Japan
EU, U.S., Japan seek WTO steps on China rare earths
BRUSSELS - The European Union, the United States and Japan on Wednesday requested a dispute settlement panel at the World Trade Organization (WTO) after failing to resolve a battle over China's export restrictions on rare earth minerals.
Recent Japan News
Populist Japan mayor grooms candidates for national stage
OSAKA, Japan - Gathered in a hall in the city of Osaka, about 900 students at Toru Hashimoto's school for candidates listen raptly as the populist mayor issues a clarion call to shake up Japan's deadlocked politics in an election that could come this year.
Sony CEO tells shareholders revival plan will work
TOKYO - Sony Corp's new CEO, Kazuo Hirai, on Wednesday defended retaining his predecessor, Howard Stringer, as chairman of the board and promised his turnaround strategy will save Japan's troubled consumer electronics giant.
Nomura CEO grilled over insider probe, but re-elected
TOKYO - Kenichi Watanabe was re-elected as CEO of Nomura Holdings on Wednesday despite a grilling from shareholders about the Japanese broker's slumping share price and his handling of a protracted insider trading probe.
BP sells stakes in North Sea fields for $280 million
LONDON - British oil major BP said it agreed to sell its minority stakes in two North Sea fields to Japanese trading company Mitsui for $280 million, as part of a plan to focus its portfolio in the region on larger scale projects.
Seismologists warn Japan against nuclear restart
TOKYO - Two prominent seismologists said on Tuesday that Japan is ignoring the safety lessons of last year's Fukushima crisis and warned against restarting two reactors next month.
Special reports
The nuclear industry's trillion dollar question
Before Fukushima, more than 300 nuclear reactors were planned worldwide, mostly in developing economies. While parts of the developed world may reduce their use of nuclear, China, India, the Middle East and Eastern Europe look set continue their nuclear drive. Full Article
Quake reveals cracks in insurance system
The sophisticated modeling systems the insurance industry uses to predict where disasters will happen and how much they will cost never factored in an earthquake the size of the one that hit northeast Japan. Full Article
Japan engineers knew tsunami could overrun plant
A review of Tokyo Electric Power and regulatory records shows that Japan and its largest utility repeatedly downplayed dangers and ignored warnings -- including a 2007 tsunami study from TEPCO's senior safety engineer. Full Article
Fuel storage, safety issues vexed Japan plant
Tokyo Electric and regulators are certain to face scrutiny on the decision to store most of the Fukushima plant's spent fuel rods inside the reactor buildings rather than invest in other potentially safer storage options. Full Article
Disasters show flaws in just-in-time production
In a globalized economy where manufacturers have moved ever more toward lean inventories, the weakest link in the supply chain is what Japan is best known for: high-end, highly technical parts. Full Article
Radiation fears may be greatly exaggerated
As workers struggle to contain the fallout from a crippled Japanese nuclear plant, people as far away as Illinois are calling public health officials in a state of panic. But the truth is anxiety is largely disproportionate to the actual danger. Full Article
Mistakes, misfortune, meltdown: Japan's quake
An examination of Japan's effort to contain its escalating nuclear disaster reveals a series of missteps, bad luck and desperate improvisation. What also emerges is a country that has begun to question some of its oldest values. Full Article
Why Japan will avert a fiscal meltdown
In these dark hours, Japan would do well to heed former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel's memorable maxim that you never want a serious crisis to go to waste. Full Article
Can Japan find "New Deal" after triple whammy?
The nuclear crisis was a triple whammy for Japan, coming on top of the earthquake -- the fifth strongest ever recorded -- and one of the most powerful tsunami in history, which caused scenes of unimaginable destruction in northeast Japan. Full Article | Related Story
In Chernobyl, a disaster persists
As Japan battles to prevent a meltdown at its earthquake-hit Fukushima Daini nuclear plant, the people of Ukraine are preparing to mark the 25th anniversary of the world's worst nuclear accident. Full Article | Related Story
An interactive guide to how the disaster unfolded. Timeline
Scenes From Japan
Japan disaster: How you can help
If you want to help but are unsure of where to turn here is a comprehensive list of relief organizations that are scrambling to provide aid. Full Article
Fukushima has a hole, leading to leakage
One of the reactors at Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant has a hole in its main vessel following a meltdown of fuel rods, leading to a leakage of radioactive water, its operator said. Video | Full Article
Key external resources
Helpful links to other sites
The story on the devastation throughout Japan is extremely complex and changing by the minute. Here are some external resources that our readers have found useful, starting off with NHK World News. Learn More