at 20:00 (JST), September 06 AS

Five people were dead after a powerful earthquake rocked Japan's northern prefecture of Hokkaido early Thursday morning.

Japan's nuclear regulatory agency and the operator of the Tomari nuclear plant in Hokkaido have reported that the aftershocks are unlikely to cause any safety concerns.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20180906200000_english_1.mp3


Key words : dead earthquake early Thursday
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180906_57/

Five people have been confirmed dead after a magnitude 6.7 earthquake rocked Japan's northern prefecture of Hokkaido early Thursday morning. Another 4 people do not have vital signs. About 300 are injured and about 30 more are missing.

Meteorological Agency officials say the quake measured the strongest possible level on Japan's seismic intensity scale.

Toshiyuki Matsumori of the Japan Meteorological Agency said, "We punched in seismic data from new locations to analyze today's earthquake. In the town of Atsuma, the earthquake measured 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale."

The quake hit shortly after 3 AM on the western part of the prefecture, leaving everyone in the dark.

There have been dozens of tremors since then.
Evacuation orders have been issued in some areas.

As dawn broke, the extent of the damage became clear.

In the town of Atsuma, one of the worst hit places near the epicenter, mudslides have left the mountains bare.

Buildings in the area also suffered damage. Some were engulfed by mud and rocks while fallen trees have blocked roads. All of the people who are missing are from this town.

Rescue workers are frantically searching for people who might be buried in the rubble.

A resident told NHK the tremors were at a scale he had never experienced before.

Some residents have been lifted to safety from their homes. The extent of the damage is still being assessed but throughout the prefecture. Buildings are tilted and roads are cracked and buckled.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the government has set up an emergency task force that is putting a priority on search and rescue. He said 25-thousand Self-Defense Force personnel would be sent.

Evacuation shelters are being set up in many towns and cities.

Key words : nuclear aftershock likely
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180906_48/

The nuclear regulatory agency and the operator of the Tomari nuclear plant in Hokkaido have told the government that the aftershocks from Thursday's quake are unlikely to cause any safety issues.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a news conference on Thursday afternoon that there is no nuclear fuel inside any of the plant's 3 reactors. The fuel assemblies have been kept cool in onsite storage pools since the reactors were put offline in 2012.

He said the external power supply was cut off by the earthquake, but was restored by 1 PM on Thursday.

Suga added that the plant has about 20 days' worth of fuel for the backup diesel generators.

He said the authorities and the operator have also reported that the fuel storage pools are built to withstand a strong earthquake.

Key words : meteorological agency urged residents
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180906_12/

Japan's Meteorological Agency has urged residents in Hokkaido to remain on alert after a powerful earthquake hit the region early Thursday.

Toshiyuki Matsumori, the agency official in charge of monitoring earthquakes and tsunamis, warned that further strong quakes were likely, particularly over the next 2 or 3 days.

He said Hokkaido residents should remain on alert for about a week for tremors as high as 6-plus on the Japanese intensity scale of zero to seven. He also urged caution in rainfall and places deemed dangerous.

Key words : aviation canceled all flights key hospital
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180906_41/

Public transit has been paralyzed across Hokkaido.

Aviation authorities canceled all flights at New-Chitose Airport on Thursday. The country's transport ministry says a partial ceiling collapse and burst water pipes have shut down the airport's terminal. Workers are also checking runways for damage.

Shinkansen bullet train service is suspended, most local trains have also stopped.

Many roadways have large craters and gaps that have made it impossible for vehicles to operate.

Public bus services have shut down and many highways have closed. Schools are also closed for the day.

People are trying to stock up on emergency supplies. In the town of Hidaka, this long line of vehicles is waiting at a service station.

The water supply has also been affected by the earthquake. It's been cut off to swaths of the island.

Hospitals are on emergency backup power. Officials say 6 of 12 key hospitals are partially or completely unable to deal with emergency treatment.

Meanwhile, Hokkaido Electric Power Company says it's restored power to some areas. But it will take much longer to fully restore electricity to the nearly 3 million buildings on the island.

Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Hiroshige Seko said, "It will take more than a week to fully restore the power supply in Hokkaido."

The power utility says crews found cracks in pipes leading to a turbine at one thermal power plant.

No safety issues have been observed at the Tomari nuclear power plant.

Key words : earthquake caused Toyota
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Key words : without power tremor tomato
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180906_20/

Nearly 3 million households throughout Hokkaido are without power following the strong earthquake that struck the northern prefecture early on Thursday morning.

The industry ministry says the tremor shut down the largest thermal power plant in Hokkaido, the Tomato-Atsuma plant, which in turn led to a shutdown of all other thermal and hydro plants in the prefecture.

The ministry says the shutdown of the Tomato-Atsuma plant caused power demand to far exceed supply, making it difficult to maintain the power frequency. This forced the shutdown of other plants as a safety measure to prevent equipment damage.

As a result, about 2.95 million households across Hokkaido are left without power.

Hokkaido Electric Power Company has resumed operation of 4 hydropower plants. But the electricity generated there is being used for operations to restore the thermal power plants, and it is still unable to supply power to homes and companies.

The utility is also conducting inspection operations to search for damage to power cables and substations across the prefecture.

The industry ministry says there is a power transmission line to supply power from the main Honshu island to the northern island prefecture. But it says power cannot be provided unless power in Hokkaido is restored to a certain extent.

The ministry says if operation resumes at the largest Tomato-Atsuma plant, all other thermal plants can go online.

The ministry has ordered Hokkaido Electric Power Company to start getting the power plants working as quickly as possible.

Key words : meteorological agency warning
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180906_29/

Japan's Meteorological Agency is warning of the potential for more earthquakes in Hokkaido following a magnitude 6.7 quake that struck the northern island early Thursday morning. For people in Hokkaido, we advise you check for updates and for advisories with your local municipality.

If you're in Hokkaido and need information in English, Mandarin or in Korean, you can call the numbers at the Hokkaido Disaster Prevention Information:
011-204-5937
011-204-5092
English service is available 24 hours, while Mandarin and Korean services are available between 8:45 AM and 5:30 PM on weekdays.
Please note that the services are for foreigners in Hokkaido only.

You can also go online to the Hokkaido disaster prevention website at:
http://www.bousai-hokkaido.jp/BousaiPublic/html/dou/en/top_english.html

If you are in the earthquake-hit area, do not go out sightseeing and be aware for broken glass. Power lines may be down on the streets. People are being advised to not step over them because the electric current could still be running.

Key words : docomo
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180906_42/

Mobile carrier NTT Docomo is offering free recharge services at its outlets in 7 cities of Hokkaido in response to the earthquake in Japan's northernmost prefecture.

The service is available at the 8 Docomo shops indicated below through 5 PM on Thursday.

In Sapporo City: Docomo Hokkaido Building in Chuo Ward; and Docomo Tsukisamu Building in Toyohira Ward.

In Asahikawa City: Docomo CS Hokkaido Asahikawa branch office.

In Otaru City: Docomo Shop Wing Bay Otaru.
In Hakodate City: Docomo Shop Hakodate.
In Kushiro City: Docomo Shop Kushiro.
In Obihiro City: Docomo Shop Keibajo-dori.
In Kitami City: Docomo Shop Okhotsk.

The information is also available on NTT Docomo's website.

Telecom company NTT East says all public payphones in Hokkaido, about 5,800 in all, can be used free of charge.

Key words : smartphone
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180906_39/

Smartphones help people to stay in contact and access information after a power outage.

Here are some ways to conserve battery power.

If you are using an iPhone, go from your Home screen to Settings and then to Battery, where you can turn the Low Power Mode on.

When the Low Power Mode is on, the color of the battery in the status bar on the upper right corner of the screen will turn from green to yellow.

Another way to extend battery life is to close apps that are not in use.

Pressing the home button once does not close the app. Double tap the home button to see all the recently used apps. You can quit the apps by swiping up each one.

Turning off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth will also save battery life.
Dimming the screen will also help. To do this, open Control Center and drag the brightness slider down.

Android phones have a battery saver function. To turn the battery saver on manually, touch the top of the smartphone screen and swipe down. This will reveal a battery saver icon that you tap to turn on.

To reduce screen brightness, swipe down with two fingers from the top of your screen. Then move to the left the slider that appears at the top of the screen. Turning off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth will also help to conserve battery power.

Key words : speak portuguese service by telephone
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