Japan’s SLIM Moon craft short on power after successful lunar landing
Tokyo, Japan Reuters Japan on Saturday became the fifth country to put a spacecraft on the Moon, but solar power issues threatened to cut short the nation’s mission to prove a “precision” landing technology and revitalise a space program that has suffered setbacks. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said its Smart Lander for Investigating […]
Japan counts down to precision ‘Moon sniper’ landing mission
Tokyo, Japan Reuters Japan aims to become the fifth country to put a spacecraft on the Moon when it attempts a precision landing on Friday, in what would be a boost for a space program that has suffered a wave of setbacks and been eclipsed by rival China. Dubbed the “Moon sniper”, the Japan Aerospace […]
Japan quake survivors, without power or water, seek news on rebuild plans
Nishiaraya, Japan Reuters A week after a major earthquake struck the west coast of Japan, thousands of people are still without water and electricity and have yet to be told when plans to rebuild can begin. The magnitude 7.6 quake killed at least 168 people on New Year’s Day with 323 reported missing. Sub-zero temperatures […]
Japan premier vows “ceaseless” aid as snow hampers quake relief
Wajima, JapanReuters Japan’s Prime mMinister vowed to provide “ceaseless” support to areas devastated by the New Year’s Day earthquake as snow and sleet hampered rescue and relief efforts and local media reported that the disaster had now claimed at least 126 lives. The adverse weather on the Noto peninsula continued to vex survivors at the […]
Japan earthquake deaths top 100, with hundreds missing
Wajima, Japan Reuters Japan’s death toll from the New Year’s Day earthquake reached 110 on Saturday as a search for survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings entered a sixth day, with more than 200 still missing after the deadliest quake in nearly eight years. The quake of magnitude 7.6 struck the west coast, destroying […]
US readies aid as Japan earthquake death toll nears 100
Wajima, Japan Reuters The United States said on Friday it is preparing military logistical support and aid for regions in Japan devastated by an earthquake that killed 94 people, forced about 33,000 people to leave their homes, and left over 200 people unaccounted for. “The US is here to support our friend and ally in […]
In the ruins of a historic market, a Japanese artisan looks for his cats
Wajima, Japan Reuters Kohei Kirimoto, an 8th-generation lacquerware artisan, walked through the ruins of his century-old workshop in the Japanese coastal town of Wajima on Thursday, concerned only for his missing cats. The workship, renowned worldwide for its traditional lacquerware, lay in a smouldering heap following the New Year’s Day earthquake and subsequent fire that engulfed […]
As Japan’s Wajima city digs out from quake, hopes fade for tourism recovery
Wajima, Japan Reuters Hotel chef Makoto Wakabayashi was among those in Wajima hoping for a banner year as visitors returned to the scenic, seaside town that weathered more than two years of pandemic gloom. Those dreams came apart in minutes of violent shaking on New Year’s Day, when the strongest earthquake to strike Japan in […]
Japan quake death toll rises to 73 as search for survivors enters fourth day
Reuters The death toll from a powerful earthquake in Japan that struck the country’s west coast on New Year’s Day rose to 73 on Thursday, as the search for survivors under collapsed buildings continued and tens of thousands evacuees awaited aid. Debris accumulates along Asaichi-dori street, which burned down due to a fire following an […]
Japan says Coast Guard plane apparently not cleared for take-off before runway collision
Tokyo, JapanReuters Japanese authorities said on Wednesday a passenger jet that collided with a Coast Guard turboprop at a Tokyo airport had been given permission to land, but the smaller plane had not been cleared for take-off, based on control tower transcripts. All 379 people aboard the Japan Airlines (JAL) Airbus A350 managed to evacuate […]