Society

Nine confirmed dead, 19 missing in Atami mudslides

Jul 11 (NHK) - Rescuers continue to scour debris from mudslides that barreled through Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture, one week ago, destroying homes and sweeping residents to their deaths.

Authorities have confirmed that nine people died in the disaster, eight of whom have been identified so far.

About 1,700 police officers, firefighters and Self-Defense Forces personnel continued the search for 19 others who remain unaccounted for on Saturday.

The powerful torrents of mud gushed down a slope at around 10:30 a.m. Saturday last week in the city's Izusan district, damaging or wiping out about 130 homes.

The highest alert level on a scale of one to five remains in effect as small mudslides continue in the upstream area where the fatal mudslides are believed to have originated.

Roughly 570 people, including those who lost their homes, are sheltering at two hotels in the city.

The city plans to monitor the situation on Monday and Tuesday to determine if people can temporarily return home to retrieve necessities.

The prefectural government is working to issue disaster victim certificates and secure public housing.

About 420 households remain without water, and the focus is turning to rebuilding people's lives.

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

Tochigi Robbery-Murder Suspect’s Wife Posted Dance Videos on Social Media

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Garbage Burnoff Spreads to 3 Buildings in Okayama

A fire that broke out in Kagamino, Okayama Prefecture, shortly after noon on May 20th destroyed three buildings, including a home, after flames from open burning spread to dead leaves and then to nearby structures.

Gang Members Arrested After Opening Office Near Nursery

Six people, including a senior member of a group affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai crime syndicate's Kohei-ikka faction, have been arrested on suspicion of opening a gang office in a prohibited area near a nursery school in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward.

Six Police Officers Injured After Man Sprays Liquid at Station

A man who visited a police station in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in the early hours of May 21st allegedly sprayed a transparent liquid inside the building, causing six police officers to complain of eye and throat pain and be taken to hospital with minor injuries.