Tokyo Electric Power announced that it has restarted the reactor at Unit 6 of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture, which had been halted shortly after its initial restart due to equipment problems.
About 3,000 Steller sea lions have appeared on an uninhabited island off Hokkaido, marking the largest number for this time of year and adding to fishing losses estimated to exceed 1 billion yen.
Influenza is once again spreading rapidly across the Kansai region, with Osaka Prefecture reaching an advisory-level outbreak for the second time in a single season for the first time in 15 years as infections surge again after the New Year.
Japanese startup ALE announced on February 4 that it will conduct its third demonstration experiment to generate artificial shooting stars in 2028, positioning the project as a step toward eventual commercialization rather than a one-off spectacle.
High-resolution 3D images created from aerial photographs taken after the Great East Japan Earthquake have revealed how large-scale fires spread in the aftermath of the tsunami, showing that in Yamada Town, Iwate Prefecture, debris left behind by the waves covered wide areas of the town and rendered roads ineffective as natural firebreaks, allowing flames to expand unchecked.
Japan has successfully recovered rare earth–bearing mud from a depth of 6,000 meters off Minamitorishima as part of a trial mining project aimed at developing a domestic supply of critical minerals, government officials said.
A prolonged stretch of unusually dry weather, described as a “once-in-30-years” event, has led to worsening water shortages across parts of eastern Japan, prompting local governments to urge residents to conserve water as reservoir levels fall to historic lows.
Reports of measles infections have been emerging one after another across the Kanto region, prompting health authorities to urge the public to remain vigilant.