3:28
Japan news agency awards jailed Burmese female reporter
Japan news agency awards jailed Burmese female reporter
Japan news agency awards jailed Burmese female reporter
4:22
Live from Natori, Japan - A major rescue effort is underway in Japan in aftermath of quake & tsunami
Live from Natori, Japan - A major rescue effort is underway in Japan in aftermath of quake & tsunami
Three days after a devastating earthquake hit Japan, the stock market in Tokyo has reopened - and its performance shows just how big the damage to the country's economy could be. Share prices dropped sharply by more than five per cent within the first hour of trading on Monday. Moving quickly to try to keep financial markets stable, the Bank of Japan said it will inject $85bn into the money market to try to bring some stability. The humanitarian crisis is deepening too, with thousands of people still missing as a result of Friday's 8.9 magnitude earthquake and resultant tsunami that are believed to have killed thousands of people. On the brighter side, foreign aid has begun arriving. A US naval ship is being used to help send out supplies and an aircraft carrier is also on its way to help. But millions remain without electricity, and there are growing fears about the safety of the Fukushima nuclear plant where a state of emergency is in force. All this leaves Japan facing its worst crisis since the second world war, according to the country's prime minister, Naoto Kan. For their part, nuclear plant engineers were frantically working to keep temperatures down in a series of reactors, as the possibility of a nuclear disaster threatened to complicate matters. Authorities declared a state of emergency at a nuclear facility in the town of Onagawa on Sunday after excessive radiation levels were recorded there, the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency said. Engineers are <b>...</b>
4:40
Latest news - Japan 8.9 magnitude earthquake unleashes tsunami (Friday, 11 March 2011)
Latest news - Japan 8.9 magnitude earthquake unleashes tsunami (Friday, 11 March 2011)
At least 29 people are reported to have been killed after one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck Japan, triggering a 10-metre-high tsunami along parts of the country's northeastern coastline. The massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck Friday morning, creating a gigantic wave which swept away cars, boats, homes and people as it surged over coastal barriers. Widespread fires burned out of control and Japan's nuclear power stations shut down automatically as a safety precaution. Millions were reported to be without electricity, airports were closed and public transport in Tokyo and other cities came to a halt as Japan reeled amid the devastation. Japan's NHK television reported many injuries and showed pictures of major tsunami damage in the north, with buildings being inundated by waves of water in Onahama city in Fukushima prefecture. Police and authorities said 29 people had been confirmed dead in the aftermath of the quake and tsunami, though some news agencies put the number of dead as high as 32. A ship carrying 100 people was swept away by the tsunami, Kyodo news agency reported. News of the dead and missing came amid a warning that another strong quake could be imminent on the northeast Honshu island, Japan's main island.
