Strongest Ever Japan Earthquake
and Tsunami News updates
for May 7-13, 2011
This page is a continuation of my main Strongest
Ever Japan
Earthquake and Tsunami
page, reflecting May 7-13, 2011 news updates
for the
9th week after
the initial quake. Thanks so much for your
concern, and please remember in your thoughts and prayers those
thousands of people who are
suffering right now and haven't heard from their missing
family
members.
News Updates for
9th Week after Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
-- May 7-13,
2011
(JST=UT+9 hrs., or CDT+14 hrs., e.g. 8 am in Houston = 10 pm in Tokyo):
May 13, 2011
20:20 (JST): How one Japanese village defied the tsunami
- Fudai, Iwate is a village that survived -- thanks to a huge wall once
deemed a mayor's expensive folly and now vindicated as the community's
salvation.
The 3,000 residents living between mountains behind a cove owe their
lives to a late leader who saw the devastation of an earlier tsunami
and made it the priority of his four-decade tenure to defend his people
from the next one.
His 51-foot (15.5-meter) floodgate between mountainsides took a dozen
years to build and meant spending more than $30 million in today's
dollars. (Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
The 15.5 meter (51-foot)-high gate, which was criticized as being a
wasteful public works project in the 1970's, protected the town when it
was hit by the 20-meter-high tsunami on March 11, 2011. (Photo:
Hiro Komae/AP)
May 13, 2011
15:35 (JST): Thousands of animals to be culled in Fukushima
no-go zone - Farmers in Fukushima, northeast Japan, were
forced to abandon entire herds of livestock when a 12-mile evacuation
zone around the nuclear power plant was imposed after the March 11
tsunami and earthquake.
The exodus of farmers from the no-go zone resulted in the abandonment
of thousands of animals, with an estimated 3,400 cows, 31,500 pigs, and
630,000 chickens reported in the area before the crisis.
The government has now confirmed that the prefecture will be asked to
slaughter farm animals within the evacuation zone due to difficulties
in feeding those which have survived abandonment.
More...
May 13, 2011
10:50 (JST): Fukushima No. 1 reactor is in a "meltdown" state
- TEPCO says the No.1 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power
plant is believed to be in a state of "meltdown."
The utility company said on Thursday that most of the fuel rods are
likely to have melted and fallen to the bottom of the reactor. Earlier
in the day, it found that the coolant water in the reactor is at a
level which would completely expose nuclear fuel rods if they were in
their normal position.
The company believes the melted fuel has cooled down, judging from the
reactor's surface temperature.
But it suspects the meltdown created a hole or holes in the bottom of
the reactor causing water to leak into the containment vessel. (Source:
nhk.or.jp)
May 13, 2011
7:05 (JST): Peace Cranes soar above Japan -
Throughout April and May St. Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne has made
available a 'Book of 10,000 Cranes' in Swanston Street for passers-by
to write prayers and messages of love and support to the people of
Japan following the Mar. 11 earthquake and tsunami. Mrs. Suuzannah
Tegner, who suggested the idea for the Book of 10,000 Cranes, said that
10,000 Cranes represented a 10-fold blessing, and that she will take
the Cranes and the Book to Japan, once all the Cranes -- which are
being made by schools and members of the public, including people of
other faiths and Japanese living in Melbourne -- have been received.
(Source: melbourneanglican.org.au)
May 12, 2011
10:05 (JST): 3rd-grade CA girls raise $10,800 for Japan
earthquake victims - Third-graders Anahid
Ounigian and Ana Sofia Vildosola have a reputation for being
compassionate girls.
Their teacher says they're also articulate and organized, so it wasn't
a big surprise when the girls wanted to organize a fundraiser to help
the victims of the March earthquake in Japan.
Both girls are 9 and in Sera Ursich's class at St. John's
Episcopal Parish Day School in Chula Vista, California. The girls
raised nearly $10,800, which they decided to give to the American Red
Cross, partly because Ana Sofia mentioned feeling that the organization
would be honest and she knew the money would actually get to Japan.
"I'm very proud of what we did. We got a lot of money, and that's like
a blessing to help Japan," said Ana Sofia. (Source: signonsandiego.com)
Anahid Ounigian (left) and Ana Sofia Vildosola,
with their teacher, Sera Ursich (center)
May 12, 2011
13:35 (JST): Thai tourists return to Japan - A
Thai tour group is on its way to Japan, the first such visit from
Thailand since the March 11th disaster.
An association of Thai travel agencies came up with the idea for the
tour titled "Japan, Our Best Friend." It includes officials from travel
companies and the media.
During the 5-day trip, the 160-member group will visit Mount Fuji, the
Hakone hot spring resort, and Tokyo Disneyland.
One travel agency official said he wants to confirm for himself just
how safe Japan's tourist spots are. (Source: nhk.or.jp)
May 12, 2011
5:40 (JST): 80% of survivors feel mental and physical strains
- An NHK survey shows that nearly 80 percent of the survivors of the
March 11th earthquake and tsunami are suffering sleeplessness,
tiredness or other forms of mental or physical disorders.
NHK interviewed 435 people, aged 17 to 88, in the hardest-hit
prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima.
Asked about their mental and physical conditions after the disaster, 77
percent of respondents said they are having some kind of difficulty.
(Source: nhk.or.jp)
May 12, 2011
0:15 (JST): Services observed 2 months after quake and tsunami
- On Wednesday, exactly 2 months after the March 11th earthquake and
tsunami hit eastern Japan, people across the affected region held a
moment of silence for the victims.
In Minami-Sanriku, Miyagi Prefecture, about 500 junior high school
students and evacuees sheltering at a school gym offered silent prayers
at 2:46 PM, the time the quake occurred.
They then held a service with candles in the schoolyard overlooking the
sea where gigantic waves had rushed in and swept the entire town away.
(Source: nhk.or.jp)
May 11, 2011
21:05 (JST): Triumph unveils 'Support Japan Bra' printed with
worldwide messages - Major lingerie maker Triumph
International Japan Ltd said Wednesday it has created special
underwear featuring messages of encouragement sent
from its group companies around the world to lift the spirits
of disaster-stricken Japan. The lingerie consisting of a strapless
bustier and a matching skirt is called the "Support Japan Bra" and was
created as part of this year's unique concept bra series, which the
company releases biannually to reflect social trends of the time.
The company collected handwritten messages from 54 employees at its
offices in 36 countries and regions, including Russia, China, France
and Turkey, along with relief goods for the areas devastated by the
catastrophic March 11 earthquake and ensuing tsunami. (Source:
Japan Today)
Triumph's new "Support Japan Bra" (Sankei)
May 11, 2011
14:25 (JST): Japanese thank Americans in US newspaper
- A group of Japanese has run a message in a Washington newspaper
expressing gratitude to Americans for their support after the March
11th disaster.
Tuesday's edition of the Washington Times carried a full-page message
with one simple word, "Arigato," meaning thank you and a sketched image
of a handshake.
The message says, "Thank you, America...for the sweat and tears your
service men and women are shedding to help Japanese survive the
disaster. You are our true friend." (Source: nhk.or.jp)
May 11, 2011
9:45 (JST): English teachers return to Fukushima
- English language teachers are on their way back to Japan from their
homes in the United States to teach again in disaster-hit Fukushima
Prefecture.
8 American teachers in their early 20s departed from airports in New
York and Cleveland, Ohio, on Monday to teach English at kindergartens
and public junior high schools in Tamura City.
Part of the city lies within 20 kilometers of the damaged Fukushima
Daiichi nuclear plant and is designated a no-go zone. (Source:
nhk.or.jp)
May 11, 2011
7:05 (JST): Despite assurances, U.S. not accepting produce
from some northern Japan prefectures - Despite assurances
from Japanese officials, U.S. military bases are still not accepting
produce from a dozen prefectures near the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear
Power Station because of radiation fears.
But Noriyuki Shikata, Japan's deputy cabinet secretary for public
relations, said Tuesday that local food is safe despite concerns over
radiation released by the damaged power plant following the March 11
earthquake and tsunami.
"U.S. forces in Japan can live as all Japanese do," Shikata said during
a briefing on the issue at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan.
"All the food distributed in this country, when you go to the
supermarket, is safe."
More...
May 10, 2011
20:55 (JST): Aerial fallout map confirms soil radiation levels
- Japan's Nuclear Safety Commission says a new aerial map of
radioactive fallout contamination has confirmed the radiation levels in
the area near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The commission's chairman, Haruki Madarame, told reporters on Monday
that the map will reinforce the agency's system to monitor
contamination and will help find ways to lower radiation levels.
The Japanese Science Ministry and the US Energy Department conducted a
joint aerial survey from April 6th to the 29th of the area within an
80-kilometer radius of the plant. (Source: nhk.or.jp)
May 10, 2011
13:55 (JST): Japan's Prime Minister to give up salary
- Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Tuesday that he will give up
his salary until the nuclear crisis in the country is over.
He also said he would review the country's energy policy and consider
other energy sources like wind and solar power.
Kan said he would give up his prime minister salary which is 1,636,000
yen a month ($20,200 a month), but he would still receive his
lawmaker's salary.
The prime minister's announcement comes the same day that about 100
residents, who had been evacuated from an area close to Japan's
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, were allowed to returned home Tuesday
for a short visit to gather belongings. More...
May 10, 2011
6:45 (JST): Justin Bieber Is "Definitely" Touring
Post-Earthquake Japan - Despite reports to the contrary,
Justin Bieber will be keeping his tour dates in Japan. The 17-year-old
pop star, who is scheduled to perform in Tokyo and Osaka later this
month, took to Twitter to shoot down rumors that his crew was refusing
to accompany him to the earthquake-and-radiation-plagued island nation.
TMZ reported last week that Bieber's manager Scooter Braun had an
argument with the tour crew over whether it was safe to visit Japan.
However, according to radiation experts consulted by E! Online, there's
nothing to fear in Japan's major cities: The radiation levels are back
to normal after a March spike, and food is being monitored carefully. More...
(The Image Gate/Getty Images)
May 10, 2011
1:25 (JST): Quake to Spur Biggest Japan Home Boom in 15 Years
- Sekisui House Ltd., Japan's second-largest
home builder, will focus on the local market after expanding overseas
as it expects the nation's biggest housing boom in at least 15 years
after the March 11 earthquake.
Housing starts, which dipped below 1 million units in 2009 and 2010 for
the first time in four decades, may rebound as homeowners rebuild after
the nation's strongest temblor, said the chairman of the Osaka-based
company.
"We had to expand overseas because signs of a slowdown in Japan's
housing demand were alarming. Unexpectedly, the earthquake
struck. I now anticipate annual housing demand to reach the 1
million-unit level again due to revival efforts and reconstruction
demand." More...
May 9, 2011
21:05 (JST): Depp sends message to Japan at 'Pirates' world
premiere - The latest installment in the popular "Pirates
of the Caribbean" series premiered at Disneyland in Anaheim,
California, on Saturday night with a message of support for Japan.
Around 22,000 people gathered to meet the stars. Former Japanese soccer
star Hidetoshi Nakata, 34, and comedian Takaaki Ishibashi, 49, were in
attendance and gave the movie rave reviews. A banner expressing support
for Japan was hung prominently at the star-studded event, which
Ishibashi and Cruz both wrote messages on to express their condolences
and support. The banner will travel with the movie as it makes its way
around the world before being delivered to the Japanese premiere in
Tokyo on May 17. (Source: Japan Today)
Penelope Cruz, left, and Johnny Depp arrive at the World Premiere
of "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" at Disneyland
in Anaheim, Calif, on Saturday.
(AP)
May 9, 2011
16:15 (JST): Quake shifted Japan; towns now flood at high tide
- When water begins to trickle down the streets of her Ishinomaki
neighborhood,
Yoshiko Takahashi knows it is time to hurry home.
Twice a day, the flow steadily increases until it is knee-deep,
carrying fish and debris by her front door and trapping people in their
homes. Those still on the streets slosh through the sea water in rubber
boots or on bicycle.
The March 11 earthquake that hit eastern Japan was so powerful it
pulled the entire country out and down into the sea. The mostly
devastated coastal communities now face regular flooding, because of
their lower elevation and damage to sea walls from the massive tsunamis
triggered by the quake.
More...
Residents stroll in a flooded street in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture,
Japan. The area in this part of the city sunk nearly 2 feet 7 inches
following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. (Junji
Kurokawa/AP)
May 9, 2011
9:50 (JST): 'Do not cry': a nurse's blog brings comfort to
Japan's tsunami survivors - When aid workers arrived after
the Mar. 11 tsunami, they were greeted by scenes of devastation that
would not look out of place in a war zone. But this tragedy was being
played out in one of the world's wealthiest countries, fewer than 200
miles from the neon-lit opulence of its capital, Tokyo.
One of them, a nurse who was part of an emergency medical team
dispatched from Tokyo, has written about her experiences in a blog that
offers one of the most detailed accounts yet of the tsunami's toll on
the tens of thousands who survived. Thanks to an anonymous translator,
every word of her online journal is available in
English.
More...
A tsunami survivor is overcome before messages at a relief centre,
Rikuzentakata, 22 March. (Photograph: Philippe Lopez)
May 9, 2011
7:10 (JST): Quake-hit Miyagi residents wish to rebuild homes
in scenic Matsushima area - Residents of the picturesque
Matsushima area in Miyagi Prefecture, whose homes were swept away by
the March 11 quake-induced tsunami, will likely be allowed to rebuild
their homes in the otherwise restricted area to preserve the landscape.
In Matsushima, known for one of Japan's most beautiful coastal
sceneries with around 230 pine-clad islets, construction of new
buildings is forbidden in some areas and an approval is required from
the head of the Cultural Affairs Agency to make changes under the
Cultural Assets Preservation Law.
But many residents of the area straddling two cities and three towns,
where numerous people died or remain missing in the disaster, want to
build their new homes upland nearby, particularly older people.
(Source: Japan Today)
May 9, 2011
1:40 (JST): Job seeker says ending up at nuclear plant not
mentioned
in ad - A man who applied for the job of driver in Miyagi
Prefecture has filed a complaint with a job placement center in Osaka's
Airin day-laborer district, saying he was made to work at the crippled
nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture.
The agent who placed the ad through the Nishinari labor welfare center
has admitted to the center that the man worked in the premises of the
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station that was smashed up by the
March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
The labor ministry's Osaka district bureau has also started
investigating the case. (Source: Japan Today)
May 8, 2011
20:45 (JST): White carnations laid in tsunami-hit Iwate towns
on Mother's Day
- In the tsunami-hit region of Japan, people laid white carnations for
their lost ones on Mother's Day.
Many people visited a flower shop operating in a tent in the devastated
town of Yamada, Iwate Prefecture, to buy carnations on Sunday.
The shop stocked more white carnations this year than usual, along with
red and pink ones, for customers who lost their mothers in the
disaster. (Source: nhk.or.jp)
May 8, 2011
15:55 (JST): Japanese pastor wants to avoid quake area being
overrun by visitors - A Japanese church district leader
has said that he wants to avoid a "tsunami of people," many of whom are
well-intentioned volunteers, who want to visit the northeastern area
devastated by the 11 March earthquake and tsunami.
"I would like to express my gratitude to those who bother to come to
the affected areas," said the Rev. Muneo Ohara, moderator of Ou District
of the United Church of Christ in Japan, the country's largest
Protestant denomination.
However, he added, clergy and congregations are being overwhelmed by
volunteers. He said, "the earthquake occurred, and the tsunami came. We
could escape from the tsunami. We were saved. But after that, a tsunami
of people surged. We cannot escape from it." (Source: ekklesia.co.uk)
May 8, 2011
10:55 (JST): Crown Prince and Princess visit evacuee shelter -
Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako have visited a shelter
where evacuees from Hirono town in Fukushima Prefecture are staying. It
is their second visit to meet the survivors of the March 11th disaster.
The couple visited a civic center in Misato City in Saitama Prefecture
on Saturday afternoon.
More than 200 people are living in the shelter after fleeing from
hometowns destroyed by the tsunami or that are in the vicinity of the
disabled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. (Source: nhk.or.jp)
May 8, 2011
5:20 (JST): Yakusho hopes new film will make people laugh
again after March 11 disaster - Director Shuichi Okita
currently has his hands full as he directs the comedy pairing of
veteran actor Koji Yakusho ("Babel," "Memoirs of a Geisha," "Shall We
Dance?") with young star Shun Oguri ("Surely Someday," "Snakes and
Earrings").
The film, which has a working title of "Kitsutsuki to Ame" (The
Woodpecker and The Rain), has Yakusho as a 60-year-old lumberjack who
takes a young apprentice, played by Oguri, under his wing. The cast is
rounded out by Kengo Kora, Asami Usuda and another old pro, Masato Ibu.
(Source: Japan Today)
Veteran actor Koji Yakusho
(IMAGE.NET)
May 7, 2011
20:55 (JST): Strength and Beauty -
Miss Japan Marie Yanaka and other beauty queens help parents and
children trying to move a 90-metric-ton Airbus A300-600R at a charity
event at Haneda Airport on May 5, 2011, to support victims of the Great
East Japan Earthquake. The event, "Egao da! Genki da! GO GO Haneda"
(Smile! Be happy! Go, go, Haneda!), was organized by the Japan Airport
Terminal Co., and about 200 people from both in and outside the
disaster zone took part. (Source: The Mainichi)
May 7, 2011
18:10 (JST): After Disaster Hit Japan, Electric Cars Stepped
Up - With deep-tread tires and ample ground clearance, a
rugged 4-wheel-drive Hummer or Jeep might seem the best choice for
navigating through the wrecked cities of northeastern Japan. The areas
pummeled by the earthquake and tsunami in March would surely be
inhospitable for an electric vehicle. Yet in the days and weeks after
the horrific one-two punch of natural disasters, wispy battery-electric
cars--engineered for lightness and equipped with tires designed for
minimal rolling resistance--proved their mettle. These welterweight
sedans, including models from Mitsubishi and Nissan, turned out to be
the vehicles that got through -- not because of any special ability to
claw their way over mountains of debris, but because they were able to
"refuel" at common electrical outlets. More...
One of 89 Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric cars at work
in the Tohoku region of northeastern Japan.
May 7, 2011
15:25 (JST): U.S. base residents in Japan: Conserve energy or
face blackouts - Residents at U.S. military bases in Japan
need to change their electricity habits or risk facing blackouts this
summer as the Japanese power grid becomes overtaxed, base energy
managers warn.
Because of the damage to power plants as a result of the March 11
earthquake and tsunamis, the country could see a 10 to 30 percent
energy deficit starting in June, as temperatures rise and people feel
the need to use air conditioning, officials said.
The average temperature in Tokyo for June is roughly 77 degrees,
climbing to 83 degrees with 80 percent humidity in July.
More...
May 7, 2011
10:05 (JST): Chubu Electric plans to suspend Hamaoka nuclear
power plant -
Chubu Electric Power Co. plans to suspend all reactors at its Hamaoka
nuclear plant in central Japan following Prime Minister Naoto Kan's
request to do so for safety reasons. The Hamaoka nuclear power plant is
located above the projected focus of a magnitude-8-class earthquake
that could strike Shizuoka Prefecture.
Seismologists have long been warning that the likely Tokai earthquake
could occur any time.
They say massive earthquakes have hit the region every 100 to 150
years, but no major quake has occurred there since the one that struck
in the 19th century. (Source: nhk.or.jp)
May 7, 2011
5:05 (JST): Used car prices rising amid soaring demand in
disaster-hit areas - Prices of used cars are rising as
demand is soaring in areas ravaged by the March 11 strongest ever Japan
earthquake and tsunami amid a shortage of trade-in vehicles resulting
from weak new car sales.
According to Used Car magazine, successful bids at auctions involving
dealerships of secondhand vehicles, which greatly affect retail prices,
averaged around 511,000 yen in March, up about 23,000 yen, or around
5%, from a year earlier.
While data on auctions in April will become available in mid-May,
successful bids showed upward trends at major auctions, industry
officials said. (Source: Japan Today)
May 7, 2011 2:20 (JST): Taiwan donations to Japan for quake
relief near NT$6 billion - President Ma Ying-jeou said
Friday that funds raised by Taiwan's people to help victims of the
March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan may have exceeded NT$5.8
billion (US$202 million) as of Friday.
Ma made the remark during a meeting with Yuriko Koike, a member of
Japan's House of Representatives. Koike came to Taiwan on behalf of the
Liberal Democratic Party to thank Taiwan for its assistance following
the quake.
In addition to funds raised by the Taiwanese government and
organizations such as the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China,
the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, and World Vision
Taiwan, Ma said Taiwan has also donated over 500 tons of relief
supplies to Japan. (Source: focustaiwan.tw)
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