News On Japan

School in Japan’s tsunami-hit Onagawa town becomes a symbol of hope

Oct 30, 2021 (ANI News) - Onagawa is a small town located in Miyagi prefecture of North eastern Japan. During the 2011 Tsunami, the town lost 800 people along with most of the coastal area being distorted.

But now, Onagawa has evolved as the symbol of recovery. It is rebuilt with many beautiful buildings like the main station which is located at the center of the town. Local residents also have new houses, and on the sea side visitors could be seen enjoying taking a walk and watching sunsets. This new school is the main symbol of reconstruction in town. It was built with assistance from the Japanese government and the Qatari government. Before 2011 Tsunami, elementary school and junior high school buildings were located in different places but due to a decrease in the number of students after the earthquake, both the schools were integrated in a new building, thus providing relief to residents. The school building has four-floors that could accommodate approximately 300 elementary and junior high school students. It is also equipped with other facilities. In addition, it also has solar panels that can provide the residents with shelter and electricity at the time of disasters. One of the buildings which were destroyed during the Tsunami is preserved to remind people of the intensity of the disaster and to show how much progress that has been made ever since. The school has become not only an important part of the town but has also emerged as an icon of successful reconstruction and recovery in north-eastern Japan.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Residents in Nara Prefecture are celebrating after UNESCO's advisory body recommended the archaeological complex known as the Asuka-Fujiwara Ancient Capitals for inscription as a World Heritage site, bringing the historic birthplace of Japan's ancient state one step closer to international recognition.

A tropical depression is expected to move northward this weekend and could bring another round of heavy rain to parts of Japan, following a week in which Typhoon Jangmi (Typhoon No. 6) caused significant rainfall and left some areas vulnerable to further weather-related damage.

Expectations for Japan are unusually high heading into the 2026 World Cup, with the team now aiming not merely to reach the knockout stage but to finally break through the Round of 16 and advance to the quarterfinals for the first time.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration is facing mounting scrutiny over allegations that members of her campaign were involved in distributing online videos that disparaged rival candidates during the February House of Representatives election, with opposition parties intensifying their questioning in the Diet and demanding further clarification.

The Japanese government approved its 2026 Environment White Paper at a Cabinet meeting on June 5th, warning that a record-high 50,000-plus bear sightings recorded nationwide during fiscal 2025 have become a serious threat to public safety while also highlighting growing concerns over Japan's aging hunting population and the need to train a new generation of hunters.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

A 20-year-old American man has been missing while traveling in Kyoto since leaving his hotel after an argument with his family and going his separate way, with his location services later turned off and security camera footage showing him heading toward a mountainous area as police continued their search.

At Futamigaoka Farm, operated by Abashiri Prison in Hokkaido, the people caring for the cattle are not livestock farmers but inmates serving prison sentences. Through daily work raising cattle, they are learning responsibility, empathy, and the value of life as Japan marks one year since the introduction of a new correctional system that places greater emphasis on rehabilitation.

A medium poodle named Rokuta, a member of Hiroshima's Wanpato Squad neighborhood patrol program, and his owner, Eri Toya, have received a letter of appreciation after helping locate a missing elderly woman in Fuchu Town, Hiroshima Prefecture, while on a routine patrol walk.

A 60-year-old unemployed man has been arrested and indicted for allegedly stealing water meters from apartment complexes in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, in what police believe was a scheme to sell the devices amid soaring copper prices and a growing nationwide wave of metal thefts.

A 16-year-old boy accused of carrying out a deadly home invasion in Tochigi Prefecture has been re-arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery-murder involving the two sons of a 69-year-old woman who was killed during the attack, police said.

A body discovered in a river in Tatsuno, Hyogo Prefecture, has been identified as 42-year-old Kenji Oyama, the suspect wanted nationwide in connection with the murder of a mother and daughter last month, police announced on June 4th.

A 43-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly filming himself pouring a detergent-like liquid onto sushi at a Hama Sushi restaurant and posting the footage online, telling investigators he was seeking more views on social media.

As Typhoon Jangmi (Typhoon No. 6) struck Wakayama Prefecture on June 3rd, the storm became the first major test of Japan's newly introduced disaster weather warning system, revealing both the benefits of earlier evacuation calls and the challenges local authorities faced in helping residents understand and respond to the new alerts.