Topic: Kyodo News Agency

As Okinawa marks 40 years of postwar sovereignty, US bases still an irritant

Okinawa marked the 40th anniversary of its reversion to Japanese sovereignty from US postwar control Tuesday amid political deadlock over the relocation of a key US military base.

Japan shuts down last nuclear reactor for tests. End of nuclear power?

If Japan survives the summer without power blackouts, citizens may pressure the government to make the temporary nuclear shutdown permanent.

Stocks fall. Greece weighs on markets.

Stocks are down in Asia and Europe ahead of a key European summit. S&P futures are also lower. Investors shun stocks as concerns linger about Greece's long-term solvency.  

North Korea not the only offender: 6 official photo fudgings

As state manipulators of the media go, few can compare to North Korea, which found it necessary to doctor an official photograph of Kim Jong-il's funeral procession. 

Just as governments are finding it easier to use technology to manipulate images, so too is the public finding it easier to spot such digital trickery. Here are six noteworthy attempts by governments to shape media coverage through image manipulation.

Stock market: Fears ease over North Korea

Stock market futures in US edge up as tensions ease over Kim Jong Il's passing. Asia markets close lower, but stock market in Germany, Britain, and France recover.  

Japan officially declares no-go zone around Fukushima

More than a month after a devastating earthquake and tsunami sparked Japan's worst nuclear crisis, Japan has made it illegal to come within 12 miles of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Japan crisis: Nuclear agency joins France in raising danger assessment

Japan’s nuclear agency raised its assessment of the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station from a level 4 to a level 5 on a 7-level international scale for nuclear accidents, matching an earlier assessment by France.

Fukushima fire, radiation cause workers to evacuate plant

Fukushima fire: The fire that began on Tuesday has led to extreme radiation leaks that have forced officials to withdraw all crews from the nuclear plant. The Fukushima fire can not be confirmed to still be burning in the now-unmanned plant.

Meltdown 101: What are spent-fuel pools and why are they a threat?

Spent-fuel pools are shielded only by the buildings at Japan's Fukushimi I nuclear power plant, and three have now been damaged by explosions. Low-level radiation leaking from the pools could dramatically worsen if the water levels drop low enough for spent rods to burn.

Five of Asia's most devastating earthquakes

The Pacific Rim, the body of land surrounding the Pacific Ocean from the west coasts of North and South America to the east coasts of China and Japan, is one of the most volatile regions in the world for earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. Since 1975, several stunning earthquakes around the Pacific Rim have resulted in tremendous devastation and loss of life – some smaller, but some much greater, than the unfolding crisis in Japan from the March 11 temblor.

Source: US Geological Survey historical data

Another earthquake shakes Japan, Fukushima evacuated: a nuclear timeline

A month after the March 11, a 9.0 earthquake triggered a 30-foot tsunami that damaged several nuclear reactors in northeastern Japan, causing the country's worst crisis since World War II, a 7.4 temblor shook the country again.

Japanese nuclear reactor update: Amid signs of progress, new problems

Scientists warn of risks from spent-fuel cooling pools and plutonium-rich, mixed-oxide fuel inside one nuclear reactor, even as the No. 1 and No. 3 reactors appear to be coming under control.

Japan now assumes 'possibility of a meltdown' at troubled reactors

Japanese workers raced against the clock to pump seawater into two damaged nuclear reactors. It’s a last-ditch effort to cool them enough to avert the kind of core meltdowns that happened at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island.

Japan nuclear plant in state of emergency, as cooling power runs low

A nuclear plant in Japan is said to declare a state of emergency, as backup power used to cool three reactors runs low. Help is on the way. 'It's a dicey situation,' says nuclear specialist in US.

Japan issues Europe travel alert, joining US

While Al Qaeda has not targeted Japanese nationals, the rare travel alert is a sign of how seriously Japan and other governments are taking the Europe terror threat.

China-Japan relations sour as fishing boat dispute escalates

China-Japan relations have further deteriorated following China’s decision to cease high-level exchanges with Japan in protest at the extended detention of a Chinese fishing boat captain.

Did North Korea's Kim Jong-il take a secret train to China?

North Korea’s secretive leader Kim Jong-il may be visiting China, as reports emerged of a ‘special’ train – his preferred means of travel – at the border. Kim may seek his powerful ally’s help on dwindling food aid.

New PM takes office in Japan

Yukio Hatoyama and his Democratic Party of Japan must address a troubled economy, record high unemployment, and a rapidly aging population.

North Korea says uranium enrichment in final phase

The North offered to engage in dialogue, and said sanctions would be met by an acceleration of its nuclear program.

Japan's ruling LDP lays out its campaign platform

Prime Minister Aso's long-ruling party is under fire as polls indicate strong support for the opposition Democratic Party of Japan. The vote is Aug. 30.

North Korea's nuclear test sparks UN emergency meeting

Monday's explosion – the latest in a series of hard-line moves by Pyongyang – may have been 20 times more powerful than its last test in 2006.

Ahead of North Korea's planned rocket launch, US dispatches destroyers

The US has said it won't use destroyers to shoot missiles down. But they could gather intelligence.

USA