20110427

Japan to remove radiation-tainted topsoil at schools

by monstersandcritics.com

Local authorities in north-eastern Japan are to remove radiation-tainted topsoil from school grounds amid the ongoing nuclear crisis so that children can resume outdoor activities, a news report said Tuesday. The city of Koriyama in Fukushima prefecture is to get rid of the top 1 to 2 centimetres of topsoil from schoolyards this weekend, public broadcaster NHK reported. (monstersandcritics.com)

Rebuilding Japan after the tsunami - one soy sauce business at a time

by csmonitor.com

Rikuzentakata, Japan - "I'm Kono of Yagisawa Shoten." The baritone delivery is confident, and accompanied by a smile that belies a tragedy repeated countless times along Japan's northeast coast. As his hometown of Rikuzentakata, in Iwate prefecture, comes to terms with the deaths of more than 2,000 people and the loss of 80 percent of its homes, Michihiro Kono hopes to rebuild his historic soy sauce business and instill hope in fellow residents. The recent construction of the first temporary housing units is a sign the town is looking forward, but the rehousing effort is expected to take months to complete. (csmonitor.com)