Japan's Quake and Tsunami

State of Life in Japan Two Years After Massive Earthquake and Tsumani

March 14, 2013

State of Life in Japan Two Years After Massive Earthquake and Tsumani

Report Blames Japanese Government for Nuclear Meltdown
July 5, 2012
The day Japan reintroduced nuclear power to its electrical grid, an independent commission found the Japanese government at fault for the Fukushima nuclear reactor meltdown last year.
Japan Flips the 'Off' Switch on Its Last Nuclear Reactor
May 4, 2012
More than a year after an earthquake and tsunami battered Japan's northeastern coast and damaged its nuclear power stations, the country plans to shut down its last civilian reactor this weekend.
Fukushima After the Meltdown
March 15, 2012
How much is too much radiation, and why are Japanese authorities still grappling with that question? That's the subject of the latest blog from our science correspondent Miles O'Brien. We've compiled all of Miles reporting on the Japan quake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown on one easy-to-access page.
Fukushima's Food Fallout: Testing Groceries for Radiation in Japan
March 13, 2012
Promoting produce from Fukushima, a Tokyo store lists the cesium levels beside the price -- just one way life has changed a year after an earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident struck Japan. In the final report in his series, Miles O'Brien examines food-safety concerns and a cottage industry of testing groceries for radiation.
After 500 Years in Family, Rice Farmers Forced Off Land by Fukushima
March 12, 2012
One year after an earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, the country is still trying to recover and decontaminate land and buildings from partial meltdowns of three Fukushima nuclear reactors. In his second report from the region, science correspondent Miles O'Brien explores the challenges and possibilities of radiation cleanup.
In Japan, Nuclear Cleanup May Be Mission:Impossible
March 12, 2012
In the second installment of a three-part series on Japan's recovery, Miles O'Brien reports on Japanese residents who are struggling to clean up contaminated farms, roads and school yards after the massive earthquake, tsunami and resulting nuclear disaster struck Japan one year ago.
Fukushima Survivor: I Want 'To Breathe Freely Again'
March 9, 2012
Nuclear technician Carl Pillitteri was one of 38 Americans at the Fukushima nuclear power plant when an earthquake and tsunami struck Japan's eastern coast and triggered a radiation leak at the reactor. It's taken Pillitteri a full year to be able to talk publicly about what he saw at Fukushima.
Fukushima Survivor: 'I've Hardly Smiled This Whole Year'
March 9, 2012
Carl Pillitteri was one of 38 Americans at the Fukushima plant when the earthquake hit. Describing the "demonic" sounds he heard and the pit of fear he felt inside the turbine building that day, Pillteri recently spoke with Alex Chadwick, the host of the new American Public Media series "BURN: An Energy Journal."
Near Fukushima, a Big 'Guessing Game' Over Radiation's Long-Term Risks
March 9, 2012
Sunday marks a year since a massive earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, causing a partial meltdown of nuclear reactors at the Fukushima plants. In the first report in a series on Japan's recovery, Miles O'Brien documents the country's cleanup attempts as scientists decide whether residual radiation could be potentially harmful.
Tracking Japan's Tsunami Debris
March 9, 2012
Although a year has passed since Japan's tsunami sucked tons of debris into the Pacific Ocean, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration continues to track the rubble and urges others to do so to help focus cleanup efforts.
After Tsunami, Japanese Coastal Town Struggles to Recover
Nov. 25, 2011
Independent Television News' Alex Thomson reports from Kesennuma, Japan, on one fishing port's struggle to come back after the March earthquake and tsunami devastated the town and its fleet.
Safecast Draws on Power of the Crowd to Map Japan's Radiation
Nov. 10, 2011
Eight months after a tsunami caused a nuclear accident in Japan, ordinary people are using new technology and the power of crowdsourcing to find radiation hotspots. NewsHour science correspondent Miles O'Brien reports from Japan.
'Hacker' Group Safecast Crowdsources Radiation Data in Japan
Nov. 10, 2011
While in Tokyo, Miles spoke to Hari Sreenivasan about his trip with Safecast workers into the voluntary exclusion zone around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, where they detected levels reaching the equivalent of six X-rays per day.
Some Bright Spots Amid Worries in Japan's Quake Recovery
May 13, 2011
Two months after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that forced many into evacuation shelters and damaged the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, Japan is grappling with the long-term recovery effort.
Japan's Triple Disaster, By the Numbers
May 11, 2011
On March 11, Japan's northeastern shore was struck by a massive earthquake followed by a violent tsunami. Within days a third disaster was unfolding, a crisis at the damaged Fukushima nuclear power facility.
Slide Show: The Japan Crisis, 2 Months Later
May 11, 2011
It has been two months since a catastrophic earthquake rocked Japan, triggering a massive tsunami and critically damaging the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
News Wrap: Search Underway for Bodies Near Japanese Nuclear Plant
April 14, 2011
In other news Thursday, Japanese police in protective suits hunted for the bodies of up to 1,000 earthquake and tsunami victims that might be near a disabled nuclear plant. Radiation levels have fallen enough to let teams get within six miles of the site. Meanwhile, more Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week.
Japan Raises Nuclear Crisis Level, Pakistan Demands Cut in CIA Presence
April 12, 2011
Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency has raised the level of the nuclear crisis at the damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant to a seven, matching the level used to describe Chernobyl.
One Month After Tsunami, What Are Japan's Biggest Needs?
April 11, 2011
A month after an earthquake and tsunami killed tens of thousands and touched off a nuclear crisis, Japan struggles to cope with the aftermath. Jeffrey Brown talks with the Stimson Center's Yuki Tatsumi, the American Red Cross's Nan Buzard and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's James Acton.
Aftershock Rattles Japan 1 Month After Earthquake, Tsunami Disaster
April 11, 2011
Japan continued recovery efforts one month after an earthquake and tsunami devastated its northeastern coast and killed at least 13,000 people, while 14,000 are still missing. Thousands more are living in shelters as the government struggles to contain the radiation threat from the Fukushima nuclear plant. Jeffrey Brown reports.
Strong Aftershock Jolts Japan on One Month Anniversary of Tsunami Disaster
April 11, 2011
As Japan somberly marked the one month anniversary of the massive earthquake and tsunami that killed tens of thousands of people and set off a radiation crisis at a nuclear plant, a strong aftershock shook the country once more.
7.1-Magnitude Quake Hits off Japan Coast
April 7, 2011
A tsunami warning has been lifted after a 7.1-magnitude quake hit off Japan's northeastern coast. Officials had warned those in low-lying areas to move to higher ground. Tepco says there is no immediate indication of damage at the Fukushima plant.
Q&A: IFRC on Evacuee Conditions, Nuclear Crisis Concerns
April 6, 2011
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' John Sparrow spoke with the NewsHour from Tokyo just after a trip up the eastern coast to visit tsunami evacuation centers.
Japan to Release Radioactive Water into Pacific Ocean in Effort to Cool Reactors
April 4, 2011
Workers at the damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant are using a dye substance in an effort to trace the source of a leak spreading radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean and hampering efforts to cool the reactors.
Japan's Radioactive Leak: What Are the Long-Term Consequences?
March 31, 2011
Environmental and nuclear scientists in the U.S. are watching apparent leakage discovered at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor site this week with a concerned eye, for both health effects and impact on the environment.

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Japanese Town Hit Hard by Natural and Nuclear Disaster Imagines Renewable Future

March 11, 2013

Special correspondent Emily Taguchi reports from Minamisoma, Japan, a town aching for a comeback after an earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown. When the whole region lost its faith in nuclear power, some residents looked to the possibility of rebuilding industry by utilizing renewable energy sources.

A Writer Reflects on the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami, Two Years Later

March 8, 2013

A Writer Reflects on the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami, Two Years Later

Gretel Ehrlich

March 11, 2013

Gretel Ehrlich

Gretel Ehrlich Reads From 'Facing the Wave'

March 8, 2013

Gretel Ehrlich reads more from her book, "Facing the Wave: A Journey in the Wake of the Tsunami."