USS Nimitz to head for Western Pacific

Jun 02, 2017 | News On Japan

Jun 02, 2017 (NHK) - The US military is dispatching the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier to the Western Pacific Ocean as a response to North Korea's repeated missile launches and the increased maritime activities by China.

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier left a naval base in the US state of Washington on Thursday along with 2 destroyers.

The Nimitz will head for the Western Pacific after joining other destroyers and cruisers and loading FA18 fighter aircraft off the coast of California.

Rear Admiral William Byrne, who commands the carrier strike group, notes that North Korea's biggest threat is its unpredictability.

He says the US wants to provide a presence on the Korean Peninsula and the waters around it as a deterrent force.

The US has already dispatched 2 aircraft carriers to the Sea of Japan, and has been conducting military drills there. But the USS Carl Vinson is expected to return to the United States later this month, and will be replaced by the Nimitz.

Typhoons No. 28 and 29 Bring High Waves to Japan's Pacific Coast

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

Cyberattacks Spread Across Japan

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's First 360-Degree Projection Mapping Opens in Osaka

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University Professor Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

US Military Halts All Okinawa Operations for 48 Hours

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Most Sightings of Fugitive Yoichi Hatta Reported in Kanto

Police in Oita Prefecture have revealed that the Kanto region accounts for the largest number of reported sightings of Yoichi Hatta, a fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Beppu in 2022, with authorities preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide from November as the search enters its fifth year.