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• Japan adds more safety standards for nuke plants

  April 6, 2012 6:45 AM

  TOKYO - Japan is setting stricter and more transparent safety guidelines for nuclear plants to ease public concerns so that authorities can restart reactors for the first time since last March's earthquake and tsunami. The government is anxious to restart two reactors before the country's last operating reactor goes offline... more »

• Japan's new nuclear regulatory agency delayed

  April 2, 2012 8:49 AM

  TOKYO - Japan has failed to create a revamped nuclear regulatory agency by the promised date - April 1 - amid political infighting, raising questions about its commitment to bolstering oversight after last year's nuclear crisis. Authorities have been accused of lax supervision of Japan's 54 nuclear reactors after a... more »

• Japan marks one year since earthquake/tsunami disaster

  March 10, 2012 8:53 PM

  Japan is remembering the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck the nation a year ago, killing just over 19,000 people and unleashing the world's worst nuclear crisis in a quarter century. Along the tsunami-battered northeastern coast, in Tokyo and elsewhere, memorial ceremonies were planned Sunday to mark 2:46 p.m. -... more »

• Probe finds Japan hid dangers of nuclear disaster

  February 28, 2012 7:21 AM

  TOKYO - An independent investigation has found that Japan's government withheld information about the full danger of last year's Fukushima nuclear plant disaster from its own people and from its key ally the United States. A report by the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation says the decision may have put U.S.-Japan... more »

• Study: Big quake could hit Tokyo within years

  January 24, 2012 6:00 AM

  TOKYO - A new study warns that Tokyo has a 70 percent chance of being hit by a powerful magnitude-7 earthquake within four years. The study published by University of Tokyo seismologists based the warning on an increase in seismic activity in the region since last year's March 11 disaster,... more »

• Japan probe finds nuclear disaster response failed

  December 26, 2011 6:14 AM

  TOKYO (AP) - A Japanese government report has found that the response to the nuclear crisis that followed the March 11 tsunami was confused and filled with errors. The report submitted today outlined a government investigation into the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. The investigation will... more »

• Japan releases 40-year nuke plant cleanup plan

  December 21, 2011 5:26 AM

  TOKYO (AP) - Japan has released a new long-term cleanup plan for its tsunami-hit nuclear plant that would take as many as 40 years to fully decommission while keeping the still vulnerable facility safely under control. Trade Minister Yukio Edano said Wednesday that the government plans to move through the... more »

• Google's maps go indoors with new mobile feature

  November 29, 2011 1:05 PM

  SAN FRANCISCO - Google's next frontier in digital mapping will span the world's shopping malls and airports. In an upgrade released Tuesday, Google Inc. unveiled a feature that will include indoor directions within stores, malls, airports and transit centers in the U.S. and Japan. The indoor directions include... more »

• Japan's Tsunami Ark

  September 30, 2011 7:38 PM

  Japan's recent earthquake that led to a catastrophic tsunami prompted one company to build a modern version of Noah's Ark in case of another one. Its a floating capsule that looks like a huge tennis ball. Cosmo Power says its "Noah" shelter is made of fiberglass that can hold four... more »

• Police dig for remains; 3 killed in latest quake to hit Japan

  April 8, 2011 11:03 AM

  SENDAI, Japan - Hundreds of Japanese police wearing white radiation gear and blue gloves have been using their hands or small shovels today searching for bodies in the tsunami-ravaged area near a crippled nuclear plant. Some of the police were mobilized from Tokyo as part of a determined effort... more »

• Magnitude 7.4 earthquake hits off Japan coast

  April 7, 2011 10:02 AM

  TOKYO - Japan was rattled by a strong aftershock and tsunami warning Thursday night nearly a month after a devastating earthquake and tsunami flattened the northeastern coast. The Japan meteorological agency issued a tsunami warning for a wave of up to one meter. The warning was issued for a coastal... more »

• Officials: plutonium found in soil at Japan's nuke complex

  March 28, 2011 1:08 PM

  TOKYO - Power company officials say plutonium has been detected in the soil outside of the stricken Japanese nuclear complex. Tokyo Electric Power Co. says in a statement that the plutonium was discovered Monday in five locations around the plant, which has been leaking radiation for nearly two... more »

• Sushi concerns debunked in Baton Rouge Play Video

  March 23, 2011 5:58 PM

  BATON ROUGE- As concerns of radiation levels rise in Japan, folks in the United States are beginning to raise an eyebrow at the safety of foods normally associated with the island nation, mainly sushi. "I stay away from sushi on the regular anyway, but I think I could hold... more »

• More troubles for crippled Japan nuke plant

  March 23, 2011 6:11 AM

  TOKYO- Tokyo's utility company says black smoke has been seen emerging from Unit 3 of the crippled nuclear plant in northeastern Japan, prompting a new evacuation of the complex. Officials with Tokyo Electric Power Co. says workers from the entire Fukushima Dai-ichi plant have been temporarily evacuated. Operators of the... more »

• Shaw Group helping with crippled nukes

  March 23, 2011 4:52 AM

  BATON ROUGE- A Louisiana company says it is providing support services for the crippled nuclear power station in Japan. The Shaw Group Inc., based in Baton Rouge, says it will be helping Toshiba Corp. at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Shaw says it will assist Toshiba with remediation and recovery services... more »

• Japan nuke plant pool at or near boiling

  March 22, 2011 5:45 AM

  TOKYO- A Japanese nuclear safety official says a pool for storing spent fuel at the crippled nuclear plant is heating up, with temperatures around the boiling point. The official tells reporters that the high temperatures in the spent fuel pool are believed to be the cause of steam that has... more »

• Japan nuke plant operator missed inspections

  March 21, 2011 4:59 AM

  TOKYO- Japan's nuclear safety agency says the operator of the country's troubled nuclear complex repeatedly failed to make crucial inspections of equipment in the weeks before it was crippled in the quake and tsunami. In a report released nine days before the disasters, the agency criticized Tokyo Electric Power Co.... more »

• Japan passengers, cargo screened for radiation

  March 17, 2011 12:53 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Department of Homeland Security is screening passengers and cargo entering the United States from Japan for "even a blip of radiation." Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Thursday that no harmful levels of radiation have reached the U.S. since the nuclear crisis in Japan sparked by... more »

• US starts evacuating some Americans out of Japan

  March 17, 2011 2:30 AM

  WASHINGTON- The Obama administration has authorized the first evacuations of Americans out of Japan, and said it will charter aircraft to help U.S. citizens wishing to escape elevated radiation levels in the country. The State Department late Wednesday issued a warning to Americans to avoid travel to Japan and said... more »

• Local airman serves in Japan Play Video

  March 16, 2011 5:39 PM

  PRAIRIEVILLE, La.- After an emotional two days, a family from Prairieville finally heard from their son in Japan. Trey Wolf, 22, is a Navy Airman helping with recovery efforts in the devastated country. "I knew in my gut he was safe and all. I prayed for that 10 second... more »

• Japan rules out choppers to cool down nuke reactor

  March 15, 2011 4:30 PM

  TOKYO - The operator of Japan's stricken Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant says it has scrapped a plan to use helicopters to pour water into a reactor whose overheating fuel storage unit was emitting radiation. The storage pool, used to hold spent nuclear fuel rods, caught fire Tuesday in... more »

• No-fly zone over damaged Japanese nuclear plant

  March 15, 2011 3:08 PM

  SOMA, Japan - After three explosions and a fire at Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, officials there say they make ask the U.S. and Japanese military for help cooling a storage pond for spent fuel. The idea is for helicopters to spray water into it. While the fire in... more »

• More US relief crews exposed to radiation in Japan

  March 15, 2011 1:10 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - More U.S. military crews are being exposed to radiation as they press ahead with relief flights over Japan. And the Navy said Tuesday that it's sending some ships to operate off the country's west coast rather than east coast. That's to avoid hazards from the... more »

• Volcano in southern Japan resumes eruptions

  March 13, 2011 10:21 AM

  TOKYO- The weather agency says a volcano in southern Japan is spewing ash and rock again as the country struggles with the aftermath of a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami in the north. The Meteorological Agency issued a warning Sunday saying that Shinmoedake volcano resumed activity after a couple of... more »

• State Dept. urges Americans not to go to Japan

  March 13, 2011 9:35 AM

  WASHINGTON- The State Department is advising U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to Japan at this time. The Asian nation, a close American ally, was struck by devastating earthquakes, a deadly tsunami and is now threatened by possible radiation leaks from several nuclear reactors damaged in the natural disaster. Japan's... more »

• Japanese Official: Death toll from earthquake likely to exceed 1,000

  March 12, 2011 7:19 PM

  JAPAN- Japan is struggling to determine the scope of damage from the most powerful earthquake in its recorded history, and the tsunami that ravaged its northeast Friday. Hundreds are known to have died, but a government official says the death toll could far exceed 1,000. Teams are searching... more »

• Local professor reacts to quake Play Video

  March 12, 2011 6:42 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Just minutes after learning of the disastrous earthquake in Japan, Dr. Yoshinori Kamo never suspected the damage and death toll would be so great. It was only hours later he realized his prediction was dead wrong. "Seeing the pictures it's reminiscent of Hurricane Katrina, because we have... more »

• Explosion at Japan nuke plant, disaster toll rises

  March 12, 2011 11:11 AM

  IWAKI, Japan- An explosion shattered a building housing a nuclear reactor Saturday, amid fears of a meltdown, while across wide swaths of northeastern Japan officials searched for thousands of people missing more than a day after a devastating earthquake and tsunami. The confirmed death toll from Friday's twin disasters... more »

• Local Ties To Earthquake in Japan Play Video

  March 11, 2011 9:17 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Instead of a quick business trip to Japan, Byron McLain found him self on the 32nd floor of an office building, in the middle of one of the strongest earth quakes in history. The lawyer from New Orleans, now lives in Los Angeles, California. He's been through... more »

• LSU student studying in Japan is o.k.

  March 11, 2011 5:03 PM

  UPDATE 5:14 p.m. - The LSU student studying abroad in Japan is confirmed safe. LSU has also contacted a student studying in Hawaii, who is confirmed safe as well. BATON ROUGE - Officials at LSU Spokesperson Kristine Calongne said only one student was studying in Japan as part of... more »

• Pressure rising at quake-damaged nuclear plant

  March 11, 2011 1:06 PM

  TOKYO - Authorities say the pressure is rising at a nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan after its cooling system failed. Japan's nuclear safety agency says pressure inside the reactor at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant has risen to 1.5 times the level considered normal. To reduce... more »

• Hundreds dead, hundreds more missing from quake, tsunami

  March 11, 2011 12:59 PM

  TOKYO - Today's quake and tsunami in Japan have left hundreds dead and hundreds more missing. Police found 200 to 300 bodies in a northeastern coastal city, and more than 100 others were also confirmed killed. Hundreds more are missing. A large section of a town of... more »

• Quake brings modern Tokyo to a standstill

  March 11, 2011 12:07 PM

  TOKYO - Japan's huge earthquake brought super-modern Tokyo to a standstill Friday, paralyzing trains that normally run like clockwork and stranding hordes of commuters carrying mobile phones rendered largely useless by widespread outages. The magnitude-8.9 quake off Japan's northeastern coast shook buildings in the capital, left millions of homes... more »

• Hundreds killed in 8.9 Japan earthquake, tsunami

  March 11, 2011 5:05 AM

  TOKYO- Japanese officials say more than 300 people have died in the magnitude 8.9 quake and 13-foot tsunami that hit the northeast part of the country. People, boats, cars, buildings and tons of debris were swept away by the wave. The death toll has been rising. Fires triggered by Friday's... more »

• Toyota, Honda lead quality rankings but GM gains

  October 26, 2010 1:25 PM

  Consumer Reports magazine says Honda and Toyota still make the most problem-free cars and trucks, but Ford is closing in fast and General Motors has made big improvements in the past year. Consumer Reports is widely used by buyers to judge car and truck reliability. The magazine says... more »

• Paris Hilton questioned at airport, entry into Japan delayed

  September 21, 2010 1:20 PM

  Paris Hilton's entry into Japan has been delayed by immigration officials there. It's not clear if they'll let her into the country. She pleaded guilty yesterday to a misdemeanor drug charge in Los Angeles. Her spokeswoman says Hilton was stopped by immigration authorities upon her arrival. ... more »

• World Cup update

  June 29, 2010 3:54 PM

  With the round of 16 finished, only eight teams remain in the 2010 World Cup. Tuesday morning Japan and Paraguay went down to the wire. After 120 minutes of play, Paraguay came out on top in a 5-3 penalty kick shootout. In game 2, world powers Spain and Portugal... more »

• Former LSU, NBA star playing basketball in Japan

  April 2, 2010 1:11 PM

  Two important things haven't changed for Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf in the 14 years since he set off a firestorm of criticism by refusing to stand for the national anthem before NBA games. He's still a devout Muslim and playing basketball. Abdul-Rauf is now in Japan, the latest stop of... more »

• Strong earthquake, tsunami warning in south Japan

  February 26, 2010 3:07 PM

  Japan's meteorological agency says a magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit off Japan's southern coast, and has issued a tsunami warning in the region. Officials say the quake occurred off the coast of the island of Okinawa. They predicted a tsunami up to 3 feet (1 meter) near the Okinawan coast.... more »

• Local veterans remember Pearl Harbor anniversary Play Video

  December 7, 2009 5:53 PM

  As our country remembered the 68th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, some local veterans reflected on how much Americans truly value sacrifices made by military members. Veterans and others attended a ceremony at the USS Kidd in Baton Rouge to honor the 2,400 Americans who died on... more »

• Parents to plead guilty in balloon hoax

  November 12, 2009 11:11 AM

  The attorney for the father who reported his son floated away in a helium balloon in Colorado says his client and the boy's mother will both plead guilty to charges in the case. Lawyer David Lane says Mayumi Heene will plead guilty to false reporting to authorities, a misdemeanor, and... more »