Sunflowers were planted after Chernobyl and Fukushima to help absorb radioactive pollution After the nuclear disasters at Chernobyl and Fukushima, sunflowers were tested as a natural way to absorb radioactive material from contaminated environments

🇯🇵‼️🚨 M6.1 EARTHQUAKE A magnitude 6.1 quake struck off eastern Kanto around 7:39 PM Japan time. Shaking reached intensity 3 in Miyagi, Fukushima and Ibaraki. JMA says slight sea-level changes are possible but no tsunami damage is expected. The shallow quake, about 10 km deep, cut power on the Tokaido and Tohoku Shinkansen lines, and bullet trains made emergency stops mid-route. Scary moments for passengers…

Gone on this day, 20 October 2016; Junko Tabei, the Japanese mountaineer who changed the course of women’s climbing history. Born on 22 September 1939 in Miharu, Fukushima, she entered mountaineering at a time when women were often discouraged from serious expeditions. In 1969, she helped establish the Ladies Climbing Club, giving Japanese women a space to organise and lead their own climbs. On 16 May 1975, Tabei reached the summit of Mt. Everest, becoming the first woman in history to stand on the highest point on Earth. Her expedition had earlier been hit by an avalanche at Camp II, burying several members of the team. Tabei survived, recovered, and continued the climb. Accompanied by Sherpa Ang Tshering on the final ascent, she reached the summit and entered mountaineering history. Everest was only one chapter in a much longer climbing life. In 1992, Tabei became the first woman to complete the Seven Summits, climbing the highest mountain on each continent. Over the following years, she continued travelling and climbing across the world, eventually reaching the highest peaks or points of more than 70 countries. Away from records, Tabei became increasingly concerned with the environmental damage caused by mountaineering, particularly waste on Everest. She later worked on mountain conservation projects and remained active well into her later years. Junko Tabei died on 20 October 2016, aged 77, leaving behind a place in history through a lifetime spent widening the possibilities for women in the mountains. Photo ©: Junko Tabei Archives.

🇯🇵 Japan’s PM Sanae Takaichi: "Through the maximum use of nuclear power, with safety as the highest priority, we will work to suppress energy prices." Nuclear power is one of the best options, but it definitely requires a long-term approach. After Fukushima, regaining public trust remains the biggest hurdle for Japan. Writer: Samuel

Three times when China paused a new technology it was racing to build: 1) High-speed rail projects after 2011 Wenzhou crash 2) Nuclear plant approvals after Fukushima 3) Robotaxi licenses after Baidu Apollo Go robotaxi freeze in Wuhan this April In these cases, China wasn’t racing with the US like with AI. But it’s still interesting to consider these cases where a major incident caused China to unilaterally decide to pause temporarily. And one incident—Fukushima—didn’t even take place in China.

From @TheAthleticFC: At the age of 59, Kazuyoshi Miura, the world’s oldest professional footballer, has scored his first goal for nearly four years for Japanese side Fukushima United.

How it's done: This is TEPCO’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station in Niigata. The seven-unit site has 8.2GW of capacity, making it the world's largest power plant. Unit 6 entered commercial operation on 16 April 2026, returning a 1.36GW Advanced Boiling Water Reactor to service and marking TEPCO’s first commercial nuclear operation since Fukushima. Expect a SoftBank/Oracle/OpenAI data center in its vicinity in the next few months.