Japan Marks 3rd Anniversary of Devastating Earthquake And Tsunami Tragedy

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Still Struggling To Come To Terms With The Devastation, Japan Marks The Third Anniversary Of Its Tsunami Tragedy That Killed More Than 15,000 People -- Daily Mail

* The tsunami hit in Japan in 2011, killing 15,000 people, left 2,636 missing, and caused a nuclear disaster
* Both the Prime Minister and the Emperor were in attendance at remembrance events in Tokyo
* Japan has set aside 25 trillion yen ($250 billion, £150 million) for reconstruction events
* The Fukushima disaster was a product of the tsunami, and has poisoned much of the coast with radiation
* Some areas of Japan are still to contaminated to go near because of the nuclear meltdown

Three years after the devastating tsunami that killed more than 15,000 people, Japan is still in mourning of the event that ravaged coastal communities and triggered a nuclear crisis.

In the anniversary ceremony, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged to boost rebuilding efforts, after they have struggled to rebuild towns and villages, and clean up the radiation from the subsequent meltdown at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.

Thanks to shortages of skilled workers and materials, reconstruction efforts, which have finally started getting on their way, are already somewhat delayed.

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More News On Japan Marking The 3rd Anniversary Of Devastating Earthquake And Tsunami Tragedy

Japan marks 3rd anniversary of tsunami disasters -- Washington Post/AP
Japan Marks 3rd Anniversary of Devastating Earthquake -- Voice of America
Japan Tsunami Anniversary: Millions Mark Moment 2011 Quake Struck -- NBC
Japan Three Years After Tsunami -- WSJ
Fukushima anniversary: Japan remembers -- Al Jazeera
Japan is still searching for those who went missing 3 years after the tsunami -- Global Post
The children of Japan's Fukushima battle an invisible enemy -- Reuters
Japan's Fukushima recovery: What's been done and what's still to do -- Justin McCurry, Christian Science Monitor
Photos of Towns Destroyed by Japan’s Tsunami, Three Years Later -- Wired
Memories of Japan’s Fukushima disaster still linger three years later (Photo Gallery) -- Baltimore Sun

WNU Editor: The below video is a documentary on the earthquake and tsunami disaster that hit Japan three years ago.

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Japan Stands Still Marking The Second Anniversary Of The Tsunami-Earthquake Disastergress on ...

Japan Marks Tsunami Anniversary -- The Guardian

Memorial services held to remember 19,000 who lost their lives in disaster as prime minister vows to speed up reconstruction

Exactly two years after its north-east coast was wrecked by a deadly tsunami, Japan marked the moment that the most powerful earthquake in its recorded history triggered deadly waves that killed almost 19,000 people, while the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, promised to speed up reconstruction of flattened communities.

In Tokyo and along the tsunami-battered coastline people gathered at memorial services to remember those who died after a magnitude earthquake struck offshore at 2:46pm on 11 March 2011.

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More News On Japan Commemorating The Second Anniversary Of The Japan Earthquake-Tsunami Disaster

Nation marks second year since calamity -- Japan Times
Japan marks quake and tsunami anniversary -- BBC
Japan Marks 2nd Tsunami Anniversary -- Voice of America
Japan marks 2 years since triple disaster amid slow progress on rebuilding, radiation cleanup -- Washington Post/AP
Japan pauses to mark two years since tsunami struck -- The Telegraph
Fukushima disaster: Long road to nuclear clean-up -- BBC
Two Years After Fukushima, Japan Worries About the Next Big Quake -- Time
Japan’s tsunami two years later – in pictures -- Euronews
(PHOTOS): Remembering Japan's 2011 tsunami victims -- Global Post

Japan Earthquake And Tsunami Anniversary

Japan Earthquake And Tsunami Anniversary: Country Remembers Tragedy One Year On -- The Telegraph

At 2.46pm, the howl of the emergency siren cut through the silence in Ofunato, plunging the remembrance service back into the horror of last year's tsunami.

This town of 40,000 on the north-east coast of Japan was the first place where the tsunami reached land, and many in the crowd visibly blanched, their eyes wet with tears, as the wail of the alarm transported them back to that day.

At least 440 people died and a quarter of the town's buildings were destroyed as the wave, funnelled into the tight V-shaped bay, rushed almost two miles inland, growing to a height of 77ft.

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My Comment: It's hard to believe that it is one year already.

Japan Prepares To Remember The First Year Anniversary Of Last Year's Earthquake/Tsunami

One Year After Japan Tsunami: Roads Repaired, But Lives Still Disrupted -- Christian Science Monitor

One year after the Japan tsunami, earthquake, and nuclear disaster, many roads are rebuilt and debris is cleaned up. But much remains in flux for residents of the hard-hit northeast coastal zone.

When Takako Ouchi's elderly mother died last December, tradition dictated she be laid to rest in a cemetery near her home.

But the cemetery, like her old house, lies in the shadow of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, rendered unreachable – perhaps forever – because of radiation. Instead, Ms. Ouchi has constructed a shrine to her mother in the bedroom of her new home, 40 miles away.

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More News On The Anniversary Of Last Year's Japanese Earthquake And Tsunami

The world's first YouTube catastrophe: One year on, how the tsunami changed Japan (and the world) forever -- Daily Mail
Japan earthquake and tsunami: 478 bodies remain unidentified one year on -- The Telegraph
Japan earthquake and tsunami anniversary: quarter of a million face five years in shelters -- The Telegraph
Japan Disaster: A Year Later: Without a blueprint -- L.A. Times
VOA Reporter Reflects on Devastation of Japan's Major Earthquake -- Voice of America
Japan’s 3/11 Triple Catastrophe Endures in Broken Families, Divided Towns -- Bloomberg
A year after disastrous earthquake, tsunami, travel to Japan slowly rebounds -- MSNBC
Grief of Japan's tsunami survivors -- BBC
Six videos of the Japanese tsunami [Video] -- L.A. Times
Japan’s disaster (Photo Gallery) -- Washington Post
Japan: Then and Now (Photo Gallery) -- New York Times
Graphic: Aftermath of Japan earthquake and tsunami -- The Telegraph

Eleven Months After The Tsunami Ravaged Japan, Progress Is Being Made

Houses crumbled either side of this main road in the tsunami-hit area of Ofunato, Iwate but ongoing efforts have cleared the debris - and despite the nearest homes on either side being pulled down, many of the other buildings were salvaged

What A Comeback! Eleven Months After The Tsunami Ravaged Japan, A Series Of Pictures Reveals The Incredible Progress Being Made To Clear Up The Devastation -- Daily ail

When Japan was hit by both an earthquake and tsunami in quick succession in March last year, the images of devastation gripped the world.

And now after 11 months of tireless rebuilding, these pictures reveal the amazing progress made since those tragic events.

Photographers returned to the scenes of desolation to take these stunning shots that capture the way in which the areas most severely affected have changed.

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My Comment: Amazing. Japan quickly rebuilt after the Second World War .... and they are quickly rebuilding now. Must be something in the culture.

Japanese Nuclear Disaster Getting Worse -- News Roundup March 29, 2011

Japan May Have Lost Race To Save Nuclear Reactor -- The Guardian

Fukushima meltdown fears rise after radioactive core melts through vessel – but 'no danger of Chernobyl-style catastrophe'

The radioactive core in a reactor at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant appears to have melted through the bottom of its containment vessel and on to a concrete floor, experts say, raising fears of a major release of radiation at the site.

The warning follows an analysis by a leading US expert of radiation levels at the plant. Readings from reactor two at the site have been made public by the Japanese authorities and Tepco, the utility that operates it.

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More News On Japan's Nuclear Disaster

Japan vows to review nuclear safety standards -- Yahoo News/AP
Japan on "maximum alert" as plutonium found in soil near nuclear plant -- The Telegraph
Japan nuclear: PM Naoto Kan signals 'maximum alert' -- BBC
Radioactive Plutonium Found in Soil Around Damaged Japanese Nuclear Plant -- Voice of America
Japan struggles to contain radiactive spread at stricken plant -- Washington post
Radioactive water leaking to tunnels under Japanese nuclear plant -- L.A. Times
Expert: Info released to public on radiation too confusing -- Stars And Stripes/AP
Plutonium at Fukushima dangerous: Russian expert -- The Hindu
Q&A: Plutonium detected at Fukushima -- The Guardian
Vanishing act by Japanese executive during nuclear crisis raises questions -- Washington Post

Japan Prime Minister: Nuclear Situation 'Grave'

Japan's PM Pessimistic About Crippled Nuclear Complex -- Voice of America

Two weeks after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake triggered a huge tsunami that severely damaged a Japanese nuclear power plant, the situation is still not under control. The leader of Japan's government Friday evening expressed pessimism about the current state of the Fukushima 1 complex. It is still emitting radiation into the atmosphere, and there are worries about a possible breach of the core of one of the six reactors. Temperatures of exposed used fuel rods also remain a serious concern.

Japan's prime minister, Naoto Kan, looking somber in a nationally televised briefing, described the situation at the damaged Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant as remaining "very grave and serious."

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More News On japan's Nuclear Disaster

Breach in reactor suspected at Japanese nuke plant -- Yahoo News/AP
Radiation fears mount again in Japan after plant -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Reactor fear at Japan plant as toll tops 10,000 -- Yahoo News/AFP
Japan steps up nuclear plant precautions; Kan apologizes -- L.A. Times
Japan's Prime Minister: Nuclear Situation Grave -- NPR
Nuclear situation 'grave' Japan PM warns -- Al Jazeera
Japan urges more evacuations as Prime Minister Kan addresses nation -- Washington Post
Dangerous Breach Feared at Japanese Nuke Plant -- ABC News
Stricken nuclear plant's No.3 reactor 'may have cracked' as Fukushima Fifty workers are treated for radiation contamination -- The Daily Mail
Japan crisis: nuclear workers exposed to 10,000 times more radiation than normal -- The Telegraph
Radiation Spread From Japanese Nuclear Power Plant Continues -- Voice of America
Inside Fukushima, more dangers await technicians -- Sydney Morning Herald
Japan's "Fukushima heroes" battle nuclear crisis in anonymity -- Reuters
TEPCO injects fresh water into Daiichi nuclear reactors -- Reuters
Tokyo Electric likely liable for accident: Japan government -- Reuters
Radiation levels around Fukushima to fall within month - expert -- RIA Novosti

Heart Stopping Footage From Japan's Earthquake Disaster

Escape From The Tsunami: Incredible New Footage Shows Split-Second Decisions That Made The Difference Between Life And Death -- Daily Mail

* Woman plucked to safety as huge tidal wave engulfs town
* Buildings being swept away as its helpless citizens watch
* Cars bobbing in the sea after being overwhelmed by tsunami
* Port consumed by huge waves as boats are torn from moorings

It pulverised everything in its path, sweeping away whole towns - and 25,000 people - with the raw power of nature at its most deadly.

And confronted by a towering wall of water, these desperate Japanese had just seconds to save their own lives.

Some fled before the tsunami, hauling themselves into trees and up the side of buildings.

Others were trapped in their cars or in houses, able to do nothing but wait and pray.

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My Comment: Truly heart stopping footage.

Japan In Crisis -- News Updates March 18-19, 2011

Fleeing Continues as Japan Raises Its Nuclear Threat Level -- Time Magazine

The five Buddhist monks hurried toward the gleaming bullet train, their wooden sandals click-clacking on the platform, their pale gray robes fluttering in their wake. For two days, they had slowly made their way from their mountainous monastery in Fukushima prefecture, not far from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear-power plant, to the city of Niigata, which serves as a regional transportation hub.

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More News On Japan's Earthquake/Nuclear Disaster

Japan battles nuclear, humanitarian crisis -- Yahoo News/AFP
Japanese fend for themselves as aid trickles in -- Yahoo News/AP
A week after quake, Japan's leader vows to rebuild -- Yahoo News/AP
Magnitude of disaster to test Japan's mettle anew -- CNN
U.S. Marines' Aid Builds Slowly in Japan -- Wall Street Journal
Crisis Triggers an Exodus From Tokyo -- Wall Street Journal
Japanese survivors cling to hope as aid trickles in -- USA Today
Food shortage misery for tsunami survivors in Japan -- BBC

Japan raises nuclear alert level -- BBC
The moment nuclear plant chief WEPT as Japanese finally admit that radiation leak is serious enough to kill people -- The Daily Mail
Japan owns up: Nuclear crisis has now reached deadly level -- Daily News
Japan storage pools big worry: U.S. nuclear expert -- Reuters
Japan weighs need to bury nuclear plant; tries to restore power -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Interview: Japan crisis is much worse than Three Mile Island -- Yahoo News/Reuters
"Chernobyl solution" may be last resort for Japan reactors -- Reuters
Experts Knock Notion Of Burying Japanese Reactors -- NPR/AP
Special Report: Radiation fears may be greatly exaggerated -- Reuters

Japan In Crisis -- March 17, 2011

'Please Continue To Live Well': Fukushima Fifty 'On Suicide Mission' To Battle N-Plant Meltdown Send Haunting Messages To Families... As Radioactive Steam Pours From Wrecked Reactor -- Mail Online

* Nuclear workers accept their fate 'like a death sentence'
* Fears for their health as one expert says it is 'perhaps a suicide mission'
* Power will be connected to knocked-out coolant pumping system 'within hours'
* Radioactive steam still billows from reactors and fuel storage pools after helicopter missions
* Police water canons move in to spray overheating fuel rods
* Radioactive plume to hit US west coast tomorrow
* 17,000 British nationals could be evacuated as last-ditch efforts are made to stop nuclear catastrophe
* Foreign Office provides free-of-charge rescue flights from Tokyo
* Rich scramble to book private jets out the country as fleeing passengers pack Tokyo airport

Japan was today rallying behind the anonymous nuclear emergency workers at the stricken Fukushima power plant - as heartbreaking details of their plight emerged.

The 180 workers face soaring radiation levels as they make ever more desperate attempts to stop over-heating reactors and spent fuel rods leaking more radiation into the atmosphere.

Some experts have speculated that they may be engaged in a suicide mission - or at least could suffer serious health problems for the rest of their lives - as helicopters and police riot control trucks are used to dump water on the reactors and exposed nuclear fuel storage pools.

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More News On Japan's Earthquake/Nuclear Disaster

Japan quake: live report -- Yahoo News/AFP
Live Feed: Japan earthquake -- Reuters

Japan dumps water on overheating reactor -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Japanese choppers dump water on stricken reactor -- Yahoo News/AP
Japan battles to cool reactors -- Financial Times
Helicopters douse Japan’s stricken reactor as US warns nationals to evacuate wide area -- Washington Post
Japan races to diminish risk of radiation leaks -- Washington Post
Crisis Continues at Crippled Japanese Nuclear Power Plants -- Voice of America
Japanese Officials at Odds If Water Dumps Helped Crippled Nuclear Plant -- FOX News
Japan Turns to Desperate Measures to Cool Nuclear Reactors -- Voice of America
U.S. Drone Surveying Japan's Damaged Nuclear Complex -- Wall Street Journal

Heartbreaking moment Japanese earthquake survivor holds her dead mother's hand as she says a final goodbye -- The Daily Mail
Sitting silent in their classroom, the 30 children whose parents have not come to collect them after tsunami swept away their town -- The Daily Mail
Hope for missing fades in Japan; elderly hard-hit -- Yahoo News/AP
Mounting Japan crisis sparks exodus of foreigners -- Yahoo News/AFP
Japan earthquake: 'Many people' are leaving Tokyo -- BBC
Japanese stay put for now despite nuclear radiation worries -- Christian Science Monitor
Snow, Hunger Add to Misery in Quake-Stricken Japan -- Voice of America
Japan nuclear: How one Fukushima family is coping -- BBC

US, Japan differ on danger zone, spent fuel risk -- CBS
Japan nuclear crisis: US announces evacuation options -- Christina Science Monitor
U.S. Calls Radiation ‘Extremely High;’ Sees Japan Nuclear Crisis Worsening -- New York Times
How the U.S. government is helping Japan -- Washington Post
Japan earthquake: US alarm over nuclear crisis -- BBC
Pentagon preparing for a nuclear worst-case scenario at Fukushima -- Stars And Stripes

Fear of Japan's nuclear crisis far exceeds actual risks, say scientists -- Christian Science Monitor
Japan nuclear crisis: Fukushima 'meltdown' is worrying, but this is no Chernobyl -- Tom Chivers, The Telegraph
In Shadow of Nuclear Disaster, Elderly Worry About the Future -- Krista Mahr, Time Magazine
Japan is truly a disaster on a biblical scale, but are we right to worry about the nuclear angle? -- Michael Hanlon, Daily Mail
The risks exposed: What the damage to the Fukushima plant portends for Japan—and the world -- The Economist
Q+A: Risks at each reactor of Japan's stricken plant explained -- Reuters
Death of Candor From Japan’s Leadership -- Hiroko Tabuchi, Ken Belson and Norimitsu Onishi, New York Times
Emperor comforts Japan in 1st TV talk -- Christopher Johnson, The Washington Times
In Japan, No Time Yet for Grief -- Kazumi Saeki, New York Times

Powerful Images Of Japan's Earthquake And Tsunami

(Click on Image to Enlarge)
Desolate: Policemen carry the bodies of victims retrieved from the debris in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture. Photo from The Daily Mail

WNU Editor: The following links have impressive photo galleries of Japan's earthquake/tsunami disaster.

Scenes of unbelievable devastation as rescuers search for survivors in Japan -- MSNBC Photoblog
Japan Earthquake: A world turned upside down -- New York daily News (Photos)
Japan disaster: 30 powerful images of the earthquake and tsunami -- The Telegraph

The Toll Of Japan's Earthquake Disaster Is Now Believed To Be 25,000

Unimaginable toll: A replica Statue of Liberty stands next to tsunami damaged buildings in Ishinomaki, where officials confirmed that 10,000 of their citizens were missing.

Japan's Worst Nightmare: Soaring Death Toll Set To Hit 25,000 As It Emerges ANOTHER Town Has 10,000 People Missing -- The Daily Mail

* Ishinomaki confirms the huge number of its citizens missing
* North Eastern port town was hit by 20ft tsunami
* Fears that death toll has been terribly underestimated

The terrible toll of Japan's double disaster became clearer today as it emerged as many as 25,000 people could be dead.

As rescue crews trawled through mile after mile of tsunami-stricken wasteland, officials from the coastal town of Ishinomaki confirmed that 10,000 of their citizens were missing.

The unimaginable figure is the same given as in the town of Minamisanriku, also in Miyagi state, which lost around half its population when it was razed to the ground by the 20 foot high wall of water.

So far the official death tool has hit 4,340 with another 9,083 people missing. But there were very real fears tonight that the statistics were a terrible underestimate of those who perished in the tsunami.

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My Comment: The devastation from the tsunami is so complete, I doubt that they will ever fully know how many perished when this disaster occurred. As what is my take .... my gut tells me that the total is far above 25,000. When the tsunami hit Indonesia on Boxing Day 6 years ago, the same death toll predictions were made in the first week. A few weeks later, the full measure of how many died became known. I expect the same to occur with this disaster.

BRAEKING NEWS!!! US Nuclear Agency Chief: Nothing To Stop Meltdown

NRC: No Water In Spent Fuel Pool Of Japan Plant -- Yahoo Finance

US nuclear agency chief says no more water in spent fuel pool at troubled Japan plant.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The chief of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says all the water is gone from one of the spent fuel pools at Japan's most troubled nuclear plant. This means there's nothing to stop the fuel rods from getting hotter and ultimately melting down.

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More News On Japan's Nuclear Disaster

U.S. Official: 'Partial Meltdown' at Japanese Plant -- Wall Street Journal
Governments tell citizens to leave toxic radiation zone as Japanese 'lose control' of reactor (but U.S. not asking people to get out yet) -- The Daily Mail
New power line almost ready at Japan nuke plant -- Yahoo News/AP
Japan scrambles to pull nuclear plant back from brink -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Meltdown 101: Why is Fukushima crisis still out of control? -- Christian science Monitor

My Comment: This crisis is getting worse everyday, and no one .... not one Japanese public official .... has come out and say that they can see the "light at the end of the tunnel".

When you read stories like this one .... it gives you a very clear picture on how this catastrophe is playing out, and it's long term impacts if a meltdown occurs.

Japan In Crisis -- News Updates March 16, 2011

'They've Lost Control': French Claim Japan Is Hiding Full Scale Of Nuclear Disaster As TWO More Reactors Heat Up -- The Daily Mail

* Workers battling nuclear meltdown briefly evacuated today after radiation levels increased
* French minister: 'Let's not beat about the bush, they've essentially lost control'
* Officials commandeer police water cannon to spray complex
* Attempts to dump water on reactors by helicopter fail
* Concern at radioactive steam leaking from reactor number three
* Two more previously stable reactors begin to heat up

Japan's stricken nuclear power plant was abandoned for hours today, as soaring radiation forced emergency workers to flee for their lives and authorities were reduced to spraying reactors with police water cannons.

All 50 emergency workers who had been fighting to keep overheating reactors cool were this morning pulled back 500 yards from the complex as radiation levels became too dangerous.

And in an extraordinary attack, the French government accused the Japanese of losing control of the situation and hiding the full scale of the disaster.

Read more ....

More News On Japan's Earthquake/Nuclear Crisis

Japan disaster: 30 powerful images of the earthquake and tsunami -- The Telegraph

Japan quake: live report -- Yahoo News/AFP
Japan nuclear crisis and tsunami - live updates -- The Guardian
Live Blog: Disaster in Japan -- Wall Street Journal
Live Feed: Japan earthquake -- Reuters

Japan prepares to restart work at nuclear plant -- Yahoo News/AP
Workers briefly abandon Japan nuclear plant as crisis worsens -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Japan's nuclear crisis deepens, emperor addresses nation -- Yahoo News/AFP

Livid Japanese PM takes personal control of crisis management -- National Post
Radiation Thwarts Helicopter Plan -- Wall Street Journal
Japan Struggles To Avert Further Radioactive Leaks From Damaged Nuclear Plant -- Radio Free Europe
Radiation spikes add to nuclear peril in Japan -- L.A. Times
Radiation Levels Spike, Forcing Temporary Retreat by Reactor Emergency Workers at Fukushima -- New York Times
Japan grateful to hero workers at nuclear plant -- AFP
Japan nuclear crisis: 50 brave men the last hope in crisis -- Herald Sun
Last Defense at Troubled Reactors: 50 Japanese Workers -- New York Times

Fear of the unknown grips post-quake Tokyo -- Al Jazeera
Radiation Fears Spark Tokyo Exodus -- ABC News
Thriving metropolis or ghost town? Crisis transforms Tokyo -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Exodus from Tokyo begins -- Washington Times

In first TV address, Japan's emperor seeks to calm public -- Christian Science Monitor
Emperor Akihito's speech underlines gravity of Japan's nuclear crisis -- L.A. Times
Japan’s Emperor Akihito urges quake-devastated nation to ‘share the burden’ -- Washington Post
Japan earthquake: Emperor 'deeply worried' -- BBC
Japan's emperor expresses fears over nuclear situation -- The Guardian
Japanese emperor: I am praying for the nation -- AFP
Emperor Delivers Rare Address on Nuclear Crisis -- New York Times
Japan earthquake: Emperor Akihito's exceptional speech -- The Telegraph

Japan Rushing Aid to Survivors; Food, Water Supplies Low -- Voice of America
Japan still reeling days after quake -- CBC
Snow, Hunger Add to Misery in Quake-Stricken Japan -- Voice of America
Snow the latest threat to stranded survivors -- Sydney Morning Herald
Rescuers hurry to find Japan survivors as forecast worsens -- CNN
Death toll rises to 4,164 in Japan following Friday's colossal quake: police -- Xinhuanet
Japan earthquake: survivors lift rescuers' spirit against all odds -- The Telegraph
Aid workers facing 'monumental' task to avoid humanitarian crisis in Japan -- The Telegraph

Scenes of unbelievable devastation as rescuers search for survivors in Japan -- MSNBC Photoblog
Japan Earthquake: A world turned upside down -- New York daily News (Photos)
Japan disaster: 30 powerful images of the earthquake and tsunami -- The Telegraph

G-7 Finance Chiefs to Discuss Measures to Help Japan -- New York Times
France Calls For G-7, G-20 Meetings On Japan Crises -- Wall Street Journal
Lagarde Seeks G-7 Financial Talks on Japan Crisis Response -- Bloomberg

Q&A: Japan's ticking nuclear timebomb -- CNN
Q+A: Risks at each reactor of Japan's stricken plant explained -- Reuters
Analysis: Japan accident shows dilemma over atom plant sites -- Reuters
Emperor’s appearance signals magnitude of Japan disaster -- Peter Goodspeed, National Post

A Pictoral Collection From Japan's Earthquake Disaster (Video)

Shocking Photos From Japan's Earthquake Disaster

(Click on Image to Enlarge)
A man looks around devastated area hit by earthquake and tsunami in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture

Japan's Apocalypse Now: Rescuers Pick Their Way Through A Wasteland Of Bodies, Wreckage And People Washing In Rivers -- Daily Mail

* 70-year-old woman found alive in house that had been washed away by the tsunami
* Japan injects £60.8bn into money markets after Nikkei plunges by more than 10 per cent
* Bread, tinned goods and batteries growing scarce as Japanese panic buy amid nuclear crisis
* Fears for hundreds of Britons believed missing. FO expresses 'serious concern' for at least 50

With millions of people without electricity, thousands missing and warnings of an imminent second earthquake, the task for Japanese authorities is too daunting to imagine.

Some 3,000 people have now been confirmed dead since last week’s earthquake and subsequent tsunami but officials believe the death toll could rise into the tens of thousands, with a further 2,000 bodies washing up on the shores of north-east Japan yesterday.

Bodies wrapped in blue tarpaulins were laid on military stretchers and lined up for collection while panic-buying has begun in Japan amid fears of a second quake and growing concern about nuclear leaks.

Survivors are also struggling to find food and water as supplies run low. There have been major power outages since the double disaster, many planned to preserve resources.

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My Comment: An incredible collection of pictures from this disaster.

U.S. Military Intensifying Assistance To Japan

An Air Force MH-53 Pave Low search and rescue helicopter is brought on board the USS Tortuga by a U.S. Navy flight operations team, March 12, 2011, off the coast of Sasebo, Japan. (Credit: U.S. Navy /Lt. K. Madison Carter)

U.S. Military Exposed To Radiation In Japan, Though Officials Say Danger is Minimal -- Time Magazine

The U.S. Navy is no stranger to nuclear power. As of March 2010, the organization has operated 82 nuclear-powered ships with 103 reactors on ships and submarines. So when the tests confirmed that its team of 17 naval helicopter crew became exposed to almost a month's worth of nuclear radiation in just one hour– it knew what to do.

First it took immediate action by destroying the crew's infected uniforms and ensuring they washed with soap and water to remove the plume. Then the crew underwent another series of tests with the results showing no contamination. Next it repositioned its aircraft carriers from the 7th fleet away from Japan's crippled Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power station. A statement then followed along with a slew of interviews stressing the crew's minimal amount of radiation given the low dose exposure.

Read more ....

More News On The U.S. Military Providing Assistance To Quake Damaged Japan

Military warns on Japan radiation risk -- Reuters
US moves warships closer to Japanese coast -- Reuters
US Navy has 8 ships near Japan, 5 en route -- AFP
FACTBOX - More U.S. ships head to Japan, radiation risk eyed -- Sify News
U.S. Military Joins in Quake-Relief Effort -- Wall Street Journal
U.S. military moves in for Japan quake relief -- CBS
U.S. military airlifts aid to Japan quake victims -- CBS News
U.S. rescue teams find devastation in northern city of Ofunato -- Stars And Stripes
Military units supporting relief operations in Japan face bandwidth shortages -- NextGov
Report: Military Blocked Commercial Websites To Free Up Bandwidth In Japan -- National Journal
Quick Facts: US forces in Japan -- Press TV

Japan In Crisis -- News Updates March 15, 2011

Japan: Death Toll Rises, Stocks Plunge, Foreigners Flee As Nuclear Crisis Escalates -- Washington Post

TOKYO — Torn up and terrified by a disaster that keeps on getting worse, Japan has transformed in just four days from one of the world’s most comfortable countries into one of its most distressed.

Thousands of people along the northeastern coast of Asia’s richest country are dead, and tens of thousands have gone days with little food, little water and almost no heat. Their towns have been demolished into soggy fields.

Read more ....

More News On The Earthquake Disaster In Japan

Japan quake: live report -- Yahoo News/AFP
Japan nuclear crisis and tsunami - live updates -- The Guardian
Live Blog: Disaster in Japan -- Wall Street Journal
Live Feed: Japan earthquake -- Reuters

Radiation level soars after Japan nuke plant fire -- AP
Nuclear plant co. may spray reactor by helicopter -- AP
Tsunami tests Japan's resilient spirit -- AP
Japan braces for potential radiation catastrophe -- Reuters
Worries mount, food runs short for Japanese victims -- Reuters
Radiation fears spark panic, evacuations in Tokyo -- Reuters
Blasts, fire escalate Japan's nuclear crisis -- AFP

Panicked residents start to flee Tokyo as radiation levels rise after THIRD blast at stricken nuclear power plant -- The Daily Mail
New Explosion Rocks Fukushima Nuclear Plant -- New York Times
Japanese nuclear plant hit by fire and third explosion -- The Guardian
Water likely to be poured into crippled No. 4 reactor in Japan -- Reuters
Fukushima operator says will evacuate control room personnel (Update 1) -- RIA Novosti
Third Blast at Crippled Nuke Plant Sparks Meltdown Fears; 140,000 Ordered to Stay Indoors -- Time
U.S. Navy Detects Radiation 200 Miles From Japan Nuclear Plant -- FOX News
Japanese Flee As Nuclear Plant Warnings Grow Dire -- NPR
Radioactive cloud spreading in Japan nuclear crisis -- The Australian
Japan's PM warns of radiation risk -- CBC
Japan officials: Stay indoors, nuclear leaks now dangerous -- Christian Science Montior
Japan’s nuclear crisis leads to dangerous spike in radiation levels -- Washington Post
US military warns on Japan radiation risk -- Jerusalem Post/Reuters
Japan fears a nuclear disaster after reactor breach -- L.A. Times
Japan Makes Progress at Troubled Nuclear Plant -- Wall Street Journal

Two aftershocks rattle battered Japan -- USA Today
2 New Quakes Rattle Japan's Northeast, Tokyo -- ABC News
Worries mount, food runs short for Japanese victims -- Reuters
Humanitarian crisis deepens in quake-hit Japan -- Reuters
Anxious foreigners flee Japan -- Washington Post
European, Asian airlines take steps to avoid Tokyo -- Reuters
Millions in Japan freeze without electricity, heat -- MSNBC

Japanese crisis hits world markets -- Al Jazeera
Global Stocks Plunge As Japan Faces Nuclear Crisis -- Steve Schaefer, Forbes
European shares slide on Japan's nuclear crisis -- Reuters
Tokyo Market Plunges on Nuclear, Power Supply Concerns -- Voice of America
Japan Injects $183 Billion to Stabilize Quake Rattled Economy -- Voice of America
Japan catastrophe could make U.S. debt costlier -- Reuters

`Worst Case' Nuclear Disaster in Japan Hangs on Unlikely Events -- Bloomberg
Radiation exposure: How big is the threat in Japan? -- Chris Richardson, Christian Science Monitor
Disaster in Japan: A difficult Tuesday -- The Economist
Don't bank on a Japanese debt crisis yet -- Fortune/CNN

A Video Compilation On The Earthquake Disaster In Japan

Japan Earthquake And Tsunami: Most Dramatic Videos -- The Telegraph

On Friday, 11 March 2011, Japan was struck by the most powerful earthquake in its history, triggering a 30-foot tsunami that wreaked devastation on a scale not seen since World War II. An unprecedented amount of video footage has emerged documenting the disaster.

Watch the most dramatic footage of the worst natural disaster to hit Japan since records began, from the moment the earthquake struck to the ensuing tsunamis and nuclear meltdown.

Tolyo's Stock Market Crashes On Fears Of A Nuclear Catastrophe

Employees of the Tokyo Stock Exchange work at the bourse in Tokyo March 14, 2011. Reuters

Tokyo Shares End Day Down 11% -- Wall Street Journal

SINGAPORE—Tokyo shares led Asia stock markets lower, with the main index dropping 11% amid widespread worries about the possibility of a nuclear catastrophe. An afternoon bounce brought them back from a bottom more than 14% down.

Japanese stocks were pressured by news of another explosion at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, this time at its No. 4 reactor. This was shortly after radiation levels rose sharply as the No. 2 reactor suffered an explosion following damage to its suppression pool. Japan's prime minister Naoto Kan said there's a high risk of elevated levels of radiation from the crippled reactors, and urged people within 30 kilometers of the plant to stay indoors.

"What the world is watching right now is whether Tepco's Fukushima nuclear power plant is going to turn into Chernobyl," said Norihiro Fujito, senior investment strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities.

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My Comment: Japan's economy is the third largest in the world. This stock market collapse is going to impact everyone.