Restoration of 'miracle pine'

Restoration of 'miracle pine'

RIKUZENTAKATA, Japan - A part of the trunk of the "miracle pine" that initially withstood the massive March 2011 tsunami is suspended from a crane to be planted into the ground in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, on Feb. 12, 2013, as restoration of the tree reached the final stage. The remnants of the tree were dissected in September 2012 into several parts for anti-decay treatment.

Fukushima nuclear plant chief feared catastrophe for eastern Japan

Fukushima nuclear plant chief feared catastrophe for eastern Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Pool photo taken Nov. 12, 2011, shows Masao Yoshida, chief of the disaster-struck Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant of Tokyo Electric Power Co., speaking to reporters at the plant in Fukushima Prefecture. According to government documents obtained by Kyodo News on Aug. 30, 2014, Yoshida said in testimony before his death that he had feared catastrophic damage to eastern Japan while he was struggling to contain the crisis in March 2011. The government will release his 400-page testimony in September.

Classes resume after typhoon

Classes resume after typhoon

GOJO, Japan - Students of Oto Elementary School and Oto Junior High School in Gojo, Nara Prefecture, head to another school in the same city on September 12, 2011. Their classes resumed at the other school the same day after the closure of their schools due to torrential rain triggered by a typhoon.

Doraemon cartoonist museum groundbreaking ceremony

Doraemon cartoonist museum groundbreaking ceremony

YOKOHAMA, Japan - Masako Fujimoto, the widow of ''manga'' cartoon artist Fujiko F. Fujio who created the feline robot series ''Doraemon,'' participates in a groundbreaking ceremony for a museum dedicated to the cartoonist in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, on April 12, 2010. The three-story museum is scheduled to open in September 2011.