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Japan: Wildfires Rage in Iwate, Displacing 2,000 Residents and Destroying Homes 3

Two wildfires broke out simultaneously in forested areas of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, in northern Japan on the afternoon of April 22, local authorities confirmed. According to town officials, the blazes have scorched more than 200 hectares of land, with at least seven structures — including residential homes — reported destroyed. In response, authorities issued evacuation orders for approximately 2,000 residents as firefighting efforts continue.

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Japan: Wildfires Rage in Iwate, Displacing 2,000 Residents and Destroying Homes 4

Two wildfires broke out simultaneously in forested areas of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, in northern Japan on the afternoon of April 22, local authorities confirmed. According to town officials, the blazes have scorched more than 200 hectares of land, with at least seven structures — including residential homes — reported destroyed. In response, authorities issued evacuation orders for approximately 2,000 residents as firefighting efforts continue.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

A wildfire burns into the night on April 23, 2026, in Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, after breaking out the previous day. Wildfires started in two locations in the town, with containment still not in sight.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

A wildfire burns into the night on April 23, 2026, in Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, after breaking out the previous day. Wildfires started in two locations in the town, with containment still not in sight.

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Japan: Wildfires Rage in Iwate, Displacing 2,000 Residents and Destroying Homes 2

Two wildfires broke out simultaneously in forested areas of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, in northern Japan on the afternoon of April 22, local authorities confirmed. According to town officials, the blazes have scorched more than 200 hectares of land, with at least seven structures — including residential homes — reported destroyed. In response, authorities issued evacuation orders for approximately 2,000 residents as firefighting efforts continue.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

A wildfire burns into the night on April 23, 2026, in Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, after breaking out the previous day. Wildfires started in two locations in the town, with containment still not in sight.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

A wildfire burns into the night on April 23, 2026, in Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, after breaking out the previous day. Wildfires started in two locations in the town, with containment still not in sight.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

A wildfire burns into the night on April 23, 2026, in Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, after breaking out the previous day. Wildfires started in two locations in the town, with containment still not in sight.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

A wildfire burns into the night on April 23, 2026, in Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, after breaking out the previous day. Wildfires started in two locations in the town, with containment still not in sight.

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Japan: Wildfires Rage in Iwate, Displacing 2,000 Residents and Destroying Homes

Two wildfires broke out simultaneously in forested areas of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, in northern Japan on the afternoon of April 22, local authorities confirmed. According to town officials, the blazes have scorched more than 200 hectares of land, with at least seven structures — including residential homes — reported destroyed. In response, authorities issued evacuation orders for approximately 2,000 residents as firefighting efforts continue.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

Photo taken on April 23, 2026, shows the site of a wildfire that broke out the previous day in Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan. Wildfires that broke out in two locations in the town continue with containment still not in sight.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

Photo taken from a Kyodo News plane shows smoke rising from a mountainous area in the town of Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on April 23, 2026, as wildfires that broke out at two sites in the town the previous day continue.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

Photo taken from a Kyodo News plane shows smoke rising from a mountainous area in the town of Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on April 23, 2026, as wildfires that broke out at two sites in the town the previous day continue.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

Photo taken from a Kyodo News plane shows smoke rising from a mountainous area in the town of Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on April 23, 2026, as wildfires that broke out at two sites in the town the previous day continue.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

Photo taken from a Kyodo News plane shows smoke rising from a mountainous area in the town of Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on April 23, 2026, as wildfires that broke out at two sites in the town the previous day continue.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

Firefighting operations continue on April 23, 2026, in the town of Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, as wildfires that broke out at two sites in the town the previous day continue.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

Firefighting operations continue on April 23, 2026, in the town of Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, as wildfires that broke out at two sites in the town the previous day continue.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

People watch a wildfire burning in a mountainous area in the town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on April 22, 2026, as local authorities urge over 1,000 residents to evacuate. Another fire broke out in the same town earlier in the day.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

People watch a wildfire burning in a mountainous area in the town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on April 22, 2026, as local authorities urge over 1,000 residents to evacuate. Another fire broke out in the same town earlier in the day.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

People watch a wildfire burning in a mountainous area in the town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on April 22, 2026, as local authorities urge over 1,000 residents to evacuate. Another fire broke out in the same town earlier in the day.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

A wildfire burns in a mountainous area in the town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on April 22, 2026, prompting local authorities to urge over 1,000 residents to evacuate. Another fire broke out in the same town earlier in the day.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

A wildfire burns in a mountainous area in the town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on April 22, 2026, prompting local authorities to urge over 1,000 residents to evacuate. Another fire broke out in the same town earlier in the day.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

A wildfire burns in woodland in the town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on April 22, 2026. Another fire broke out in the same town the same day, prompting local authorities to urge over 1,000 residents to evacuate.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

A wildfire burns in a mountainous area in the town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on April 22, 2026, prompting local authorities to urge over 1,000 residents to evacuate. Another fire broke out in the same town earlier in the day.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

People watch a wildfire burning in a mountainous area in the town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on April 22, 2026. Another fire broke out in the same town the same day, prompting local authorities to urge over 1,000 residents to evacuate.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

A wildfire burns in a mountainous area in the town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on April 22, 2026. Another fire broke out in the same town the same day, prompting local authorities to urge over 1,000 residents to evacuate.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

People watch a wildfire burning in a mountainous area in the town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on April 22, 2026. Another fire broke out in the same town the same day, prompting local authorities to urge over 1,000 residents to evacuate.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

A wildfire burns in a mountainous area in the town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on April 22, 2026. Another fire broke out in the same town the same day, prompting local authorities to urge over 1,000 residents to evacuate.

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Wildfires in northeastern Japan

A wildfire burns in a mountainous area in the town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on April 22, 2026. Another fire broke out in the same town the same day, prompting local authorities to urge over 1,000 residents to evacuate.

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10th anniversary of Kumamoto quakes

Photo shows flowers at a memorial park in the Kumamoto Prefecture town of Mashiki on April 14, 2026, the 10th anniversary of the first in a pair of massive earthquakes in April 2016. A total of 278 people were killed in the southwestern Japan prefectures of Kumamoto and Oita in the quakes on April 14 and 16, 2016.

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10th anniversary of Kumamoto quakes

People, including Mashiki Mayor Hironori Nishimura (far L), observe a moment of silence at a memorial park in the Kumamoto Prefecture town on April 14, 2026, the 10th anniversary of the first in a pair of massive earthquakes in April 2016. A total of 278 people were killed in the southwestern Japan prefectures of Kumamoto and Oita in the quakes on April 14 and 16, 2016.

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10th anniversary of Kumamoto quakes

People, including Mashiki Mayor Hironori Nishimura (far L), observe a moment of silence at a memorial park in the Kumamoto Prefecture town on April 14, 2026, the 10th anniversary of the first in a pair of massive earthquakes in April 2016. A total of 278 people were killed in the southwestern Japan prefectures of Kumamoto and Oita in the quakes on April 14 and 16, 2016.

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Japan imperial family's trip to Fukushima

Japan's Emperor Naruhito (2nd from R), Empress Masako and their daughter Princess Aiko on April 7, 2026, visit a roadside rest area in the tsunami-devastated northeastern Japan town of Namie, Fukushima Prefecture. Fifteen years after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters that struck northeastern Japan in March 2011, they are visiting the prefecture to see the recovery efforts firsthand.

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Japan imperial family's trip to Fukushima

Japan's Emperor Naruhito (2nd from R), Empress Masako and their daughter Princess Aiko on April 7, 2026, visit a roadside rest area in the tsunami-devastated northeastern Japan town of Namie, Fukushima Prefecture. Fifteen years after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters that struck northeastern Japan in March 2011, they are visiting the prefecture to see the recovery efforts firsthand.

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CORRECTED: Japan imperial family's trip to Fukushima

Japan's Emperor Naruhito (far L), Empress Masako and their daughter Princess Aiko on April 7, 2026, visit a roadside rest area in the tsunami-devastated northeastern Japan town of Namie, Fukushima Prefecture. Fifteen years after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters that struck northeastern Japan in March 2011, they are visiting the prefecture to see the recovery efforts firsthand.

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Japan imperial family's trip to Fukushima

(Facing camera, from L) Japan's Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter Princess Aiko talk with a person affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake at a memorial museum in Futaba, a town in Fukushima Prefecture that co-hosts the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, on April 6, 2026. Fifteen years after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters that struck northeastern Japan in March 2011, they are visiting the prefecture to see the recovery efforts firsthand.

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Japan imperial family's trip to Fukushima

Japan's Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter Princess Aiko arrive at a memorial museum in Futaba, a town in Fukushima Prefecture that co-hosts the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, on April 6, 2026. Fifteen years after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters that struck northeastern Japan in March 2011, they are visiting the prefecture to see the recovery efforts firsthand.

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Japan imperial family's trip to Fukushima

People wave to Japan's Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter Princess Aiko upon their arrival at the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum in Futaba, a Fukushima Prefecture town that co-hosts the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, on April 6, 2026. Fifteen years after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters that struck northeastern Japan in March 2011, they are visiting the prefecture to see the recovery efforts firsthand.

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Japan imperial family's trip to Fukushima

Japan's Emperor Naruhito (L), Empress Masako (2nd from L) and their daughter Princess Aiko (3rd from L) talk with people affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake at a memorial museum in Futaba, a town in Fukushima Prefecture that co-hosts the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, on April 6, 2026. Fifteen years after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters that struck northeastern Japan in March 2011, they are visiting the prefecture to see the recovery efforts firsthand.

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Japan imperial family's trip to Fukushima

Japan's Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako (C) and their daughter Princess Aiko bow at the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum in Futaba, a Fukushima Prefecture town that co-hosts the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, on April 6, 2026. Fifteen years after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters that struck northeastern Japan in March 2011, they are visiting the prefecture to see the recovery efforts firsthand.

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Japan imperial family's trip to Fukushima

Japan's Emperor Naruhito (3rd from L), Empress Masako (2nd from L) and their daughter Princess Aiko arrive at the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum in Futaba, a Fukushima Prefecture town that co-hosts the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, on April 6, 2026. Fifteen years after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters that struck northeastern Japan in March 2011, they are visiting the prefecture to see the recovery efforts firsthand.

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Japan imperial family's trip to Fukushima

Japan's Emperor Naruhito (2nd from L), Empress Masako (2nd from R) and their daughter Princess Aiko visit the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum in Futaba, a Fukushima Prefecture town that co-hosts the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, on April 6, 2026. Fifteen years after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters that struck northeastern Japan in March 2011, they are visiting the prefecture to see the recovery efforts firsthand.

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Japan imperial family's trip to Fukushima

Japan's Emperor Naruhito (2nd from L), Empress Masako (2nd from R) and their daughter Princess Aiko visit the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum in Futaba, a Fukushima Prefecture town that co-hosts the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, on April 6, 2026. Fifteen years after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters that struck northeastern Japan in March 2011, they are visiting the prefecture to see the recovery efforts firsthand.

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Japan imperial family's trip to Fukushima

Japan's Emperor Naruhito (back, L), Empress Masako (back, C) and their daughter Princess Aiko visit the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum in Futaba, a Fukushima Prefecture town that co-hosts the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, on April 6, 2026. Fifteen years after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters that struck northeastern Japan in March 2011, they are visiting the prefecture to see the recovery efforts firsthand.

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Japan imperial family's trip to Fukushima

Japan's Emperor Naruhito (front, L), Empress Masako (front, C) and their daughter Princess Aiko visit the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum in Futaba, a Fukushima Prefecture town that co-hosts the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, on April 6, 2026. Fifteen years after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters that struck northeastern Japan in March 2011, they are visiting the prefecture to see the recovery efforts firsthand.

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Japan imperial family's trip to Fukushima

Japan's Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako (C) and their daughter Princess Aiko lay flowers at the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum in Futaba, a Fukushima Prefecture town that co-hosts the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, on April 6, 2026. Fifteen years after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters that struck northeastern Japan in March 2011, they are visiting the prefecture to see the recovery efforts firsthand.

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Japan imperial family's trip to Fukushima

Japan's Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako (C) and their daughter Princess Aiko lay flowers at the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum in Futaba, a Fukushima Prefecture town that co-hosts the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, on April 6, 2026. Fifteen years after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters that struck northeastern Japan in March 2011, they are visiting the prefecture to see the recovery efforts firsthand.

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Japan: Cherry Blossoms Cover Yoshino Mountain as Thousands of Trees Reach Full Bloom

Cherry blossoms in Yoshino Town, Nara Prefecture, reached full bloom, covering the hillsides in a breathtaking display. The site, known as a place where one can see a thousand cherry trees at a single glance, has approximately 30,000 cherry trees of around 200 varieties planted there.

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Japan: Cherry Blossoms Cover Yoshino Mountain as Thousands of Trees Reach Full Bloom 2

Cherry blossoms in Yoshino Town, Nara Prefecture, reached full bloom, covering the hillsides in a breathtaking display. The site, known as a place where one can see a thousand cherry trees at a single glance, has approximately 30,000 cherry trees of around 200 varieties planted there.

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Japan: Cherry Blossoms Cover Yoshino Mountain as Thousands of Trees Reach Full Bloom 3

Cherry blossoms in Yoshino Town, Nara Prefecture, reached full bloom, covering the hillsides in a breathtaking display. The site, known as a place where one can see a thousand cherry trees at a single glance, has approximately 30,000 cherry trees of around 200 varieties planted there.