Photo Source: LA Times.

LA Times: Japan dominates in 3-1 victory over Sweden in Women’s World Cup

“Everyone could see that Japan was the better side,” Sweden Coach Thomas Dennerby said. “They put in an outstanding tactical display and I think they pose a real threat to the USA.”

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BBC: Japan PM Naoto Kan urges [...]

Photo Source: Seattle Post Intelligencer.

Seattle Post Intelligencer: How first 24 hours shaped Japan’s nuclear crisis

Through interviews with dozens of officials, workers and experts, and hundreds of pages of newly released documents, The Associated Press found the early response to the crisis was marked by confusion, inadequate preparation, a lack of forthrightness with the [...]

Photo Source: Reuters.

Reuters: Hello Kitty goes crystal for Japan disaster relief

The centrepiece of the project, a collaboration between the Austrian jeweler and Sanrio Co, the company that markets Hello Kitty, was a 20 cm (7.9 inch) limited edition figurine picked out in 19,636 crystals — and carrying a price tag of 1.2 million [...]

Photo Source: ABC Australia.

ABC Australia: Japan told to grow sunflowers in radioactive soil

Campaigners in Japan are asking people to grow sunflowers, said to help decontaminate radioactive soil, in response to the Fukushima nuclear disaster that followed March’s massive quake and tsunami.

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Reuters: Special report: Japan’s “throwaway” nuclear workers

The previously undisclosed hiring of welders [...]

Photo Source: Reuters.

Reuters: Missing pets – a lingering legacy of Japan’s disasters

“If you go into the zone, animals were all over the place – farm animals, dogs, and cats. Animals were in distress on roads and they were in a very bad shape,” she said. “People were not able to get access to [...]

Photo Source: Wall Street Journal.

Wall Street Journal: The Geiger Club: Mothers Bust Silent Radiation Consensus

Yuka Sasaki, who is 28 years old and has a four-year-old son, lives in Kawashi in Chiba prefecture, which has been designated as a “hot spot” with higher-than-usual radiation levels – even though it’s 200 kilometers away from Fukushima. [...]

3-D Animation Hatsune Miku. Photo Source: AFP

AFP: Japan 3-D pop avatar a real-world hit

She doesn’t demand six-figure recording contracts, always shows up on time, never throws tantrums and won’t break a sweat during a two-hour live show in a concert hall packed with thousands of adoring followers.

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Asahi: EDITORIAL: Kan needs to announce [...]

Photo Source: Wall Street Journal

Wall Street Journal: Move Over Kate, Princess Masako Is Back

At a school gymnasium now used as a shelter, Princess Masako knelt on the floor and spoke to evacuees there. Media reports said a 67-year-old woman tearfully explained to the royal couple that she fled with little more than the [...]

Wall Street Journal: Tsunami Zone Residents Scorn Tokyo Jockeying

“It’s one thing to clean up a town. But to rebuild it is something different altogether. It’s difficult to do that when the country’s direction isn’t settled,” said Rikuzentakata Mayor Futoshi Toba. “Under normal conditions, I don’t have a problem with playing these types of games, [...]

Market in Ofunato, Iwate. Photo Source: Chicago Tribune.

Chicago Tribune: Japanese tsunami survivors find strength and solace in 200-year-old street market

Sakariki-machi market has survived for more than two centuries in this coastal Japanese town, through natural disaster and war, not to mention the advent of 7-11s and discount chains. Now, in its small but [...]