Japan faced with ghost ships - 11 of them arrive with with decaying bodies

Japan is faced with a unique problem of ghost shops. Eleven of them, some with decaying corpses on board, have arrived off the coast of Japan and, on board, are 20 as-yet-unidentified bodies. These have arrived during the past two months - four of them washed up in early November and another seven were spotted floating in the Sea of Japan during the past three weeks.
This has been reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 29 November 2015.

In the opinion of experts, the badly damaged vessels may have been at sea for months. One of the ships was sighted by Coastguard about 100-Km offshore on the Sea of Japan. It was towed in at Fukui Port, about 400-Km north of Tokyo and there were three bodies in it.
While authorities have begun investigations as to the origin of the ships, Japanese media have speculated that the boats may have come from North Korea, about 1000-Km across the Sea of Japan. There are Korean writing on the boats and on clothing inside the vessels.
Moreover, the remains of a North Korean flag found on board along with Tangled ropes, hooks and other fishing equipment would tend to suggest that they may be fishing craft from North Korea. Incidentally, fishing ships from the impoverished state have been lost since they do not have modern equipment like GPS installed.
Another suggestion is that the boats might have been fleeing from the oppressive rule of Kim Jong-un and landed in a storm.

Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Shibui River bursts its banks and floods cities of Joso and Osaki in Japan

The Shibui River broke its banks and the resultant floods that swept houses off their foundations and crushed others under landslides leaving at least 25 people missing and forcing more than 100,000 to flee.
In some parts of Japan the rainfall was more than twice the normal September amount of rain in 48 hours and it sparked fears of the worst flooding in more than 60 years. The government has already set up an emergency center, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has indicated that the "unprecedented" rain had created an emergency.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 11 September 2015.

A severe rain warning continues to remain in force in parts of northern Japan and the floodwaters had uprooted trees and even washed away houses with their owners still inside.
As many as 51 helicopters have been pressed into service to rescue the stranded people over the largely rural city of Osaki, some 350-Km north of Tokyo. The waters of the Shibui River have inundated rice fields and houses as rescuers in rubber boats ferried people to safety.
Toyota Motor Corp said it had suspended production at three plants in northeastern Japan.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Japan restarts its nuclear reactors – one unit switched on at Sendai

Japan has given the all clear for its nuclear reactors in Fukushima that had been damaged in the Tsunami-cum-earthquake disasters of 2011. It was the worst atomic disaster in a generation.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 11 August 2015.

The Utility Kyushu Electric Power, which operates the reactor at Sendai about 1,000-Km southwest of Tokyo, said it was turned on at 10:30 am (0130 GMT). This 31-year-old reactor is now operating under tougher post-Fukushima safety rules and is expected to reach full capacity around 11:00 pm Tuesday. It would, subsequently, begin generating power by Friday. However, commercial operations are scheduled to begin early next month.
The restart is happening more than four years after the quake-generated tsunami triggered meltdowns at the Fukushima plant. As a result, it led to a shutdown of Japan`s stable of reactors. It also set off a pitched battle over the future use of atomic power.
Even now, anti-nuclear sentiment runs high in Japan and there were reports of protesters scuffling with police in front of the Sendai plant. The plant is located on the southernmost main island of Kyushu and, as per local media, a crowd of about 200 protesters had gathered in front of the plant.
Resource is scarce in Japan and it relied on nuclear power for a quarter of its electricity. The restart of two reactors on a temporary basis is to feed its needs.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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160-melon-headed whales stranded on Japanese beaches – fears of earthquake

#Hokota #whales #Japan #Tsunami #earthquake As many as 160 melon-headed whales have been stranded on the beaches of Japan near Hokota on the Pacific coast and there are fears of an impending earthquake in the region. This is because a similar phenomenon had been observed during the 2011 Tsunami which devastated Japan.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 13 April 2015.

These whales are in fact a species of dolphin and they have been found to have washed up along a 6-mile (10km) stretch of the Pacific coast of Hokota, located nearly 60 miles (100km) north of Tokyo. Officials are investigating the cause of the stranding.
The fears of an impending earthquake are based on the appearance of 50 melon-headed whales six days before the devastating undersea earthquake in 2011 that resulted in a Tsunami and earthquake and left 19,000 people dead.
In the opinion of experts, the reason could be attributed to some sort of a parasitic infection or the sandy shoals around Hokato city may have also made the animal's sonar ineffective. Another theory suggests that these whales that measure two to three meters in length, could have been trying to avoid predators like killer whales and ventured too close to the shore.

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Japanese humanoid robot ‘Pepper’ has emotions – specially made for dementia patients

#humanoidrobot #PepperRobot #emotionalrobot #dementia With the increase in the life expectancy of people and, consequent increase in the number of aged persons all around us, it is but natural that problems related to those suffering from dementia gradually take center stage.
Japan has, therefore, created a humanoid robot to take care of dementia patients – these robots have that emotional touch and can become invaluable in taking care of such persons. The robots called Pepper can help take care of people with dementia by recognizing their emotions.
One of the robots is at present in the Nishi-Koigakubo Ninjin Home – this is a special elderly nursing home in western Tokyo. The elderly dementia patients can spend time with Pepper.
This humanoid robot with artificial intelligence is being developed by SoftBank Mobile. It claims to be the world's first robot that has been designed to serve people by recognizing their emotions. It is expected that Pepper would take over responsibilities of a conversation partner for those suffering from dementia.
During its visit to the Nishi-Koigakubo Ninjin Home, the robot Pepper played a game and showed off its dancing skills also. There are plans for the robot to provide better support for dementia patients by encouraging the elderly to talk about their memories.
Pepper is set to retail for 198,000 yen on the consumer market in February.