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Helicopter accident on Mt. Aso

Firefighters wear gas masks in Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Jan. 22, 2026, as they prepare to resume a rescue and recovery mission for a sightseeing helicopter that went missing in the crater area of Mt. Nakadake, one of the peaks of Mt. Aso, on Jan. 20.

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Missing helicopter on Mt. Aso

Japan Transport Safety Board officer Keisuke Tanoue meets the press in Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Jan. 22, 2026, after a sightseeing helicopter went missing in the crater area of Mt. Nakadake, one of the peaks of Mt. Aso on Jan. 20.

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Missing helicopter on Mt. Aso

Police officers and firefighters walk toward an area near a crater on Mt. Nakadake, one of the peaks of Mt. Aso in Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan, on Jan. 21, 2026, to search for a sightseeing helicopter that went missing on Jan. 20.

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Missing helicopter on Mt. Aso

Police officers and firefighters walk toward an area near a crater on Mt. Nakadake, one of the peaks of Mt. Aso in Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan, on Jan. 21, 2026, to search for a sightseeing helicopter that went missing on Jan. 20.

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Aso Helicopter missing

Police officers and firefighters walk toward an area near a crater on Mt. Nakadake, one of the peaks of Mt. Aso in Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan, on Jan. 21, 2026, to search for a sightseeing helicopter that went missing on Jan. 20.

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Search for missing helicopter on Mt. Aso

A police rescue vehicle heads to Mt. Aso in Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Jan. 21, 2026, after wreckage believed to be of the sightseeing helicopter that went missing the previous day was found in the crater area of Mt. Nakadake, one of the peaks of Mt. Aso.

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Search for missing helicopter on Mt. Aso

Photo taken on Jan. 21, 2026, in Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, shows firefighters preparing to resume a search for a sightseeing helicopter that went missing the previous day in the crater area of Mt. Nakadake, one of the peaks of Mt. Aso.

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Missing helicopter on Mt. Aso

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on Jan. 20, 2026, shows the crater area of Mt. Nakadake, one of the peaks of Mt. Aso in Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, after a sightseeing helicopter went missing earlier in the day.

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Search for missing helicopter on Mt. Aso

Firefighters gather in Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Jan. 21, 2026, before resuming a search for a sightseeing helicopter that went missing the previous day in the crater area of Mt. Nakadake, one of the peaks of Mt. Aso.

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Search for missing helicopter on Mt. Aso

Police officers gather in Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Jan. 21, 2026, before resuming a search for a sightseeing helicopter that went missing the previous day in the crater area of Mt. Nakadake, one of the peaks of Mt. Aso.

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Missing helicopter on Mt. Aso

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on Jan. 20, 2026, shows the crater area of Mt. Nakadake, one of the peaks of Mt. Aso in Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, after a sightseeing helicopter went missing earlier in the day.

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Missing helicopter on Mt. Aso

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on Jan. 20, 2026, shows the crater area of Mt. Nakadake, one of the peaks of Mt. Aso in Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, after a sightseeing helicopter went missing earlier in the day.

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Helicopter carrying 3 goes missing near Japan's Mt. Aso summit

Firefighters gather on Mt. Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Jan. 20, 2026, as they begin the search for a sightseeing helicopter carrying two passengers from Taiwan and the pilot that went missing near the summit earlier in the day.

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Helicopter carrying 3 goes missing near Japan's Mt. Aso summit

Photo taken on Jan. 20, 2026, in Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, shows the area near a crater on Mt. Aso where a sightseeing helicopter carrying two passengers from Taiwan and the pilot went missing near the summit earlier in the day.

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Japan: Strong Earthquake Hits Kumamoto

A strong earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture at around 6:01 p.m. on Tuesday, November 25, registering a maximum intensity of 5+ on the Japanese seismic scale. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the epicenter was in the Aso region of Kumamoto Prefecture, at a depth of approximately 10 km. The quake is estimated to have had a magnitude of 5.7. A video shows a ceiling light shaking in neighboring Saga Prefecture.

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Japan: Strong Earthquake Hits Kumamoto 2

A strong earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture at around 6:01 p.m. on Tuesday, November 25, registering a maximum intensity of 5+ on the Japanese seismic scale. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the epicenter was in the Aso region of Kumamoto Prefecture, at a depth of approximately 10 km. The quake is estimated to have had a magnitude of 5.7. A video shows overhead wires shaking at Kumamoto Station right after the earthquake.

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[Breaking News]Construction site for TSMC plant in Japan

KIKUYO, Japan, Oct. 24 Kyodo - Video taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on Oct. 24, 2025, shows the construction site for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s second Japanese plant in Kikuyo in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan. The first TSMC plant in the country can be seen in the background. (Kyodo)

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TSMC plant in Japan

Photo taken on Oct. 18, 2025, shows the construction site for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s second Japanese plant in Kikuyo in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan.

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TSMC plant in Japan

Photo taken on Oct. 18, 2025, shows Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s first Japanese plant in Kikuyo in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan.

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TSMC plant in Japan

Photo taken on Oct. 18, 2025, shows Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s first Japanese plant in Kikuyo in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan.

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TSMC plant in Japan

Photo taken on Oct. 18, 2025, shows Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s first Japanese plant in Kikuyo in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan.

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TSMC plant in Japan

Photo taken on Oct. 18, 2025, shows Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s first Japanese plant in Kikuyo in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan.

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Construction site for TSMC plant in Japan

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on Oct. 24, 2025, shows the construction site for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s second Japanese plant in Kikuyo in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan. The first TSMC plant in the country can be seen in the background.

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Construction site for TSMC plant in Japan

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on Oct. 24, 2025, shows the construction site for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s second Japanese plant in Kikuyo in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan. The first TSMC plant in the country can be seen in the background.

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Hitoyoshi signature boxed lunch

Photo taken on July 1, 2024, in Hitoyoshi in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, shows signature boxed lunches from Hitoyoshi Ekiben Yamaguchi, a local food shop near Hitoyoshi Station, with one on the left including chestnut rice and the other featuring sweetfish sushi.

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Japan: Storm System Brings Intense Lightning to Southwestern Region

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued weather alerts for Nagasaki and Kumamoto Prefectures in southwestern Japan on Wednesday, September 10, as a Linear Precipitation Band brought severe downpour to the area. Officials also warned residents across a wide area along the Sea of Japan coast for flooding in low-lying areas, and swelling and overflowing rivers due to heavy rain with lightning.

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Japan: Storm System Brings Intense Lightning to Southwestern Region 2

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued weather alerts for Nagasaki and Kumamoto Prefectures in southwestern Japan on Wednesday, September 10, as a Linear Precipitation Band brought severe downpour to the area. Officials also warned residents across a wide area along the Sea of Japan coast for flooding in low-lying areas, and swelling and overflowing rivers due to heavy rain with lightning.

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Symposium on baby hatches

Takeshi Hasuda, director of Jikei Hospital, speaks at a symposium in the southwestern Japan city of Kumamoto on July 6, 2024, over issues regarding "baby hatches" that enable parents to anonymously leave infants they are unable to care for.

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Symposium on baby hatches

Takeshi Hasuda, director of Jikei Hospital, speaks at a symposium in the southwestern Japan city of Kumamoto on July 6, 2024, over issues regarding "baby hatches" that enable parents to anonymously leave infants they are unable to care for.

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Solar panels in southwestern Japan

File photo taken on May 23, 2023, shows solar panels in Yamato in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan.

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RECAP: Fireball Illuminates Nights Sky Across Western Japan

A fireball was spotted across western Japan on Tuesday night, August 19, briefly illuminating the sky and surprising residents. Authorities said observation equipment also recorded air vibrations shortly after 11 p.m., when the light was seen.

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Japan: Huge Fireball – Possible Meteorite Lit Up Night Skies 5

A fireball was spotted across western Japan on Tuesday night, August 19, streaming down the night sky and possibly representing a meteorite. Authorities said that observation equipment also recorded air vibrations shortly after 11 PM, when the light was spotted.

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Japan: Huge Fireball – Possible Meteorite Lit Up Night Skies

A fireball was spotted across Japan on Tuesday night, August 19, streaming down the night sky and possibly representing a meteorite. Authorities said that observation equipment also recorded air vibrations shortly after 11 PM, when the light was spotted.

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Aftermath of torrential rain in southwestern Japan

Photo shows a truck in a roadside ditch in Yatsushiro in Kumamoto Prefecture on Aug. 12, 2025, following days of torrential rain in southwestern Japan.

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Aftermath of torrential rain in southwestern Japan

Photo shows an overturned vehicle in a roadside ditch in Yatsushiro in Kumamoto Prefecture on Aug. 12, 2025, following days of torrential rain in southwestern Japan.

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Torrential rain in Kumamoto Pref.

TAMANA, Japan, Aug. 12 Kyodo - The city of Tamana in Kumamoto Prefecture is flooded on Aug. 11, 2025, following torrential rain in southwestern Japan. (Kyodo)

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Aftermath of torrential rain in Kumamoto Pref.

Photo taken on Aug. 12, 2025, shows the outside of a beauty parlor in Yatsushiro in Kumamoto Prefecture, following torrential rain in southwestern Japan.

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Aftermath of torrential rain in Kumamoto Pref.

Photo taken on Aug. 12, 2025, shows the outside of a beauty parlor in Yatsushiro in Kumamoto Prefecture, following torrential rain in southwestern Japan.

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Aftermath of torrential rain in Kumamoto Pref.

A crane lifts a truck from an irrigation channel in Yatsushiro in Kumamoto Prefecture on Aug. 12, 2025, following torrential rain in southwestern Japan.

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Aftermath of torrential rain in Kumamoto Pref.

Photo taken on Aug. 12, 2025, shows the submerged front entrance area of a house in Kumamoto, southwestern Japan, following days of torrential rain.

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Aftermath of torrential rain in Kumamoto Pref.

Photo taken on Aug. 12, 2025, shows a vehicle in an irrigation channel in Yatsushiro in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, following days of torrential rain.

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Aftermath of torrential rain in Kumamoto Pref.

Photo taken on Aug. 12, 2025, shows muddy cauliflower seedlings in Yatsushiro in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, following days of torrential rain.

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Aftermath of torrential rain in Kumamoto Pref.

Photo taken on Aug. 12, 2025, shows muddy cauliflower seedlings in Yatsushiro in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, following days of torrential rain.

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Aftermath of torrential rain in Kumamoto Pref.

Photo taken on Aug. 12, 2025, shows a minicar in a ditch in Yatsushiro in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, following days of torrential rain.

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Aftermath of torrential rain in Kumamoto Pref.

Photo taken on Aug. 12, 2025, shows muddy cauliflower seedlings in Yatsushiro in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, following days of torrential rain.

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Aftermath of torrential rain in Kumamoto Pref.

Photo taken on Aug. 12, 2025, shows muddy cauliflower seedlings in Yatsushiro in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, following days of torrential rain.

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Torrential rain in Kumamoto Pref.

The city of Tamana in Kumamoto Prefecture is flooded on Aug. 11, 2025, following torrential rain in southwestern Japan.

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Torrential rain in Kumamoto Pref.

The city of Tamana in Kumamoto Prefecture is flooded on Aug. 11, 2025, following torrential rain in southwestern Japan.

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Torrential rain in Kumamoto Pref.

The city of Tamana in Kumamoto Prefecture is flooded on Aug. 11, 2025, following torrential rain in southwestern Japan.

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Torrential rain in Kumamoto Pref.

The city of Tamana in Kumamoto Prefecture is flooded on Aug. 11, 2025, following torrential rain in southwestern Japan.