Japan

TOKYO (AP) — Japan will start releasing treated and diluted radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean as early as Thursday — a controversial but essential early step in the decades of work to shut down the facility 12 years after its meltdown disaster.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida gave the final go-ahead Tuesday at a meeting of Cabinet ministers involved in the plan and instructed the operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, to be ready to start the coastal release Thursday if weather and sea conditions permit.

TOKYO, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- As the Japanese government approaches a decision on the specific date for the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean, hundreds of Japanese gathered in central Tokyo on Friday to rally against the discharge plan.

TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese town said Friday it has agreed to a geological study to determine its suitability as an interim storage site for spent nuclear fuel.

Kaminoseki, a small town in the southwestern prefecture of Yamaguchi, said it would accept the offer of a survey by Chugoku Electric Power Co., one of two major utility operators, along with Kansai Electric Power Co., whose spent fuel storage pools are almost full.

TOKYO (AP) — Global shares were trading mixed Wednesday amid worries over discouraging data on China, as well as over the future of the U.S. economy.

France’s CAC 40 edged up 0.4% in early trading to 7,292.89, while Germany’s DAX rose 0.2% to 15,799.93. Britain’s FTSE 100 was little changed, inching down less than 0.1% to 7,387.74.

U.S. shares were set to drift higher with Dow futures up 0.2% at 35,073.00. S&P 500 futures gained 0.2% to 4,463.00.

But benchmarks fell in Asia earlier in the day.

TOKYO, Aug 15 (Reuters) - As the yen slid past 145 per dollar with barely a murmur from Japanese policymakers during recent days, suspicion grew that they won't be as quick to order intervention as they were last year as they now reap some benefits from a weaker currency.

Surging exports helped economic growth hit 6% on an annualised basis in the second quarter, and lower global oil prices have helped keep a lid on the import bill.

TOKYO, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Nearly 900 flights in Japan were cancelled and 240,000 people were ordered to move to safety as a slow-moving typhoon made landfall early on Tuesday, cutting off power to tens of thousands of homes.

Typhoon Lan, approaching from the Pacific Ocean, made landfall at the southern tip of Wakayama prefecture, some 400 km (250 miles) southwest of Tokyo, lashing much of central and western Japan with heavy rain and powerful winds.

Authorities issued flood and landslide warnings, and some tornadoes formed.

TOKYO (AP) — A strong tropical storm lashed central and western Japan with heavy rain and high winds Tuesday, causing flooding and power blackouts and paralyzing air and ground transportation while many people were traveling for a Buddhist holiday week.

TOKYO, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Japan and the U.S. will agree this week to jointly develop an interceptor missile to counter hypersonic warheads being developed by China, Russia and North Korea, Japan's Yomiuri newspaper said on Sunday.

The agreement on interceptors to target weapons designed to evade existing ballistic missile defences is expected when President Joe Biden meets Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in the U.S. on Friday, the report said, without giving any source for the information.

TOKYO, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has found leaks in a hose used to transfer nuclear-contaminated wastewater, local media reported on Friday.

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) conducted a probe after higher-than-usual levels of radioactive material were detected in rainwater in the dike around a storage tank, public broadcaster NHK reported.

TOKYO, Aug 10 (NNN-NHK) – Japan marked the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombing of its western city of Nagasaki yesterday, with the city mayor calling on world leaders to stop relying on nuclear deterrence and move steadily towards abolishing nuclear weapons.

This year’s memorial ceremony was significantly scaled down, due to severe tropical storm Khanun approaching the region. The ceremony at the Nagasaki Dejima Messe conference centre was the first since 1963, to take place indoors, rather than at the city’s Peace Park, close to the hypocentre, where the bomb detonated.