Japan

Huge 7.4 Magnitude Quake Just Hit Near Fukushima Days After Disaster Anniversary

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Authorities lifted a tsunami advisory and electricity was restored after a powerful 7.4-magnitude quake jolted northeastern Japan on Wednesday night in waters near the site of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.   At least one person died in the coastal city of Soma and dozens more were injured in the quake, local news agency Kyodo reported, … Read more

Mountain-size chunk of rock hiding under Japan is channeling earthquakes

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An underground mountain-sized chunk of rock may be affecting paths of large earthquakes in southern Japan. The dense igneous rock, known as the Kumano pluton, is lurking about 3.1 miles (5 kilometers) below the surface beneath Japan’s Kii Peninsula. It sits in the crust of the continental Eurasian plate. Under this slab of continental crust, … Read more

Bizarre 300-Year-Old Mummified ‘Mermaid’ Can Finally Be Explained

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Researchers in Japan are investigating the origins of a nightmarish, 300-year-old mummified ‘mermaid‘, which has been worshipped for centuries due to its supposed medicinal properties.   The haunting remains are most likely a gruesome amalgam of a monkey’s torso sewed onto a fish’s tail, potentially embellished with hair and nails from a human.  Hiroshi Kinoshita, board member … Read more

Mountain-Sized Rock Hidden Underneath Japan Could Be a Magnet For Megaquakes

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A mountain-sized mass of igneous rock beneath the coast of southern Japan could be acting as a sort of magnet or lightning rod for huge earthquakes. According to a new 3D visualization of the feature, known as the Kumano Pluton, the tectonic energy from megaquakes seems to be diverted to several points along its side. … Read more

Folk songs: Japanese and English language melodies evolved in the same way

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Japanese folk songs evolved in the same way as those sung in English even though there are significant cultural differences in musical tone and scales Humans 3 February 2022 By Jason Arunn Murugesu A woman playing a koto, a traditional Japanese musical instrument Shutterstock/PixHound Japanese folk songs evolved in the same way as English language … Read more

Japan will launch a huge communications satellite on Wednesday. Here’s how to watch it live.

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A highly advanced commercial communications satellite will lift off from Japan on Wednesday (Dec. 22) and you can watch the action live. The huge Inmarsat-6 F1 satellite is scheduled to launch atop a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries H-2A rocket Wednesday from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan during a two-hour window that opens at 9:33 a.m. EST … Read more