Today's print edition Home Delivery A 19-year-old student from Osaka Prefecture was fatally struck on the day of a university entrance exam by an alleged drunken driver early Wednesday morning in front of Koriyama Station in Fukushima Prefecture was taken to a hospital with severe head injuries but was later pronounced dead.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); at the scene on suspicion of negligent driving resulting in injury and driving under the influence of alcohol Yokomi had traveled from her home in the city of Minoo in Osaka Prefecture to take the exam she was crossing at a pedestrian crosswalk with a green light when Ikeda’s minicar ran a red light and struck her A breathalyzer test detected alcohol in Ikeda’s system above the legal limit Police are investigating the exact circumstances of the crash In a time of both misinformation and too much information quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division AD Leave a rating/comment#PaintingBack to ArticlesSHARE Metrics details The opportunity to measure the concentrations of 3H and 36Cl released by the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011 directly in rain was lost in the early stage of the accident been able to reconstruct the deposition record of atmospheric 3H and 36Cl following the accident using a bore hole that was drilled in 2014 at Koriyama at a distance of 60 km from the accident The contributions of 3H and 36Cl from the accident are 1.4 × 1013 and 2.0 × 1012 atoms m−2 respectively at this site Very high concentrations of both 3H (46 Bq L−1) and 36Cl (3.36 × 1011 atoms L−1) were found in the unsaturated soil at depths between 300 and 350 cm conservative estimates for the 3H and 36Cl concentrations in the precipitation in the ~ 6 weeks following the accident were 607 Bq L−1 and 4.74 × 1010 atoms L−1 A second hole drilled in 2016 showed that 3H concentrations in the unsaturated soil and shallow groundwater had returned to close to natural levels although the 36Cl concentrations were still significantly elevated above natural levels The map of the copyright holder is the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan Tokyo (220 km) and Yokosuka (300 km) in late March of 2011 the lack of a direct measure of the tritium concentration released in the early stage of the nuclear accident introduces significant uncertainty into any future estimation of the internal radiation dose to humans caused by the accident and some of the deposited 36Cl may have been lost due to downward transport by the infiltrating soil water during the time that elapsed between the accident and the sampling and provided that the 36Cl and 3H were still within the unsaturated soil zone the 6 m long soil core drilled in 2014 should preserve a complete record of post-accident deposition at the Koriyama site Correlation between the one-dimensional migration analyses in the unsaturated soil layer (0–6 m) and the vertical distribution of the 3H and 36Cl radionuclide released during the Fukushima nuclear accident (a) The distribution of the measured 3H (atoms L−1) concentration in the unsaturated soil (0.05–4.25 m) and saturated soil zones (4.25–6 m) on Sep (b) The distribution of the measured 36Cl concentration (atoms L−1) in the unsaturated soil (0.05–4.25 m) and saturated soil zones (4.25–6 m) on Sep (c) Distributions of the hydro tracers (3H and 36Cl) transported by the rainwater that precipitated on March 15th were estimated by one-dimensional analytical solutions via the dispersion (D = 0.039 m2 year−1) and vertical infiltration rate of soil water (v = 0.95 m year−1) in the unsaturated soil layer at Koriyama in Fukushima Black solid (3H) and dash (36Cl) lines: 1 year later the human health impacts of the 3H and 36Cl releases from the accident would have been negligible in the vicinity of Koriyama accurate estimates of the total inventories of 3H and 36Cl that fell out at Koriyama as a consequence of the Fukushima accident have been recovered from the soil water in the unsaturated zone from a core drilled in 2014 the concentration of the two radioisotopes in rainwater at the time have been estimated to be 607 Bq L−1 and 3.46 mBq L−1 for 3H and 36Cl respectively under the assumption that the bulk of the activity fell out in the ~ 6 weeks following the accident most of the tritium had gone from the unsaturated zone although 36Cl concentrations were still significantly elevated above natural (cosmic-ray produced) levels Although secondary peaks in the 3H concentration within the first 1-m interval below the surface layer of the 2014 soil core the peak may be caused by (1) rich organic matter in the shallow forestry soil and litter or (2) the diffusion of tritium occurred on the swelling clayey soil particles Future studies will need to check the origin of the unknown tritium peaks in the shallow soil zone This well (Supplementary Fig. S1C) also provided the groundwater samples from 6.8 m and 6.5 m depth in October 2020 and December 2021 After separation of the soil water from the core by distillation for the 3H analysis the Cl that originated from the soil water remained in the dried soil The dried samples were homogenized by mixing with a mortar and pestle Chloride was extracted from a total of 200 g of dry soil by placing 10 g of the homogenized soil in each of 20 centrifuge tubes and adding 20 ml of ultrapure water to each The tubes were then shaken for 1 day to extract the chloride into solution The mixture was centrifuged at 3500 rpm to separate the solution (C1) from the suspended soil another 20 ml of water was added to the residual solid and the process repeated to obtain solution C2 The two solutions were combined and filtered through a 0.45 μm membrane filter The concentration of stable chloride in this solution was determined by anion chromatography and from the volume of water extracted by the distillation the chloride concentration in the original groundwater could be deduced The enriched samples were mixed with an Ultima Gold uLLT™ scintillation cocktail and allowed to stabilize in the dark The radioactivity of the tritium in the samples was measured by liquid scintillation counting using a Quantulus counter (PerkinElmer) the distilled water sample was placed in a metal container with metal valves and then all dissolved gases were completely extracted from it The container was then sealed and stored for 48–52 days to allow 3He to grow in from the β decay of 3H 3He was determined by noble gas spectrometry and the concentration of 3H in the soil water was deduced The δD and δ18O values show the soil water is originated from meteoric water both of which travel vertically with the water down the unsaturated soil column The concentrations C(x,t) of 3H and 36Cl are functions of distance down the profile and time Weather data for Koriyama were obtained from the Japan Meteorological Agency. A topographic diagram map of the sampling sites (Fig. 1) was produced by GIS from the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article and its supplementary information files Water movement in the unsaturated zone of high and low permeability strata by measuring natural tritium Six years’ environmental tritium profiles in the unsaturated and saturated zones Grϕnhϕj Tritium and helium-3 isotope ratios for direct estimation of spatial variations in ground recharge A validation of the 3H/3He method for determining groundwater recharge Groundwater flow traced by bomb pulses of 36Cl and tritiogenic 3He in a borehole Using groundwater age and hydrochemistry to understand sources and dynamics of nutrient contamination through the catchment into Lake Rotorua Kakiuchi, H. et al. Concentration of 3H in plants around Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station. Sci. Rep. 2, 947. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep00947 (2012) Radionuclides in surface waters around the damaged Fukushima Daiichi NPP one month after the accident: Evidence of significant tritium release into the environment Tritium in Japanese precipitation following the March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant accident Tritium and iodine-129 concentrations in precipitation at Tsukuba after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident Measurement of long-lived radionuclides in surface soil around F1NPP accident site by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Measurement of the 36Cl deposition flux in central Japan: natural background levels and seasonal variability Revision and meta-analysis of selected biosphere parameter values for chlorine Storage and migration of fallout strontium-90 and cesium-137 for over 40 years in the surface soil of Nagasaki Analytical solutions of the one-dimensional advection dispersion solute transport equation subject to time-dependent boundary conditions Changes in isotope ratio and content of dissolved helium through groundwater evolution Guidance levels for radionuclides in drinking water Fourth Edition incorporating the first and second addendum Fukushima prefecture forestry research center, Fukushima prefecture forestry research dayori, Asakanomorikara. 21, 1 (2006). https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/4020138 (2023.1.5 access) (in Japanese) Takahasi, T., Kohriyama-layer niokeru-koumitsudo-denkitannsa-no-rei. Zenchiren-Gijutsu-forum. https://www.zenchiren.or.jp/e-Forum/2016/PDF/2016-163.pdf (2022.12.23 access) (in Japanese) Beven, K. & Germann, P. Macropores and water flow in soils revisited. Water Resour. 49, 3071–3092. https://doi.org/10.1002/wrcr.20156 (2013) The chemical preparation of AgCl for measuring 36Cl in polar ice with accelerator mass spectrometry Ultra-senswitive measurements of 36Cl and 236U at the Australian National University A compact tritium enrichment unit for large sample volumes with automated re-filling and higher enrichment factor Metal container instead of glass bulb in tritium measurement by helium-3 ingrowth method Measurement of extremely 2 H-enriched water samples by laser spectrometry: Application to batch electrolytic concentration of environmental tritium samples Tritium as an indicator of recharge and dispersion in a groundwater system in central Ontario Download references This work was supported by JSPS Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Kakenhi Grant Numbers Ichimura Foundation for New Technology and YESSA (Yanmar shigenjunkan zaidan) the IAEA and ATOMIKI staff for their technical support and Prof for the financial support for the collection of the sediment cores in Fukushima in 2016 and Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry for financial support for drilling of observation well in 2019 The Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility (HIAF) at ANU is supported by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) of the Australian Government developed the original idea of the analyses presented in the manuscript and designed the field study Laboratory analyses were performed by T.O. The authors declare no competing interests Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-46853-y Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science The redrawing of the House of Representatives electoral map which cut one seat from Fukushima Prefecture has sparked a fierce battle between two major political parties ahead of Sunday's general election googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); The race in the newly created Fukushima No which consists primarily of areas from the former No with the main competition shaping up between candidates from the Liberal Democratic Party and the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division. Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Typhoon Hagibis left at least 78 dead. But Japan is sadly well accustomed to responding to natural disasters, Samuel Lovett reports I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice as rescuers began their recovery efforts last weekend were the rooftops – islands of grey and iron-brown beneath a subdued sky wooden homes that sits on the city’s river banks The floodwater had come quickly in these parts rising to chest height in little more than an hour after a major levee was broken “There’s never been this much damage before,” says Moe Kaneda which suffered immensely with the horrors of the 2011 earthquake was one of the hardest-hit prefectures in Japan Of the 78 people so far confirmed as dead in the wake of Hagibis 25 are thought to have come from the northeast the narrow streets are lined with rubbish and sodden debris days after the storm’s arrival Mattresses stained brown with flood water are stacked high in the street A pair of football boots are left to dry in the warm sun stripped of their possessions as residents many elderly remained in local evacuation centres – municipal buildings high schools – unable to clean up their homes there’s a long way to go before any sense of normality returns close to the foot of one the river’s levees “I think it’ll take a month to sort,” she says a wheelbarrow to hand and with a mask covering her face It’s the same story for those homes up and down the country that were engulfed by the floodwaters reported this week that 13,000 houses were submerged and more than 1,100 at least partly destroyed about 12,000 homes are still without electricity or have no running water It’s unclear how long it will take for utilities to restore full-working service Fukushima and similar areas that are continuing to bear the brunt of Japan’s natural disasters While the likes of central Tokyo woke to sharp sunshine last weekend the same cannot be said for those regions where infrastructure offers insufficient resistance to the fury brought by typhoons some the size of cathedrals and two football fields long protect the city above during heavy storms and the torrential downpours they generate the main line of defence is banks of earth three metres high Although Hagibis was unprecedented in scale and ferocity – weather officials said some places that flooded received up to 40 per cent of their annual rainfall in just two days – many are fearful that a similar-sized storm will return in the near future “This is the first time it’s been very bad but after a year or some time we could get hit by another big typhoon because of warming.” sends a shiver down the spine of those living here People came together after the earthquake Fukushima’s economy was decimated by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami The region also had to contend with the nuclear fallout from the damaged Daiichi power plant as radiation leakage made its way into water supplies Regrowth was hindered by staggering financial costs – in excess of $250bn (£192bn) for Japan as a whole – and high relocation rates which saw local populations shrink and shoot upwards in age Around 10,000 residents left Koriyama in the aftermath of the disaster while villages up and down the prefecture were hit hard by mass exoduses Some remain unconvinced that Fukushima has fully recovered despite the insistence of municipal authorities that this is the case the prefecture is facing yet another expensive clean-up who knows how much of a setback Hagibis will prove to be for the region “Economic impact in disasters can quickly cascade through different sectors of the economy,” says Hiba Baroud a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Vanderbilt University “Production can be affected either by direct impact from the disaster or through interdependent effects resulting from disruptions in the supply chain “Local and national authorities need to account for all these aspects in assessing the damage to identify the best recovery strategy for the city.” the government has already said it plans to designate Typhoon Hagibis as a “severe natural disaster” to free up more subsidies for reconstruction that the “best recovery strategy” is simply soldiering on Japanese resilience is given no greater showing than in the face of natural-spun adversity Although the nation is by no means immune to the pain suffering and loss that comes with these disasters there seems to be an inherent drive among the people to dig in to serve their duty in times of difficulty – of which there have been many over the years “I think that’s a really strong part of Japanese society in general,” says Joost Kralt a coordinator for international relations at Koriyama City Hall Having pulled through the agony of 2011 and the harsh years that followed, the people of Fukushima will likely strive to do so again in the face of this latest crisis. “People came together after the earthquake,” says Moe, wearing a smile of defiance. “We will do the same now.” Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies 2016"Photos by Ari Beser Koriyama City and the Ou Mountain range viewed from atop Big I the city's tallest building.[/caption]Koriyama 2011 the world all but ended for the people who live on the Tohoku coast The North Eastern Japanese region was rocked by a 9.0 earthquake which generated a tsunami that inundated the entire shoreline with up to 30 meters of water in some towns The tsunami waves killed nearly 16,000 people and unleashed a nuclear crisis the likes of which has not been seen since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 the world poured in support for the survivors of the calamity Tohoku's residents persevered on the long road toward recovery Neither a nuclear scientist nor a marine biologist I cannot address the issue of radiation levels in the ocean Like the majority of the population of Fukushima Prefecture I am an ordinary person with personal anxieties and concerns but I have the opportunity to share the experience of those people who still can’t go home I haven’t come here with an agenda or a preconceived notion I'm not here to prove to the world that Fukushima is safe or cry foul that we're being misled about dangers that might persist I’ve come here to share the agenda of those who live here and to seek out people who wish to share their story and to remind the world that five years on there are still some who can’t go home because of the disaster as its commonly called here.[caption id=attachment_167236 align=aligncenter width=1024] Radiation monitoring posts placed throughout the prefecture are meant to offer peace of mind for the population anxious about radiation levels the accuracy of the fixed counters has been questioned as radiation levels can vary from very small increments of distance.[/caption]For the next four months I will call Koriyama One of my first stops in the city was the Big I one of the tallest buildings in the Tohoku region located right in front of Koriyama Station From the observation deck atop the building I could see the entire city cast in the warm glow of the sun setting behind the Ou mountain range that runs through Fukushima Prefecture From up there everything looked normal: the bullet trains zoomed through in and out the station You couldn't tell that there were thousands of stories unfolding below or stories that some were attempting to withhold It’s my first week here and I feel like I have a metaphorical bird's eye view too I will get closer and closer to the heart of what's going on as the fifth anniversary approaches [caption id=attachment_167236 align=aligncenter width=1024] Rice from the Aizu region of Fukushima is packaged and sold The farmer of this particular field had all of his crop scanned and tested for radiation levels Food testing has been a widely transparent process with results being posted online.Fukushima is one of Japan's biggest prefectures and is split into three regions: Hamadori to the east The accident at Fukushima Dai Ichi Nuclear Power Plant offers a picture of a world gone wrong a picture of how humanity adapts in the face of disaster Those who live in Fukushima seem to have found a way to adapt to the changes forced upon them by the disaster In the immediate aftermath everything touched by radiation emitting from Hamadori had to be decontaminated Radiation monitoring posts have since been stationed throughout the entire prefecture They give constant readings that indicate radiation can vary from street corner to street corner Local farmers must submit their produce to radiation checks Fukushima used to attract tourists from all around the world coming to Aizu to ski its world class slopes or bath in the healing waters of their hot springs tourism rates to the prefecture have plummeted Out in the streets in town squares or at the local Starbucks where I am sitting writing this blog post like the radiation levels that prevent them from going home You can't tell how people have been affected just by looking at the customers coming in and out of the coffee shop just like you can't see the radiation that has pervaded the region In coming months I will discover these stories serviceman aboard both bomb-carrying B-29s He is traveling through Japan with the Fulbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellowship to report on the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the fifth anniversary of the Great East Japan earthquake Beser will give voice to people directly affected by nuclear technology today as well as work with Japanese and Americans to encourage a message of reconciliation and nuclear disarmament focuses on the American and Japanese perspectives of the atomic bombings "Back to TopAbout The National Geographic SocietyThe National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit organization that uses the power of science education and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world National Geographic has pushed the boundaries of exploration investing in bold people and transformative ideas providing more than 15,000 grants for work across all seven continents reaching 3 million students each year through education offerings and engaging audiences around the globe through signature experiences To learn more, visit www.nationalgeographic.org or follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook. National Geographic Headquarters 1145 17th Street NW Washington, DC 20036 A woman from Ukraine now living in southwestern Japan is awaiting a reunion with members of her family who plan to evacuate to the country following Russia's invasion of Ukraine "My mother and other relatives will likely be able to come to Japan," said Nika Koriyama who lives in Kagoshima with her husband and a 1-year-old son Koriyama came to Japan in 2016 to study at a vocational school she received a message from her 48-year-old mother who lives in Dnipro with Koriyama's 13-year-old sister saying she had sent a birthday present for Sachio Koriyama got another message saying her mother had heard "the sound of an explosion." Her mother and sister have since evacuated to a suburb that is so far unscathed After the Japanese government announced its plan last Wednesday to accept Ukrainian evacuees Koriyama immediately informed her relatives of the news Japan to accept people displaced by Russian invasion of Ukraine Her husband Yuki then contacted the Japanese Foreign Ministry and the Embassy of Ukraine to ask how their relatives can evacuate to Japan sister and aunt would likely be able to depart Ukraine via Poland if they have the correct papers and passports But they have to travel around 810 kilometers by car to reach the Ukrainian border "I will not settle until they arrive in Poland adding she felt her family's pain of leaving behind acquaintances Worried about the frequently changing situation Koriyama said she has not slept well in the past week as she monitors the news though she refrains from watching images of airstrikes as they make her feel depressed Koriyama was particularly saddened by the news that a baby was born in a subway station in Kyiv during an airstrike the future of our home country will be bright," she said As Yuki and Sachio have not visited Ukraine Koriyama said she wants to take them to her home country someday "I hope that my hometown will still be there," she said FEATURE: Ukrainian musician appeals for peace from Japan Tokyo-based Ukrainian singer prays for peace, family's safety 2,000 Ukrainians, supporters in Japan rally over Russia invasion To have the latest news and stories delivered to your inbox, subscribe here. Simply enter your email address below and an email will be sent through which to complete your subscription. Please check your inbox for a confirmation email. If you wish to change your message, press 'Cancel' to go back and edit. Thank you for reaching out to us.We will get back to you as soon as possible. It has been almost two years since the day. One month later, April 2011, I visited Namie town, Fukushima prefecture. Cherry blossoms at their best on the river banks captured no one to share its beauty. A clock on the wall of Ukedo elementary school stopped at the very moment when the tsunami destroyed Tohoku district. Despite living with fear of high level of radiation in Fukushima city and Koriyama city, some residents are doing farm work now, and elementary students are in a playful mood on the way to and from school as they were before the nuclear disaster. But decontamination has not begun yet in most areas. Though the government lifted the designation of no-entry zone this summer [2001], residents are not allowed to live in their home. Those living in temporary houses keep saying that they need Fukushima they had. Some of them are working in Fukushima prefecture while their family evacuated to live in other prefectures. Some of dairy farmers who managed to move their cows to new places are fortunately continuing dairying. But They not as they were. Mr.Isao Monma, one of such famers, often said, “I do not care about radiation. I just want to go home. I miss my home, hills, life at Tsushima[Namie town].” He finally passed away [solitary death?] in a temporary house. Not many Japanese know how displaced people in Fukushima prefecture live and feel. They cannot help seeing and feeling their home, ones they love with their whole hearts. Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world A shrine that collapsed following an earthquake in Nanao on Jan 2024 at 1:36 AM ESTBookmarkSaveLock This article is for subscribers only.At least 30 people were killed and scores injured in a powerful earthquake that hit off the Noto Peninsula on Japan’s northwest coast buckling roads and triggering a blaze that ripped through a city One of the places hardest hit from Monday’s magnitude-7.6 tremor was Wajima, a city of about 23,000 people known for its lacquerware and fishing port on the Sea of Japan A fire in the heart of the city after the quake engulfed about 200 structures Metrics details Clinical evidence has implicated diabetes mellitus as one of the risk factors for the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) the neurotoxic pathway activated due to abnormalities in glucose metabolism has not yet been identified in AD In order to investigate the relationship between impaired cerebral glucose metabolism and the pathophysiology of AD SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells were exposed to glyceraldehyde (GA) GA induced the production of GA-derived advanced glycation end-products (GA-AGEs) and cell apoptosis decreases in the medium concentrations of diagnostic markers of AD such as amyloid β 1-42 (Aβ42) and increases in tau phosphorylation These results suggest that the production of GA-AGEs and/or inhibition of glycolysis induce AD-like alterations and this model may be useful for examining the pathophysiology of AD are one of the missing links between AD and DM it currently remains unclear whether reductions in the utilization of glucose lead to the development of AD total tau and p-tauT181 proteins in culture media as well as the phosphorylation ratio of intracellular tau were then performed in order to determine the involvement of glucose metabolism in the pathophysiology of AD (a–d) Microscopic images of SH-SY5Y cells after a 24 h treatment with GA at 0 (a) (e) GA dose-dependently induced cell death in SH-SY5Y cells (f–i) GA-induced apoptosis was observed by staining with green fluorescent YO-PRO®-1 (g (f) and (h) show the same visual field of phase contrast images to (g) and (i) Characterization of GA-induced cytotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells (a) GAPDH mRNA levels increased in a dose-dependent manner (b) Production of GA-AGEs by the GA treatment for 24 h GA-AGEs were measured by slot blotting analyses with an immunopurified anti-GA-AGE antibody Graphical representation of GA-AGE bands in the slot blot (c) Evaluation of lactic acid concentrations after the treatment with GA SH-SY5Y cells were pre-incubated with ACAC at concentrations of 0 (d) ACAC prevented GA-induced cytotoxicity ACAC significantly recovered cell death induced by 1 mM GA in a dose-dependent manner Changes in AD biomarkers after the GA treatment (a-c) Changes in AD biomarkers of Aβ42 (a) (d) Intracellular changes in T-tau and P-tau after a 24 h treatment with GA GA-dose dependently increased P-tau/T-tau after the GA treatment (e,f) Level changes in other AD biomarkers after the GA treatment mRNA expression levels were analyzed by real-time PCR after the GA treatment for 24 h GA significantly increased the levels of VEGF (e) and TGF-β (f) from a GA concentration of 0.7 mM The present study has three salient results: 1) GA induced the formation of GA-AGEs and exhibited cytotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells 2) The mechanism underlying GA-induced cell death involved the inhibition of glycolysis and concomitant induction of GAPDH 3) Changes in the levels of AD biomarkers in GA-treated culture media were consistent with those in the CSF of AD patients these findings may partly explain the clinical link between DM and AD GA-AGEs are powerful candidate molecules for neurodegeneration in AD we focused on the mechanism underlying GA-AGE-induced neurotoxicity in the present study Glu-AGEs were detected in intracellular and extracellular sites whereas GA-AGEs were only found intracellularly This discrepancy indicated that the mechanisms underlying the neurotoxicity induced by Glu-AGEs and GA-AGEs differed suggesting that abnormalities in glycolysis may be involved in the neurotoxicity mechanism GAPDH inactivation due to intracellular GA production further increases intracellular GA concentrations resulting in increased GA-AGE production and nerve cell toxicity GA-AGEs may be one of the general causative agents of the development of neurodegenerative diseases These findings suggest that high levels of glycation and/or GA may be mimicked by AD CSF alterations and accompanied by numerous neuropathological consequences due to GA-AGEs rather than Glu-AGEs Although the exact mechanisms underlying the target of GA-AGEs and its downstream signaling pathway currently remain unclear the measurement of GA-AGE levels in the CSF and/or serum may be a useful biomarker for the early detection of AD SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells were purchased from ECACC (The European Collection of Cell Cultures) Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) and ACAC were obtained from Sigma-Aldrich (St All other chemicals not indicated were purchased from Wako Pure Chemical Industries Cells were cultured in DMEM on 6-well plates for 24 h followed by the addition of various concentrations (0 0.7 and 1 mM) of GA and all assays were performed after a further incubation for 24 h Cell viability was assessed using Cell counting kit-8 (Dojin Japan) according to the manufacturer’s instructions Apoptosis was examined by fluorescent microscopy using Vybrant® Apoptosis Assay Kit #4 (Invitrogen Corporation in which early apoptotic cells were detected with green fluorescent YO-PRO®-1 an aliquot of medium was centrifuged (600 g 4 °C) followed by recentrifugation of the supernatants (21,000 g 4 °C) and the resulting supernatants were used total tau protein and p-tauT181 protein were examined by ELISA kits (for the tau protein the kit was obtained from Invitrogen Corporation Lactic acid concentrations were measured by Determiner-LA (Kyowa Medex cells were treated with ACAC 15 min before the addition of GA the anti-GA-AGE antibody specifically recognized unique unknown GA-AGE structures Cells were harvested and homogenized after being treated for 24 h with GA An equal amount of protein was applied to a Hybri-SLOT apparatus (Gibco BRL) and transferred to a nitrocellulose membrane (Whatman) by vacuum filtration After blocking with 3% bovine serum albumin for 1 h at room temperature samples were incubated with the anti-GA-AGE antibody at 4 °C overnight followed by incubation with an anti-rabbit IgG antibody (Sigma Aldrich) Antibody-bound protein bands were detected using a BCIP-NBT Kit and densitometrically analyzed Total RNA was isolated using ISOGEN (Nippon Gene Japan) and complementary DNA was synthesized with the Exscript RT reagent kit (Takara Bio Inc. Real-time RT-PCR was performed using the Smart Cycler II system (Cepheid USA) and SYBR Premix Ex Taq reagent (Takara Bio Inc. The following primers were designed to produce mRNA-specific amplification products: β-actin 5′- TCC ACC TTC CAG CAG ATG TGG -3′ and 5′- GCA TTT GCG GTG GAC GAT -3′; GAPDH 5′- TGG GCT ACA CTG AGC ACC AG-3′ and 5′- CAG CGT CAA AGG TGG AGG AG-3′ ; VEGF 5′- TGC AGA TTA TGC GGA TCA AAC C-3′ and 5′- TGC ATT CAC ATT TGT TGT GCT GTA C-3′; TGF-β 5′- GCG TGC TAA TGG TGG AAA CC-3′ and 5′- CGG AGC TCT GAT GTG TTG AAG A-3′ Intracellular concentrations of tau and phosphorylated tau proteins were measured as follows: Cells were dissolved in extraction buffer containing 10 mM Tris HCl (pH 7.4) 0.5% deoxycholate and complete (Roche Diagnostics supernatants were applied to the ELISA kit Intracellular protein concentrations were measured using Bradford ULTRA (Expedeon Data are expressed as the mean ± SD and were examined by a one-way analysis of variance (n = 3 or n = 6) More than two experiments were performed and similar results were obtained P values less than 0.05 were considered to be significant Glyceraldehyde caused Alzheimer’s disease-like alterations in diagnostic marker levels in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells Involvement of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) in Alzheimer’s disease Normal and abnormal biology of the beta-amyloid precursor protein Alternative routes for the formation of immunochemically distinct advanced glycation end-products in vivo TAGE (toxic AGEs) hypothesis in various chronic diseases Involvement of the toxic AGEs (TAGE)-RAGE system in the pathogenesis of diabetic vascular complications: A novel therapeutic strategy Toxic advanced glycation end products (TAGE) theory in Alzheimer’s disease Advanced glycation end products in Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases Neurotoxicity of advanced glycation end-products for cultured cortical neurons CSF markers for incipient Alzheimer’s disease Cerebrospinal fluid protein biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease A beta and phosphorylated tau protein for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease Assessments of the accumulation severities of amyloid beta-protein and hyperphosphorylated tau in the medial temporal cortex of control and Alzheimer’s brains Increased intrathecal levels of the angiogenic factors VEGF and TGF-beta in Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia Reduced cerebral glucose metabolism in patients at risk for Alzheimer’s disease Brain glucose hypometabolism and oxidative stress in preclinical Alzheimer’s disease The mechanism by which glyceraldehyde inhibits glycolysis On the mechanism of the inhibition of glycolysis by glyceraldehyde Diabetes mellitus and risk of Alzheimer disease and decline in cognitive function Diabetes mellitus and the risk of dementia: The Rotterdam Study Does insulin dysfunction play a role in Alzheimer’s disease The role of insulin resistance in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease: implications for treatment APOE gene and the risk for dementia and related pathologies: The Honolulu-Asia Aging Study RAGE and amyloid-beta peptide neurotoxicity in Alzheimer’s disease Advanced Maillard reaction end products are associated with Alzheimer disease pathology Non-enzymatically glycated tau in Alzheimer’s disease induces neuronal oxidant stress resulting in cytokine gene expression and release of amyloid beta-peptide Advanced glycation end products contribute to amyloidosis in Alzheimer disease Cytotoxicity of advanced glycation endproducts is mediated by oxidative stress Advanced glycation endproducts induce changes in glucose consumption lactate production and ATP levels in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells by a redox-sensitive mechanism Differential effects of “Advanced glycation endproducts” and beta-amyloid peptide on glucose utilization and ATP levels in the neuronal cell line SH-SY5Y Detection of noncarboxymethyllysine and carboxymethyllysine advanced glycation end products (AGE) in serum of diabetic patients Immunological evidence that non-carboxymethyllysine advanced glycation end-products are produced from short chain sugars and dicarbonyl compounds in vivo Glyceraldehyde-derived advanced glycation end products in Alzheimer’s disease Reduction of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in Alzheimer’s disease and in Huntington’s disease fibroblasts Subcellular alteration of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in Alzheimer’s disease fibroblasts Role of cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease modifying therapies Increased cerebrospinal fluid levels of transforming growth factor-β1 in Alzheimer’s disease Increased protein glycation in cerebrospinal fluid of Alzheimer’s disease Glucagon-like peptide-1 protects hippocampal neurons against advanced glycation end product-induced tau hyperphosphorylation Possible involvement of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease Polyol pathway and diabetic peripheral neuropathy Uptake and metabolism of fructose by rat neocortical cells in vivo and by isolated nerve terminals in vitro The purification and properties of human liver ketohexokinase A role for ketohexokinase and fructose-bisphosphate aldolase in the metabolic production of oxalate from xylitol Positive association between serum level of glyceraldehyde-derived advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and vascular inflammation evaluated by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) Download references This work was supported in part by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHI Grant Number 22300264 & 25282029 Graduate School and Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences conducted the research and data management; Y.K. The authors declare no competing financial interests Download citation Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Translational Research newsletter — top stories in biotechnology When Rie Koriyama read a highly acclaimed book during her college days on Minamata disease a mercury-poisoning ailment that ravaged a small coastal city in southwest Japan she was astounded that the mother she thought she knew so well could act with such callousness toward a sufferer "Kugai Jodo" (Paradise in the Sea of Sorrow) a writer and activist who did much to publicize the victims' plight quoted a member of a sufferer's family as saying that a general store operator in Minamata refused to physically handle money from the victim's mother for fear of contagion located in the community that was the disease's epicenter "I had no choice but to leave (the money) on the floor Maybe the operator picked it up later with chopsticks to boil it (for disinfection) I will never forget it," the neighbor explained of the encounter in the book who has been working for the past decade to support victims of the illness partly as a result of finally coming to terms with her mother's act spoke to Kyodo News ahead of the 65th anniversary of the initial diagnosis of Minamata disease "My mother was a thoughtful person," Koriyama said "But I became aware that she stood on the side of those who discriminated against Minamata victims." Minamata disease patients oppose release of Fukushima water into sea caused by mercury-tainted water dumped into the sea by chemical maker Chisso Corp. It was initially believed to be communicable partly because it appeared to spread among family members and neighbors The Japanese government finally recognized it as a pollution-caused disease in 1968 around 12 years after the disease was recognized Koriyama belonged to a study group on the Minamata issue while a student at Kagoshima University from the late 1960s to early 70s helping arrange lecture sessions and taking those who wished on tours of her hometown to conceal the heartache that she had felt in reading "Kugai Jodo," which chronicles Ishimure's interactions with Minamata disease victims "Maybe it was too painful for me to preserve this memory about my mother," she said she married and began raising a family in the Tokyo area and after taking a job at a welfare facility the Minamata victims sought damages from Chisso as well as the state and local governments by filing lawsuits against them while their supporters established a nonprofit organization called Minamata Forum in Tokyo with the aim of educating the public about the issue Koriyama was well aware of these developments but did not dare to join them feeling awkward at having been unable to do anything for the victims and for her hometown she tried visiting the first large-scale Minamata exhibition in Tokyo which displayed the damaged brains of deceased sufferers and hundreds of portraits of victims among other items feeling she "could not stand my own passivity." The turning point for Koriyama came in 2012 when she happened to attend a screening of the documentary film "Minamata -- The Patients and Their Worlds," directed by Noriaki Tsuchimoto who died in 2008 but is known for his numerous works on Minamata disease The film showed another afflicted neighbor of Koriyama's mother accusing her of refusing to directly accept money out of a fear of infection Koriyama has tried to explain to audiences who watched the film the angst her mother must have felt as she hoped to protect her own family when the cause of the illness was still unknown Authorities had been sterilizing areas in the epicenter in the wrongful belief that the disease was infectious and relatives have told her that her parents had been considering evacuating their four children "I became aware by that time that my mother had tried to prevent her store from becoming a source of infection," she said Minamata disease sufferers not only endured awful pain from the sickness but were stigmatized by her mother's and other's discriminatory behavior "But I wanted the audiences of the screening to know my mother "I also told them I was concerned about whether she had explained the desperate situation and made apologies to her customers," she added "I did not ask her about it before her death it would have led to restoring relations" with the afflicted customers Minamata disease drove a wedge between people in the community Some condemned the victims' moves to seek compensation and combat the stigma saying they had damaged the reputation of the city which had historically benefited from the employment Chisso provided antagonism was rife between those who were officially recognized as patients and those who were not while her grandmother was officially recognized as a Minamata disease patient "My father earned paychecks from the offender but he was also a victim as his mother was sickened by his employer." a fisherman who showed Minamata disease-like symptoms was deprived of his livelihood by the dumped mercury Since the 2012 screening of Tsuchimoto's film she has supported the group's activities as a commissioner welcoming "the great opportunity to be involved in Minamata again." Minamata disease first came to light when a doctor in Minamata reported finding four patients with unexplained neurological disorders on May 1 around the beginning of Japan's postwar high economic growth phase Minamata Forum held a lecture on Minamata disease in late April marking the 65th anniversary of the disease's confirmation "I started undertaking my long-standing challenges 10 years ago and I hope I can continue doing what I can to keep alive the legacy of my hometown as long as my health allows me to." To have the latest news and stories delivered to your inbox Simply enter your email address below and an email will be sent through which to complete your subscription Please check your inbox for a confirmation email Thank you for reaching out to us.We will get back to you as soon as possible One man was confirmed dead and 18 others were injured in an explosion apparently triggered by a gas leak Thursday morning at a restaurant in Fukushima Prefecture The explosion occurred at the shabu-shabu hot pot chain eatery just before 9 a.m in an area with homes and restaurants in the city of Koriyama Furukawa had been working for the firm responsible for the renovation work inside the Shabu shabu Onyasai Koriyama Shin-Sakuradori restaurant and was the on-site supervisor Two women in their 40s sustained severe injuries but are not in life-threatening condition while 12 men and four women ranging from their 20s to 80s suffered minor injuries "We sincerely apologize for causing a serious accident," said Kohei Nojiri president of major restaurant chain operator Colowide Co. Colowide is the parent company to Reins International Inc. Firefighters found six propane gas cylinders at the scene three of which showed traces of gas leakage The hot pot restaurant had been temporarily closed from July 21 amid the coronavirus outbreak and was undergoing renovation work two staff and two customers were among those injured by the blast The steel building that housed the restaurant was completely destroyed with only its frame left standing after the blast With the incident causing damage such as shattered windows to a number of houses and other buildings surrounding the restaurant the Koriyama city government has set up an evacuation center for residents living nearby A male employee of another local bank located 100 meters away from the explosion site said the bank building was also damaged "I've never experienced such a strong impact A 63-year-old local resident saw white smoke rising around the explosion site and broken glass scattered around "I heard a sound like something fell on my house and felt a strong shaking," he said Koriyama is almost straight due north from Tokyo and is a gateway to the rest of Fukushima Prefecture everything changed in the Meiji era when Dutch-driven technology and knowhow created a canal leading from Lake Inawashiro to the village The city exploded from a population of 2,000 to its 330,000-plus residents and became a rich cultural and technological hub Despite this – and its convenient Shinkansen station which is only 77 minutes from Tokyo – the city often gets passed by We set out to see what treasures await here We arrived in Koriyama on a crisp autumn morning and were instantly whisked off to Takashiba Deko Yashiki, a collection of five craft-making houses that have been making traditional papier-mâché hariko dolls (for example Japan’s famed daruma dolls) and masks for over 300 years We had set our sights on painting one of these papier-mâché figures but first we were in for a show – and a lecture on life a very spry 72-year-old and 17th generation doll maker at Hashimoto Hiroji Mingei makes 3,000-5,000 dolls and masks a year at his workshop together with only one or two staff members As he explained the doll construction process “Everything I make here is possible because people hundreds of years before me made these molds and these dolls,” he said clearly thankful and amazed by his forefathers’ dedication to the craft it’s important to have balance in life We as humans dirty our hearts and need to find a way to clean the soul I can sit and work quietly making dolls for hours on end When I wear one of these masks I become lively … It’s a kind of release.” Not quite sure what he meant but listening eagerly to his advice we watched as he put on his mask and transformed into a completely different person He performed several different styles of the traditional Hyottoko dance for us seamlessly switching between the soft fluid movements of a gracious woman to a rambunctious stomping and jumping demon Hashimoto credits the power of the mask for his amazing dances: “I lose myself in the dance and become another person.” Whether it was the power of the mask or Hashimoto’s life philosophy But it didn’t matter – we were enthralled painting poor imitations of an artist’s craft – we don’t think we’ll be hired anytime soon and the opportunity to have uninterrupted focus on a new task was invigorating After a spectacular start to the morning, our next stop was Niida-Honke Sake Brewery which now aims to make all of its rice fields pesticide- and chemical-free by 2025 all rice is grown by the brewery’s own farmers instead of being outsourced the 18th generation president and head brewer wants to create something entirely natural as well as their amazake – neither have any sugar added As Niida showed us around the brewery and explained how sake is made we were treated to an impromptu performance by Maki Niida the chief brewer’s wife and resident Okami-san she sometimes organizes jazz concerts on the second floor of the brewery where the acoustics and atmosphere are second to none Lunch followed, with a special rarity: carp. We were served a full course with the fish at Shogatsuso a specialty restaurant dedicated to the fish Carp has traditionally been avoided as a source of food as they are bottom feeders and this affects the taste Koriyama’s are raised and fed in a clean environment The lunch set served carp in every way imaginable – from sashimi to Chinese-inspired dishes and even finished with a delightfully spicy carp ochazuke (a bowl of rice with green tea or dashi poured over it) Though we almost had to roll out of the door from there 024-922-5533) we were in for a real treat: making and eating usukawa manju Fukushima Prefecture is famed for its manju delicate sugar coating and is considered one of the three great manju in Japan we rolled up our sleeves and got stuck in with the expert guidance of manju maker Koji Ono who reportedly can make 20 manju in seven minutes It took slightly longer for us and they didn’t turn out as round as they should Ono praised us on our awkward skills and after a mere eight-minute wait We took our handmade manju home as a one-of-a-kind omiyage (or Ono kindly offered us some samples of his own manju ever-so-slightly crisp skin around the adzuki bean paste added a delightful texture to the bun without making it too heavy this time to catch the sunset over Lake Inawashiro It retains a higher transparency than other lakes in Japan due to high levels of iron and aluminum dissolved in the water from the Nagasegawa As the sun set behind the mountains in a colorful display of bright yellows we found ourselves wondering how we could have missed a place with such warmth and beauty so close to home For more information about these experiences in Koriyama, visit www.kanko-koriyama.gr.jp Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information Fukushima Prefecture--East Japan Railway Co (JR East) will introduce the Satono sightseeing train for three prefectures in the southern Tohoku region in April The Aizu Satono will operate on the Banetsu-sai Line in Fukushima Prefecture Passengers can watch the passing scenery and enjoy sake bento lunch boxes and sweets made with local specialties from Koriyama and the Aizu region the two-car excursion service is named as a tribute to the countryside “sato” landscape is equipped with box seats and observation seats The Aizu Satono will run between Koriyama and Kitakata stations mainly on weekends from April 6 to June 9 The service will operate as the Sakuranbo Satono on the Aterazawa Line in Yamagata Prefecture from June 15 It will then run in Miyagi Prefecture as well New bullet train service to Fukui opens up region often overlooked Smokers bitter as cigarettes banned on all Shinkansen lines Locomotive ride back on track in Niigata after 1-year hiatus JR East to offer sightseeing train ‘Satono’ for southern Tohoku EDITORIAL: Shinkansen extension raises concerns about costs Information on the latest cherry blossom conditions Please right click to use your browser’s translation function.) A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II In-house News and Messages No reproduction or republication without written permission National Report Fukushima Prefecture—One man was killed and 18 others were injured when a morning explosion ripped apart a restaurant and damaged neighboring buildings and homes here on July 30 Police received an emergency call from a neighbor a few minutes before 9 a.m about the blast in the Shima district of Koriyama the explosion occurred at a chain restaurant called Shabushabu Onyasai Koriyama Shin-Sakuradori Pieces of the outer walls of the restaurant were scattered around the area and only the framework of the building was left standing Fire officials said a gas was leaking from three of six propane canisters which likely caught fire and caused the explosion Fukushima prefectural police said a man in his 40s was found dead under the rubble inside the restaurant He is believed to be a construction worker Among the 18 pedestrians and neighbors hurt by the explosion two women in their 40s were seriously injured The blast also damaged or destroyed neighboring houses The Koriyama city government has set up an evacuation center at a nearby community center said about 400 households in the area near the explosion site experienced power outages from around 10 a.m about 170 households still lacked electricity a Yokohama-based company whose subsidiary operates the popular chain said the Koriyama restaurant had been temporarily closed because of the novel coronavirus pandemic The restaurant was expected to reopen on July 31 “We learned about the explosion because a TV station contacted us We are unable to contact the employees there,” a company representative said “We are deeply sorry for victims of the explosion accident and people in the neighborhood.”  Police have blocked entry within a 300-meter radius of the site Officers have warned people to immediately leave the area because remaining gas could cause another explosion “There was sudden detonating sound and I felt the blast,” said a 32-year-old man who works nearby Glass doors at a nearby bank were broken into pieces At a bank-related business center located about 60 meters southeast of the restaurant all windows on the building’s fourth floor facing the restaurant were broken A representative of the bank’s main office in Koriyama said employees of the business center reported hearing a huge explosion after 9 a.m The representative said the bank has been checking if all employees are safe meaty shiitake mushrooms that he cultivates on his farm near Lake Inawashiro in central Fukushima Prefecture He is one of a number of growers who count on Shinoya a chain of traditional Japanese pubs in Kōriyama operated by local Shinohara Yūtarō Mushroom farmer Ogura Kazunobu cultivates shiitake in oblong growing sheds A smiling Ogura surrounded by a crop of shiitake Ogura admits that mushroom farming is an unusual career choice for him considering that as a child he disliked the shiitake that his father grew the mushrooms were typically cultivated by inserting plugs of starter culture into short logs The resulting shiitake had a pungent smell and strong earthy taste that the young Ogura found unbearable members of the farming cooperative tossed the logs aside and switched to cultivating shiitake in a medium composed of sawdust and rice bran mixed with various nutrients Having failed to get over his childhood aversion to shiitake he set out to grow a milder-tasting variety He claims that shiitake cultivated in growing medium have a mellower taste adding that “mine have an especially mild flavor thanks to the region’s clean air and fresh water.” Ogura carefully cultivates some 30,000 shiitake over two months in winter when cold weather reduces the risk of harmful bacteria damaging his crop carefully regulating the environment of the growing sheds and warily avoiding jostling the racks of mushrooms he keeps the number of shiitake per growing bed to around half of capacity He is a firm believer that the stress-free environment helps the mushroom grow faster and develop large Protected from the elements Ogura’s shiitake thrive in a controlled growing environment Ogura’s business was seriously affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake The massive temblor sent his mushroom beds bleary-eyed days putting them back into place only to have to dispose of his entire crop after the meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station his sales plummeted due to consumer concerns over the safety of produce from the prefecture It was at this time that Ogura changed the cooperative’s business approach resolving to concentrate on growing shiitake notable for their size Although he was unsure if his plan would succeed amid the uncertainty following the disaster It was during this period that Ogura met restaurateur and entrepreneur Shinohara Yūtarō who helped him recognize the real value of his shiitake Shinohara got to work creating dishes showcasing the large meaty mushrooms and also promoted the shiitake to other eateries Aishii Family shiitake became a brand-name item They continue to be one of the most popular products sold through Shinohara’s online shop Ogura says that his relationship with Shinohara has not only improved his bottom line but has also shown him the importance of customer outreach I’ve simply concentrated on growing shiitake,” he shily admits I’ve gotten a bit better at talking with people.” On Shinohara’s advice he started explaining to visitors who come to inspect his operation the ins and outs of his meticulous growing techniques has given him a renewed appreciation for the quality of his mushrooms Large thick caps on sturdy stems are the Aishii Family shiitake selling point Juicy foil-baked shiitake is a customer favorite at the Shinoya pubs An increasing number of restaurants in the area are making a point of using Fukushima-grown vegetables One that has joined the trend is Italian-style farm café Arigatō located in Kōriyama’s Asaka district The eye-catching blackboard atop Arigatō’s counter displays photos of the local growers who supply produce to the restaurant The first course of the lunch table d’hôte menu features a large plate of greens accompanied by cards describing how the vegetables are grown and their particular taste qualities Photos atop the counter at Arigatō introducing local growers An Arigatō salad accompanied by photo cards telling the stories behind the ingredients which operates Arigatō and other businesses in Fukushima and Yamagata Prefectures He opened the cafe in 2016 to support local suppliers impacted by the drop in demand following the Daiichi disaster “I started Arigatō because I wanted to offer customers locally-grown seasonal vegetables while also giving growers a chance to promote their produce,” he explains “I want customers the share the pride growers have in these wonderful vegetables.” Suzuki in his role as intermediary makes certain to pass along to farmers the delight restaurant customers take in their meals he hopes each arigatō (thanks) from customers will “put smiles on the growers’ faces and give meaning to their hard work.” Suzuki Atsushi outside café Arigatō He opened the restaurant with the idea of bringing happiness to Fukushima residents through cuisine Smoked salmon and spinach in tomato cream is one of many delectable pasta dishes on the menu featuring locally sourced vegetables is one of several Kōriyama young growers who are bringing their produce directly to diners but already his operation includes a restaurant serving vegetables grown in his fields but as a child he developed a strong aversion to vegetables something he now ruefully admits he regrets Onodera Atsushi went from disliking vegetables to growing luscious produce Fifteen years into his career as a company employee Onodera says that an encounter with a Kōriyama brand of carrots at a local vegetable stand was a turning point Having received poor marks on his yearly physical exam he decided to give them a try in a bid to improve his diet the taste gave him such a thrill that he immediately got in touch with the grower This led him to learn about vegetable cultivation under the auspices of the Kōriyama Brand Vegetable Council The Suzuki Farm vegetable stand sells several varieties of Kōriyama branded carrots including Gozen Ninjin (top right) and Beni Gozen (bottom right) Onodera was convinced that flavorful vegetables like the carrots he had tried were sure to sell well Although his family tried to dissuade him from farming at a time when Fukushima produce was still being shunned by many consumers he paid no head and quit his office job anyway Determined to restore the prefecture’s reputation for producing fine vegetables he began learning about farming at the Kōriyama Horticultural College After obtaining certification as a “vegetable sommelier” and mastering techniques for creating healthy growing soil Onodera spent a year visiting carrot farms all over the country his summer carrots won the grand prize at a national organic vegetable fair The First Ninjin variety of carrot developed by Onodera is tasty enough to appeal even to vegetable adverse children a typical problem with organically grown produce as it is difficult to supply agreed-upon quantities on a fixed schedule he applied for subsidies and set up his own vegetable restaurant Blue Bee Rather than harvesting vegetables according to a set schedule Onodera picks his crops at the peak of ripeness He then prepares them immediately at his restaurant where his menu offerings highlight their best qualities He also sells his vegetables at the restaurant offering them at prices he sets rather than a wholesaler with all the revenue going to the business His featured product is cold-pressed carrot juice and selling his produce himself without the need of third parties for processing and marketing he has been able to respond quickly to the shifting demands of customer He views his restaurant and his carrot juice production as part and parcel of farming and hopes to expand his business throughout the region Young growers in Kōriyama are experimenting with various ideas and working together to produce vegetables that grow well in local conditions While growers still face consumer concerns about the safety of produce from Fukushima many of them believe that their connections with restaurants are stronger than before the March 11 disaster They hope that the tasty vegetables grown in Kōriyama A lunch menu item at Blue Bee is chock-full of carrots and is served with pure Onodera also offers his carrot juice online Banner photo: Ogura Kazunobu checking the starter bed for his shiitake.) prosecutors here backtracked and indicted three former Self-Defense Force members on charges of sexually assaulting a former female member who went public with her complaint and requested a further investigation The Fukushima District Public Prosecutors Office on March 17 said that the three members were indicted on a charge of indecent assault against Rina Gonoi The Koriyama branch of the prosecutors office in May 2022 decided not to press charges against the three on grounds of insufficient evidence But prosecutors were forced to conduct a new investigation after a prosecution inquest committee in Koriyama in September found the decision to not indict as being inappropriate Gonoi and her three male colleagues were all based at the Ground SDF’s Camp Koriyama the three SDF members held Gonoi to the floor of a training exercise building in Hokkaido on Aug and repeatedly pressed their crotches against her Prosecutors did not divulge the names of the three because they were indicted without being taken into custody Gonoi issued a statement on March 17 that said “I finally feel as though my efforts have been rewarded I want those involved to realize that their actions constituted a crime and to atone for their crime.” After prosecutors decided last year not to indict Gonoi went public about the sexual harassment she faced in the GSDF and asked the prosecution inquest panel to look into the matter The three members were among five discharged from the SDF in December for the incident against Gonoi as well as other female members We will continue to implement thorough guidance to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.” (This article was written by Tetsuya Kasai and Nobuyuki Takiguchi.) sexual assault victim meets her attackers EDITORIAL: SDF needs to root out and eradicate its outbreak of harassment GSDF sexual abuse case to be reconsidered by prosecutors Entire SDF faces harassment probe following assault claim Copyright © The Asahi Shimbun Company. All rights reserved. No reproduction or republication without written permission. Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account (Bloomberg) — After more than a decade of inactivity Japan’s biggest nuclear power plant is ready to restart — but it faces an indefinite wait Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience Article contentThe Kashiwazaki Kariwa plant on the country’s western coast essentially has all but one of the necessary approvals to start producing power Regulators and international nuclear officials are a go but without a green light from the local governor the Tokyo Electric Power Co.-owned plant is stuck in limbo reflects Japan’s complicated relationship with nuclear power By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The country shuttered its entire fleet of reactors after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that triggered a meltdown at Tepco’s Fukushima facility. While polls show that more than half the population now support the idea of restarting inactive reactors, compared with about a quarter in 2015, Tepco has some way to go in winning back trust.  Japan has restarted 14 reactors in the last decade to meet growing demand for power in the world’s fourth-biggest economy, but not one is run by Tepco. Reviving KK will go a long way toward restoring the company’s reputation.   “The most urgent goal is to restart Kashiwazaki Kariwa,” said Tatsuro Kobayashi, general manager for Tepco’s nuclear safety management department. “The most difficult part is to get agreement from the Niigata governor.”  While other prefectures have approved nuclear plants shortly after they were cleared by regulators, Niigata Governor Hideyo Hanazumi hasn’t said when or how he will make a decision. It’s possible the prefectural assembly will vote on the issue, and local residents have submitted petitions seeking a referendum.  “The issue is that we don’t know,” Tatsuya Matoba, a deputy manager at Tepco’s global communications group, said this week. “What we have to do now is explain to the local people about the status of the plant and what we have done.” Hanazumi’s office didn’t respond to an email inquiry on Thursday.  Tepco is moving forward on the assumption the final approval will come. The company loaded fuel into Unit 7 last year and the reactor has been ready to go since June, Kobayashi said on Wednesday at the Asia Pacific Nuclear Energy 2025 conference in Tokyo. Workers are set to load Unit 6 in a few months.  If approved, KK could start producing power within the following month. The timing couldn’t be better as Japan’s demand for electricity is forecast to climb. Heat waves last summer prompted Tepco to warn Tokyo residents that power supplies would be tight. Meanwhile, technology companies are planning data centers and semiconductor factories that will suck up even more juice from the nation’s grid.  The government this week finalized a new energy plan that calls for maximizing the use of nuclear power. That’s a sharp reversal from the prior strategy, which had sought to minimize the country’s reliance on nuclear power and focus on renewables.  Nuclear is expected to supply about 20% of the country’s power by fiscal year 2040, up from 8.5% in fiscal 2023, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s updated energy strategy. That’s still below Japan’s original goal before the Fukushima disaster of boosting atomic power to 50% of the energy mix by 2030. The KK site would be a big contributor to that mix. The plant has seven reactors with a total capacity of 8.2 gigawatts, enough to power more than 13 million households, and is certified by the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s biggest. For now, Tepco is focused on Units 6 and 7, each with 1.35 gigawatts of capacity. The other five units are an older model and some may be decommissioned, according to company officials. Not everyone is convinced that restarting the plant is a good idea. Local residents still have questions about safety issues, including earthquake-readiness and evacuation routes. If there were a referendum, Niigata voters would likely reject a restart, said Kanna Mitsuta, executive director at the environmental group, Friends of the Earth Japan. Tepco executives including President Tomoaki Kobayakawa this week hosted a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency to promote their efforts to boost safety protocols. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, in his first visit to the sprawling facility, declared himself satisfied that the company was ready once again to operate a nuclear power plant. It’s a key endorsement for a firm that still faces significant opposition from the public.  “The restart of this facility will not just be very symbolic,” Grossi said on a snowy day at the remote site near the Sea of Japan. “At the same time it will have a very real impact on the energy landscape.” transmission or republication strictly prohibited This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy You can manage saved articles in your account By Yoshiki Okamoto and Taketsugu Tsuchiya Japan News-Yomiuri Focus on Japan Water quality and feed must be carefully managed in raising goldfish a tank in front of a Buddhist altar fittings store in Yamato-Koriyama holds several goldfish Nara >> Scenes of goldfish breeding ponds have come to be one of the symbols of Nara prefecture The city of Yamato-Koriyama in the prefecture is said to have a 300-year history of goldfish farming and it is now considered one of the three major goldfish producers in Japan On a downtown shopping street in Yamato- Koriyama including in a spherical water tank set in front of a shop that sells items for Buddhist altars as well as a tank attached to an art piece at a train station ticket gate the city has been holding the Goldfish Scooping World Championship in which contestants catch goldfish with scoopers made of fragile paper an activity that’s common at Japan’s summer festivals Yamato-Koriyama accounted for more than 60% of the nation’s goldfish production Although goldfish ponds were converted during World War II into rice paddies or ponds to grow carp for food demand later rose for goldfish scooping games partly in thanks to the country’s strong economic growth after the war goldfish farms have struggled in the face of the country’s declining birthrate and a lack of successors to take over the farms In a town where goldfish farming techniques have been passed down from generation to generation it has become an ongoing battle to preserve the traditional industry has been in the goldfish aquaculture business for nearly 100 years It raises 500,000 to 600,000 goldfish annually in about 60 small and large ponds over a total area of about 5 acres schools of goldfish elegantly wave their tail fins as they swim about the most important task is selecting the parent fish only about one in several thousand goldfish is suitable for producing generations of ornamental fish These select fish possess desirable characteristics such as an attractive eye size and tail shape Water quality and feed must also be carefully managed Water fleas are used as feed for young fish but an overabundance can result in poor oxygen supply A favorable environment requires regulating water fleas using fertilizers and phytoplankton And because feed affects the color of the fish different food is used for different varieties and during the fishes’ different growth stages “Much of the necessary knowledge was accumulated by our predecessors through studies and research,” said Shimada “We’ve got to pass it on to the next generation.” goldfish farming is at a crossroads in Yamato-Koriyama the number of goldfish farms have dropped to 36 in 2018 from 80 in 1998 Festivals and events were canceled across the country The goldfish scooping games accounted for 80% of Yamato-Kingyoen’s sales but they dwindled to almost nothing in 2020 and 2021 The area’s farmers are now taking a different approach Nara prefecture’s goldfish fisheries cooperative is currently raising Kuro Ryukin and Edo Nishiki goldfish the demand for ornamental goldfish is growing The co-op has also launched a subsidy for the costs of raising other top varieties that can draw up to $143 per fish it will be necessary to produce goldfish that show the individuality of the producer,” Shimada said There are a number of theories regarding when goldfish were introduced to Japan; the most popular is that they were brought to Sakai It’s believed they were introduced to the Yamato-Koriyama area in the 18th century goldfish farming was a side hustle for samurai Though their farming techniques were long a mystery a large hole — 24 feet by 11.5 feet in size and 3 feet deep — was discovered at a site believed to have been a samurai residence Farming tools such as feed buckets were also found leading to the conclusion that the hole was once a goldfish pond After feudal domains were abolished in 1871 samurai across the country lost their jobs and those in Yamato-Koriyama turned their side gig into a full-time profession began studying aquaculture methods and devoted himself to helping those who were once in his domain Goldfish farming flourished in Yamato- Koriyama because “the area had many reservoirs providing a good growing environment for water fleas and other organisms that serve as food for goldfish.” please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent JR East’s Tohoku Shinkansen train Tsubasa No 121 overran its designated stop position and stopped at Koriyama Station in Fukushima Prefecture at around 7:30 a.m JR East suspended Tohoku Shinkansen’s operation on both the upper and lower lines between Tokyo and Morioka stations The operation was resumed at around 9:50 a.m Our weekly ePaper presents the most noteworthy recent topics in an exciting © 2025 The Japan News - by The Yomiuri Shimbun Nara — Goldfish swim along the shopping street in Yamatokoriyama The 600-meter-long passage is lined with long-established kimono shops Inside the 28 shops are 30 water tanks of various shapes and sizes in which a total of about 250 goldfish of 30 different species swim around to the delight the shoppers and tourists Yamato-Koriyama is one of the top goldfish producers in Japan and the city created the “Goldfish Street” event that began Nov 22 along Koriyama Yanagimachi shopping street near Kintetsu-Koriyama Station in a bid to attract more tourists to the area Lazily swimming around are comet goldfish with their featherlike tails which are distinguished by their protruding eyes Yamato-Koriyama is famous throughout the country for its goldfish and the shopping districts’ proprietors noted that visitors to the city had often asked them where they could see the dazzling fish The area once had a goldfish aquarium made of a repurposed phone booth but the novelty item was removed in April 2018 leaving few places where tourists could see the city’s iconic commodity So the owners hit on the idea to expand their brand and use goldfish as a catalyst to revitalize the shopping district which has seen less foot traffic every year “Goldfish are our local treasure,” said Mitsunori Kitatani the head of the shopping district cooperative “We want tourists and children to learn more about them.” The cooperative plans to hold more events in the future and is considering hosting a stamp rally to entice people to visit every shop but I didn’t know there were so many different kinds,” said a 63-year-old visitor to the shopping street “I hope many people come to see these goldfish and revitalize the district in the process.” A facility in front of JR Koriyama Station that provides tourist information and city government information also emphasizes promoting goldfish as the city’s symbol The Yamato-Koriyama city tourism association has decorated the entrance of the Citizens Exchange Center building with 14 goldfish objects of various sizes And a tank has been installed near the objects collections including goldfish-related arts and crafts are in display Yamato-Koriyama has held the National Championship of Goldfish Scooping every year since 1995 but the 2020 event was canceled for the first time because of the novel coronavirus pandemic Goldfish scooping is a game in which players use a “poi” scoop which has a net made of washi Japanese paper to catch as many swimming goldfish as possible The number of participants in the competition has been increasing and the summer tradition had more than 1,500 contestants in recent years The 2019 event was dubbed the first “world championship” and attracted about 20,000 visitors from home and abroad Nara — An indigo dyeing museum in Yamato-Koriyama is becoming increasingly popular as a place where visitors can enjoy the elegance of goldfish which had been involved in indigo dyeing since the Edo period (1603-1867) and the city government opened the structure as the Hakomotokan Konya museum in 2000 in hopes of it becoming a tourist attraction due to the spread of the novel coronavirus the museum was temporarily closed and the indigo dyeing classes were suspended the museum started charging no admission fee — usually ¥300 for adults and ¥100 for elementary and junior high school students The number began to increase and reached 1,082 in August The museum has a self-service drink room where visitors can purchase coffee for ¥100 per cup and fish-filled aquariums — with species such as the comet shubunkin and ping-pong pearl that when it matures has a belly resembling a Ping-Pong ball — decorate the entrance Report on the exhibition at the Industrial Fair “KORIYAMA EXPO 2019” held October 12th (Saturday) – 13th (Sunday) Events List Copyright © National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology （AIST） （Japan Corporate Number 7010005005425） HIROSHIMA: Japan has made outreach to the Global South a focus of the G-7 summit it will host in Hiroshima from May 19-21 JAPAN SUMMIT: G-7 leaders will roll out plans for a “battle of offers” with Beijing and Moscow The tussle for global influence is about to intensify and its allies step up efforts to win over governments in a deepening competition for hearts and minds in strategic third countries The advent of a multipolar world comprising rival factions most clearly seen in attitudes to Russia's war on Ukraine will be on show in a series of high-profile summits in the coming months starting with the annual Group of Seven meeting on May 19 in Japan G-7 and European Union leaders are preparing to roll out plans to court a select group of nations in what they're calling a global "battle of offers" with Beijing and Moscow according to people familiar with the discussions and documents seen by Bloomberg News The strategy involves enhanced work with so-called middle ground countries better coordination between existing infrastructure projects and bespoke action plans for each nation identified as a key partner are among the program's objectives The move is tantamount to recognition that China's granular diplomacy and provision of infrastructure investment At the core of the reinvigorated G-7 effort is somewhat of a tilt away from a primarily values-driven approach to one based on more tangible offerings in areas such as trade and security "It's important that we give countries in our hemisphere and around the world options," said Brian Nichols assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs Washington needs to offer countries "a clear perspective and vision on what they can do to have successful economies," while making clear "that some of the promises that countries like China make all of whom have sanctioned Russia and broadly share their U.S colleague's national security concerns over China Even as President Joe Biden sits down with his fellow G-7 leaders in Hiroshima President Xi Jinping will hold a China-Central Asia Summit over two days in the Chinese city of Xi'an President Vladimir Putin hosts African leaders in his hometown of St building on Moscow's efforts to blame Western sanctions - without evidence - rather than Russia's invasion of Ukraine for energy-price inflation and grain shortages that have hit poorer African nations hard leaders of the BRICS group comprising Brazil China and South Africa will meet in Johannesburg with expansion to include a potential 19 hopeful entrants and the feasibility of introducing a common currency on the agenda which first proposed adding to the club and favors an alternative to the U.S Two government officials from separate middle-ground countries said that the world has dramatically changed recently and Western powers have lost the leverage they once had to pressure developing countries politically and economically One official put it simply: Western powers need us more than the other way around Those sensitivities were on show last week ambassador to South Africa accused Pretoria of supplying weapons to Russia - sending the rand to a record low against the dollar - only for both sides to move quickly to tamp down the friction While South Africa has been a regular guest at G-7 summits "When President Biden at the beginning of his term spoke about his values approach I think he had a lot of currency and was attracting a great deal of interest," South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor said in an interview last week before the U.S "But I think the current situation in which they find themselves as a leading part of this conflict makes it more difficult to be convincing." G-7 allies have tried before to counter China's influence and compete with its initiatives But Russia's war has instilled a renewed sense of purpose to those efforts especially as Moscow has increasingly trained its disinformation and influence operations on exploiting anti-Western sentiment in Africa Latin America and the wider "Global South." "The international community is at a historic crossroads," entering "an era in which cooperation and division are intricately intertwined," said Noriyuki Shikata Japan's Cabinet secretary for public affairs That makes the G7's strategic cooperation on global issues with emerging countries and developing countries all the more important "I think we spent about two-thirds of our time on issues of concern to the Global South," U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken said April 18 at a joint news conference with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida who himself undertook a trip to Africa this month The scale of the challenge still appears daunting given a prevailing sentiment that is mistrustful wants to preserve its strategic autonomy and will have a transactional approach in its dealings with the U.S. according to people familiar with the government in New Delhi's thinking When it comes to choosing between the West and China it will back Washington and the Quad security alliance with the U.S. But when choosing between the West and Russia New Delhi will tilt toward Moscow while taking a neutral line in public to cover its tracks and India's security and foreign policy establishment is deeply suspicious of the U.S Everything the West offers has a price tag such as using human rights and media freedoms against India when required Such apprehensions are absent in dealings with Moscow another middle-ground country in the G-7's focus illustrates a further hurdle to the outreach While it's a beneficiary of moves to diversify from China companies like Apple building out manufacturing production in the country the fact is Vietnam can't afford to ignore the giant consumer base just over the border China remains Vietnam's top trading partner Vietnamese officials have meanwhile been relatively quiet about Russia's invasion of Ukraine as it's had a durable security partnership with Russia dating back to the Vietnam War That's a consideration that also features in Africa where Russia supplied weapons to liberation movements - "and the African continent knows that," said South Africa's Pandor action plans to boost relations with four pilot countries: Brazil is losing some of its traditional heft as China builds its presence For President Rodrigo Chaves of Costa Rica Washington needs to "rebalance the level of attention" it's paying to the region where the alliance "seems more tenuous than ever before," he said in an interview "Very few countries remain strong allies of the United States," he said Brazil has become something of a bellwether all the more so as President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva strives to reassert himself as a global statesman will look to relaunch a strategic partnership with Brazil conclude a trade deal with the Mercosur bloc and enhance security and defense cooperation has announced plans to seek $500 million to bolster Brazil's strategy to protect the Amazon despite tensions over Lula's approaches to China and prior comments suggesting Ukraine shared part of the blame for the war stressing the investment and jobs yielded as part of the "strategic relationship" with Latin America's biggest economy Lula initially hesitated to go out of concern over which place at the table would be designated for him: He wasn't prepared to travel only for a photo opportunity said three people familiar with the matter There is a prevailing opinion in Lula's government that the G-7 represents the old and declining order who has made the concept of a multipolar world central to his chancellorship Buenos Aires and Santiago earlier this year and plans joint government consultations with Lula's cabinet in Berlin later this year to strike agreements that better reflect the idea that Europe won't simply import raw materials like lithium but will encourage steps in the value chain like processing to be located in the countries of origin are also putting an increased focus on tackling sanctions circumvention especially enhancing the monitoring of so-called dual-use goods that can serve either a civilian or military purpose Russia has been working to get around restrictions on the banned technologies by importing them through third countries such as Kazakhstan Ensuring there is no circumvention through Kazakhstan is one of the key interests identified by the E.U officials undertook a joint trip to Kazakhstan in April offering help to minimize any economic impact of averting sanctions evasion rather than wielding cudgels Biden administration officials say they are not asking countries to choose between the U.S but are fostering an international environment in which governments are free from coercion by foreign powers Xi has accused Washington of pursuing "containment," and even U.S allies have been compelled to comply with export controls aimed at denying Beijing access to advanced dual-use technologies China is forging ahead with its own diplomatic push having laid the groundwork during the pandemic that allows it to now take "the big step," in the words of one western diplomat in Beijing That often takes the form of small-state diplomacy to complement meetings with global leaders that allows Beijing to line up votes at the United Nations and "take everybody by surprise," said Eric Olander of the China Global South Project Xi is having a phone call with the prime minister of Dominica a Caribbean island of 75,000 people," he said Poll results are published every Monday in The Guam Daily Post University of Guam students and faculty are leveraging international academic conferences to foster economic innovation and workforce development positioning the island as a hub for what School of Business and Public Administration Dean Roseann Jones Saturday’s Mad Collab Block Party in Hagåtña brought together more than 70 local businesses and artists in celebration with hundreds of attendees It was all about the wonders of Artificial Intelligence in the palm of your hand All of the latest features in Samsung's Galaxy AI were showcased at a GTA-sponsored event Thursday Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: A doctor conducts a thyroid examination on five-year-old girl as her older brother and a nurse take care of her at a clinic in temporary housing complex in Nihonmatsu west of the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant March 11 marks the third anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant a short drive from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant the city recommended shortly after the disaster that children up to two years old not spend more than 15 minutes outside each day Those aged 3 to 5 should limit their outdoor time to 30 minutes or less but many kindergartens and nursery schools continue to obey them even now in line with the wishes of worried parents An annual survey by the Fukushima prefecture Board of Education found that children in Fukushima weighed more than the national average in virtually every age group The cause seems to be a lack of exercise and outdoor activity Japan - Some of the smallest children in Koriyama barely know what it's like to play outside - fear of radiation has kept them in doors for much of their short lives Though the strict safety limits for outdoor activity set after multiple meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in 2011 have now been eased parental worries and ingrained habit mean many children still stay inside with children experiencing falling strength 'does this have radiation in it?' and we have to tell them it's okay to eat," said Mitsuhiro Hiraguri director of the Emporium Kindergarten in Koriyama some 55 km (35 miles) west of the Fukushima nuclear plant They say they want to play in the sandbox and make mud pies a series of explosions and meltdowns caused the world's worst nuclear accident for 25 years spewing radiation over a swathe of Fukushima an agricultural area long known for its rice A 30 km radius around the plant was declared a no-go zone forcing some 160,000 people from homes where some had lived for generations where the radiation was not so critically high took steps such as replacing the earth in parks and school playgrounds decontaminating public spaces like sidewalks but many kindergartens and nursery schools continue to adhere to the limits in line with the wishes of worried parents One mother at an indoor Koriyama playground was overheard telling her child: "Try to avoid touching the outside air" Even three-year-olds know the word "radiation" Though thyroid cancer in children was linked to the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident the United Nations said last May that cancer rates were not expected to rise after Fukushima Radiation levels around the Emporium Kindergarten in Koriyama were now down around 0.12-0.14 microsieverts per hour This works out to be lower than Japan's safety level of 1,000 microsieverts a year keeping many parents nervous about any outdoor play "I try to keep from going out and from opening the window," said 34-year-old Ayumi Kaneta "I buy food from areas away from Fukushima But this lack of outdoor play is having a detrimental affect on Koriyama's children you can certainly see a fall in the results of physical strength and ability tests - things like grip strength running and throwing balls," said Toshiaki Yabe an official with the Koriyama city government Five year olds were roughly 500 gms (1 lb) heavier while the weight difference grew to 1 kg for six-year-old boys Hiraguri said that stress was showing up in an increase of scuffles arguments and even sudden nosebleeds among the children "There's a lot more children who aren't all that alert in their response to things They aren't motivated to do anything," he said Koriyama has removed decontaminated earth in public places and work to replace all playground equipment in public parks should finish soon said parental attitudes towards the risk of radiation may be slowly shifting instead of hearing from parents that they're worried about radiation we're hearing that they're more worried because their kids don't get outside," he said "I do sometimes wonder if it's really all right to keep children in Fukushima and I feel strongly that I must do all I can for them." 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The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser Japanese version Japanese version Japanese version Japanese version Japanese version The Koriyama Castle Samurai Daishos are key targets in Assassin's Creed Shadows each guarding critical locations within the fortress Eliminating them not only grants valuable mastery points but also unlocks access to a Legendary Chest containing powerful rewards This guide will help you locate all the Koriyama Castle Samurai Daishos and claim every reward hidden within the stronghold in Assassin's Creed Shadows The first Samurai Daisho guards the large courtyard on the eastern side of Koriyama Castle He spends a lot of time moving close to the castle walls A rooftop perch or an air assassination at the right time is the best option to eliminate him The second Samurai Daisho is stationed inside the northwestern tower a highly fortified area filled with guards Luring him outside will provide an easier opportunity for an assassination without raising suspicion The third Samurai Daisho is also inside the northwestern tower making this section particularly dangerous If you’ve already taken down the second Daisho it’s best to strike from the shadows before reinforcements arrive The fourth Samurai Daisho guards the southern building of Koriyama Castle so it's best to take out his companion first before singling him out for a swift execution The Legendary Chest is positioned on the Northwestern Tower's top floor After all four Samurai Daisho have been destroyed Eliminating all Koriyama Castle Samurai Daishos rewards you with: Check out: Where to find all Osaka Castle Samurai Daishos in Assassin's Creed Shadows (rewards and more) Are you stuck on today's Wordle? Our Wordle Solver will help you find the answer Your perspective matters!Start the conversation Koriyama has a very high level of seismic activity Based on data from the past 25 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900 there are about 2,300 quakes on average per year in or near Koriyama Koriyama has had at least 9 quakes above magnitude 6 since 2000 which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently probably on average approximately every 1 to 5 years The quake had a very shallow depth of 3.3 km (2.1 mi) and was too small to be felt by people Koriyama has had 15 small quakes up to magnitude 1.3 The quake had a very shallow depth of 18.6 km (12 mi) and was too small to be felt by people.