Global IssuesJapan Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Crisis
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Introduction
The earthquake off the coast of Japan on March 11, 2011 was one of the biggest recorded, measuring 9 on the richter scale.
It was the resulting tsunami, however, that caused the most destruction. It devastated the northeast of Japan, leaving many thousands dead or missing, and hundreds of thousands homeless or evacuated from the area.
In addition, various power generators failed. Some older nuclear power stations risked meltdown and suffered explosions and radioactive leaks. Workers have battled for weeks to try and bring the situation under control. Radioactive material has been detected in various places.
It is thought that the cost of the earthquake and tsunami could be over $300 billion — the world’s most expensive natural disaster on record.
There are global economic repercussions as well, given Japan’s key position in the world economy.
More information
There are so many issues that this tragic event has caused that I can’t cover them on my own. However, below are a list of stories from Inter Press Service as they cover this event and its aftermath:
First Person: Japanese town leads the way to a low waste society
- UN News
When the landfill in Osaki, in the southwest of Japan, reached capacity, an incinerator was the logical next step. Instead, the town decided to get serious about recycling. Ahead of International Zero Waste daymarked on 30 March, Kasumi Fujita, a town councillor committed to Osaki’s low waste policies, tells UN News what inspired her.
Reforms vital to build confidence, Japanese leader tells UN Assembly
- UN News
The Prime Minister of Japan said on Tuesday that he is open to meeting President Kim Jong-Un of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) at any time and without any conditions “to open up a new era together” between the countries.
Japan: IAEA monitoring treated water release from Fukushima nuclear plant
- UN News
Japan has begun discharging treated radioactive wastewater from the disabled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station into the Pacific Ocean, 12 years on from the major meltdown there, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed on Thursday.
Sri Lanka-Japan: Return of Old Friends
- Inter Press Service
LONDON, Jun 02 (IPS) - On May 24, Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe arrived on a three-day official visit to Japan, his second visit to the country, having attended the State funeral of former prime minister Shinzo Abe last September.
UN expert urges Japan to ‘step up pressure’ on Myanmar junta
- UN News
Japan must assume a greater leadership role to address the deteriorating crisis in Myanmar and “step up pressure on the country’s military junta”, a UN-appointed independent rights expert urged on Friday.
Philippines urged to compensate women survivors of wartime rape by Japanese soldiers
- UN News
The Philippines violated the rights of women victims of sexual slavery by the Japanese military during the Second World War by failing to redress the continuous discrimination and suffering they have endured, a UN women’s rights committee said in a decision published on Wednesday.
UN chief condemns DPR Korea missile launch over Japan as ‘reckless act’
- UN News
The UN Secretary-General on Tuesday strongly condemned the launch of a ballistic missile by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), more commonly known as North Korea, which reportedly travelled over Japan.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ‘tramples on the UN Charter’ says Japanese Prime Minister
- UN News
More than 75 years have passed since the establishment of the United Nations as a guardian of global peace, “we are still witnessing the devastation in Ukraine and around the world”, said Japanese Prime Minister, Kishida Fumio, during his speech to the UN General Assembly.
Attacking a nuclear plant ‘suicidal,’ UN chief tells journalists in Japan
- UN News
UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned a recent attack on a nuclear power station in southern Ukraine during a meeting in Tokyo on Monday with the Japan National Press Club.
First Person: Telling the tragic story of mercury poisoning in Japan
- UN News
Masami Ogata is a survivor of Minamata Disease, a debilitating illness caused by industrial mercury poisoning, which originated in the Japanese town of the same name in the 1950s. As a UN conference on preventing future poisoning outbreaks gets underway, we hear Mr. Ogata’s story.
‘Save as many lives as possible, and leave no one's health behind’: Japan’s message to the world
- UN News
Announcing the donation of up to 60 million COVID-19 vaccines to the UN-led COVAX facility, Yoshihide Suga, Japan’s Prime Minister, said that his country is determined to lead the global efforts to end the pandemic.
Japan: UN chief praises work of emergency responders in wake of deadly landslide
- UN News
The UN chief on Monday extended his condolences to the families of those who died in a landslide, which struck the Japanese coastal city of Atami in Shizuoka Prefecture, over the weekend.
Japan: UN experts ‘deeply disappointed’ by decision to discharge Fukushima water
- UN News
Three independent UN human rights experts expressed deep regret on Thursday over Japan’s decision to discharge potentially still radioactive Fukushima nuclear plant water into the ocean, warning that it could impact millions across the Pacific region.
UN atomic energy agency to work with Japan on Fukushima water disposal
- UN News
The International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA, said on Tuesday that it will work closely with Japan which is preparing to release a million tonnes of contaminated seawater used to cool the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Japan Should Lead Charge for Equitable Access to COVID-19 Vaccines
- Inter Press Service
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Nov 20 (IPS) - Japan should step up and play a role as a global facilitator for equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, Dr Daisaku Higashi said at a recent Japan Parliamentarians Federation for Population (JPFP) study meeting.
India and Japan’s MPs Act Quickly to Implement Sexual and Reproductive Health Plans after ICPD25
- Inter Press Service
MBABANE, Jan 10 (IPS) - Parliamentarians from India and Japan have hit the ground running by acting soon after the recent Nairobi Summit on International Conference on Population Development (ICPD25).
Japan’s Gender Gap
- Inter Press Service
CHICAGO, Illinois, Mar 27 (IPS) - KAZUO YAMAGUCHI is the Ralph Lewis Professor of Sociology at the University of Chicago*.
Japan is not making progress in gender equality, at least relative to the rest of the world. Despite the Japanese government's attempts in recent years to pass legislation promoting the economic activity of women, Japan ranked a miserable 110 out of 149 in the World Economic Forum's 2018 Gender Gap Indexwhich benchmarks countries on their progress toward gender parity across four major areas.
Eight Years on, Fukushima Still Poses Health Risks for Children
- Inter Press Service
NEW YORK, Mar 07 (IPS) - Akio Matsumura* is Founder of the Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders on Human Survival.
On March 11, we commemorate the 8th anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. To an outside observer, this anniversary passes as a technical progress report, a look at new robot, or a short story on how lives there are slowly returning to normal.
Blue Economy: The New Frontier for Africa's Growth & How Japan Can Help
- Inter Press Service
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 08 (IPS) - An interview with Siddharth Chatterjee UN Resident Coordinator to Kenya by Nikkei Shimbun, Japan and reproduced by IPS.
Solving Japan’s Fertility Crisis
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 02 (IPS) - While much of the global discussion for decades has been focused on overpopulation and its consequences, less can be said of the risks of low fertility and an ageing population—risks that are currently threatening the future of Japan.
Japan and South Africa Try to Block Proposed Ban on Domestic Ivory Trade
- Inter Press Service
HONOLULU, Hawaii, Sep 08 (IPS) - Japan and South Africa have ignited a furore at a major conservation congress by coming out against a proposed appeal to all governments to ban domestic trade in elephant ivory.
Protests Greet Japan's Relaunch of Nuke Power
- Inter Press Service
NEW YORK, Aug 10 (IPS) - Protesters rallied outside Japan's Sendai nuclear plant a day ahead of its planned opening and four years after the Fukushima disaster galvanised opposition to nuclear power in the country.
OPINION: Japan Remains Committed to ‘Advancing Vibrant Diplomacy’
- Inter Press Service
TOKYO, Jul 14 (IPS) - In recent years, Japan has found itself it in a rapidly changing security environment. The global balance of power has shifted and various new threats have emerged within the region, including the development of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile systems that may soon be capable of delivering them.
Is Japan’s Peace Constitution Dead?
- Inter Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jul 07 (IPS) - Japan has functioned under its "peace constitution" for nearly 70 years. The distinctive Article 9, which prevents the country from conducting war as a means of resolving international conflict, is showing its age.
Q&A: “Fukushima Accident Still Ongoing After Three Years”
- Inter Press Service
RIO DE JANEIRO, Jun 20 (IPS) - It has been three years since the nuclear accident in Fukushima, Japan. But the consequences are still ongoing due to continuous leaks of radioactivity into the environment, says independent nuclear energy consultant Mycle Schneider.
Climate Legislation Up Against ‘Abenomics’ in Japan
- Inter Press Service
TOKYO, Jun 02 (IPS) - Undaunted by Japan's national consensus to boost the economy, which has been mired in lackluster growth for decades, environmentalists are taking baby steps towards incorporating climate change into national legislation.
Japan Seeks Foreign Workers, Uneasily
- Inter Press Service
TOKYO, Apr 23 (IPS) - Desperate for more workers to support a construction boom, Japan has proposed to expand its controversial foreign trainee programme to permit more unskilled labour from Asia to work in Japanese companies for five years from the current three years.
Protesters Resist an ‘Indian Fukushima’
- Inter Press Service
NEW DELHI, Feb 01 (IPS) - Activists opposed to India's plans to massively increase civilian nuclear power production are aghast that a plan for an Indo-Japanese nuclear cooperation deal is gaining pace even while Japan is struggling to cope with the fallout of the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Japan Cuts Some Distance From Its Military Days
- Inter Press Service
MANILA, Jan 18 (IPS) - In a move that promises to further raise geopolitical tensions in the region, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a high-profile visit to the Yasukuni Shrine associated with 14 Class-A war criminals and dedicated to 2.5 million soldiers from the Japanese Imperial era.
Japan Bails Out on CO2 Emissions Target
- Inter Press Service
WARSAW, Nov 15 (IPS) - Japan announced Friday that it will renege on its carbon emissions pledge, likely ending any hope global warming can be kept to 2.0 degrees C.
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