan new economic package to total about $112 bln - Asahi
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A woman points at the high prices of fruits at a market in Tokyo, Japan March 3, 2023. REUTERS/Androniki Christodoulou/ File photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Nov 1 (Reuters) - A package of economic measures Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government is compiling will likely come to about 17 trillion yen ($112.15 billion) in size, the Asahi Shimbun reported on Wednesday. Kishida said last week his government hoped to compile the package to cushion the economic blow from rising inflation on Nov. 2. ($1 = 151.5800 yen)Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Androniki, Fumio, Kishida, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Asahi Shimbun, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ Japan launches antimonopoly probe into Google's search dominance
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Google app is seen on a smartphone in this illustration taken, July 13, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Alphabet Inc FollowTOKYO, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Japan's competition watchdog on Monday said it would start investigating Google's (GOOGL.O) possible breach of antimonopoly laws in web search services, following similar steps taken by authorities in Europe and other major economies. The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) said it would investigate whether Google violated Japan's Antimonopoly Act, including by returning part of its revenues to Android smartphone makers on the condition that they not install rival search engines. The decision follows similar moves by antitrust regulators in the European Union, the United States and others. Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka and Kantaro Komiya Editing by Chang-Ran KimOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Google's, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Chang, Ran Kim Organizations: REUTERS, Japan Fair Trade Commission, Google, European Union, Thomson Locations: Europe, United States

From this viewpoint, Japan is closely watching the situation with serious concern," she added when asked about Japan's oil dependence on the Middle East, which supplies more than 90% of its needs. G7 finance ministers, who were meeting in Morocco as events escalated, issued a brief statement on the attacks on Oct. 12. Japan was "standing one step behind the United States and some European countries", added Isamu Nakashima, associate research fellow at the Middle East Institute of Japan. "The through line of Japan's Middle East policy has been maintaining the flow of energy imports from the region," said David Boling, a director at consulting firm Eurasia Group. While the United States is Japan's closest ally, when it comes to the Middle East, Tokyo will be very wary of being seen as its proxy, said Shuji Hosaka, board member of the Institute of Energy Economics Japan.

Persons: Yoko Kamikawa, Fumio Kishida, Isamu Nakashima, David Boling, Shuji Hosaka, John Geddie, Yoshifumi Takemoto, Tim Kelly, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Ekaterina Golubkova, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Kentaro Sugiyama, Alex Richardson Organizations: Petroleum, Kyodo, Tokyo, Reuters, Middle East Institute of Japan, Middle, Energy, Eurasia Group, U.S, Institute of Energy Economics Japan, Thomson Locations: Kagoshima prefecture, Japan, TOKYO, Israel, Tokyo, Gaza, Iran, Hezbollah, Syria, Morocco, United States, U.S, Saudi Arabia, East

☆ Philippines Removes Chinese Barrier at Disputed Shoal in 'Special Operation'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Enrico Dela CruzMANILA (Reuters) -The Philippines said on Monday it executed a "special operation" to remove a floating barrier installed by China at a prime fishing patch in the South China Sea, a move that could stoke tension after a years-long detente in Asia's most disputed waters. Hours after the national security adviser had vowed to take action, the Philippine coastguard said it had removed the floating cordon, at the behest of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his special task force on the South China Sea. Japan's government urged calm and said the South China Sea was central to regional stability. "Our country strongly opposes any conduct that heightens tension in the South China Sea," Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a regular press conference. China on Monday said the shoal, which it calls Huangyan Island, was "China's inherent territory", over which it had indisputable sovereignty.

Persons: Enrico Dela Cruz, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Rodrigo Duterte, Hirokazu Matsuno, Huangyan, Wang Wenbin, Enrico dela Cruz, Liz Lee, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Kanupriya Kapoor, Martin Petty, Alex Richardson Organizations: stoke, coastguard, Philippine coastguard, Philippine, China, South China, Chinese coastguard Locations: Philippines, China, South China, Asia's, Scarborough, Philippine, Manila, Washington, Beijing, British, South, Hague, Tokyo

☆ Kioxia's banks to refinance $13.5 bln loan for Western Digital merger -Bloomberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316.T), Mizuho Financial Group (8411.T) and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (8306.T) intend to submit a commitment letter for the refinancing next month, Bloomberg reported citing unnamed sources. Part of the loan will be used to pay special dividends to Kioxia's shareholders, Bloomberg said. Of the 2 trillion yen loan, 400 billion yen will likely be funded through loan commitments and the Development Bank of Japan will provide a loan of 300 billion yen. The rest will likely be equally split between the three megabanks, Bloomberg reported. Kioxia and Western Digital are speeding up merger talks and nailing down a deal structure, Reuters reported in May, amid a slump in the market for flash memory.

Persons: Kioxia, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Sam Nussey, Makiko Yamazaki, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Taipei, REUTERS, Rights, Western, Bloomberg, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Mizuho Financial Group, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, Kioxia, Mizuho, MUFG, Development Bank of Japan, Western Digital, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Taipei, Taiwan

☆ Japan PM to keep his chief cabinet secretary in cabinet reshuffle -Yomiuri
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has decided to keep Hirokazu Matsuno in his current post as chief cabinet secretary, a key ministerial position, during a cabinet reshuffle, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Tuesday. The Yomiuri said core members of his cabinet and party leadership will remain unchanged, as Kishida also plans to keep former premier Taro Aso as party vice president and former foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi as party secretary-general. Kishida, also the head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), has said he plans to reshuffle his cabinet and conduct a personnel change of party leadership as early as Wednesday. Shinzo Abe and Yoshihide Suga, two prime ministers before Kishida, both served as chief cabinet secretary before becoming premier. Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Kishida, Taro Aso, Toshimitsu Motegi, Shinzo Abe, Yoshihide Suga, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Christian Schmollinger, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Yomiuri, Liberal Democratic Party, Kishida, Thomson Locations: TOKYO

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accompanied by government officials, departs Pyongyang, North Korea, to visit Russia, September 10, 2023, in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on September 12, 2023. Pyongyang and Moscow have denied that North Korea would supply arms to Russia, which has expended vast stocks of weapons in more than 18 months of war. "The presence of Jo Chun Ryong indicates that North Korea and Russia will conclude some type of agreement for munitions purchases," said Michael Madden, a North Korea leadership expert at the Washington-based Stimson Center. The U.S. State Department said any transfer of arms from North Korea to Russia would violate U.N. Security Council resolutions, which ban any arms transactions with North Korea. Russia had voted, along with China, to approve Security Council resolutions as late as 2017 punishing North Korea for ballistic missile launches and nuclear tests.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Kremlin, Vladimir Putin, Kim, Dmitry Peskov, Putin, Peskov, Jo Chun Ryong, Michael Madden, Chang Ho, Matthew Miller, Sergei Shoigu, Hyunsu Yim, Hyonhee Shin, Josh Smith, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Lidia Kelly, Steve Holland, Humeyra Pamuk, Jack Kim, Gerry Doyle Organizations: North, Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Kyodo, South Korea's Defence, TASS, Eastern Economic, OF, North Korean, Munitions Industry, Stimson, . South Korean, The U.S . State Department, Department, Russian Defence, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Pyongyang, North Korea, Russia, Rights SEOUL, WASHINGTON, Washington, Khasan, South, China, Ukraine, Vladivostok, Moscow, Korea, The, Seoul, Tokyo, Melbourne

☆ Japan PM says he plans cabinet reshuffle, 'drastic' economic measures
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Kiyoshi Takenaka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends a press conference, on the second day of the G20 summit, in New Delhi, India, September 10, 2023. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis Acquire Licensing RightsSept 10 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he plans to reshuffle his cabinet as early as Wednesday, and will compile a package of "drastic" economic measures soon after to boost the country's fragile recovery. "On economic measures, I want them to protect the people's lives from price hikes and to reinforce the trend of wage increases and investment expansion. Kishida said last month that he planned to compile a package of economic measures in September. I feel now that such understanding has spread further," Kishida told the press conference.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Anushree, Kishida, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Hugh Lawson, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, Ukraine, Russia, Indonesia, Japan, China

☆ Japan PM Kishida plans Sept 13 cabinet reshuffle, coalition partner says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during the leaders talk of the ASEAN-Indo Pacific Forum (AIPF) in Jakarta, Indonesia September 6, 2023. Adek Berry/Pool via REUTERS/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to reshuffle his cabinet on Sept. 13, the head of the junior partner in Kishida's ruling coalition said on Friday. On Thursday, there was further bad news when former ruling Liberal Democratic Party member Masatoshi Akimoto was arrested on suspicion of taking bribes. 56% of people thought Kishida should renew his cabinet and shake up the senior executives of the ruling party. Reporting by Kantaro Komiya, Sakura Murakami, Kiyoshi Takenaka; editing by John Stonestreet and Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Adek Berry, Natsuo Yamaguchi, Kishida, Masatoshi Akimoto, Akimoto, Kantaro Komiya, Sakura Murakami, Kiyoshi Takenaka, John Stonestreet, Susan Fenton Organizations: Japan's, ASEAN, Pacific, Rights, Public, NHK, Liberal Democratic Party, Asahi, Yomiuri, Thomson Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia, India

☆ Japan's Johnny Kitagawa sex abuse scandal forces shake-up at J-pop agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Francis Tang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Sept 7 (Reuters) - The niece of Johnny Kitagawa, the late J-pop magnate at the centre of a sexual abuse scandal that has shocked Japan, said on Thursday that she had stepped down as the head of the talent agency her uncle had founded. As more Japanese media took up the story, lawmakers voiced outrage, while the United Nations' human rights experts also criticised the talent agency for its handling of the allegations. At a press conference televised live by most broadcasters, Kitagawa's niece Julie K. Fujishima said she had stepped down as president on Tuesday. Noriyuki Higashiyama, a former member of the popular 1980s boy-band Shonentai, was the new head of the agency, Fujishima said. But the scandal blew up this year as more victims came forward after the BBC's report, leading to demands for stricter laws to prevent child abuse and a formal apology from the agency.

Persons: Johnny Kitagawa, Kitagawa, Kitagawa's, Julie K, Fujishima, Noriyuki, Higashiyama, Francis Tang, Kantaro Komiya, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Chang, Ran Kim, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: BBC, United Nations, Johnny, Associates, Johnny's Juniors, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, East Asia

☆ China declined to join IAEA system to monitor Fukushima water - Kyodo
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

An aerial view shows the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which started releasing treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, Japan August 24, 2023, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Kyodo/via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Sept 5 (Reuters) - China turned down Japan's proposal that it take part in the International Atomic Energy Agency's system in which countries excluding Japan can analyse the results of sea water monitoring off Fukushima, Kyodo news agency said on Tuesday, citing unnamed diplomatic sources. Japan started releasing treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean late last month despite strong opposition from China. Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka, Rocky Swift; Editing by Andrew CawthorneOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kiyoshi Takenaka, Rocky Swift, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Kyodo, Rights, International Atomic Energy, Thomson Locations: Okuma, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, China

☆ Japan has no plans to boost funds to ease reputation damage from Fukushima water release
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A view of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after it started releasing treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, seen from the nearby Ukedo fishing port in Namie town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Aug. 25, 2023. REUTERS/Tom Bateman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Japan's industry minister said on Wednesday the government had no plan to substantially boost funds aimed at helping the fishing industry hit by reputation damage from the release of treated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. The government currently has two such funds worth 80 billion yen ($547 million). ($1 = 146.1700 yen)Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tom Bateman, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Tom Hogue Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan

KCNA via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Aug 31 (Reuters) - North Korea conducted a simulated "scorched-earth" nuclear strike on targets across South Korea, state media reported on Thursday, in reaction to allied exercises that it said amounted to plans for a preemptive nuclear attack by the United States. ROK is the initials of South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea. North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, hours after the U.S. deployed B-1B bombers for allied air drills. South Korea's presidential office convened a security meeting after North Korea's late-night launch, which followed its second failed attempt last week to put its first spy satellite into orbit. Japan will intercept North Korea's missiles if they fly over Japan's territory, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said.

Persons: North Korea's, Fumio Kishida, Hirokazu Matsuno, Kim Jong Un, KCNA, Kim Jong, Kim, Soo, hyang Choi, Josh Smith, Kantaro Komiya, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Satoshi Sugiyama, Stephen Coates, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Korean People's Army, North, Korean Central News Agency, Reuters, KCNA, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, ROK, U.S, Thomson Locations: North Korea, Rights SEOUL, South Korea, United States, Republic of Korea, Japan, Pyongyang, U.S, Korea, Seoul, Kantaro, Tokyo

☆ Japan says harassing calls from China over Fukushima water release 'extremely regrettable'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A view of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after it started releasing treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, seen from the nearby Ukedo fishing port in Namie town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Aug. 25, 2023. REUTERS/Tom Bateman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Japan said on Monday it was extremely regrettable that there were many instances of harassing phone calls from China regarding the release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific. Japan started the water discharge on Thursday in a key step toward decommissioning the Fukushima plant, which suffered triple meltdowns after being hit by a tsunami in 2011 following a powerful earthquake. "A lot of harassment phone calls believed to be originating from China are occurring in Japan ... Other municipalities, hotels and restaurants have also been getting such calls since the day the water release began, domestic media said.

Persons: Tom Bateman, Hirokazu Matsuno, Masataka Okano, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Martin Pollard, Jacqueline Wong, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Pacific ., Thomson Locations: Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, China, Pacific, Pacific . Japan, Tokyo, Beijing

☆ Japan says harassment calls from China regarding Fukushima water release extremely regrettable
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A view of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after it started releasing treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, seen from the nearby Ukedo fishing port in Namie town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Aug. 25, 2023. REUTERS/Tom Bateman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Japan's top government spokesman said on Monday it was extremely regrettable that there were many instances of harassment phone calls from China regarding the release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific. "A lot of harassment phone calls believed to be originating from China are occurring in Japan ... These developments are extremely regrettable and we are concerned," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a regular news conference. Japan on Thursday started the water discharge, a key step in decommissioning the Fukushima plant, which suffered triple meltdowns after being hit by a tsunami in 2011 following a powerful earthquake.

Persons: Tom Bateman, Hirokazu Matsuno, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Martin Pollard, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Japan, Thursday, Thomson Locations: Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, China, Tokyo, Beijing

☆ Explainer: More nuclear challenges await Japan after Fukushima water release
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Kiyoshi Takenaka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Activists attend a protest against Japan's plan to release treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean, at the national assembly in Seoul, South Korea, August 24, 2023. MOLTEN FUEL REMOVALTepco has described the effort to remove highly radioactive fuel debris from reactor cores as an "unprecedented and difficult challenge never attempted anywhere in the world". That was the worst nuclear plant accident before the 1986 Chornobyl tragedy in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. About 12.1 trillion yen had been spent on such activities by March 2022, Japan's audit panel, which reviews government expenditures, has said. That represents an expenditure of more than half of the government's estimate, even before really tough tasks such as fuel debris retrieval have begun, in turns raising concerns about cost overruns.

Persons: Kim Hong, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Katya Golubkova, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Tokyo Electric Power Co, Tepco, U.S, Japan, Japan Center for Economic Research, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Japan, Pennsylvania, Ukraine, Soviet Union, Fukushima

[1/3] Supermarket owner Takashi Nakajima, 67, prepares sashimi, or raw fish, to sell at his store, near the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, in Soma, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, August 9, 2023. It's been a long battle to get radiation-wary customers back to the seafood from waters near the Fukushima nuclear power plant that was wrecked in the 2011 tsunami, Nakajima says. Now, with the imminent release of treated radioactive water from the plant into the Pacific, he fears a return to square one. "This can't be happening," the 67-year-old said in the backyard kitchen of his supermarket in Soma city, just 45 km (28 miles) north of the stricken power plant. The problem is, this water release will go on for at least 30 years."

Persons: Takashi Nakajima, Akiko Okamoto, It's, Nakajima, Yasutaka Shishido, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Tom Bateman, Chang, Ran Kim, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, Tokyo Electric Power, Thomson Locations: Soma, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, China

An aerial view shows the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant following a strong earthquake, in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, Japan in this photo taken by Kyodo on March 17, 2022. Members of a group that tracks such levels in food and seawater, they fear Japan's plans to release treated radioactive water into the sea near the Fukushima nuclear plant could stir an anxiety among residents reminiscent of the 2011 disaster. "The people of Fukushima endured the risks for the last 12 years and have confirmed the radiation level has dropped," said Ai Kimura, director of non-profit group Mothers' Radiation Lab Fukushima, also known as Tarachine. Japan is preparing this summer to start discharging into the Pacific more than a million tons of water from the tsunami-crippled power plant, but has not yet revealed the date. Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka, Akiko Okamoto and Tom Bateman; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ai Kimura, Kimura, what's, Kimura's, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Akiko Okamoto, Tom Bateman, Chang, Ran Kim, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Kyodo, Rights Companies Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Tokyo Electric Power, Thomson Locations: Okuma, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, IWAKI, Fukushima, Iwaki, Pacific, China, Tarachine

☆ Japan to start Fukushima water release as early as late August, Asahi Shimbun reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Ventilation stacks and cranes at the disabled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant are seen from a beach in Namie, about 7 km away from the power plant, in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, February 28, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File PhotoTOKYO, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Japan plans to start releasing treated radioactive water from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean as early as late August, Japan's Asahi Shimbun daily reported on Monday, citing unnamed government sources. Japan's nuclear regulator last month granted approval for plant operator Tokyo Electric Power (9501.T) to start releasing the water - which Japan and the International Atomic Energy Agency say is safe but nearby countries fear it may contaminate food. Bottom trawling fishing is scheduled to start off Fukushima, northeast of Tokyo, in September, and the government aims to start the water discharge before the fishing season gets underway, the newspaper said. Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; editing by Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Fumio Kishida, Joe Biden, Yoon Suk, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, Asahi Shimbun, U.S, South, Tokyo Electric Power, International Atomic Energy Agency, Thomson Locations: Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, United States, Fukushima, Tokyo

☆ Hiroshima marks a-bomb anniversary, calls nuclear deterrence "folly"
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Kiyoshi Takenaka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERSTOKYO, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Japan on Sunday marked the 78th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing on Hiroshima, where its mayor urged the abolition of nuclear weapons and called the Group of Seven leaders' notion of nuclear deterrence a "folly". The day to commemorate the victims of the world's first nuclear attack comes as Russia has raised the spectre of using nuclear weapons in its war with Ukraine. It also comes as biopic "Oppenheimer", chronicling the creation of the atomic bomb, has become a box-office hit in the United States. G7 leaders issued a statement expressing their commitment to achieving disarmament but said that as long as nuclear weapons existed, they should serve to deter aggression and prevent war. The prime minister said the road to a world without nuclear weapons was getting steeper, due in part to Russia's nuclear threats, but that this made it all the more important to bring back international momentum towards that goal.

Persons: Oppenheimer, Fumio Kishida, Kazumi Matsui, Antonio Guterres, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Chang, Ran Kim, William Mallard Organizations: Kyodo, REUTERS, Seven, Kishida, United Nations, Japan, Thomson Locations: Hiroshima, Japan, REUTERS TOKYO, Russia, Ukraine, United States, Nagasaki

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