Monday's major earthquake in western Japan has left at least 3 people dead and nearly 350 injured.
Quake has also damaged nationally designated cultural assets in Kyoto and Nara prefectures which neighbor Osaka.
Japan's Prime Minister has expressed the hope that mutual trust can be built with North Korea to help resolve the issue of the abductions of Japanese citizens by the North.
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Key words : major earthquake 3 people dead
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180618_37/
Monday's major earthquake in western Japan left 3 people dead and more than 350 injured.
The Meteorological Agency is warning it's possible another big earthquake could hit in the coming days.
Agency's official says "Frequent seismic activity is continuing in the northern part of Osaka Prefecture.
Strong tremors could have raised the risk of landslides or building collapse. People in such areas are advised to watch out for further seismic activity and rain."
The earthquake struck before 8 AM in northern Osaka and measured 6.1 in magnitude.
On Japan's seismic intensity scale of zero to seven, it's categorized as a six-minus.
9-year-old Rina Miyake was killed when a wall collapsed while she was on her way to school.
80-year-old Minoru Yasui was also hit by a falling wall in a different area. He was on his way to do volunteer work for a local school.
85-year-old Motochika Goto was killed after a bookshelf fell on him. Many of the injured have been taken to hospital with the biggest number of injuries reported in the prefecture of Osaka.
Authorities are also dealing with damage. Firefighters have put out three house fires in northern Osaka.
Pipes have cracked underneath some roads and ceiling tiles fell in city halls in Osaka, Hyogo and Nara Prefectures as well as at the terminal building of Osaka airport.
Around 1,300 people have fled to evacuation centers set up across Osaka. 100,000 homes are without gas and water outages are being reported in the northern half of Osaka.
Shinkansen bullet train services in the area were suspended for hours for safety checks.
All the service resumed in the afternoon, but there were numerous cancellations and delays.
Local trains have also been affected stranding thousands of passengers.
Japan's nuclear regulator says no problems have been found with reactors in Fukui Prefecture.
They are located to the north of the quake's epicenter.
Key words : hit by falling wall airport
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180618_20/
At least 2 elderly men and a little girl are dead in Osaka from a magnitude 6.1 earthquake.
Authorities are still getting to grips with the extent of injuries, but they say at least 61 people have been hurt across multiple prefectures in western Japan.
The 9-year-old girl and one of the elderly men were hit by falling walls in different areas. A bookshelf killed the other man. Many of the injured have been taken to hospital.
Firefighters are trying to put out a house fire in northern Osaka.
Cracked pipes are spilling water onto some roads.
And at least fourteen cases of people trapped inside elevators have been reported.
Dozens have fled to evacuation centers set up across Osaka. 100,000 homes are without gas. But power has been restored for 170,000 that had lost it.
Some public schools have been closed with parents asked to pick their children.
Shinkansen bullet train service has been halted and local trains have also been affected, stranding thousands of passengers. Officials are now trying to rescue passengers from trains stuck between stations.
Two airports in the region temporarily suspended flights, but have since resumed operations.
Officials in neighboring Fukui Prefecture say they've checked all the 15 nuclear reactors there, both online and offline, and no problems have been found.
The strong earthquake struck before 8 am in northern Osaka. It's categorized as a six-minus on a scale of zero to seven on Japan's seismic intensity scale.
Senior government officials are gathering for an emergency meeting at the Prime Minister's office.
Japanese Self-Defense Force fighter jets and helicopters are heading to the area to gather information.
Key words : mayor apologize
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180618_33/
The mayor of a city has apologized for a 9-year-old girl's death in Monday's earthquake in Osaka Prefecture. She was crushed when a 40-meter section of a concrete wall at a school swimming pool fell on top of her.
Takatsuki Mayor Takeshi Hamada told reporters on Monday afternoon that the city will investigate the cause of the collapse. He added that the city bears responsibility of some kind for the incident.
The city plans to check the walls at all of its elementary and junior high schools.
Key words : prime instructed support
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180618_38/
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has instructed his ministers to make every effort to support those affected by Monday's powerful earthquake in Osaka Prefecture.
He called a meeting of relevant ministers following the magnitude 6.1 earthquake on Monday. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga and Disaster Management Minister Hachiro Okonogi were among the participants.
Abe said the powerful earthquake, which was centered in northern Osaka, has so far claimed the lives of a small girl and 2 senior citizens. He said he prays for the souls of those who died. He also said his heart goes out to those who were injured and everyone else affected by the quake.
Abe said the government has been making a concerted effort to gather information, keep lines of communication open, and perform search and rescue operations. But, he said, vital services and utilities are still disrupted.
He instructed the ministers to do all they can to restore public transportation systems, gas, water and other essential services.
Abe said it may become necessary to provide shelter, water and other relief supplies to those affected.
He noted that the important thing is to respond proactively.
He asked the ministers to check shelters and provide food and daily supplies if necessary even before requests come in to the government.
He took a moment to remember a girl who was crushed to death when a wall at a school pool collapsed on her. He urged the ministers to ensure schools are safe in times of disaster.
Key words : earthquake cause blackout
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180618_24/
Japan's health ministry says the earthquake on Monday morning caused a blackout at a hospital in Osaka Prefecture. Power was restored in the afternoon.
The ministry says gas and water supplies have also been disrupted at the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center in Suita City.
The hospital is said to have 20 patients who use auxiliary artificial hearts. Another 50 are on artificial respirators and 5 need dialysis.
It is not known if these patients were affected by the blackout.
Six patients were slightly injured in the quake and a number of others had to be evacuated because of water leaks.
Arrangements are underway to transfer some patients, including those in an intensive care unit, to nearby hospitals.
The center will not accept new patients on Monday and Tuesday, but exceptions will be made for people who need emergency treatment.
The Ground Self-Defense Force dispatched 4 water supply vehicles to the hospital following a request for assistance from the Osaka prefectural governor.
Key words : damaged national
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180618_29/
Monday's jolt in western Japan has damaged nationally designated cultural assets in Kyoto and Nara prefectures neighboring Osaka.
The quake that hit Kyoto in the morning registered 5 plus on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of zero to 7.
Local authorities say a crack was found on the outer wall of a teahouse at the temple Myokian in the town of Oyamazaki. It was built more than 400 years ago by legendary tea master Senno Rikyu.
The teahouse, Taian, is a designated national treasure. It was built by order of 16th-century Japanese ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
The temple says the crack measures about 2 meters, but the mud wall is not at immediate risk of collapse.
The temple noted this is the first time an earthquake has caused a crack to form.
Also, a wooden transom came loose in the study corridor of the temple's main building, which is a state-designated important cultural property.
Further damage was found to a house blending traditional Japanese and modern architecture, called Chochikukyo, in the town of Oyamazaki. Some windows were shattered and its outer wall damaged.
The 90-year-old building has been designated an important cultural property by the Japanese government.
Nara prefectural authorities say an embellishment on one of the so-called Four Heavenly Kings statues at the renowned Todaiji Temple fell following Monday's tremor.
The wooden embellishment, which measures some 20 centimeters, is shaped like a tower and was in a palm of one of the statues. Temple authorities say the carving itself wasn't damaged.
Key words : Osaka surrounding
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180618_21/
Osaka and its surrounding areas are home to some of Japan's biggest industrial firms and factories. Some of them have been affected by the earthquake, but there are no reports of any serious damage so far.
Komatsu has suspended operations at a plant in Hirakata City in Osaka. The construction-machinery maker says the tremor damaged part of a ceiling at the plant's office building. Workers are checking for possible disruptions to the production line.
Komatsu says no staff members were injured.
Another machinery maker, Kubota, has suspended operations for the day at its Hirakata plant to check for damage.
Oil wholesalers JXTG and Cosmo Energy say there has been no damage to their refineries in the quake-hit area.
Key words : Osaka prefectural refrain
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180618_31/
Osaka prefectural officials are urging people to keep calm and refrain from sharing unsubstantiated information on social media after Monday's earthquake.
One widely shared tweet claimed the roof of the Kyocera Dome Osaka stadium is cracked. The operator denies this.
Other cases of false information include a train derailment and a zebra escaping from a zoo.
Messages inciting discrimination against foreigners living in Japan are also spreading.
One post advises people to watch out for thefts and burglaries by foreign residents. Another says foreigners are not accustomed to quakes, so they will start looting convenience stores or rushing to airports.
Social media users are posting messages to counter the discriminatory ones.
One user says people should be aware that racists use major disasters to spread false information.
Another says fake news spreads during disasters, and that people need to improve their media literacy so they can detect false information.
Key words : prime hope mutual trust
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180618_28/
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has expressed the hope that mutual trust can be built with North Korea to help resolve the long-standing issue of the abductions of Japanese citizens by the North.
At an Upper House committee meeting on Monday, Abe said North Korea should disclose everything it knows about the abductions and allow all the victims to return home as soon as possible.
He said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's leadership was demonstrated in his recent summit meeting with US President Donald Trump.
Abe also said he wants to end the mutual distrust between Tokyo and Pyongyang and make a step forward.
The prime minister said he will need to meet with Kim, but if that happens, the talks must contribute to resolving the abductions issue.
He said he hopes to conduct diplomacy based on reality that will produce an outcome.
On last week's summit between Trump and Kim, Abe said he told Trump back in April that he should sign a document with Kim. He added that the summit ended with a joint statement that will serve as the basis for Pyongyang's denuclearization.
Key words : prosecutor
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180618_23/
Prosecutors have demanded the death penalty for a man accused of killing a 9-year-old Vietnamese girl in Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo.
Yasumasa Shibuya, who is 47, is charged with killing Le Thi Nhat Linh in March last year after kidnapping her on her way to school in Matsudo City. Her body was found in a nearby city.
Shibuya was the head of the school's parents' association at the time.
Prosecutors told the Chiba District Court on Monday that there is plenty of evidence to substantiate the suspicion that Shibuya killed the girl. They said his DNA was found on the victim's body.
The prosecutors also said it is clear that Shibuya strangled the girl to death after kidnapping and molesting her.
They said it was an abnormal crime targeting the weak and was extremely malicious. They added that Shibuya is cold-hearted and cruel with no conscience.
The defense counsel said the accused is not the culprit, and the prosecutors have failed to fully prove their case.
Shibuya maintained his innocence again. He asked the judge and lay judges to make a fair decision and bowed to them.
The court is due to hand down a ruling on July 6th.
Key words : Nissan
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180618_27/
Nissan is halting its development of fuel cell cars. Company officials have concluded that demand for the vehicles is unlikely to take off anytime soon.
Nissan announced plans in 2013 to develop and mass-produce fuel cell cars with Daimler of Germany and Ford of the United States.
But the company says high vehicle price tags and delays in setting up hydrogen stations have limited the market potential.
Rival carmaker Toyota has put fuel cell vehicles on the market, but sales remain sluggish. That's in contrast to electric vehicles, which are gaining traction worldwide.
Nissan officials say they'll maintain their tie-up with the two foreign automakers, and continue studies on fuel cell vehicles. But they say they will focus on electric vehicles and hybrid cars, both of which are already being mass-produced.
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