A strong earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale struck off northeast Japan early on Thursday, the US Geological Survey said, but no tsunami warning was issued.
The Hiroshima event is not just about the 10,000-odd lanterns that float down a river. It is about remembrance. It is about dignity. It is about respect. It is about love, observes Sandeep Goyal.
A fresh fire broke out at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in northern Japan in the wee hours of Wednesday, the BBC reported.
As hectic efforts were on to contain Japan's worst atomic crisis, police in protective gear on Thursday for the first time launched a search for tsunami victims in a 10-km zone around a radiation-leaking nuclear plant while Premier Naoto Kan vowed to rebuild the nation amid growing opposition calls for him to quit.
It was meant to be the start of a triumphant march to the Tokyo 2020 Games: the torch relay would begin on Thursday in Fukushima, battered by the 2011 earthquake and nuclear disaster, as a poignant symbol of the "Recovery Olympics." But instead, it was like any other day for this prefecture in northeast Japan after the relay was scrapped following the Games' postponement due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Unprecedented rainfall in Japan unleashed heavy floods on Friday that ripped through parts of the island nation on Thursday, forcing more than 1 lakh people from their homes.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances