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Telegraph
15 hours ago
- Climate
- Telegraph
How one of the world's most powerful earthquakes caused millions to flee
One of the most powerful earthquakes in history triggered a tsunami that made landfall in Russia, Japan and the US. Millions of people on both sides of the Pacific were told to evacuate to higher ground after the 8.8 magnitude earthquake off the Kamchatka Peninsula caused waves of up to 16ft. While threat-to-life warnings were issued in Hawaii, a state of emergency was declared in parts of Russia, California residents were told to stay away from the coastline and much of Japan's Eastern seaboard was evacuated, the damage appeared to be limited. Buildings were shaken in Russia and Japan, and flooding was reported in Hawaii. On the Kamchatka peninsula, near the epicentre, some people hurt themselves while rushing to leave their homes, and a hospital patient injured themselves while jumping out of a window. In Japan, it was reported that a 58-year-old woman died when her car fell off a cliff while she was evacuating in the central Mie prefecture. The tsunami threat has now been downgraded, but cautions to stay away from beaches were issued by officials in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Federated States of Micronesia and Solomon Islands. Russia The massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake is believed to be the sixth strongest in history. It struck just off Russia's far eastern coast at around 11.25am local time (12.25am in the UK), triggering tsunami alerts in Japan, the US west coast, parts of Alaska, Hawaii and Guam. In Severo-Kurilsk in the northern Kuril islands, south of Kamchatka, tsunami waves exceeded 9ft, with the largest reaching up to 16ft, Russia's RIA news agency reported. Tsunamis form when an undersea earthquake displaces a large volume of water, creating low waves, often 1-2ft high, in the open ocean. These waves race across deep water at speeds rivalling a jet plane, up to 600 mph. As they near shallower coasts, the slowing base of the wave compresses its energy, pushing water upward into towering waves or powerful surges that flood the shore. Tsunami waves struck parts of Kamchatka in the Russian region, partially flooding the port and a fish processing plant in the town of Severo-Kurilsk and sweeping vessels from their moorings. Drone footage showed the town's entire shoreline was submerged, with taller buildings and some storage facilities surrounded by water. 'Today's earthquake was serious and the strongest in decades of tremors,' Vladimir Solodov, the governor of Kamchatka, said in a statement. Russian scientists said it was the most powerful to hit the region since 1952, and was the largest since 2011 when one of magnitude 9.1 off Japan and a subsequent tsunami killed more than 15,000 people. A video released by a Russian media outlet showed a team of doctors at a cancer clinic on Kamchatka holding a patient and clutching medical equipment as the quake rocked an operating room, before continuing with surgery after the shaking stopped. Officials said the doctors will receive decorations. Another video showed terrified residents screaming inside an apartment building as it shook from side to side, with cutlery and pictures crashing onto the floor. Russian emergency services said that a kindergarten was damaged, but most buildings withstood the quake, with no serious injuries or fatalities reported. Kamchatka and Russia's Far East sit on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a geologically active region that is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Japan Following the earthquake, tsunami alarms sounded in coastal towns across Japan's Pacific coast, and evacuation orders were issued for 1.9 million people. Footage broadcast by NHK showed scores of people on the northern island of Hokkaido on the roof of a building, sheltering as waves of up to 2ft crashed down below. Three tsunami waves were recorded in Japan, the largest of 4.3ft, officials said. Tsunami waves of 3-9ft can be fatal for people who are swept away, according to experts. Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency said nearly two million residents were under evacuation advisories in more than 220 municipalities along the Pacific coast as of midday on Wednesday. Workers were forced to evacuate the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, where a meltdown following the 2011 tsunami caused a radioactive disaster. Broadcaster Asahi TV reported that a 58-year-old woman died when her car fell off a cliff while she was evacuating in central Japan's Mie prefecture. Carmaker Nissan suspended operations at some factories in Japan to ensure employee safety, Kyodo news agency reported. Four whales washed up on a beach south of Tokyo in the aftermath of the earthquake. Footage filmed in Tateyama, Chiba, shows the huge whales lying within a few feet of one another along the shore after parts of the coastline were hit by 5ft waves. Professor Peter Evans, director of the sea watch foundation, told the Mail: 'I imagine that the earthquake off Russia has caused major tremors initiating the tsunami and that all of that has had impacts on whales.' Hawaii and mainland US Across the Pacific, Josh Green, the governor of Hawaii, urged residents to evacuate ahead of what was expected to be 'life-threatening' tsunami waves. 'God willing, these waves will not hurt us,' Mr Green said before the waves made landfall. 'But you have to assume, assume, they will be life-threatening.' Waves of up to 5.5ft impacted the islands before the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre reduced its warning level for the state at around 9.50am BST. Coastal residents in Hawaii had been told to get to high ground or the fourth floor or above of buildings. Tourists were seen sprinting back to their cruise ships in Hawaii as warning sirens blared before tsunami waves hit the island. Rachael Burrows, from Macclesfield, Cheshire, was on a tour around the Big Island when she was forced to rush back to her ship. 'We got off the tour bus and everyone was running trying to get on the cruise ship, because we needed to get out to sea,' she told BBC Breakfast. 'We were luckily some of the last ones to get on the cruise ship. Then we could see a lot of other people getting dropped off and lining up, but they didn't make it.' Oprah Winfrey, the popular TV host who has a home on the island state, was forced to clarify that she had opened her private road in Maui to make way for residents who were evacuating after social media posts suggested otherwise. 'As soon as we heard the tsunami warnings, we contacted local law enforcement and FEMA to ensure the road was opened,' her spokesman told CNN. 'Local law enforcement are currently on site helping residents through 50 cars at a time to ensure everyone's safety. The road will remain open as long as necessary.' Tsunami waves also reached the US west coast, where waves in Crescent City, northern California, were recorded at 3.6ft. In Port San Luis, there was a 'rapid and damaging surge, going from low to high tide in just a few minutes', with the Los Angeles weather service warning people to evacuate the area. Less than 12 hours after the initial powerful earthquake, emergency authorities in Japan and Hawaii began to downgrade their tsunami warnings to advisories. Mr Green, Hawaii governor, held an optimistic briefing, saying the state 'had not seen a wave of consequence'. One tourist on the island told the BBC that 'the disaster we were expecting did not come'. 'It was super nerve-wracking waiting and waiting – you could hear a pin drop,' said Farrell Monaco in Makaha, Ohau in Hawaii. 'The disaster we were expecting did not come. They were so well prepared, they had air raid sirens and alerts. 'Everyone was on the roads and it was busy but it was all very civilised.'
Japan Times
12-07-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Local governments leverage Osaka Expo to attract tourists
Local governments in Japan have been enhancing tourism promotion at the Osaka Expo as the event hits its midway point. Officials of local governments are feeling confident about their promotion activities, with some events to introduce local food and culture at the expo proving popular. Inbound visitors, however, have accounted for less than 10% of total visitors to the expo so far. A challenge facing local communities is how to lure foreign visitors to their respective regions. The six prefectures comprising the Kansai region and three nearby prefectures are jointly operating the Kansai Pavilion at the expo. The prefectural government of Mie is exhibiting traditions, culture and industries of the prefecture, with themes changing regularly. Especially popular is an exhibition where visitors can try on a garment once worn by those who used the Kumano Kodo ancient pilgrimage routes to three major Shinto shrines. "The cumulative number of visitors has exceeded 300,000, roughly double what we had expected," a Mie official said. In June, an event dubbed "Kizuna Matsuri" took place at the expo in which traditional festivals of the six prefectures making up the Tohoku region, including "Nebuta," a festival in Aomori, were showcased. Fukushima Prefecture plans to showcase products from the prefecture, including peaches and sake, on July 19. The Japan Association for the 2025 World Expo is hoping to attract 28.2 million people to the event, including 3.5 million people from abroad. At present, the share of inbound visitors remains under the estimate. Visitors from Asia have accounted for just under 50% of the foreign visitors and those from Europe slightly over 40%. "We need to make more efforts to reach the target (of 3.5 million inbound visitors)," a Japanese government official said. The number of tourists to Osaka from the United States, European countries and Australia in April rocketed 57% from a year earlier, according to data released at a news conference held at the expo venue Friday by an organization that is made up of officials from Osaka Prefecture, Kobe, Fukuoka Prefecture and private-sector companies. The group was set up to lure tourists to western regions of Japan. "The number of people who visit prefectures such as Hyogo, Hiroshima, Kagawa, Ehime and Fukuoka after taking trips to Osaka is increasing in line with the expo," an official at the organization said. The organization has prepared tour plans allowing participants to experience local culture, in collaboration with the expo association. "The number of foreign visitors to Japan is expected to increase toward the upcoming summer vacation season," said Soichiro Takashima, mayor of the city of Fukuoka and chief of the organization. "We will put more efforts into tourism promotion to attract inbound visitors to western regions of the country."
Japan Times
03-07-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
BOJ rate hikes to resume after temporary pause, policy board member says
The Bank of Japan's rate hike cycle will resume after "only' a temporary pause, policy board member Hajime Takata warned, keeping his hawkish tone even after U.S. President Donald Trump clouded the economic outlook by threatening to impose tariffs on Japanese goods higher than those previously touted. "I believe that the bank is currently only pausing its policy interest rate hike cycle and should continue to make a gear shift after a certain period of 'wait and see,'' Takata said Thursday in a speech to local business leaders in Mie Prefecture. Takata's remarks made it clear that the BOJ is continuing to look for further opportunities to raise rates even after the prospects for a trade deal with the U.S. appeared to recede after Trump floated the idea of increasing tariffs to 35%, compared with a previous plan to hike an across-the-board duty to 24% starting next week. Takata, considered a hawkish member of the central bank's board, said authorities "may need to nimbly shift back to the rate hike cycle in response to policy changes' in the U.S. His remarks indicate there's still a chance of another hike this year depending on the effects of the levies. Given high uncertainties regarding U.S. policies, "the bank is required to conduct monetary policy in a more flexible manner without being too pessimistic,' he said. Takata was speaking as Japan's pace of inflation has stayed elevated at the highest level among Group of Seven major industrial nations. A key measure for the cost of living hit a fresh two-year high in May, and a record of the BOJ's meeting last month reflected a shared awareness among officials that price growth is a little stronger than expected. "Japan's economy is at a stage where the price stability target is close to being achieved,' Takata said. "The key to a further gear shift in monetary policy is the sustainability of positive corporate behavior.' BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda has repeatedly said underlying inflation remains below the bank's 2% target and he wants to see the trend rise before raising rates again. He also wants to confirm the likely magnitude of the economic impact from U.S. trade policies. In previous speeches, Takata, a veteran economist and former bond analyst, has noted the need to raise borrowing costs as economic activity improves. Remarks of that nature in the weeks running up to the BOJ's historic end of its massive monetary easing program in March 2024 helped investors prepare for the coming shift. "Even if the economy remains robust at the moment, the longer concerns about tariffs remain, the greater the downward pressure on economic activity could become,' Takata said Thursday. The BOJ will deliver its next policy decision on July 31, with more than 90% of BOJ watchers surveyed last month expecting the benchmark rate to be left at 0.5%.
Japan Times
30-06-2025
- Automotive
- Japan Times
Translation apps help break language barriers at Chubu driving schools
Driving schools in the Chubu region have started using translation apps that recognize spoken words and automatically translate them into other languages. Amid an increase in traffic accidents involving foreign drivers, these apps are expected to help communicate Japanese traffic laws to students who are not fluent in Japanese. Homechigiru Driving School in Ise, Mie Prefecture, began using an app developed by a group company in April. The app supports English, Burmese, Chinese and Vietnamese, and it was first introduced to Vietnamese students on a trial basis. On a smartphone attached to the dashboard of a training vehicle, the Japanese words spoken by the instructor in the passenger seat are instantly translated on the app during driving lessons and tests. The translated speech is read aloud, so students don't need to look at the screen while driving. The app also simultaneously translates the student's speech into Japanese. Initially, there were some issues with accuracy, but updates have improved performance. A full-scale rollout is planned for this summer, with additional languages expected to be supported. Shingo Kato, 46, the school's assistant manager, said that the demand for foreign workers is growing amid labor shortages in the transportation industry. 'We want to eliminate language barriers' by using the app, he said. According to the school and other sources, some driving schools have refused enrollment of foreign nationals with limited Japanese skills, citing difficulties in providing practical driving instruction. Most foreign nationals at Homechigiru Driving School are either technical interns working in the Chubu region or international students, who typically obtain a driver's license through lessons offered in training camps. Around 200 Chinese and 100 Vietnamese people have been enrolling in the school annually, with those struggling with the Japanese language having been taught by instructors fluent in their native languages. Amid rising demand, however, the app was introduced so that any instructor could accurately convey traffic rules. As Japan's birthrate continues to fall, securing enough students has become a challenge for driving schools. Foreign nationals, who enroll year-round, help fill the gap during off-peak seasons when fewer high school students apply. 'Many of them want to properly learn Japan's traffic rules before getting a license,' Kato said. 'We hope to help prevent tragic accidents by conveying the rules.' A smartphone screen shows spoken Japanese translated into Vietnamese on a translation app used at Homechigiru Driving School in Ise, Mie Prefecture. | Chunichi Shimbun At Chubu Nippon Driver School in Nagoya, a collaboration with Tokyo-based printing firm Toppan led to the adoption of an upgraded version of the school's translation app last fall. The app now includes specialized terminology for driving schools in multiple languages and can be used during enrollment, classroom lessons and practical training. The app has been sold to more than 10 driving schools nationwide. 'We hope this will promote the acceptance of more foreign students,' a representative of the school said. Meanwhile, traffic accidents involving foreign drivers have been on the rise. In 2024, 7,286 such cases were reported, which was up by 342 from the previous year and accounted for 2.7% of all traffic accidents in the country. During a parliamentary committee session in May, National Police Agency Councilor Tatsuya Abe noted that differences in traffic rules — such as driving on the left side of the road in Japan as opposed to the right side in many other countries — may be contributing to the increase in accidents. Incidents involving driving in the wrong direction, as well as drunken driving have also drawn attention. In May, a foreign national drove the wrong way on the Shin-Meishin Expressway in Kameyama, Mie Prefecture, injuring four people. In the same month in Misato, Saitama Prefecture, a car driven by another foreign national plowed into a group of elementary school students, injuring four. In both cases, the drivers were reportedly driving under the influence of alcohol, and had obtained the Japanese licenses by converting those issued in other countries. According to NPA statistics, 75,905 people acquired Japanese licenses through the foreign license conversion system in 2024. The number has increased by 2.5 times over the past decade. While the link between the conversion system and a rise in traffic accidents involving foreign drivers is not clear, critics argue that the written test on Japanese traffic rules required for conversion is too easy, and the government is considering tightening the regulations. Yasumi Ito, professor at the University of Yamanashi's Graduate School and an expert on traffic science, noted that rental car accidents by foreign drivers often involve right-turn collisions or intersection crashes, possibly due to their unfamiliarity with Japan's rule to drive on the left side. Ito stressed the importance of having foreign drivers thoroughly learn Japanese traffic rules and manners. 'It's important to raise their awareness for safety under the guidance of experienced instructors,' he said. This section features topics and issues from the Chubu region covered by the Chunichi Shimbun. The original article was published June 8.
NHK
18-06-2025
- Climate
- NHK
Heatwave continues to grip Japan
Sweltering heat continued to grip much of Japan on Wednesday. The mercury reached 35 degrees Celsius or higher in many places. The Meteorological Agency says a high pressure system prevailed over wide areas. A daytime high of 37.6 degrees was recorded in the city of Tajimi in Gifu Prefecture, while Toyota in Aichi Prefecture reached 37.5 degrees and Nagoya 36.8 degrees. Kyoto registered a high of 36.5 degrees and Kofu 36.2 degrees. Fukushima and Maebashi both topped out at 36 degrees. Central Tokyo had a high of 34.4 degrees. Firefighting authorities in Mie Prefecture say a woman in her 70s was taken to hospital for suspected heatstroke, and was later pronounced dead. Authorities in Kanagawa Prefecture also say that a woman in her 90s in the city of Odawara was found collapsed on her bed and later confirmed dead. They suspect she suffered heatstroke. The Tokyo Fire Department says that as of 3 p.m., 57 people aged between 15 and 94 were taken to hospital with suspected heatstroke. High temperatures are also expected on Thursday. The cities of Nagoya and Gifu can expect a daytime high of 37 degrees, while a high of 36 degrees is forecast for Kyoto, Nara and Okayama. Takamatsu, Kofu, Maebashi and some other cities can expect a high of 35 degrees. People are advised to use air conditioners as needed, take liquids and salt and rest frequently during outdoor activities.
