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June 22, 2026
 

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OKUMA

Waste collected during decontamination work in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, in February
JAPAN
Jun 22, 2026
Fukushima town contaminated following 2011 nuclear meltdown eases entry restrictions
Extensive decontamination work has been carried out in areas impacted by the 2011 nuclear disaster in order to enable registered residents to return to their original homes.
Shogo Tsuchiya, the deputy secretary-general of the Futaba Project, provides consultations to people interested in relocating to the town of Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture. Amid a housing shortage, Tsuchiya himself couldn¡¯t find a home in the town.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Mar 16, 2026
Amid housing shortage, migration stalls in disaster-hit Fukushima towns
Approximately 19,000 houses were demolished using state funds as part of reconstruction efforts but construction of new houses has been limited.
An outlet of Aeon supermarket in Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture, sells a variety of goods, including over-the-counter drugs and local specialties, as well as fresh and prepared foods.
JAPAN
Mar 12, 2026
Supermarkets key to evacuees¡¯ return to Fukushima communities
Creating an environment in which people can easily buy fresh foods and daily necessities is essential for attracting new residents, too.
Fukushima First Bible Baptist Church in the town of Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture
JAPAN / Society
Mar 5, 2026
Fukushima church rebuilds ties with its community 15 years after earthquake
The church¡¯s mission has expanded beyond Sunday worship and into things such as tea gatherings and English classes to become an anchor for residents.
An empty street is seen in the abandoned town of Okuma, in Fukushima Prefecture, during a temporary return visit by evacuees in February 2012.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 27, 2025
Ukrainian YouTuber arrested in Japan over Fukushima livestream
The arrest is the latest in a string of incidents involving fame-seeking foreign nationals behaving badly in the country.
Takuya Haraguchi, head of ReFruits, speaks while looking at the kiwifruit vine at his farm in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, on April 24. A newcomer to farming, he hopes to revive the area by growing kiwifruits in this former no-go zone.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2025
¡®Moving forward¡¯: the Gen Z farmer growing Fukushima kiwifruits
Fukushima is renowned for its delicious fruit, from pears to peaches, but the nuclear disaster led many people in Japan to shun produce grown there.
Ryuji Matsumoto pats one of the sheep at his farm in the town of Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Apr 14, 2025
The man behind Fukushima town¡¯s ¡®Strawberry Sheep¡¯
Ryuji Matsumoto, 54, incorporates dried strawberries into the feed for his sheep, which gives their meat a certain sweetness.
Naohisa Hoshikawa, chief executive officer and founder of Ookuma Diamond Device, in Sapporo in February. Hoshikawa says the potential of diamond semiconductors goes beyond decommissioning work, likening them to the U.S. Apollo manned lunar landing program, which gave birth to technological innovations affecting everyday life.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 12, 2025
Diamond chips could be key to decommissioning of Fukushima nuclear plant
Made with artificial diamonds, such chips are regarded as the ¡°ultimate semiconductors¡± ¡ª they can withstand high levels of radiation as well as high voltages and temperatures.
Yasutoshi Nishimura
JAPAN
Sep 17, 2023
Minister vows to counter misinformation over Fukushima water release
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings started to release the treated water on Aug. 24.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Mar 27, 2023
Support for new Fukushima Prefecture residents key to tackling depopulation
The number of people moving to the area is on the rise, but with some new arrivals then moving away again, the prefecture is faced with a growing issue.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2023
Twelve years after 3/11, dispute grows over Fukushima¡¯s radioactive soil
The central government has pledged to ¡ª and is legally obliged to ¡ª move all of the soil out of Fukushima Prefecture by 2045.
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2022
11 years on, evacuation order lifted for part of ¡®difficult-to-return¡¯ Fukushima town
The removal of the evacuation order was the first for a difficult-to-return zone in the municipalities that host Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.¡¯s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Aug 2, 2021
Learning from disaster: Across Tohoku, a race is on to preserve vital records
Volumes of archived materials outline the ordeal communities have been through over the past decade. Soon they could be lost.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2020
In Fukushima, a ¡®village¡¯ aims to lure young people back to disaster-hit town
In a deserted part of Fukushima Prefecture dotted with vacant lots, a sleek modern building stands out. In a workshop inside, a woman with a ponytail wearing purple protective eyeglasses carefully melts a tiny glass tube into the shape of a plum blossom.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 11, 2019
Independent is elected new mayor of Okuma, joint-host of Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant
Former Deputy Mayor Jun Yoshida was elected mayor on Sunday for the town of Okuma, in Fukushima Prefecture, one of the host municipalities of the disaster-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 17, 2018
Media reports de-romanticize the cleanup work on the Fukushima nuclear power plant
Most of the reliable reporting about the clean-up of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant since it suffered three meltdowns in March 2011 has been from on-site workers. Even when articles appear in major media outlets about the situation at the crippled reactor, it¡¯s usually presented through the...
Japan Times
JAPAN / 3/11 STILL BEING FELT
Mar 11, 2015
Fukushima No. 1¡¯s never-ending battle with radioactive water
The disaster that struck four years ago may have abated for most of the Tohoku region, but the nightmare continues at Tepco¡¯s wrecked Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2014
Government offers ?230 billion over 30 years if Fukushima temporarily stores radioactive soil: NHK
The administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has offered to pay the Fukushima Prefectural Government ?230 billion over the next 30 years if the prefecture hosts temporary storage facilities for soil tainted by radiation from the March 2011 nuclear disaster, NHK reported Wednesday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 8, 2014
Still hunting shadows three years after 3/11
One of the great statistical mysteries that persist several years after a natural disaster is the figure that appears without fail each month in columns representing the number of people that are still missing.
JAPAN
Oct 3, 2013
New spill at No. 1 laid to typhoon miscalculation
An apparent miscalculation amid a typhoon caused a storage tank to overflow at the wrecked Fukushima No. 1 power plant, releasing about 430 liters of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, Tokyo Electric Power Co. reveals.
Japan to raise visa fees for foreign nationals in first revision in 48 years
Tourists from abroad wearing kimonos pose for a souvenir photo with cherry blossoms in the city of Kyoto in March.
Japan to allow local governments to ban private lodging
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in March. Various cities around the world have cracked down on private lodgings, such as in Barcelona where the city is attempting to eradicate all short-stay apartments by 2028.
Beyond crabs and dinos: Japan¡¯s least-touristed region rethinks its appeal
Fukui Prefecture is home to 80% of Japan¡¯s dinosaur fossil discoveries, yet it is routinely one of the least-visited regions in the country.
Japanese mother sues state over teen¡¯s ¡®hostage justice¡¯ death
A lawyer representing the mother (left, blurred for privacy reasons) of a girl who died after being detained speaks during a news conference in Kobe on Wednesday.
Onitsuka Tiger pivots from Asics stripes to tap luxury market
An Onitsuka Tiger store in the Omotesando district of Tokyo. The footwear brand prepares to transform into a luxury lifestyle label distinct from Asics.
Cozy fiction meets Marie Kondo¡¯s magic of tidying up
¡°Whispering Rooms¡± is a novel based on the real experiences of tidying guru Marie Kondo, co-written with filmmaker and author Genki Kawamura.
¡®Kaiseki¡¯ fine dining with a side of classical poetry
Kodaiji Wakuden says it is considering holding its next poetry and fine dining crossover event next spring.
Beyond crabs and dinos: Japan¡¯s least-touristed region rethinks its appeal
Fukui Prefecture is home to 80% of Japan¡¯s dinosaur fossil discoveries, yet it is routinely one of the least-visited regions in the country.
Tokyo¡¯s best Four Seasons may not be its biggest
Reopened on April 29 after an extensive refurbishment, the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi may not offer the skyline views of its sister property around the corner, but it excels in other areas.
Japan steps on the gas in unprecedented regional defense export push
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi walks with his Indonesian counterpart, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, as the two inspect an honor guard during a welcome ceremony in Jakarta on May 4.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Social camouflaging can help neurodivergent people navigate social situations, but researchers say the effort often comes with significant emotional and mental strain.
The challenge of being neurodivergent in Japan¡¯s culture of conformity
By Tomoko Otake

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