https://www.scmp.com/rss/279655/feed The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was a series of equipment failures, nuclear meltdowns and releases of radioactive materials at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan, following a devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, which claimed nearly 19,000 lives. Japan is now looking to dump the treated radioactive waste water into the sea, stirring debates and boycotts at home and abroad. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Kyodo Kyodo Japan on Wednesday marked 15 years since a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck the country’s northeastern areas, triggering the world’s worst nuclear disaster since the 1986 Chernobyl crisis. The triple disasters of the magnitude-9.0 earthquake, resulting tsunami and meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex led to the loss of more than 22,000 lives. The plant’s operator is still struggling to dismantle the damaged facilities by 2051. The central government stopped hosting memorial... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3346154/15-years-after-fukushima-disaster-japan-struggles-rising-maintenance-costs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3346154/15-years-after-fukushima-disaster-japan-struggles-rising-maintenance-costs?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 01:27:05 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Not far from the Fukushima nuclear disaster site, former plant worker Toru Akama tends to dozens of pets abandoned after the catastrophe 15 years ago, work he sees as part of his quest for redemption. Miaows and barks break the silence of the countryside, once an evacuation zone, as the 63-year-old brings food to the animals left behind when their owners fled the triple disaster of March 11, 2011: earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident. “It’s because of this plant, where we worked for years,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3346122/japan-fukushima-worker-devotes-life-abandoned-pets-after-2011-disaster?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3346122/japan-fukushima-worker-devotes-life-abandoned-pets-after-2011-disaster?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 10:57:42 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo None of Japan’s prefectural governors are willing to accept soil collected in decontamination work near the disaster-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex without further safety information and support from the central government, according to a Kyodo News survey. A search for final disposal sites for 14 million cubic metres (500 million cubic feet) of removed soil and other waste in Fukushima after the March 2011 nuclear disaster is a key part of the government’s reconstruction efforts in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3345100/where-will-fukushimas-nuclear-waste-go-japanese-governors-reject-tainted-soil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3345100/where-will-fukushimas-nuclear-waste-go-japanese-governors-reject-tainted-soil?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 06:27:57 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The restart of the world’s largest nuclear power plant was suspended in Japan on Thursday just hours after the process began, its operator said, but the reactor remains “stable”. Operations to relaunch a reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata province, closed since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, began late on Wednesday after it received the final green light from the nuclear regulator despite divided public opinion. But its operator, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), said that... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3340861/japan-suspends-restart-worlds-largest-nuclear-plant-hours-after-it-began?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3340861/japan-suspends-restart-worlds-largest-nuclear-plant-hours-after-it-began?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 11:19:07 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) on Wednesday restarted its first nuclear reactor since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, with the utility’s safety measures set to be closely watched as it seeks to turn around its business amid ongoing clean-up efforts from the accident. Tepco brought back online the No 6 reactor at the seven-unit Kashiwazaki-Kariwa complex in Niigata Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo – the world’s largest nuclear power plant by output when fully operational – making it the 15th... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3340734/japan-restarts-first-nuclear-reactor-fukushima-under-close-scrutiny?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3340734/japan-restarts-first-nuclear-reactor-fukushima-under-close-scrutiny?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 14:18:26 +0000 Reuters Reuters Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) will delay the restart of its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, which was originally scheduled for Tuesday, public broadcaster NHK reported on Monday, after an alarm malfunction. It would have been the first reactor restart for Tepco since its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was hit by a powerful tsunami in 2011. The company had planned to restart Unit No 6 at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa on Tuesday and Unit No 7 around 2030, as Japan seeks greater energy... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3340366/japans-tepco-delays-kashiwazaki-kariwa-nuclear-restart-after-alarm-glitch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3340366/japans-tepco-delays-kashiwazaki-kariwa-nuclear-restart-after-alarm-glitch?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 04:04:19 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo The operator of a nuclear power plant in central Japan said on Monday its employees may have used cherry-picked data for a potential earthquake in quake-resistance tests at the plant to pass the regulatory screening for restart. The Nuclear Regulation Authority said the same day it found “wrongdoing” by Chubu Electric Power in the screening process and halted the review. The incident is a major setback for the Japanese government. Concerns over the safety of nuclear power plants grew strong in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3338838/japan-utility-caught-faking-nuclear-safety-data-plant-megaquake-zone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3338838/japan-utility-caught-faking-nuclear-safety-data-plant-megaquake-zone?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jan 2026 01:10:19 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Campaigners against nuclear energy have condemned Japan’s decision to resume operations at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant, claiming that the facility will be unable to withstand a major earthquake as it was “built on tofu”. Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco), the operator of the Niigata prefecture plant, on Wednesday applied for a final examination of the facility to the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA). Approval is likely to be a formality as the prefectural assembly already gave the nod on... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3337805/safety-fears-japan-prepares-restart-nuclear-plant-built-tofu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3337805/safety-fears-japan-prepares-restart-nuclear-plant-built-tofu?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Dec 2025 01:30:11 +0000 Reuters Reuters Japan took the final step to allow the restart of the world’s largest nuclear power plant on Monday as the region of Niigata voted to resume ‍operations, a watershed moment in the country’s return to nuclear energy nearly 15 years after the Fukushima disaster. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, located about 220km (136 miles) northwest of Tokyo, was among 54 reactors shut after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami crippled the Fukushima Daiichi plant in the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Since then, Japan... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3337283/japan-backs-worlds-largest-nuclear-plant-restart-despite-pushback-residents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3337283/japan-backs-worlds-largest-nuclear-plant-restart-despite-pushback-residents?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Dec 2025 05:57:04 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo The magnitude 7.5 earthquake that occurred off northeastern Japan recently highlights the need for Japan to provide safety tips and evacuation information to foreign nationals more effectively, particularly as the country witnesses an inbound tourism boom. Locals and foreign visitors alike were asked to evacuate as the weather agency issued tsunami warnings for part of the Pacific coast of Hokkaido, as well as Aomori and Iwate prefectures, on Monday. Among them, Jose San Juan, a tourist from the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3336303/japan-quake-shows-urgent-need-improve-tourist-safety-didnt-know-where-go?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3336303/japan-quake-shows-urgent-need-improve-tourist-safety-didnt-know-where-go?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Dec 2025 02:19:48 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma China threatened “further measures” against Japan, ratcheting up efforts to force Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to retract remarks about a potential Taiwan conflict. China had “every reason” to respond to Takaichi’s comments, which undermined the political foundation of relations with Japan, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Wednesday. “The Chinese side will be forced to take severe and resolute countermeasures, and the Japanese side will bear all the consequences arising from... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3333542/japan-china-row-worsens-beijing-threatens-more-reprisals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3333542/japan-china-row-worsens-beijing-threatens-more-reprisals?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 09:01:01 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Japanese governor overseeing the region that is home to the world’s largest nuclear power plant is set to give the approval this week for its restart, the Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday. The approval will clear one of the remaining milestones in Tokyo Electric Power Company’s quest to bring the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant back online, more than a decade after the Fukushima nuclear disaster led to its shutdown. Niigata prefecture Governor Hideyo Hanazumi is set to announce his approval... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3333356/japan-prepares-restart-worlds-biggest-nuclear-power-plant-boost-energy-security?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3333356/japan-prepares-restart-worlds-biggest-nuclear-power-plant-boost-energy-security?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Nov 2025 05:25:48 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen China will take “further measures” against Japan unless its prime minister retracts her controversial comments on Taiwan, the foreign ministry said as Beijing reportedly reimposed a ban on Japanese seafood imports. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Wednesday that Takaichi’s remarks had undermined the political foundation of China-Japan relations and China “has every reason to respond to such actions”. “The Chinese side will be forced to take severe and resolute... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333354/china-tells-tokyo-it-will-suspend-japanese-seafood-imports-kyodo-news?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333354/china-tells-tokyo-it-will-suspend-japanese-seafood-imports-kyodo-news?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Nov 2025 05:02:36 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan’s largest power company is reportedly dangling a 100 billion yen (US$654 million) payout for locals to restart its long-dormant Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in a move critics have called “bribery”. The unprecedented financial support package, originally reported by the Nikkei business newspaper, reflects Tokyo Electric Power Company’s (Tepco) mounting desperation to revive the world’s largest nuclear site more than a decade after the Fukushima disaster, according to analysts. A... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328934/nuclear-bribery-backlash-japan-over-restart-plan-worlds-largest-plant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328934/nuclear-bribery-backlash-japan-over-restart-plan-worlds-largest-plant?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Oct 2025 00:00:15 +0000 Willa Wu Willa Wu Japan has once again urged Hong Kong to immediately lift the restriction on aquatic imports from 10 prefectures, which has been in place for more than two years, saying the ban lacks scientific evidence and highlighting the safety of its food products. In response, Hong Kong’s environmental authorities said on Saturday that they had been in constant communication with the Japanese government, and any adjustment to the current restrictions would be announced in due course. The Japanese consulate... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3323754/japan-once-again-urges-hong-kong-macau-lift-10-prefecture-seafood-ban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3323754/japan-once-again-urges-hong-kong-macau-lift-10-prefecture-seafood-ban?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Aug 2025 07:00:24 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk Japan has downgraded its last remaining tsunami alert, which was in the country’s north, after one of the most powerful earthquakes in decades struck off Russia’s Far East on Wednesday, prompting authorities to urge more than two million people to evacuate and triggering alerts across much of the Pacific. The magnitude-8.8 quake, which struck off the Kamchatka peninsula near Petropavlovsk at around 6.15am local time, is among the strongest 10 ever recorded, according to the United States... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3320116/japan-urges-2-million-evacuate-after-powerful-pacific-quake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3320116/japan-urges-2-million-evacuate-after-powerful-pacific-quake?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Jul 2025 07:28:46 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Japanese operator of the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant said the start of full-scale removal of melted fuel debris would be delayed for several years until 2037 or later, the latest setback underscoring the challenges ahead. The Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (Tepco) said on Tuesday it would need 12 to 15 years of preparation before starting full-scale removal of melted fuel debris at the No 3 reactor. That preparation includes reducing radiation levels and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3320039/fukushima-debris-removal-delayed-until-2037-or-later?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3320039/fukushima-debris-removal-delayed-until-2037-or-later?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Jul 2025 22:00:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse,Associated Press Agence France-Presse,Associated Press Dozens of bags of mildly radioactive soil collected from near the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant were delivered on Saturday to the Japanese prime minister’s office, in an effort to show it is safe for reuse. Soon after the March 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster, authorities scraped a layer of contaminated soil from swathes of land in Fukushima to reduce radiation levels. A vast quantity of soil – 14 million cubic metres – has since been stored at facilities near the Fukushima Daiichi plant,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3318855/radioactive-fukushima-soil-sent-japanese-pms-office-bid-ease-radiation-fears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3318855/radioactive-fukushima-soil-sent-japanese-pms-office-bid-ease-radiation-fears?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Jul 2025 10:18:07 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Japan’s decision in 2023 to discharge waste water from the decommissioned Fukushima nuclear power plant sparked serious concerns in the region and beyond, so much so that Hong Kong stopped importing seafood and other products from designated areas in the country while mainland China went further with a total ban. Twenty-two months have passed and no major food scares have been reported in the city, thanks to the vigorous surveillance mechanism for imported seafood from other Japanese... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3316615/time-ripe-hong-kong-gradually-lift-ban-japanese-seafood?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3316615/time-ripe-hong-kong-gradually-lift-ban-japanese-seafood?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Jul 2025 23:15:12 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan’s ruling coalition has agreed to expand financial support for communities near nuclear plants, drawing fierce criticism from environmental groups who describe the move as a “bribe” aimed at buying consent from cash-strapped rural areas. Under the proposal, backed this week by senior officials in the Liberal Democratic Party and its partner Komeito, subsidies would be extended beyond the current 10km radius to include municipalities up to 30km from nuclear facilities. The government is also... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3315112/japan-plans-expand-nuclear-risk-payouts-towns-critics-call-it-bribe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3315112/japan-plans-expand-nuclear-risk-payouts-towns-critics-call-it-bribe?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Jun 2025 00:00:12 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A short drive from the site of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in northeast Japan, novice farmer Takuya Haraguchi tends to his kiwi saplings under the spring sunshine, bringing life back to a former no-go zone. Haraguchi was 11 years old when the country’s strongest earthquake on record struck in March 2011, unleashing a tsunami that left 18,500 people dead or missing. The wall of water crashed into the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, causing a devastating reactor meltdown. At the time,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3313197/gen-z-japanese-kiwi-farmer-shows-fukushima-moving-forward-14-years-after-nuclear-disaster?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3313197/gen-z-japanese-kiwi-farmer-shows-fukushima-moving-forward-14-years-after-nuclear-disaster?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Jun 2025 23:45:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse To reduce radiation across Japan’s northern Fukushima region after the 2011 nuclear disaster, authorities scraped a layer of contaminated soil from swathes of land. Now, as young farmers seek to bring life back to the region once known for its delicious fruit, authorities are deliberating what to do with the mass of removed soil – enough to fill more than 10 baseball stadiums. On March 11, 2011, Japan’s strongest earthquake on record triggered a huge tsunami that hit the Fukushima Daiichi... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3312639/can-japan-find-new-home-contaminated-fukushima-soil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3312639/can-japan-find-new-home-contaminated-fukushima-soil?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Jun 2025 08:18:03 +0000 Japan’s three historic nuclear events – the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the closing days of World War II and the 2011 nuclear plant meltdowns in Fukushima – form a key backdrop for Wildcat Dome, a novel by Yuko Tsushima. Lisa Hofmann-Kuroda’s English translation of the book by the Kawabata and Tanizaki awards-winning writer is now out from Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and goes on sale this month. As befits its catastrophic theme, the writing rambles – although intentionally and in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3303101/hiroshima-fukushima-yuko-tsushimas-novel-wildcat-dome-strangely-riveting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3303101/hiroshima-fukushima-yuko-tsushimas-novel-wildcat-dome-strangely-riveting?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Mar 2025 10:15:08 +0000 Tourists – mainly from China – are flocking to Futaba, the town which is home to the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, undeterred by lingering radiation threats from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. On Tuesday, Japan marked the 14th anniversary of the disaster, and even after more than a decade, over 80 per cent of Futaba remains uninhabitable due to radiation contamination. However, tourists cannot resist the thrill of treading where few have gone before. Last year, around 4,000... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3302218/chinese-tourists-are-drawn-nuclear-disaster-hit-fukushima-despite-radiation-fears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3302218/chinese-tourists-are-drawn-nuclear-disaster-hit-fukushima-despite-radiation-fears?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Mar 2025 07:43:03 +0000 Radiation levels at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have dropped significantly since the cataclysmic meltdown 14 years ago on Tuesday. Workers walk around in many areas wearing only surgical masks and regular clothes. It is a different story for those entering the reactor buildings, including the three damaged in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. They must use maximum protection – full face masks with filters, multilayered gloves and socks, shoe covers, hooded hazmat boiler suit and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3301893/fukushima-clean-workers-fret-over-radiation-stress-wrecked-japan-nuclear-plant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3301893/fukushima-clean-workers-fret-over-radiation-stress-wrecked-japan-nuclear-plant?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Mar 2025 05:08:36 +0000 Workers at Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant have started dismantling water storage tanks to free up space for tonnes of nuclear debris, 14 years after the facility was hit by a devastating tsunami. Operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) has been charged with finding a suitable place to store about 880 tonnes of radioactive material that remains inside the Fukushima Daiichi plant’s damaged reactors. “Currently, there is no more land available in Fukushima Daiichi,” said Naoki... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3298819/japans-tepco-takes-challenge-making-space-fukushima-nuclear-debris?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3298819/japans-tepco-takes-challenge-making-space-fukushima-nuclear-debris?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Feb 2025 07:15:07 +0000 Ng Kang-chung Ng Kang-chung A fresh debate is brewing in Hong Kong over whether to lift a ban on seafood imports from parts of Japan after Chinese tests of seawater samples near the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant showed no signs of negative impact on marine life. Japanese restaurant operators in Hong Kong called for an immediate review of the ban, but a food safety expert and a legislator said the city should be cautious and protect public health by waiting until more test data was available. Simon Wong Ka-wo,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3296330/should-hong-kong-end-japanese-seafood-import-ban-after-chinese-test-results?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3296330/should-hong-kong-end-japanese-seafood-import-ban-after-chinese-test-results?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jan 2025 00:30:13 +0000 China’s tests of seawater samples collected from near Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant have found no negative impact on marine species, increasing the chances that Beijing will eventually lift its ban on Japanese seafood imports. The samples taken in mid-October were the first to be obtained by Chinese scientists under international supervision from near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant’s ocean discharge outlet, from where the contaminated water was released, the China Atomic Energy... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3295946/chinese-tests-seawater-near-fukushima-nuclear-plant-show-no-marine-life-impact?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3295946/chinese-tests-seawater-near-fukushima-nuclear-plant-show-no-marine-life-impact?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Jan 2025 08:19:36 +0000 China may be a step closer to reopening its doors to Japanese seafood imports after Beijing signalled it was keen to strengthen trade in food and agricultural products. Meeting his Japanese counterpart Taku Eto in Beijing on Friday, China’s agriculture minister Han Jun said that both sides should deepen cooperation, and noted that relations were “at a key stage of improvement and development”, according to his ministry. Eto said after the meeting that he had made a fresh request for the ban on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3295327/chinas-call-deeper-japan-trade-ties-may-clear-way-seafood-imports-resume?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3295327/chinas-call-deeper-japan-trade-ties-may-clear-way-seafood-imports-resume?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Jan 2025 13:00:09 +0000 When Japan announced its plan to release treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant, the backlash was swift and fierce – especially in South Korea. But behind the anger lay a shadowy culprit: a North Korean spy ring tasked with inflaming tensions and fracturing regional ties. Disguised as trade unionists, the agents orchestrated boycotts and exploited protests to incite anti-Japanese sentiment and sabotage the fragile alliance between Tokyo and Seoul, transcripts from a South Korean court... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3294559/spies-protests-and-fukushima-inside-north-koreas-plot-sow-south-korea-japan-discord?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3294559/spies-protests-and-fukushima-inside-north-koreas-plot-sow-south-korea-japan-discord?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Jan 2025 01:30:15 +0000 Taiwan has a choice to make. Either decommission its only remaining nuclear power reactor as part of its phase-out policy or jump-start the energy source to meet its increasing power demand. The choice is not easy as the island weighs long-held safety concerns against energy and net zero ambitions. Against this backdrop, the government is reportedly considering building central nuclear waste storage facilities since its current temporary facilities are only designed to last for 40 years. It... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3293627/why-taiwan-should-reconsider-its-stance-against-nuclear-energy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3293627/why-taiwan-should-reconsider-its-stance-against-nuclear-energy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Jan 2025 21:30:07 +0000 It was a place Kyoko Tsuchiya could finally call home. As a child, her father was frequently transferred across Japan for his job at the national phone company. Later, as an adult, Kyoko fell in love with a man who worked for the post office. After they married, she continued to move around, rarely staying long enough in one place to truly feel at home. Suttsu, with its unique charm, was different. This small town, nestled among scenic landscapes, is where Kyoko’s husband, Kazuyuki, grew up. Now... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3292482/japans-fishing-town-suttsu-faces-nuclear-waste-dilemma-amid-population-decline?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3292482/japans-fishing-town-suttsu-faces-nuclear-waste-dilemma-amid-population-decline?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Dec 2024 07:00:08 +0000 A Tokyo court on Wednesday sentenced a Chinese national living in Japan to eight months in prison over his involvement in a May graffiti incident at the capital’s war-linked Yasukuni Shrine. Jiang Zhuojun, 29, was on trial at the Tokyo District Court on charges of damaging property and disrespecting a place of worship. According to the ruling, he and two other Chinese men vandalised a stone pillar at the controversial shrine by spray-painting the word “toilet” on it on May 31. Prosecutors had... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3292277/chinese-national-gets-8-months-prison-yasukuni-shrine-graffiti-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3292277/chinese-national-gets-8-months-prison-yasukuni-shrine-graffiti-case?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:04:48 +0000 Japan has offered to ease visa rules for Chinese visitors as the two sides seek to step up engagements. Japan will extend the maximum length of multiple-entry visas from five years to 10 years, while the maximum stay for groups of tourists will also be increased from 15 days to 30 days, Japanese media reported. It follows China’s decision to add Japan to its visa-free entry scheme last month, allowing visitors to stay for up to 30 days. The measure was announced by Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3292258/japan-offers-ease-visa-rules-chinese-tourists-foreign-minister-visits-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3292258/japan-offers-ease-visa-rules-chinese-tourists-foreign-minister-visits-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Dec 2024 10:17:20 +0000 China and Japan are experiencing the worst slide in public sentiment towards each other in two decades, with nearly 90 per cent of respondents harbouring a negative view of their neighbour, according to a new joint poll. The 20th Japan-China Joint Public Opinion Poll was released on Monday by Tokyo-based think tank The Genron NPO and Beijing-based China International Publishing Group, ahead of the annual Tokyo-Beijing Forum. In the survey, 87.7 per cent of Chinese respondents said they had a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3289144/90-cent-people-china-and-japan-have-negative-views-each-other-poll-reveals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3289144/90-cent-people-china-and-japan-have-negative-views-each-other-poll-reveals?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Dec 2024 08:11:25 +0000 A Chinese national living in Japan on Friday admitted to his involvement in a graffiti incident at the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo in May. Jiang Zhuojun, 29, pleaded guilty at the Tokyo District Court to charges of damaging property and disrespecting a place of worship, and said the motive behind his actions was not related to history issues. “I was protesting against the discharge of treated radioactive water,” he said in court, referring to the treated water from Fukushima nuclear... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3288644/chinese-man-says-he-defaced-yasukuni-shrine-toilet-graffiti-protest-fukushima-discharge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3288644/chinese-man-says-he-defaced-yasukuni-shrine-toilet-graffiti-protest-fukushima-discharge?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Nov 2024 06:09:29 +0000 The release of waste water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station into the ocean has contributed to strained relations between Japan and Hong Kong. In response to the release, the government moved last August to ban aquatic products from Tokyo, Fukushima, Chiba, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Gunma, Miyagi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama. A year later, the city government vowed tougher action to restrict Japanese seafood imports if contamination levels got worse. Hopes that relations would improve... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3287376/working-japan-fukushima-and-rcep-can-benefit-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3287376/working-japan-fukushima-and-rcep-can-benefit-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Nov 2024 21:30:09 +0000 Chinese and Japanese officials sat down at a forum in Tokyo recently to hammer out ways to help the planet reduce carbon emissions. This is good news – particularly amid growing geopolitical tensions in the Asia-Pacific. The 17th China-Japan Comprehensive Forum on Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection signed 27 new projects this year, covering areas including waste-to-energy technology, decarbonisation of industrial estates, green buildings and environmental restoration. Since 2006,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3286279/china-japan-climate-action-grows-tokyo-must-rethink-lng-push-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3286279/china-japan-climate-action-grows-tokyo-must-rethink-lng-push-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Nov 2024 21:30:08 +0000 China and Japan have agreed to maintain dialogues between their national leaders after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Japanese top security official Takeo Akiba in Beijing on Monday. The two sides will also maintain dialogue and exchanges at other levels and areas and “release more positive signals” to the outside world, according to a Chinese foreign ministry readout after the meeting. Akiba’s trip was believed to lay the groundwork for the first summit meeting between Chinese President... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3285076/china-japan-ties-talks-between-wang-yi-and-takeo-akiba-herald-crucial-leaders-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3285076/china-japan-ties-talks-between-wang-yi-and-takeo-akiba-herald-crucial-leaders-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Nov 2024 06:08:03 +0000 A remote-controlled robot has safely returned with a tiny piece of melted fuel it collected from inside one of three damaged reactors at the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant for the first time since the 2011 meltdown. The Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which manages the plant, said on Saturday that the extendable fishing rod-like robot successfully clipped a gravel as big as 5mm (0.2 inches), the size of a tiny granola bit, from the top surface of a mound of molten fuel... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3284970/robot-retrieves-1st-melted-fuel-japans-fukushima-nuclear-reactor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3284970/robot-retrieves-1st-melted-fuel-japans-fukushima-nuclear-reactor?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Nov 2024 16:32:09 +0000 Hong Kong environmental authorities have launched a thinly veiled attack on the outgoing Japanese consul general who earlier said he could not discuss the discharge of Fukushima radioactive waste water with the city’s government “in a scientific manner”. Without naming the official, the Environment and Ecology Bureau on Thursday said on its social media page that eight incidents had been reported at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant in the past year. “There are cases of environmental... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3284692/hong-kong-takes-aim-outgoing-japanese-envoy-thinly-veiled-fukushima-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3284692/hong-kong-takes-aim-outgoing-japanese-envoy-thinly-veiled-fukushima-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Oct 2024 14:12:10 +0000 More than a year has passed since treated radioactive water was discharged into the sea from Japan’s crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Inevitably, the ensuing ban on the country’s seafood by the mainland, Hong Kong and Macau to protect public health took its toll on relevant industries and consumers. However, while the restrictions were necessary to enhance food safety, they came at a great cost to the economy and bilateral relations. In a welcome move, Beijing and Tokyo have... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3280994/deal-monitoring-japans-fukushima-water-best-way-forward?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3280994/deal-monitoring-japans-fukushima-water-best-way-forward?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Oct 2024 22:15:08 +0000 Oscar Liu Oscar Liu A Japanese diplomat has urged Hong Kong to make the “correct decision” and lift the city’s 13-month-long import ban on aquatic products from 10 prefectures as soon as possible, after Beijing signalled its intention to gradually roll back its own curbs. Kenichi Okada, the country’s consul general in Hong Kong, made the appeal on Wednesday, a day after Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu called for access to “sufficient scientific data and evidence” before his administration would consider any... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3279940/japan-urges-hong-kong-make-correct-decision-lifting-10-prefecture-seafood-ban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3279940/japan-urges-hong-kong-make-correct-decision-lifting-10-prefecture-seafood-ban?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Sep 2024 11:10:12 +0000 Hong Kong authorities will seek more information from Tokyo and Beijing to look into the possibility of easing restrictions on seafood imports from 10 Japanese prefectures, following the central government’s decision to “gradually” lift its own sweeping ban. “The Environment and Ecology Bureau will seek more relevant information from the authorities on the mainland and Japan, and on the premise of ensuring food safety, will evaluate whether we can gradually relax the currently adopted preventive... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3279398/hong-kong-seek-more-information-it-considers-easing-ban-japanese-seafood-imports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3279398/hong-kong-seek-more-information-it-considers-easing-ban-japanese-seafood-imports?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Sep 2024 15:02:52 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/series/3278436/find-future-fukushima?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/series/3278436/find-future-fukushima?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Sep 2024 10:00:29 +0000 Japan has won the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for its plan to use millions of cubic metres of soil contaminated with radiation from the serious concerns expressed by environmental groups. Opponents of the project also accuse the Japanese government of taking advantage of waning international concern about the gradual discharge of the plant’s water into the Pacific to accelerate the disposal of the land. The soil and debris have been collected from thousands of square... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3278105/japans-plan-reuse-fukushima-soil-infrastructure-gains-iaea-support-despite-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3278105/japans-plan-reuse-fukushima-soil-infrastructure-gains-iaea-support-despite-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Sep 2024 00:00:11 +0000 Peaches from Fukushima can now be bought at London’s luxury department store Harrods in a Japanese push to ease fears about produce grown in the region hit by a nuclear disaster. A box of three large, juicy white peaches costs 80 pounds (US$100) – the first time the fruit is available at a shop in Europe, after sales at temporary events. Before the 2011 atomic meltdown, Fukushima prided itself as a “fruit kingdom”, famous in Japan for its delicious offerings, including peaches, grapes, pears and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3277934/japans-fukushima-peaches-debut-harrods-marking-milestone-2011-nuclear-disaster?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3277934/japans-fukushima-peaches-debut-harrods-marking-milestone-2011-nuclear-disaster?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Sep 2024 22:00:10 +0000 In Japan on Tuesday, an extendable robot resumed its mission to retrieve a fragment of melted fuel debris from one of three damaged reactors at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, nearly three weeks after an earlier attempt was suspended due to a technical issue. The collection of a tiny sample of the spent fuel debris from inside of the Unit 2 reactor marks the start of the most challenging part of the decadeslong decommissioning of the plant where three reactors were destroyed in the March... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3277922/japans-fukushima-high-stakes-recovery-deadly-radioactive-debris-resumes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3277922/japans-fukushima-high-stakes-recovery-deadly-radioactive-debris-resumes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Sep 2024 07:22:19 +0000 It was a bit of old fisherman’s lore that saved Haruo Ono’s life. “According to an old saying, when a tsunami hits, you should take your boat out to sea,” he said. On the afternoon of March 11, 2011 after a massive magnitude 9.0 earthquake violently shook his seaside home in the town of Shinchi along Fukushima prefecture’s northern coast, Ono was quick to act. He piloted one of the first boats out of port, sailing several kilometres out to sea before the tsunami struck. The ocean that far out... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3275672/fukushimas-radioactive-residue-nuclear-waste-fears-cloud-japan-coasts-slow-rebirth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3275672/fukushimas-radioactive-residue-nuclear-waste-fears-cloud-japan-coasts-slow-rebirth?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Aug 2024 10:00:14 +0000 Hong Kong has warned of tougher action to restrict Japanese seafood imports if nuclear contamination from the Fukushima power plant worsens, a year after the city banned aquatic products from 10 prefectures in the country. The Environment and Ecology Bureau issued the warning on Saturday after the government rejected calls from Japanese authorities last week to lift a ban introduced last August on seafood imports, citing concerns over the discharge of treated waste water from the stricken... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3275780/hong-kong-pledges-tougher-food-safety-measures-japanese-imports-if-contamination-worsens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3275780/hong-kong-pledges-tougher-food-safety-measures-japanese-imports-if-contamination-worsens?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Aug 2024 13:04:20 +0000