News On Japan

Total lunar eclipse observed in Japan

Feb 01 (NHK) - People across Japan enjoyed the first total lunar eclipse in nearly 3 years on Wednesday night.

The phenomenon occurs when the sun, earth, and full moon line up, and the moon is covered by the earth's shadow.

The moon began to wane at around 8:48 PM.

The full eclipse started at around 9:51 PM and lasted about 1 hour and 17 minutes. The moon glowed dark red during that time.

The eclipse ended at around 0:11 AM.

The last total lunar eclipse visible in Japan took place in April 2015.

The next total eclipse that can be seen across the country from beginning to end will occur on November 8th, 2022.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

A large-scale fire that broke out in the Saganoseki district of Oita City has burned through more than 170 structures and continues to emit thick white smoke on the morning of November — nearly 17 hours after the first emergency call was made — prompting the prefectural government to request disaster relief deployment from the Self-Defense Forces.

China’s Communist Party–affiliated Global Times reported on its front page this morning that it had “demanded a clear explanation from the Japanese side” regarding the discussions held on the previous day, underscoring Beijing’s position that Tokyo must address the issue directly.

Although the winter weather pattern is easing today on November 19th, bringing clear skies to some regions, forecasters warn that coastal areas may still face sudden bursts of rain, snow, and severe convection driven by rapidly developing thunderclouds.

A reporting team found itself face to face with a bear while investigating the sharp rise in bear-related incidents that has left 13 people dead this year.

Sakurajima erupted in the early hours on October (date not provided in source), sending a plume of ash soaring to 4,400 meters above the crater, the first time it has exceeded 4,000 meters since October last year, with volcanic rocks reaching as far as the sixth station on the mountainside as the volcano continued erupting intermittently throughout the morning and caused ash to fall over Kagoshima Airport, where a thin layer accumulated on aircraft.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

A light aircraft carrying three people that departed from Saga Airport on the morning of November 19th was found crashed in the mountains of Hoshino Village in Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture, where emergency crews recovered three bodies whose identities and genders have yet to be confirmed.

Princess Aiko, who is in Laos on her first official overseas duty, attended a state banquet on Tuesday night and delivered a greeting that included some Lao phrases.

A reporting team found itself face to face with a bear while investigating the sharp rise in bear-related incidents that has left 13 people dead this year.

Saitama, which drew attention after placing last in the latest prefectural attractiveness rankings, is in fact home to an unexpectedly large number of people dedicated to promoting the prefecture — so many that residents often joke about it.

A sports car burst into flames on the Metropolitan Expressway in Yokohama on November 16th, with firefighters extinguishing the blaze about 30 minutes after the initial outbreak.

A group of eight individuals, including Chinese national and company executive Yang Xiaodong, has been arrested on suspicion of selling gold bars with counterfeit stamps from a major precious metals company and passing them off as genuine, generating what investigators believe was roughly 9.5 billion yen in sales.

A company employee was arrested on November 3rd in Kashiwara City, Osaka Prefecture, after allegedly setting fire to his car on the Nishi-Meihan Expressway, where police later discovered the burned body of a man believed to have been in his 50s or 60s, prompting investigators to consider the possibility of murder in addition to arson.

A senior Tokyo Metropolitan Police officer has been arrested on suspicion of leaking confidential investigation data to members of a decentralized criminal network known as “Tokuryu.”