Nearly 3,000 still missing in Japan 18 months after major quake
News On Japan via Mainichi -- Sep 12
Japan on Tuesday marked the one and a half year anniversary of the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters that devastated northeastern Pacific coastal regions, with the official death toll standing at 15,870 and 2,846 people still remaining unaccounted for as of last Wednesday.
About 343,000 people are still forced to live in about 136,000 temporary homes including provisional housing set up for them and private properties rented by the government.
On Tuesday, police and Japan Coast Guard officers in disaster-hit areas -- Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures -- are carrying out an extensive search for those listed missing -- presumably dead -- mobilizing about 800 personnel primarily in coastal areas.
By prefecture, the number of missing stood at 1,205 in Iwate, 1,426 in Miyagi and 211 in Fukushima, according to the NPA data.
Some municipal organizations plan to hold a commemorative ceremony on the coast, calling on residents to observe a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m. to mark the exact hour when the magnitude 9 earthquake struck off the coast in the Pacific.
Source: Mainichi
| Jun 18 | 64-year-old woman arrested for stabbing 59-year-old boyfriend |
 Police said Monday they have arrested a 64-year-old woman in connection with the murder of her 59-year-old partner in Seki, Gifu Prefecture. (Japan Today  ) |
| Jun 18 | Tokyo cops bust Gotanda massage parlor for prostitution, arrest 7 |
 Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Monday announced the bust of a massage parlor in the Gotanda area of Shinagawa Ward on charges of prostitution. (Tokyo Reporter ) |
| Jun 17 | Saitama cops crack down on non-yakuza gangs for brawl |
 Saitama Prefectural Police on Monday announced the arrest of 31 suspects connected with special criminal groups for violent incidents that took place earlier this year. (Tokyo Reporter ) |
| Jun 17 | Iwate town on alert following series of bear attacks |
 Four people were injured in a series of attacks by at least two bears on Saturday and Sunday in Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture. (Japan Today ) |
| Jun 17 | Tokyo cops crack down on beauty products scam on Mixi |
 Tokyo Metropolitan Police last week arrested the manager of a beauty products company that defrauded women recruited on the social-networking site Mixi. (Tokyo Reporter) |
| Jun 17 | Population pyramid a thing of the past |
 The Japanese word "choju," meaning longevity, implies, with its kanji, joyous celebration of long life. Intrinsically, it is a joyful thing for people to live long. But if a society has many people who age in solitude, isolated from their families and local communities, it cannot be called choju. It should rather be called "roka shakai," or a society that weakens as it ages. (Yomiuri ) |
| Jun 16 | Crown Prince returns from Spain |
 Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito has ended his official visit to Spain after a trip to a Christian pilgrimage site in the northwest. His visit marked the 400th anniversary of relations between the 2 countries. (NHK ) |
| Jun 16 | 2 men arrested for pushing man onto train tracks after argument |
 Police said Sunday they have arrested two men who allegedly pushed a 43-year-old man off the platform onto the tracks on Saturday morning at JR Oimachi Station in Tokyo. (Japan Today ) |
| Jun 16 | Man arrested for running online high school prostitution ring |
 Police have arrested a 28-year-old man has been arrested for providing a service that illegally put high school girls in contact with men for the purpose of prostitution. (Japan Today ) |
| Jun 16 | Osaka transvestite bar busted for licensing violations |
 Osaka Prefectural Police on Friday busted a transvestite in bar in Minami Ward for operating illegally. At 11:15 p.m., officers took Anna Ueda, 34, the manager of club Chu-, into custody for violating the Law Regulating Adult Entertainment Businesses after discovering two employees serving one customer alcohol and food. The club did not have a license to provide such services. (Tokyo Reporter) |