Japan Quake

It has been exactly one year since Japan was rocked by an earthquake and tsunami that killed 16,000 and left 3,300 still unaccounted for. The country took a moment of silence to remember all those affected by the natural disasters.

"I'm unable to wipe away the sense of regret having lost my mother and wife because we underestimated the tsunami," Kosei Chiba told MSNBC. "We can't just stay sad. Our mission is to face reality and move forward step by step. But the damage the town suffered was too big and our psychological scars are too deep. We need a long time to rebuild," he said.

The earthquake, which registered at a 9.0 on the Richter scale of one to 10, set off powerful reactions across the country. A tsunami followed, which devastated the country and hit a nuclear plant, causing lasting damage to residents. Nuclear reactors released potent chemicals and unleashed criticism and panic on a scale larger than the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986. more >>

Japan launched another spy satellite Monday in an increased effort to keep tabs on its Asian neighbors.

The satellite can snap pictures of Earth in all weather conditions, including rain and fog. The device can also capture images in the dark.

Japanese officials maintain that the satellite is for spotting natural disasters like the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that stuck the island nation in March. more >>

A powerful 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the shores of Japan’s southern Okinawa Island Tuesday.

Initial reports stated that the quake, which occurred at 11:59 a.m. local time, struck about 135 miles northwest of Naha, Okinawa, and 309 miles from Taipei, Taiwan, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Despite the trembler’s strength, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue any alerts. more >>

LAKE FOREST, Calif. – Seven months after Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, about 50 members of a church that was located just a few miles from the destroyed Fukushima 1 Nuclear Power Plant are still looking for a place to call home.

Still leading his dwindled congregation housed in a campsite outside Tokyo, Pastor Akira Sato has authored a book about the story of Fukushima First Bible Baptist Church. Prior to the disasters, Sato’s followers were part of a rural four-campus, multisite church having about 200 members.

Rurou no Kyokai (Exodus Church) is currently the best-selling Christian book in Japan. Written in Japanese, Sato and his publishers are in the process of having it translated into several languages, including English. more >>

Thursday evening around 7 p.m. a strong 5.6 magnitude earthquake rocked the East Asian island of Japan.

There were no immediate reports of damage, and although there were initial fears that a tsunami could follow, no tsunami warning has been issued according to AP.

The quake did jolt Fukushima, but fortunately, no problems were reported at the plant. A spokeswoman for the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Masashi Kato, said, "The quake has not caused anything abnormal at Fukushima Daiichi." more >>

Two separate earthquakes were reported in Japan and Cuba Thursday, with neither temblor resulting in injuries or immediate damage.

A magnitude 6.2 quake struck off Japan’s northeastern coast, shaking buildings in Tokyo. Occurring about 225 kilometers east of Tokyo at a depth of 6.2 miles, the quake was centered off the coast of Ibaraki, according to the nation’s Meteorological Agency. The agency said the earthquake presents no threat of a tsunami.

In a separate event Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey registered a magnitude 6.0 quake off the coast of Cuba. The temblor was centered about 68 miles from the north coast of Jamaica. The earthquake occurred about 25 miles off Cuba’s coast, nearly 38 miles southeast of the capital city Havana. more >>