It’s the most sophisticated satellite of its kind
Japan
Rethinking Our Risky Reliance on Rare Earth Metals
Our reliance on rare earth minerals, used in everything from smartphones to clean tech, is leaving us exposed to future risks.
Your City Might Not Be Ready for the Next Big Quake
More than 20 million people will take part in the Great ShakeOut today, raising awareness about earthquake risks. But it won’t help unless we fortify vulnerable buildings.
Aftershocks Could Raise Earthquake Risks for Vulnerable Cities
Tokyo escaped damage in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. But a new study indicates that aftershocks from the quake may have increased the seismic danger the Japanese megacity faces
“What must be admitted, very painfully, is that this was a disaster ‘Made in Japan.' Its fundamental causes are to be found in the ingrained conventions of Japanese culture: our reflexive obedience; our reluctance to question authority; our devotion to ‘sticking with the program;’ our groupism; and our insularity.”
Population Studies: Birthrates Are Declining. For the Earth — and a Lot of People — That’s Not a Bad Thing
I worked in Japan for a year as a journalist for TIME in 2006 and ’07, and here’s what I realized: the Japanese do everything first. Camera phones, Zen Buddhism, little fuel-efficient cars, huge public debt, a stagnant economy, …
Nuked: A Year After Fukushima, Nuclear Power Is Down — and Carbon Is Up
The Fukushima nuclear disaster didn’t kill a single person, but it may take out an industry: the nuclear power industry. That’s what it looks like — at least in developed countries like Japan — nearly a year after the …
How Bad Was Fukushima?
The headlines were extraordinary: “Japan Weighed Evacuating Tokyo in Nuclear Crisis,” the New York Times wrote a few days ago. “Tokyo Evacuation ‘Was Considered’,” said the Sydney Morning Herald. “Japan Urged Calm While It Mulled …
Blood Money: Tsunami Recovery Funds Go to Japan’s Whaling Industry
Our Krista Mahr has a post over at Global Spin on news that nearly $30 million worth of Japanese post-tsunami aid is going to the country’s controversial whaling industry. Ironically, one of the (few) positive effects of the …
Tsunami Revelations: Scientists Discover that the Japanese Tidal Wave Was a ‘Merged Tsunami’ — the First Ever Observed
The tsunami that tore through northern Japan on March 11 was catastrophically strong. The waves—triggered by a 9.0 earthquake—swamped coastal towns, destroyed homes and offices and led to the deaths of nearly 16,000 people. …