News On Japan

Researchers capture images of Japanese aircraft carrier sunk in WWII

Sep 17, 2023 (NHK) - An international research team has successfully captured images of a Japanese aircraft carrier that was sunk in the 1942 Battle of Midway in World War Two.

The team led by US experts announced on Friday that it had surveyed the carrier Akagi using a submarine in waters northwest of Hawaii for four days from September 8.

Footage shows clear images of the wreck sitting at a depth of more than 5,100 meters. The images include those of an imperial chrysanthemum crest on the bow, an anchor lying on the seabed, and machine guns and turrets.

The location of the Akagi was identified in 2019, but this is the first time the carrier has been captured on video.

In the 1942 Battle of Midway, the Imperial Japanese Navy lost four aircraft carriers, including the Akagi. The battle is considered to have been a turning point in the war.

The team said it also managed to capture detailed images of two other aircraft carriers sunk in the battle -- the Kaga and the USS Yorktown. ...continue reading

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Japan began applying a new numerical alcohol threshold for dangerous driving offenses on July 21, introducing a clearer standard for cases involving impaired driving that could lead to fatal accidents.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government approved its first annual basic economic and fiscal policy on Tuesday, pledging "responsible and proactive fiscal policy" and envisioning about 370 trillion yen in public- and private-sector investment in strategic industries through fiscal 2040.

Breathtaking 4K footage filmed from a helicopter offers a sweeping aerial view of Mount Fuji and its majestic surrounding landscape.

A covert network of shuttle tankers is carrying crude through the increasingly dangerous Strait of Hormuz as renewed fighting between the United States and Iran disrupts shipping and raises concerns over how Japan will secure the oil it needs.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko has criticized moves by Japanese and Ukrainian companies to cooperate on drone technology, warning that such ties would be regarded by Moscow as a "clear hostile act."

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Sci-Tech NEWS

Japan is moving closer to testing technology designed to generate solar power in space and transmit the electricity wirelessly to Earth, with researchers now conducting final checks on a flight model for an upcoming satellite experiment.

Fires involving lithium-ion batteries, including those used in mobile battery packs, are occurring at a record pace in Japan this year, with 179 incidents reported by the end of May, according to the Tokyo Fire Department.

JAXA successfully landed a small experimental vehicle for a reusable rocket on July 11, marking a step toward technology that could increase the frequency of space launches while helping reduce costs.

Japan is facing renewed questions over how to secure electricity while dealing with mounting nuclear waste, as power demand is expected to rise with the spread of generative AI and the government considers replacing as many as five nuclear reactors by the 2040s.

JAXA's Hayabusa2 probe made its closest approach to the asteroid Torifune on July 5, passing at high speed about 800 meters from the asteroid's center while conducting a flyby survey to examine its shape and surface materials.

A fossil discovered in Osaka has led to Japan’s first finding of its kind, raising the possibility that a giant marine predator believed to have swum in the seas around the Kansai region about 70 million years ago was a previously unknown species.

Researchers around the world are turning their attention to mitochondria, the energy-producing structures inside cells, as new discoveries suggest they may hold important clues to slowing aging, preventing disease and extending healthy life.

Strong earthquakes have continued to shake parts of Japan in recent weeks, with 11 temblors measuring lower 5 or above on the Japanese seismic intensity scale recorded across the country since April 2026.