A car sharing group in northeastern Japan is offering a vehicle equipped with a navigation system that shares stories about the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in the region.
The Japan Car Sharing Association is based in the city of Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture. After the coastal city was devastated by the disaster, it started providing services such as renting cars free of charge in areas hit by disasters.
A park symbolizing recovery from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan has fully opened in Minamisanriku Town in Miyagi Prefecture.
The opening ceremony was held on Monday after the construction of all areas of the park had been completed.
Construction machinery makers are adopting digital technologies to improve disaster recovery work.
This comes as Japan marks on Monday one year since Typhoon Hagibis made landfall in the country. The storm caused rivers to overflow, inflicting considerable damage.
A character representing dreams and hope from the disaster-hit city of Rikuzentakata in northeastern Japan has won an annual contest to decide the country's most popular local mascot.
Local authorities, companies and other organizations create mascots to promote their communities and activities. Such mascots, called "Yuru-Chara," usually feature cute, yet unsophisticated designs.
Tokushima Prefecture in western Japan held drills overnight on Monday based on the scenario that a mega earthquake hit the region amid the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Japan observes Disaster Prevention Day on September 1 every year to remember the Great Kanto Earthquake which struck Tokyo in 1923.
Japanese authorities staged a drill on Tuesday under the scenario of a major earthquake striking the country.
September 1 is Disaster Prevention Day in Japan. This day commemorates the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, which left more than 100,000 people dead in and around Tokyo.
The Japanese government has decided to set aside around 100 billion yen, or 960 million dollars, for people affected by record rainfall.
The spending package was approved by the Cabinet on Friday.
Japan's disaster management minister says areas stricken by torrential rains are suffering from a lack of volunteers to help the cleanup.
Takeda Ryota appeared on a NHK program on Sunday. He said that the number of people who have come forward to volunteer has been very low, because of concerns over the coronavirus.
Localized downpours are forecast for western and eastern Japan through early Saturday. The southwestern region of Kyushu has had about half its average annual rainfall in just a week. People in affected areas are being advised to evacuate early as the situation could worsen quickly.
The Meteorological Agency says a rain front extending over the Sea of Japan and a low pressure system are destabilizing atmospheric conditions from western Japan to the Tohoku region in northern Japan. Rain clouds are developing over Kyushu and its neighboring region of Shikoku.
The Japanese government says it plans to designate the heavy rain that swamped the southwestern region of Kyushu as a "severe natural disaster" in order to increase state subsidies for reconstruction work.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide told reporters on Wednesday that the government is assessing the damage to decide which areas should be covered by the measure.
Heavy rain pounding the Kyushu region in southwestern Japan has already caused mudslides and flooding, with deadly results.
Officials say 41 people have been confirmed dead in Kumamoto Prefecture.
Japanese financial institutions are offering support for victims of the heavy rains that have battered southwestern and central Japan. Four major banks say they will lend money at reduced interest rates to people who need their homes rebuilt or renovated.
The banks are Sumitomo Mitsui, Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho, and Resona.
Torrential rain in western Japan has left dozens of hospitals and welfare facilities flooded, without power, or lacking water.
The health ministry says, as of 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday, at least 23 hospitals were affected by flooding, power outages, and disrupted water supplies in the southwestern prefectures of Kumamoto, Fukuoka and Kagoshima, as well as in the western prefecture of Shiga. Officials say water trucks have been sent to the areas. They also say patients are being moved to nearby facilities.
Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has instructed a government taskforce to speed up work to declare the torrential rain in southwestern Japan an "extraordinary disaster." That would enable victims to receive special support to rebuild their lives.
Abe said on Tuesday that many districts in affected areas have been cut off by floods and landslides. He asked for continued efforts to rescue and support survivors, and to search for the missing.