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  • Japan Tainted Food Products on Recall, Consumers Fall ill

    There has been a recent outbreak of food poisoning in Japan, with hundreds of people sickened by contaminated frozen food.

    Food Company Maruha Nichiro recalled frozen products of lasagna and pancakes due to repeated complaints of vomiting and diarrhea.

    After responding to frequent calls from consumers, the products were found tainted with a high level of Malathion, a pesticide used primarily in agriculture.

    According to information provided by the National Pesticide Information Center, the kidney and liver (overall the nervous system) can be affected by the smallest exposure:

    “You could be exposed to malathion if you get it on your skin or breathe it in, or if you use a product and eat, drink, or smoke afterwards without washing your hands…you could also be exposed to residues of malathion if you ate food that had been treated with this pesticide.”

    Aside from stomach issues, the NPIC also reported that the chemical could cause other symptoms such as: headaches, abdominal pain, a shortness of breath, a slowed heart and muscle tremors.

    It is unknown how the packages became contaminated, but a factory in northern Japan’s Gunma region produced the food products.(image)

    An ongoing investigation by detectives has been developing since last month after the company discovered that their products were contaminated with the pesticide. There is slight speculation that the products may have been intentionally infested.

    On Wednesday, Maruha publicly made an apology through a newspaper advertisement displaying photos of the pesticide-products. They also added a warning to not consume the products.

    “The products will have a strong smell and eating them may cause vomiting and stomach pain,” it said in the notice.

    Since December 29, Maruha Nichiro Holdings has recalled nearly 6.4 frozen packages but only 1 million have been retrieved thus far.

    There have been no reported deaths, but complaints about the food scandal may have just shot down consumer confidence in the food industry; especially when it’s related to imported products.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

    Image via Youtube, CCTV News

  • Japan’s Tainted Food – Over 350 People Sickened

    Frozen foods in Japan have sickened 350 people and counting due to food poisoning.

    The frozen food products are said to be tainted with a pesticide according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

    The company Maruhu Nichiro Holdings, after learning of the illnesses, began recalling 6.4 million frozen products in late December – after discovering that they were in fact, tainted by high levels of pesticides.

    Information from local governments claimed that at least 356 people were extremely sick suffering from vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms, said NHK. The tainted food included a large array of frozen products, such as pizza, croquettes and lasagna.

    The company said that it had received approximately 460,000 phone calls from consumers complaining of illness and other complaints from customers who reported an unusual odor, a company spokesman said.

    The company says it has retrieved about 1.1 million packages – out of 6.4 million recalled products. Last week, the company issued a formal apology and asking consumers not to eat any of the affected products.

    Unfortunately, unless consumers are informed of the exact product names, most will still have tainted foods sitting in their freezers and unknowingly consume the products. Luckily, Maruhua Nichiro Company said it did not ship any of these products overseas.

    Police are investigating how the pesticide malathion, reportedly up to 2.6 million times the allowable limit, got into the products in the first place. A factory in northern Japan’s Gunma prefecture produced the tainted products.

    The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) stated that malathion is a pesticide used in farming and gardening and also to kill fleas. At high enough concentrations, it can cause death.

    The company needs to immediately broadcast a complete list of all suspect products to the public. With over 5 million tainted products still unaccounted for, it could eliminate further illness and possible deaths.

    Image via Maruhu Nichiro Holdings

  • Bluefin Tuna Prices Plummet At Japan Auction

    Sushi restaurateur Kiyoshi Kimura was the top bidder of bluefin tuna in the year’s first tuna auction at Tsukiji market in Tokyo, Japan. The event normally draws very high bids given Japan’s insatiable appetite for the fish.

    Kimura paid a whopping 7.36 million yen (about 70,000 USD) for the 507-pound fish. However, that price pales in comparison to his record breaking winning bid last year. In 2013,  Kimura paid 154.4 million yen (about 1.7 million USD) for the 489-pound bluefin tuna.

    Though the demand for bluefin tuna is high both in Japan and worldwide the high bid is more a fight for status and does not translate into a profit for Kimura. The first purchase at the Tsukiji market is a mark of honor to the auction patrons. Kimura would need to sell the fish at a minimum of $345 a plate to break even, but Kimura admits it will only sell for about $4.60 per serving – a huge loss.

    The record breaking bid last year attracted a lot of criticism and complaints from Japan’s fish supplier industry. Many thought that the price of bluefin tuna had soared way out-of-control. Following this year’s relatively low bid, many are left wondering what it could mean for the industry but Kimura said that the bid had brought back sanity to the auction.

    “I’m glad that the congratulatory price for this year’s bid went back to being reasonable,” said Kimura.

    Environmentalists have already warned that the increasing global consumption of bluefin tuna will soon lead to its depletion and those who are supposed to take charge in managing the dwindling species are failing to protect it. Japan alone consumes about 80% of world’s bluefin tuna.

    Stocks of all the three bluefin species-the Southern, Pacific and Atlantic-have reduced over the past 15 years due to overfishing. Currently, the bluefin tuna population is at an all-time low of less than 4% of its unfished size. According to global conservation group, The Pew Environment Group, over 90% of the fish is caught before maturity.

    So far, very little has been done by governmental bodies to protect the species leaving many to have doubts about the sustainability of the bluefish tuna market.

    Bluefin Tuna Sold For $1.7 Million In Japan

    http://youtu.be/f7nnkqjQw-o

    Image via YouTube

  • Japan’s First PS4 Commercial Is Kind Of Mean

    Traditionally, Sony has launched its previous PlayStation consoles in Japan first. You could chalk it up to how Japanese companies tend to the needs of the home market first. That all changed with the PS4 as it launched in the U.S. and Europe in November while Japanese gamers have to wait until February 22. Now Sony is using that three month gap between the U.S. and Japanese launch of the PS4 in its first PS4 ad for Japan.

    In the first TV commercial for the PS4 in Japan, Sony teases Japanese gamers with imagery from PS4 launches all around the world. Obviously, the intention was to show Japanese gamers just how excited we in the West were when the PS4 launched in November. The intention is entirely lost, however, when you realize that it looks like the ad is just rubbing in the fact that Japan didn’t get the latest Sony hardware first this time. Even worse, they had to wait three months for Sony to launch the console in its home territory.

    But hey, at least Japan is getting the PS4. Microsoft still hasn’t revealed its Xbox One plans for the region, and has even delayed the console’s launch in a number of Eastern European countries. Granted, the Xbox One isn’t expected to perform well in Asia, but the Xbox 360 did have its fans in Japan. It must have been even worse for them to see the Xbox One launching in almost every major country around the world except for their own on November 22.

    As we approach the PS4’s Japanese launch, you can expect Sony Japan to ramp up its marketing efforts. If you’re feeling a little sadistic, you might want to see more ads like this. It’s certainly a little funny, especially when compared to the ads we got in the U.S. and UK.

    Image via playstationjp

  • Tokyo 5.5 Earthquake Shakes Up Saturday Morning

    Yahoo News tells us that eastern Japan has felt a strong rumble registering at a 5.5 magnitude early this morning, but thankfully no tsunami threats, serious damage or nuclear damage have been reported. This has been the ninth earthquake this month.

    Although always frightening, the citizens of Japan are likely breathing a sigh of relief– this earthquake did not cause the following nightmares of past tremors, namely the 9 magnitude earthquake that left 20,000 people dead or missing due to the following tsunami of colossal proportions and destroyed nuclear plant.

    In the matter of nuclear damage, Japan can’t take much more right now. The country is still working to clean up the destroyed nuclear plant by the name of Fukushima. According to an earlier report from the BBC, the high amounts of radioactive water stored on the site are reaching storage capacity, and there are numerous leaks throughout the entire plant. These leaks are extremely detrimental; radioactive water seeping into the groundwater, rivers and oceans not only severely impacts our seafood dishes– but the balance of the Earth’s ecosystem. There is some distrust on plant radiation figure reports by some officials, so let us hope that there was actually no plant damage done by the quake today.

    More information on this earthquake is sure to follow as the hours progress. As of right now, eastern Tokyo is a little shaken up, but they have seen much worse in very recent history.

    [image: twitter]

  • Joe Biden Visits China Amid Air Zone Tensions

    US Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Asia as tensions are escalating between China and Japan over a newly established Chinese air defense identification zone in the East China Sea.

    The tensions center around the tiny Senkaku Islands (known as the Diaoyu in China) which are within the new air defense zone. Although Japan has controlled the islands for many years, China and Taiwan both claim ownership of them.

    The islands lie near key shipping routes and are surrounded by waters that serve as rich fishing grounds. In addition they’re located close to potential oil and gas reserves.

    Add to that their strategic military position – the US routinely flies surveillance over the airspace that China is attempting to restrict – and the Senkaku Islands, though minuscule and uninhabited, are a significant source of contention.

    Not surprisingly, Beijing’s unilaterally-declared air defense identification zone didn’t go over well with the US, Japan, or South Korea.

    The air defense identification zone requires all planes entering the airspace to file flight plans with Beijing.

    Japan has made it clear that their planes will do no such thing. In what is seen as an act of protest, the US flew two B-52 bombers over the zone after the announcement without giving notice, but has urged its commercial airlines to notify China before flying over.

    Biden’s 6-day tour of Asia started in Tokyo, where he addressed the air defense identification zone and attempted to assure Japan that the US stands with them in protest of it.

    Biden said he was “deeply concerned about China’s attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the East China Sea.”

    From Tokyo, Biden traveled to Beijing.

    Addressing a group of mostly young people who were waiting for visitor visas at the US Embassy, Biden praised the spirit of democracy, liberalism, and intellectualism: “Children in America are rewarded — not punished — for challenging the status quo. The only way you make something totally new is to break the mold of what was old.”

    He went on to say that “there is one thing that’s stamped in the DNA of every American, whether they are naturalized citizens or natural-born. It’s an inherent rejection of orthodoxy.”

    Not once in his public comments in China did Biden directly address the conflict over the air defense identification zone. Instead, he emphasized the need for candor, cooperation, and trust – clearly attempting to dial back the tension between China and Japan and prevent it from escalating further.

    Still, Chinese state media criticized the US stance on the conflict. An editorial in the English language China Daily accused the US of “turning a blind eye to Tokyo’s provocations.”

    From Beijing, Biden will travel on to Seoul, South Korea before returning to the US.

    Image via YouTube

  • Obama Urges Airlines To Obey China’s Rules

    The New York Times reports that the Obama administration has asked that American commercial airlines obey the wishes of China and submit notification of flights into their airspace in advance. The move comes as the United States finds itself drawn into the midst of mounting tension between Japan and China over the control of uninhabited islands in the East Sea.

    China had scrambled jets after planes from Japan and the United States entered the disputed flight zone. This lead to concern over crowded airspace causing collisions. Allowing airlines to announce their presence ahead of time would go towards solving that problem.


    Less easy to solve is the standoff between China and Japan, the latter of whom is a direct ally with United States. The US shares a mutual defense treaty which covers the islands in question. What this means is that should matters escalate, the Obama Administration is treaty-bound to act on behalf of Japan.

    On the one side is China, under President Xi Jinping. Jinping’s declaration of an “air defense identification zone” has rubbed not only Japan the wrong way, as the zone stretches into South Korean waters. The act is feared by some to be a step in the direction of inevitable military actions should the aggressive nature of China spiral out of control. This could not only impact relations within the region, but also have a negative impact on a global economy still climbing out of a devastating recession.

    On the other side is Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, whose new nationalism stance some compare to the imperialist beliefs of Japan during WWII. It may be old wounds on both sides driving the exercise in blatant territorial posturing. After all, the modern trade relationship between China and Japan resulted in hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue last year. It is literally more beneficial to be friends than foes.

    As the Obama administration and the world continues to monitor the situation, only time will tell whether this is just the latest in mental war games played between the two powerful nations or the beginning of something far worse.

    Image: Wikimedia Commons

  • U.S. B-52’s Enter Airspace Claimed by China

    U.S. B-52’s Enter Airspace Claimed by China

    Two unarmed U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers entered a Chinese air defense zone on Monday, defying China’s expanding claim over an island chain in the East China Sea.

    The flight occurred without incident, and the Pentagon declared on Tuesday that the flyover was not significant of any reaction to China’s expanding declaration of sovereignty over the archipelago which that country calls the Diaoyu Islands. Japan calls the group the Senkaku Islands, and both nations claim dominion over the region, as well as over the oil and gas fields nearby.

    The B-52 flyover comes directly after U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s scathing comments rejecting Chinese air defense zone expansion in the area, which some see as a threat to regional stability. Hagel said over the weekend, “We view this development as a destabilizing attempt to alter the status quo in the region. This unilateral action increases the risk of misunderstanding and miscalculations.” Both China and Japan have been harassing one another over the island chain for years.

    The two B-52 Stratofortresses departed from Anderson Air Force Base in Guam, and China issued an initial public response on Wednesday, stating that the planes were detected and monitored as they flew over the zone, for two hours and 22 minutes. Beijing asserted its right to monitor aircraft entering the region, but did not include any threats of taking action against any offending planes.

    Lieutenant Colonel Tom Crosson, a U.S. Department of Defense spokesman, commented that the two unarmed, long-range strategic bombers flew “as part of a long-planned training sortie,” adding that the Chinese did not attempt to challenge the flight whatsoever. Crosson also pointed out that the US pilots didn’t announce themselves to any Chinese authorities.

    China is scheduled to participate in the major Rim of the Pacific wargame alongside the US navy and its regional allies next year, which is intended to forge stronger U.S.-Chinese military ties.

    Nick Szechenyi, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, commented on the flyover, “Engagement with China is very important to assure China its rise is welcome, but on the flip side, you have to dissuade China from taking potentially destabilizing actions.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons.

  • China Witnessed B-52s Entering Defense Zone

    On Tuesday, two U.S. B-52 bombers flew over the East China Sea as part of a previously planned training exercise; however, no notification was given to Beijing. In the past, the lack of notification may not have raised any eyebrows. Unfortunately, that is not the case this time. The training exercise occurred in the aftermath of China’s recent attempt to expand territories within the country’s “air defense zone.” According to China, any aircraft entering into this newly-restricted territory must notify Chinese authorities or become subjected to emergency military action.

    These two U.S. aircraft departed from the home base of Guam, and then flew into the “air defense zone” before ultimately returning to Guam. The planes remained in the area for less than an hour. Discussions are currently centered on the U.S.’s lack of acknowledging the new region in which China has asserted claim over, bringing debates of potential intercontinental-defiance. China did not respond to this recent flight into the territory.

    White House spokesman Josh Earnest, though not willing to comment on the incident in detail, alluded to his interpretation of the event. “It continues to be our view that the policy announced by the Chinese over weekend is unnecessarily inflammatory and has a destabilizing impact on the region,” Earnest said.

    Many think that China is working for a unique political position in relation to surrounding countries, and not necessarily concerned with the actions of the United States. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki best explained the likely perspective. “This will raise regional tensions and increase the risk of miscalculation, confrontation and accidents,” Psaki said.

    According to security expert Denny Roy, “The Chinese can now start counting and reporting what they call Japanese violations, while arguing that the Chinese side has shown great restraint by not exercising what they will call China’s right to shoot, and arguing further that China cannot be so patient indefinitely.”

    China has been in the midst of several other country-wide revisions to operating systems beyond national defense, such as changes to economic policies.

    [Image Via Wikimedia Commons]

  • Mount Etna Erupts, Peppers Towns with Ash

    Mount Etna Erupts, Peppers Towns with Ash

    Europe’s most active volcano, Mount Etna, erupted Saturday, showering pyroclastic detritus on towns around the mountain’s slopes and the nearby comune of Taormina. The eruption didn’t call for any evacuations, though an area highway was shut down for 30 minutes, as a safety measure. Air traffic was also restricted in four air corridors around nearby Catania Airport.

    Mount Etna is a stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, near the towns of Messina and Catania. It is the tallest active volcano on the European continent, at give or take 10,922 ft (the elevation changes with each new eruption), and lies above the convergent plate margin between the African Plate and the Eurasian Plate. Mount Etna is likewise the highest mountain in Italy, anywhere south of the Alps.

    Mount Etna erupts sporadically, with its last major event occurring in 2002, which could be seen from space. An eruption in 1928 wiped out the village of Mascali, with the lava destroying almost every building. Below is an image of the 2002 Etna eruption, taken from the International Space Station:

    (image)

    No one was hurt in the latest Mount Etna event, and some spectacular footage was captured of the eruption:

    In related news, a new volcanic island has formed off the coast of Japan, after an undersea volcano erupted near Iwo Jima, which is part of the Ogasawara Islands chain. Though, volcanologists have pointed out that the new land mass is not quite yet an actual island. “It’s a matter of if it’s going to break apart. It’s made of a big pile of rocks. If they aren’t stuck together very well they will erode and break down,” according to Darcy Ogden, a professor at University of California San Diego.

    More media concerning the Mount Etna eruption:

    Image via Wikimedia Commons.

  • Caroline Kennedy On Familiar Ground In Japan

    A week before the 50th anniversary of her father’s death, Caroline Kennedy entered the country she studied and began to admire many years ago: Japan.

    Kennedy was sworn in as the US Ambassador to Japan on November 12, 2013, making her the first female US Ambassador to the Asian country.

    Kennedy has long been enamored with Japan, and the fondness was strengthened while she was working at the New York Metropolitan Museum in New York City.

    “…I loved to walk through the Japanese galleries, and I became more familiar with Japanese arts and culture,” she said in an interview. “I have long admired Japanese civilization and I know that America has no more important ally than Japan.”

    Hear what Caroline has to say about her new position in her own words by watching the video below:

    Kennedy studied Japanese art while in college, and spent her 1986 honeymoon with husband Edwin Schlossberg in Kyoto and Nara.

    Her trip to Tokyo comes at a time in which the US and other countries have made a historical deal with Iran to put a temporary halt on the Middle Eastern country’s nuclear weapons production. This type of work is close to the only living child of John F Kennedy, as she said her father considered the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty to be his biggest success, and that she is proud to work for a president whose aim is to eliminate this frightful weapon from the world.

    Twitter was full of kind words to Kennedy on the anniversary of her father’s death.

    Although Kennedy has basically stayed away from being in any type of political position, she has held many leadership roles in a variety of institutions, including the John F Kennedy Library Foundation, the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Institute of Politics at Harvard University.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • New Japanese Island Appears After Volcanic Eruption

    Fortunately for residents of Japan and the rest of the world, the smoke and ashes rising from the floor of the Pacific Ocean approximately 620 miles south of Tokyo on Wednesday were not the signs of Godzilla or any other kaiju rising from the depths of the ocean. Instead of having to face down a terrifying amphibious monster, Japan is welcoming its first potential new island to develop since the 1970’s.

    Wednesday morning the Japanese Coast Guard alerted the Japanese mainland of smoke rising from the ocean near the Ogasawara Islands chain, an archipelago also known as the Bonin Islands, a group which also includes the famous island of Iwo Jima.

    As it currently stands (or floats…), the island is approximately 650 feet wide and 980 feet long. Despite its present small-size, scientists believe this island has the potential to be a grower and not a shower: “Smoke is still rising from the volcanic island, and we issued a navigation warning to say that this island has emerged with ash falling in the area,” stated the Coast Guard.

    However, Japan is not ready to name the island just yet. “This has happened before and in some cases the islands disappeared,” reported Yoshihide Suga, the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications for Japan.

    Darcy Ogden, volcanologist and professor at University of California San Diego (UCSD) also cautioned against claiming this land-mass as an island just yet: “It’s a matter of if it’s going to break apart. It’s made of a big pile of rocks. If they aren’t stuck together very well they will erode and break down.”

    Despite his concerns as to whether or not the island will be permanent, Suga and other members of the Japanese government have voiced their desire to annex the island: “If it becomes a full-fledged island, we would be happy to have more territory.”

    There is more at play than what just rests on the surface with this island. For years, China and Japan have contested territorial claims to waters residing in the East China Sea. If this island becomes a permanent fixture in the archipelago, Japan’s territorial claims will grow and thus it will be able to expand its influence into the East China Sea, a water-source full of access to important energy resources.

    And if it is Godzilla or another kaiju, at least we have the Jaegers (mech-warriors from the movie Pacific Rim) to protect us.

    [Image via YouTube]

  • Keanu Reeves’ ’47 Ronin’ Based on True Story

    Keanu Reeves’ ’47 Ronin’ Based on True Story

    According to director Carl Rinsch, Keanu Reeves’ upcoming film “47 Ronin” is based on a true Japanese story. Rinsch describes the film, which opens on December 25 in the US, as a story where people “share this journey to reclaim their land, their honor, their way,” and adds that “It was very special to me to be part of it.”

    Here is the “47 Ronin” trailer:

    Rinsch and Reeves were on hand in Tokyo Monday to promote the movie, which premieres in Japan on December 6th. Legions of fans greeted the star, who was said to have cracked a little smile amidst his “cool mountain breeze” demeanor, as he traversed the Narita Internation Airport terminal, before arriving at a press conference and film screening. Incidentally, “Keanu” means cool mountain breeze in the traditional Hawaiian dialect.

    “47 Ronin” loosely describes historical events that took place during the Edo Period in Japan, known as Chūshingura. Chūshingura relates the story of the 47 Ronin, and their efforts to avenge the death of their master, Asano Naganori. Chūshingura is among the most well-known of all historical stories in Japan, and has been adapted for kabuki, bunraku, stage plays, films, novels, television shows and other media.

    Director Rinsch said that he’d met with the “Matrix” star over two years ago in attempts at selling him on the project, and the effort paid off. Reeves has also been working on his directorial debut, “Man of Tai Chi,” which the actor describes as being “sophisticated camp… It’s supposed to be fun, but also deep with a nice message.”

    Check out the “Man of Tai Chi” trailer:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd5WUn2oM8Y

    “Man of Tai Chi” opened in North America on November 1st to mixed reviews.

    In related news, a website called Keanu Reeves is Immortal proves that the actor doesn’t age.

    Image via YouTube.

  • Pinterest Japan Launches with New Features Tailored to Japanese Users

    Pinterest Japan Launches with New Features Tailored to Japanese Users

    As Pinterest’s value continues to rise, the company is slowly expanding their presence internationally – launching specific versions of the site that are targeted toward users in various countries.

    First it was the U.K., then France and Italy. Now Pinterest has announced that their next localized venture, Pinterest Japan, is now live.

    Pinterest Japan launches after some time in beta testing, and Pinterest consulted with the Japanese Pinterest community to build a product that best suits their needs. Out of that conversation sprung a version of Pinterest that is tailored to the Japanese community, with added features that are only available on this specific version. For example, Pinterest has added a sub-category that focuses on 100s of different hair styles, paper crafts, and other miscellaneous goods.

    This is the model that Pinterest is taking when they expand into other countries – it’s not just about the language, but also about promoting more localized content via categories and search. Pinterest is available in a handful of languages like German, Spanish, Dutch, and Portuguese, but these specifically tailored sites have only come to Italy, France, and now Japan.

    This news comes about a year and a half after Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten led a $100 million investment in Pinterest.

    Image via Pinterest Blog

  • Tsunami Debris Still Headed to US, Just No Island

    UPDATE: Nicholas Mallos, Ocean Conservancy’s marine debris specialist, said this with regard to clarifications from the NOAA about the reports of a “Texas-sized” island: “Following the 2011 tsunami that hit Japan a tremendous quantity of debris washed into the Pacific and began heading toward North America. While this debris was initially a solid mass, NOAA is right to indicate that it is not a flotilla and has dispersed significantly in the two years since.

    Tsunami debris is still a very real threat for which we must remain vigilant. What doesn’t reach land will likely end up in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre with the myriad ocean trash already there due to our excessive use of disposable products. As a result, we’re communicating regularly with the Japanese government and environmental officials to ensure a swift response if or when debris makes landfall.”

    Main Story: In the spring of 2011, a massive tsunami/earthquake disaster struck Japan, killing roughly 15,000 and sweeping millions of artifacts and debris from Japanese cities into the Pacific Ocean.

    Earlier this year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was reportedly continuing their efforts to keep the North American coast and the island of Hawaii relatively free from debris, but artifacts like housing materials and styrofoam likely originate from the March 2011 tsunami.

    Nancy Wallace, the director of the marine debris program at NOAA, told LiveScience last March that “This has been a very unprecedented event… We just don’t know how much debris is still floating in the water.”

    The drama came to a climax this week when it was reported on multiple media outlets that an island of tsunami debris the size of Texas was on a crash-course with the West Coast.

    NOAA officials with the Marine Debris Program tried to calm the calamitous media with a blog post. “Here’s the bottom line:” they write. “There is no solid mass of debris from Japan heading to the United States.”

    The team went on, saying “While there likely is some debris still floating at sea, the North Pacific is an enormous area, and it’s hard to tell exactly where the debris is or how much is left. A significant amount of debris has already arrived on U.S. and Canadian shores, and it will likely continue arriving in the same scattered way over the next several years.”

    Essentially, there are too many unknowns and variables to calculate before anyone can make conclusions about aspects of the debris like the surface area. (“Texas”-sized, really?) Lots of debris has already arrived, anyway: at least a dock, a Japanese skiff, and 30 other items have washed up on beaches in Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Alaska, and British Columbia. Some of those items had so much foreign marine life, they needed to be decontaminated lest we endure even more invasive species.

    Here’s some news footage from earlier this year of the cleanup efforts, which were still underway:

    [Image via Wikimedia Commons]

  • Japan Earthquake Triggers Tsunamis

    An earthquake hit off the coast of Honshu, Japan, on October 25, 2013, measuring a magnitude of 7.1 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports. According to local Tokyo time, the earthquake hit at 2:10 a.m. and produced tsunamis at four reported locations measuring fifteen inches each. While a 1-meter tsunami advisory was issued for much of Japan’s northeastern coast, this advisory only lasted for two hours after the earthquake hit.

    There have been no fatalities reported as a result of the earthquake, nor any reports of lasting damage. In fact, even Japanese television has been showing images of placid waters surrounding the coast.

    The earthquake happened east of the Japan Trench and within the crust of the Pacific plate, which is about 170 miles from Fukushima and 300 miles from Tokyo, yet the earthquake was still felt as far away as Tokyo.

    A Fukushima prefectural government official, Satoshi Mizuno, gave a telephone interview with The Associated Press.

    “It was fairly big, and rattled quite a bit, but nothing fell to the floor or broke. We’ve had quakes of this magnitude before. Luckily, the quake’s center was very far off the coast,” said Mizuno, who works for the disaster management department.

    Japan has experienced multiple storms lately where recuperation efforts are still underway from Super Typhoon Francisco. Part of the reason for the repeat occurrences are due to Japan’s location near the following four tectonic plates: Pacific plate, North America plate, Eurasia plate, and Philippine Sea plate.

    The earthquake has risen concerns about the stability of Japan’s nuclear reactors where it has been confirmed that Japan’s fifty nuclear reactors are presently offline.

    Efforts are still underway to clean the radiation leak near the Fukushima nuclear plant where reports have indicated that this process is behind schedule. According to Satoshi Mizuno, the Tokyo Electric Power Co., which is the company that oversees the Fukushima plant, have not noted any damage as a result of this recent earthquake.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDFOTDS5FVA

    [Image Via Wikimedia Commons And Courtesy of Captain Blood]

  • Typhoon Wipha Hits Tokyo, At Least 17 Killed

    Typhoon Wipha reached the Tokyo area Wednesday, and at least 17 people have died, with another 50 missing.

    An official from Oshima, a small island 75 miles south of Tokyo, reported that the majority of the casualties came from flooding and landslides due to heavy rain. Rescuers were unable to reach people in some of the areas hit by torrential downpours. Oshima reported 32.44 inches of rain from the storm, in less than 24 hours.

    Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) reported that blackouts have affected more than 56,000 households. TEPCO, the main electricity supplier in Tokyo and central Japan, which has been struggling to deal with a series of leaks at its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, said that staff at the plant were “on vigil,” and that accumulated rainwater had been purged from storage tanks.

    The Fukushima plant recently leaked roughly 430 liters of radioactive water into the ocean, due to an overflow in a container from a previous tropical depression. The added Wipha rainwater has been keeping technicians on edge.

    In related news, after the 2011 Fukushima meltdown, Namie-machi, a small city in the Fukushima Prefecture in the radiation exclusion zone, remains uninhabited. Google was still able to get in there to photograph the place for its Google Maps Street View. The place is still a ghost town:

    (image)

    Typhoon Wipha is moving north along the Pacific coast of Japan, and is expected to reach the northernmost island of Hokkaido by late Wednesday. Over 500 international and domestic flights were cancelled at the Narita and Haneda airports, and the national railroad operator stopped train services in central and northern Japan.

    Wipha is the eighth typhoon of 2013, and the 26th named tropical cyclone of the year, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons.

  • Typhoon Wipha Approaches Japan and Fukushima Plant

    This past weekend, Typhoon Wipha was rated as a Category 4 hurricane due to its intense wind-speeds (Anywhere from 130-156 mph). Luckily for Japan and surrounding countries, the typhoon has been downgraded as it approaches the Japanese coastline.

    Current estimates say that Typhoon Wipha will reach Tokyo during the Wednesday morning rush-hour. A spokesman for the Japan Meteorological Agency has stated that the storm is a “once in a decade event”, being the strongest such storm since Typhoon Tokage in October of 2004.

    As of now, Typhoon Wipha has been downgraded all the way to a Category 1 hurricane. It is currently carrying winds around 90 mph. By the time it reaches Japan, the winds are estimated to be 75 mph at the center, and 57.5 mph winds up to 130 miles left of center. Japan will be very close to the 30 mile-wide center and will see some of the strongest winds.

    The biggest concern from the storm is the amount of rain it will bring to the area. Typhoon Wipha will be hitting Japan at the same time as a strong cold-front, transitioning the storm from a tropical system into an extratropical system, meaning that the storms wind and rain will expand to cover a larger area. Today, reports stated that Tokyo was seeing 1-2″ of rain per hour. This amount is expected to increase as the storm moves closer, with estimates that most of Japan will receive between 3-8″ of rain.

    Perhaps the biggest problem posed by the typhoon will be its impact on the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Since the plant was nearly destroyed in the 2011 earthquake/tsunami, the Tokyo Electric Power Corp has had a difficult time attempting to repair the damage. The company is still struggling to secure leaks in tanks holding radioactive water produced through cooling efforts. Tokyo Electric Power Corp has cancelled all off-shore operations to ensure that it has enough help on hand to pump built-up rainwater into empty tanks to check for radioactivity. The water will be released to sea if no radioactivity is detected.

    Japan’s transportation systems have also been drastically impacted by the typhoon. Japan Airlines cancelled 183 flights Tuesday, and rival ANA Holdings, Inc. cancelled 210 more. These cancellations affected 60,000+ travelers. Japan has also had to cancel 31 bullet-train trips.

    Image via YouTube

  • Airbus Lands Historic Deal with Japan Airlines

    Boeing found itself losing its essential monopoly on the Japanese aerospace market Monday morning as Japan Airlines (JAL) signed a deal with Airbus worth $294.5 billion. The deal is for 31 wide-body A350 jets, with the future option to purchase 25 more at the same price.

    The deal comes as a huge blow to Boeing, having dominated the market in Japan since it began its post-war reconstruction. Japan also manufactures part of Boeing planes, with production in Japan accounting for one-third of the manufacturing of the Boeing 787.

    Many have suspected that Japan’s decision stems from the issues surrounding the launch of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. During the development phase, Boeing’s Dreamliner was delayed for years. After its launch, the 787 had to be grounded for a period of 4 months due to issues with its battery overheating. Japan was directly affected by these issues, seeing as it is one of the largest Dreamliner operators.

    Despite the delays and issues with the 787, JAL president Yoshiharu Ueki stated that this deal with Airbus is not due to those problems: “We are sorry for the troubles we have caused our customers with the 787, but the decision on the aircraft was considered separately from that issue.”

    So why did JAL decided to jump plane with Boeing and switch to Airbus? One main reason may be the price. Because the deal was so large, Airbus most likely cut JAL a bulk-purchase deal. However, that bargain may be larger than most think: “They may have been sold at cost, or below cost,” said Will Horton, senior analyst at CAPA Centre for Aviation.

    Horton bases this assumption on the fact that Airbus is fairly desperate to break into the Asian market. Japan represents the 3rd largest GDP in the world, and before this deal Airbus only had a 13% market-share; after the deal was signed, Airbus increased their presence to 20%.

    The other reason JAL may have sided with Airbus is due to diversity. Just as ecosystems need biodiversity, markets need product-diversity. By having at least two different plane suppliers in its market, Japan ensures future stability and price-negotiations, something the monopoly by Boeing did not offer the country.

    While this deal comes as a huge blow to Boeing, the company does not have any plans on shying away from the Japanese market: “Although we are disappointed with the selection, we will continue to provide the most efficient and innovative products and services that meet longer-term fleet requirements for Japan Airlines. We have built a strong relationship with Japan Airlines over the last 50 years and we look to continue our partnership going forward.”

    This deal may be a symptom of a larger problem than just those of Boeing. JAL may be investing in Airbus to avoid investing in an American market during a government shutdown. While Boeing did have its fair share of issues with the 787 Dreamliner, Japan would have to have a large incentive to turn away from a company which provides hundreds of jobs to its own citizens. The on-going government shutdown, along with an unstable and unpredictable market, may have been that incentive.

    Image via Twitter

  • Typhoon Fitow Pummels China’s Coast

    The east coast of China sustained the ravages of Typhoon Fitow, having been warned of the impending storm Sunday by the National Meteorological Centre in a red alert (the highest level). The typhoon is expected to weaken quickly as it makes its way northwest. Above is some raw footage of the typhoon.

    Thousands of citizens were evacuated, according to Xinhua news agency. Zhejiang province evacuated 574,000 and Fujian province evacuated 177,000. Fitow hits a mere two weeks after the region suffered Typhoon Usagi, which left at least 25 dead in southern China.

    The storm bore down on coastal towns with 94 mph winds and pummeling rains, hitting Fujian province early Monday and causing mass blackouts. Flood control authorities reported that some houses had collapsed due to the winds in Cangnan County, Zhejiang province. Authorities have been advised to check the safety of dams, reservoirs and chemical plants should the storm have compromised their integrity.

    A few injuries and missing persons have been reported. In Cangnan County, a boy was injured by flying glass. In the Zhejiang city of Wenzhou, two port workers are considered missing and may have been swept into the sea. Fishermen were urged to return to port as harbor facilities and sea walls were prepared for high tides before Fitow made landfall.

    Xinhua reports Fitow as the 23rd storm to abuse China in 2013. It traveled through the southern Okinawan island chain of Japan and past the north of Taiwan. There was little concern that the storm would make landfall in Japan or Taiwan though wild weather and power outages did affect some areas.

    Transportation was affected, flights and ferries cancelled as the storm traveled past Taiwan and on to China, and bullet train services in Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi province cities.

    [Image via YouTube.]

  • Caroline Kennedy: Humbled To Carry On JFK’s Legacy

    Caroline Kennedy has been nominated by President Obama to serve as the US Ambassador to Japan. Caroline is the former First Daughter of former President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Bouvier Kennedy. At 55 years old, she is the only living child of the famous couple. As she awaits confirmation from the Senate, she said that she would be honored to carry on her father’s legacy if she were chosen.

    When she was testifying before the Foreign Relations Committee, she discussed issues that are important to her including promoting trade and ensuring strong military ties. She also spoke about her own experience with the New York City public school system and other public service projects that she has been a part of. The nomination comes on the 50th anniversary of her father’s presidency. She wants to focus more on his tenure and the many positive things that he did as president, rather than on his assassination on November 22, 1963, according to CBS News.

    Unlike some of President Obama’s other nominations, Kennedy was received with great respect, and she was welcomed with open arms by the Senate. Democrats and Republicans both gave her a lot of positive support, especially New York’s Democratic senators, Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer. Gillibrand took a turn introducing her and praising her high when saying, “In her life, her work, her intelligence and her character, Ms. Kennedy will serve as a shining example.”

    She answered questions from both Republicans and Democrats about what she would do if she were elected. The Washington Post mentions that Kennedy returned the love to the Senators that they were continually giving her. When Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, asked her a question about stocking involving whether she would keep the Senate informed of developments on bilateral talks between the United States and Japan, she displayed excellent diplomatic skills.

    Kennedy also mentioned to the Senate “If confirmed, I hope to spend even more time with all of you than I have already.” She is humbled to carry on the legacy of her father and explained that she has a great respect for each of the senators as well, knowing what her Uncle Ted Kennedy did while he held the seat. She previously endorsed Obama in the 2008 presidential election and was among the 35 national co-chairs of Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us_wyvoJp28

    Image via Youtube