
Fukushima eyes U.S.-bound local rice exports of 100 tons a year
By Naoyuki Saito, chief reporter on prefectural politics, News Department, Fukushima-Minpo Co. LOS ANGELES -- The Fukushima prefectural government agreed with a group of local farmers and a Japanese mass retailer on Jan. 16 (Jan. 17 JST) to aim for the export of 100 tons of rice per year to the United States in the wake of Washington's removal of import …

Fukushima-born composer Koseki inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame
Yuji Koseki, the late composer hailing from Fukushima city, has been inducted into Japan's Baseball Hall of Fame for writing pieces of music well known among professional and amateur baseball circles. Koseki was elected from the special honors category, according to an announcement on Jan. 13 by the Tokyo-based Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. He will join the ranks …
Vietjet Air charter flight to arrive on Jan. 27, 1st int'l arrival in 3 years at Fukushima Airport
The Fukushima prefectural government announced on Jan. 5 that Vietnamese budget carrier Vietjet Air will operate a round-trip charter flight scheduled to arrive at Fukushima Airport on Jan. 27, marking the resumption of international flights to the facility after a three-year hiatus caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic. The flight has been chartered for a five-day, four-night tour of sightseeing …
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28 December 2022
New guidelines on nuclear mishap indemnity expands scope of coverage
A government panel mediating disputes over nuclear damage compensation finalized an additional set of proposals on Dec. 20 for revising its "interim guidelines" for state indemnification standards, calling for a greater expansion of the scope of damages coverage associated with the 2011 nuclear accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi plant. In its fifth additional package of recommendations, the Dispute Reconciliation Committee for Nuclear Damage Compensation proposed that up to 2.5 million yen per person be paid to the people who are judged to have been affected by "transfigurations of their living infrastructure (hometowns)" as a …
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Fukushima assembly for women set up to promote gender equality
A group of female volunteers in Fukushima Prefecture launched an assembly to help promote the empowerment of local women when they met in Fukushima city on Dec. 17. The Fukushima Prefecture Assembly for Women was set up at a local …
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Popularity, value grow for Fukushima-grown species of baby's breath
The "Showa Kasumiso" (baby's breath) brand grown in Fukushima Prefecture's Oku-Aizu inland region, including the village of Showa, is sold at higher prices than before as decades of efforts to improve its quality has paid off. Annual sales have topped …
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8 December 2022
Deadly bird flu virus confirmed in Date, over 640,000 chickens barred from being moved
The Fukushima prefectural government announced on Nov. 29 that gene tests had confirmed that the avian influenza virus detected at a broiler chicken farm in Date city was a highly pathogenic strain with a high fatality rate. It was the first avian flu case at a chicken farm in the prefecture. A prefectural task force headed by the governor met earlier in the day and decided to cull all 17,000 birds at the farm by Nov. 30. The other chicken yard located within a 3-kilometer radius of the farm, also in the city, was ordered not to move its 14,000 …
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1 December 2022
Tohoku Electric seeks 32.9% hike in household bill
Tohoku Electric Power Co. applied to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on Nov. 24 for an average 32.94% increase in the "regulated charges" for ordinary households, seeking to put them into effect on April 1 next year. The rate hike plan, subject to approval by the ministry, was the first announced by a major utility at a time when the country's power suppliers have experienced sharp increases in fuel costs. The "regulated charges" require approval from national authorities and are determined outside the framework of the "free charges" introduced after electricity rates for household use were liberalized in …
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Japan's 1st lithium hydroxide plant completed in Naraha
A ceremony was held in the Fukushima Prefecture town of Naraha on Nov. 16 to mark the completion of a plant for producing lithium hydroxide, an in-car lithium-ion battery material. High hopes are pinned on the plant in the Naraha-minami …