Nhk News

At least nine people were killed when a South Korean-flagged vessel capsized off Japan, South Korea's foreign ministry said on Thursday.Two South Korean nationals were among the dead, it said, adding that the Japanese coastguard had rescued an Indonesian crew member and that another member of the crew of 11 was missing.The ministry did not provide the name of the vessel.Public broadcaster NHK, citing the coastguard, reported on Wednesday that a South Korean-flagged chemical tanker had capsized off the coast of Yamaguchi prefecture in western Japan…

A South Korean-flagged chemical tanker has capsized off the coast of Yamaguchi prefecture in western Japan, with seven deaths confirmed, public broadcaster NHK reported on Wednesday, citing the coastguard.The tanker, Keoyoung Sun, was anchored due to bad weather and requested assistance after 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday (2200 GMT on Tuesday), reporting the vessel was tilting over, NHK reported.The vessel had 11 crew aboard.

A South Korean-flagged chemical tanker has capsized off the coast of Yamaguchi prefecture in western Japan, with operations to rescue the crew underway, public broadcaster NHK reported on Wednesday, citing the Coast Guard.The tanker, Keoyoung Sun, requested assistance after 0700 local time (2200 GMT), reporting the vessel was tilting over, and had 11 crew onboard with four people rescued so far, NHK reported.(Reuters - Reporting by Sam Nussey; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

Japan located on Friday the hull of a tour boat off its northern coast, media said, six days after the vessel disappeared in an accident that killed at least 14 people on a sightseeing trip.The hull of the "Kazu I" was identified in waters about 100 meters (328 ft) deep off the Shiretoko peninsula on the northern island of Hokkaido in footage from an underwater camera of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force, broadcaster NHK said.A coast guard official was not immediately able to confirm the reports that the vessel had been found…

Russian and Chinese warships held their first joint patrols in the western Pacific Ocean over the past week, Russia's defense ministry said on Saturday, a move Japan said it was monitoring.Moscow and Beijing, which staged naval cooperation drills in the Sea of Japan earlier in October, have cultivated closer military and diplomatic ties in recent years at a time when their relations with the West have soured.The naval maneuvers, which Russia said ran from Sunday through Saturday…

A crew member of a Japanese cargo ship was feared dead on Sunday after he was recovered near a vessel that had capsized and sunk following a collision in domestic waters, local media reported.Japanese coast guard ships and aircraft have been searching since Friday for three missing crew members of the cargo ship after the collision with a Marshall Islands-registered tanker in the Seto Inland Sea.Public broadcaster NHK said the coast guard found the crew member in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest on Sunday morning near the sunk vessel.The Japanese coast guard was not immediately reachable by phone on Sunday.Japan's Transport Safety Board is conducting an investigation on board the chemical tanker…

As many as 91 crew of an Italian cruise ship docked in the Japanese port of Nagasaki are infected with coronavirus, officials said on Friday, as questions persist over how they might return to their home countries.Authorities have tested about half the vessel’s crew of 623 and are racing to screen the rest. Those who test negative will be repatriated, the government said.The vessel, the Costa Atlantica, was taken into a shipyard in Nagasaki in February for repairs and maintenance after the pandemic prevented its scheduled repairs in China.Earlier this year, more than 700 of its passengers and crew tested positive for the virus on the Diamond Princess cruise liner as it was docked in Yokohama.Nagasaki authorities quarantined the Costa Atlantica on arrival in Japan…

A man who had been aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship and was infected with coronavirus has died, bringing the death toll from the ship to seven, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said on Saturday.The man was not Japanese, NHK said, without giving details of his nationality or age.

A fourth passenger from the cruise ship Diamond Princess moored in Japan has died from the coronavirus, NHK public television said on Tuesday. The passenger was in their 80s, NHK said.Japan has come under fire for its handling of the situation on the cruise ship, which is operated by Carnival Corp (CCL.N) and where hundreds became infected. The number of patients is rising around Japan, with the government set to announce a set of measures to combat it later on Tuesday.Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman

Japan rescued about 60 North Korean crew members from a fishing boat that sank after it collided with a Japanese patrol boat that was chasing it out of Japanese waters, the Japan Coast Guard said on Monday.All the crew members that abandoned the fishing boat were rescued and handed over to another North Korean ship, the Coast Guard said.The collision between the North Korean vessel and a patrol ship from Japan's Fisheries Agency took place 350 km (220 miles) northwest of Noto peninsula in central Japan.Following the collision shortly after 9:00 a.m. (0000 GMT), the Fisheries Agency and Coast Guard mobilised seven ships and aircraft to search for North Korean crew members.The Coast Guard did not give details about how the two vessels crashed in the Sea of Japan…

Japan is considering tariffs on U.S. exports worth $409 million in retaliation against steel and aluminium import tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, media reported on Thursday.Such a move would signal Tokyo is ready to go beyond backdoor talks and pleas for exemptions from the U.S. duties.It would also add to a growing rift that Trump's "America First" trade policies is creating among major economies, which threatens to slow global trade and business activity.Japan is the only major U.S. ally that did not receive exemptions from Trump's tariff decision.

An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.0 struck eastern Japan on Sunday and shook buildings in Tokyo, officials and witnesses said, but there was no danger of a tsunami and no immediate report of injuries or major damage. The US Geological Survey (USGS) put the epicentre of the quake 44 km (27 miles) northeast of Tokyo at a depth of about 44 km. There were no were immediate reports of damage. Broadcaster NHK reported that the Tokai No. 2 nuclear power station, which has been shut since 2011, was checked for damage after the quake but none was found. Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas, which accounts for a fifth of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or larger.

A Chinese military ship entered the waters of south-western Japan on Wednesday, EFE news reported quoting government officials. This is the first such incident in over a decade and comes a week after a Chinese navy ship sailed near the disputed Senkaku islands. Ap reported Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshige Seko as saying that a Maritime Self-Defense Force plane spotted the ship in Japanese waters west of Kuchinoerabu island in southern Japan before dawn. The ship sailed out of Japan's waters about 90 minutes later. “The government will continue to take all possible measures for warning and surveillance activity for our territorial waters and airspace,” Seko said.

China reacted with anger Tuesday after the Group of Seven foreign ministers released a statement a day earlier voicing strong opposition to “unilateral actions” in the East and South China seas. "China is strongly dissatisfied with relevant moves taken by G-7," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said. His statement added: “We urge the Group of Seven member states to honor their commitment of not taking sides on issues involving territorial disputes and respect the efforts by regional countries, stop all irresponsible words and actions, and make constructive contribution to regional peace and stability. A two-day meeting of G7…

New England Burials At Sea LLC (NEBAS) enters Japanese USA Market with “high in demand” sea burials. NEBAS founder, Captain Brad White reports that Japan has a new and genuine interest in New England, and it is not related to Blue Fin Tuna, but burials at sea. Kenji McCulley, Associate Producer General Bureau for America of NHK, Japan’s national television network, Japan Broadcasting Corp., stated, “This burial at sea topic is of great interest to our audience as Japan is facing an increasing scarcity of land for cemeteries.

Australian Defence Minister Kevin Andrews has requested Japan to participate in procedures to become Australia's partner in a project to jointly develop next-generation submarines. Andrews made the request in a telephone conversation with Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani who responded positively, Japan's Jiji Press news agency reported. In their telephone conversation, Andrews was quoted as telling Nakatani that Australia hopes to study the feasibility of the two countries jointly developing a submarine, as Japan has the necessary technology, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported. "Australia will initiate a procedure to choose a partner for the development, and asks Japan to consider joining the procedure," the minister said.

Japan would find it difficult to formulate an energy policy without nuclear power given its lack of energy resources and the high cost of utilities for companies and households, the country's new trade minister said on Sunday. Yuko Obuchi, the daughter of a former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, was appointed minister of economy, trade and industry (METI) earlier this month. It is expected that she will help prepare public opinion for the resumption of operations at nuclear power plants that were suspended in the wake of the tsunami-triggered nuclear disaster in March 2011. "It is important for Japan, the nation with scarce resources, to keep a good energy balance.

One man died, more than 500,000 people were urged to evacuate and hundreds of flights were cancelled in Japan as a strong typhoon brought torrential rain and high winds to its southwestern islands and could bring heavy rain to Tokyo later this week. Typhoon Neoguri weakened from its original status as a super typhoon but remained intense, with gusts of more than 250 km per hour (155 mph). It was powering through the Okinawa island chain where emergency rain and high-seas warnings were in effect. The storm was at its most powerful when passing Okinawa, some 1,600 km (1,000 miles) southwest of Tokyo on Tuesday, but the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) warned of heavy rains and potential flooding in Kyushu…

An explosion on oil tanker Shoko Maru off the coast of Japan set the vessel ablaze, severely injuring four crew while the captain remains missing, several sources reported. The blast occurred this morning while the 998-ton tanker was anchored roughly 3 miles off western Japan's port of Himeji, the Japanese coast guard said. Seven of the vessel’s eight crewmembers have been recovered and taken to the nearby hospitals, but the ship’s captain remains missing. Ships and aircraft were commissioned to fight the fire, which created a large hole in the vessel’s port side, causing it to tilt. Shoko Maru unloaded its fuel oil last Friday, government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told Reuters, minimizing fears of major environmental impacts. The vessel is owned by Shoho Shopping Co.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said Sunday in Japan's volcanic archipelago 84 miles east-southeast of Iwo Jima (167 km) of the earthquake, a magnitude of 6.2. Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) said there is no tsunami threat. The U.S. Geological Survey earlier reported that the quake a magnitude of 6.4.    (Compiled on Chunhong; revision clouds)

Hundreds of flights were cancelled in Japan and more than 500,000 people urged to evacuate as a powerful typhoon brought torrential rain and high winds to southwestern islands and was forecast to reach Tokyo later in the week. Typhoon Neoguri weakened from its original status as a super typhoon but remained intense, with gusts of more than 250 km per hour (155 mph). It was powering towards the Okinawa island chain where emergency rain and high-seas warnings were in effect. There are no nuclear plants on Okinawa but there are two on Kyushu, which lies in the area through which the typhoon is likely to pass after hitting Okinawa. There is another on Shikoku island, which borders Kyushu and could also be affected.

Innocap, Inc. has received an agreement with a company based in the Republic of the Philippines under which Innocap agrees to organize, plan and supervise then will begin recovery efforts of a shipwreck located off the coast of the Philippines. The ship, based on preliminary studies, appears to contain a cargo of Chinese porcelain made during the Ming Dynasty. Efforts will be made by Innocap to further identify and evaluate the best method of recovery, which includes conservation and archeological study of the pieces when made available. Under the agreement, the Philippine company is responsible for obtaining all necessary government and other approvals, permits and licenses. The preliminary recovery efforts will begin when all required permits and licenses are obtained.

Japanese shipping firm Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd has paid about 4 billion yen ($39 million) in settlement to China as compensation stemming from a wartime contractual obligation, following a seizure of its ship by a Chinese maritime court in Shanghai, Japanese media said on Thursday. What the company paid for was 2.9 billion yen in compensation plus interests, the Yomiuri newspaper and public broadcaster NHK said. Mitsui O.S.K. spokesman Atsushi Seki said he could not immediately confirm the report, saying it was still working to lift the seizure. ($1 = 102.3850 Japanese Yen) (Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori; Editing by Dominic Lau)