Mar 11 How a hospital withstood a 9.0 quake with nary a broken window By Ed Jahn, Oregon Public Broadcasting Within an hour of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated central Japan in 2011, Ishinomaki Red Cross Hospital was accepting patients and acting as a refuge for throngs of survivors who’d lost everything. No broken windows. No collapsed ceilings. No… Continue reading
Feb 06 Japan to probe melted Fukushima reactor with 'snake' robot By Jasmine Wright Tokyo Electric Power Co. is finally ready to examine the inside of one of the three compromised reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant -- with the help of a remote-controlled robot that uncannily resembles a snake. Continue reading
Jan 31 Watch 5:34 ISIS videos often signal hostages' fate may be sealed By PBS News Hour After days of negotiations over a prisoner exchange apparently broke down, the Islamic State on Saturday executed a Japanese journalist it had been holding in Syria. Douglas Ollivant, a senior national security fellow at the New America Foundation and a… Continue watching
Jan 31 Online video purports to show beheading of Japanese hostage By Elisabeth Ponsot Japan's Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said Sunday the video posted online showing the apparent execution of hostage Kenji Goto by ISIS militants appears authentic. Continue reading
Jan 29 'I am Kenji' Facebook page rallies around Japanese hostage By Larisa Epatko A hastily constructed Facebook page, titled “I am Kenji,” calls for Islamic State militants to free Japanese journalist Kenji Goto. His captors gave a deadline of sundown Thursday to work out a prisoner swap for a female attempted suicide bomber. Continue reading
Jan 24 Watch 3:50 After hostage execution, Japan devotes 'all efforts' to rescue second from ISIS By PBS News Hour After the recent reported execution of a Japanese hostage by the Islamic State, the clock is ticking yet again to rescue another Japanese hostage still being held in Syria. Hajime Ozaki, the New York bureau chief at Kyodo News Agency,… Continue watching
Jan 24 Japanese hostage reportedly executed in Syria By Andrew Mach Japanese officials condemned the apparent execution of Haruna Yukawa, a 42-year-old unemployed widower who went to Syria in July and was captured the next month. Continue reading
Jan 20 Watch 5:03 Why is the Islamic State targeting Japan for ransom? By PBS News Hour The Islamic State released a video ransom vote that threatened to kill two Japanese hostages unless Tokyo pays $200 million. Jeffrey Brown speaks with former CIA officer Bob Baer about why the militant group is targeting that country. Continue watching
Jan 20 Islamic State militants demand ransom for Japanese captives By Larisa Epatko In a video purportedly from the Islamic State group, militants threatened to kill two Japanese hostages unless they got $200 million within 72 hours. Continue reading
Jan 05 Japanese prime minister says he will express remorse for World War II By Shehryar Nabi Japanese Prime Minister Shinzio Abe told a news conference on Monday that he would express remorse for Japan’s actions during World War II. He said that the government would make a new statement on August 15 that, in addition… Continue reading