M7.7 quake jolts northeastern, northern Japan

M7.7 quake jolts northeastern, northern Japan

Passengers view information boards at JR Sendai Station in Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on April 20, 2026, after the Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train line was suspended following a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in northeastern and northern Japan.

M7.7 quake jolts northeastern, northern Japan

M7.7 quake jolts northeastern, northern Japan

Passengers view an information board at JR Sendai Station in Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on April 20, 2026, after the Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train line was suspended following a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in northeastern and northern Japan.

M7.7 quake jolts northeastern, northern Japan

M7.7 quake jolts northeastern, northern Japan

A ticket gate area at JR Sendai Station in Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, is crowded with passengers on April 20, 2026, after the Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train line was suspended following a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in northeastern and northern Japan.

[Breaking News]Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

TOHOKU, Japan, Dec. 9 Kyodo - Video taken from a Kyodo News airplane on Dec. 9, 2025, shows a collapsed road in Tohoku in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, following a strong earthquake that struck the region the previous night. (Kyodo)

Aftermath of strong earthquake in Aomori Pref.

Aftermath of strong earthquake in Aomori Pref.

Photo shows damaged road in the town of Tohoku in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 10, 2025, following a strong earthquake on Dec. 8.

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

A collapsed road is pictured in Tohoku in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 9, 2025, following a strong earthquake the previous night.

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

A collapsed road is pictured in Tohoku in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 9, 2025, following a strong earthquake the previous night.

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

A collapsed road is pictured in Tohoku in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 9, 2025, following a strong earthquake the previous night.

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

A collapsed road is pictured in Tohoku in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 9, 2025, following a strong earthquake the previous night.

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

A collapsed road is pictured in Tohoku in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 9, 2025, following a strong earthquake the previous night.

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

A collapsed road is pictured in Tohoku in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 9, 2025, following a strong earthquake the previous night.

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

A collapsed road is pictured in Tohoku in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 9, 2025, following a strong earthquake the previous night.

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

A collapsed road is pictured in Tohoku in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 9, 2025, following a strong earthquake the previous night.

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

A collapsed road is pictured in Tohoku in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 9, 2025, following a strong earthquake the previous night.

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

A collapsed road is pictured in Tohoku in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 9, 2025, following a strong earthquake the previous night.

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

A collapsed road is pictured in Tohoku in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 9, 2025, following a strong earthquake the previous night.

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

A collapsed road is pictured in Tohoku in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 9, 2025, following a strong earthquake the previous night.

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

A collapsed road is pictured in Tohoku in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 9, 2025, following a strong earthquake the previous night.

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

Photo taken from a Kyodo News airplane on Dec. 9, 2025, shows a collapsed road in Tohoku in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, following a strong earthquake that struck the region the previous night.

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

Photo taken from a Kyodo News airplane on Dec. 9, 2025, shows a collapsed road in Tohoku in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, following a strong earthquake that struck the region the previous night.

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

Aftermath of strong quake in northeastern Japan

Photo taken from a Kyodo News airplane on Dec. 9, 2025, shows a collapsed road in Tohoku in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, following a strong earthquake that struck the region the previous night.

Bullet trains in northeastern Japan halted due to inspection

Bullet trains in northeastern Japan halted due to inspection

An electronic sign at JR Sendai Station in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, notifies passengers of the temporary suspension of services in both directions on the Tokyo-Sendai section of the Tohoku Shinkansen line on June 17, 2025, following a malfunction that saw a train stop between stations.

Bullet trains in northeastern Japan halted due to inspection

Bullet trains in northeastern Japan halted due to inspection

An electronic sign at JR Sendai Station in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, notifies passengers of the temporary suspension of services in both directions on the Tokyo-Sendai section of the Tohoku Shinkansen line on June 17, 2025, following a malfunction that saw a train stop between stations.

Bullet trains in northeastern Japan halted due to inspection

Bullet trains in northeastern Japan halted due to inspection

An electronic sign at JR Sendai Station in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, notifies passengers of the temporary suspension of services in both directions on the Tokyo-Sendai section of the Tohoku Shinkansen line on June 17, 2025, following a malfunction that saw a train stop between stations.

Bullet trains in northeastern Japan halted due to inspection

Bullet trains in northeastern Japan halted due to inspection

JR Sendai Station in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, is crowded with passengers on June 17, 2025, after the Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train service was suspended in both directions on the Tokyo-Sendai section, following a malfunction that saw a train stop between stations.

Lab to study aging mechanism

Lab to study aging mechanism

Japanese precision equipment maker Shimadzu Corp. and Tohoku University establish a lab at the state university's campus in Sendai, northeastern Japan, on April 18, 2025, to jointly study the mechanism of aging. The lab aims to develop anti-aging therapies, medicine and food through the study until March 2027.

Lab to study aging mechanism

Lab to study aging mechanism

Japanese precision equipment maker Shimadzu Corp. and Tohoku University establish a lab at the state university's campus in Sendai, northeastern Japan, on April 18, 2025, to jointly study the mechanism of aging. The lab aims to develop anti-aging therapies, medicine and food through the study until March 2027.

Suspended bullet trains in Japan restart after incident

FUKUSHIMA, Japan, March 14 Kyodo - Video shows bullet train cars of the Tohoku Shinkansen Line and the Yamagata Shinkansen Line coupling at JR Fukushima Station in northeastern Japan on March 14, 2025, as operations resumed after being suspended following an incident last week in which linked shinkansen trains disconnected while in motion. (Kyodo)

Suspended bullet trains in Japan restart after incident

Suspended bullet trains in Japan restart after incident

Photo shows bullet train cars of the Tohoku Shinkansen Line (L) and the Yamagata Shinkansen Line coupling at JR Fukushima Station in northeastern Japan on March 14, 2025, as operations resumed after being suspended following an incident last week in which linked shinkansen trains disconnected while in motion.

[Breaking News]Disney-themed shinkansen bullet train

SENDAI, Japan, Oct. 10 Kyodo - Video taken Oct. 10, 2024, shows a specially painted bullet train adorned with characters from Tokyo DisneySea's Fantasy Springs area -- themed after Disney films "Frozen," "Peter Pan" and "Tangled" -- ahead of its departure from JR Sendai Station in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan. The Disney-themed train will run through June 2025 on the Tohoku and Hokkaido Shinkansen lines linking Tokyo and the Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station, northern Japan. (Kyodo)

Disney-themed shinkansen bullet train

Disney-themed shinkansen bullet train

Photo taken Oct. 10, 2024, shows a specially painted bullet train adorned with characters from Tokyo DisneySea's Fantasy Springs area -- themed after Disney films "Frozen," "Peter Pan" and "Tangled" -- ahead of its departure from JR Sendai Station in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan. The Disney-themed train will run through June 2025 on the Tohoku and Hokkaido Shinkansen lines linking Tokyo and the Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station, northern Japan.

Disney-themed shinkansen bullet train

Disney-themed shinkansen bullet train

Mickey Mouse (C) sees off specially painted bullet trains adorned with characters from Tokyo DisneySea's Fantasy Springs area -- themed after Disney films "Frozen," "Peter Pan" and "Tangled" -- at JR Sendai Station in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Oct. 10, 2024. The Disney-themed trains will run through June 2025 on the Tohoku and Hokkaido Shinkansen lines linking Tokyo and the Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station, northern Japan.

Disney-themed shinkansen bullet train

Disney-themed shinkansen bullet train

Mickey Mouse poses in front of a specially painted bullet train adorned with characters from Tokyo DisneySea's Fantasy Springs area -- themed after Disney films "Frozen," "Peter Pan" and "Tangled" -- ahead of its departure from JR Sendai Station in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Oct. 10, 2024. The Disney-themed trains will run through June 2025 on the Tohoku and Hokkaido Shinkansen lines linking Tokyo and the Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station in Hokkaido, northern Japan.

Disney-themed shinkansen bullet train

Disney-themed shinkansen bullet train

Mickey Mouse (2nd from L) gestures prior to the departure of a specially painted bullet train adorned with characters from Tokyo DisneySea's Fantasy Springs area -- themed after Disney films "Frozen," "Peter Pan" and "Tangled" -- at JR Sendai Station in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Oct. 10, 2024. The Disney-themed train will run through June 2025 on the Tohoku and Hokkaido Shinkansen lines linking Tokyo and the Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station in Hokkaido, northern Japan.

Cycling event in tsunami-hit region

Cycling event in tsunami-hit region

Tour de Tohoku competitors ride in Minamisanriku in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Sept. 15, 2024. The annual cycling event aims to support recovery from the earthquake-tsunami disaster that hit the region in March 2011.

Cycling event in tsunami-hit region

Cycling event in tsunami-hit region

Tour de Tohoku competitors start their race in Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Sept. 15, 2024. The annual cycling event aims to support recovery from the earthquake-tsunami disaster that hit the region in March 2011.

[Breaking News]Tohoku Univ. to become 1st to receive new Japan gov't research grants

Tohoku University President Teiji Tominaga holds a press conference in Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on June 14, 2024, following the central government's decision to make the state-run university the only candidate for receiving substantial research grants under a program aimed at elevating Japanese research institutes in the global rankings.(Kyodo)

Tohoku Univ. to become 1st to receive new Japan gov't research grants

Tohoku Univ. to become 1st to receive new Japan gov't research grants

Photo taken on June 14, 2024, shows Tohoku University's Katahira campus in Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, following the central government's decision to make the state-run university the only candidate for receiving substantial research grants under a program aimed at elevating Japanese research institutes in the global rankings.

Tohoku Univ. to become 1st to receive new Japan gov't research grants

Tohoku Univ. to become 1st to receive new Japan gov't research grants

Tohoku University President Teiji Tominaga holds a press conference in Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on June 14, 2024, following the central government's decision to make the state-run university the only candidate for receiving substantial research grants under a program aimed at elevating Japanese research institutes in the global rankings.

Tohoku Univ. to become 1st to receive new Japan gov't research grants

Tohoku Univ. to become 1st to receive new Japan gov't research grants

Tohoku University President Teiji Tominaga holds a press conference in Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on June 14, 2024, following the central government's decision to make the state-run university the only candidate for receiving substantial research grants under a program aimed at elevating Japanese research institutes in the global rankings.

Tohoku Kizuna Festival in Sendai

Tohoku Kizuna Festival in Sendai

Performers of Akita Prefecture's Kanto festival troupe hold up poles decorated with paper lanterns as they march through a street of downtown Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture during the Tohoku Kizuna Festival on June 9, 2024. The event features parades involving six northeastern Japan prefectures, with the aim of revitalizing the region following the 2011 earthquake-tsunami disaster.

Tohoku Kizuna Festival in Sendai

Tohoku Kizuna Festival in Sendai

Dancers of Miyagi Prefecture's Sendai Suzume Odori (sparrow dance) troupe march through a street during the Tohoku Kizuna Festival in the prefecture's capital Sendai on June 9, 2024. The event features parades involving six northeastern Japan prefectures, with the aim of revitalizing the region following the 2011 earthquake-tsunami disaster.

Tohoku Kizuna Festival in Sendai

Tohoku Kizuna Festival in Sendai

Performers of Iwate Prefecture's the Morioka Sansa dance festival troupe fill a street of downtown Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture during the Tohoku Kizuna Festival on June 9, 2024. The event features parades involving six northeastern Japan prefectures, with the aim of revitalizing the region following the 2011 earthquake-tsunami disaster.

Tohoku Kizuna Festival in Sendai

Tohoku Kizuna Festival in Sendai

People of Fukushima Prefecture's Waraji festival group parade through a street carrying a gigantic waraji straw sandal during the Tohoku Kizuna Festival in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, on June 9, 2024. The event features parades involving six northeastern Japan prefectures, with the aim of revitalizing the region following the 2011 earthquake-tsunami disaster.

Tohoku Kizuna Festival in Sendai

Tohoku Kizuna Festival in Sendai

Dancers of Yamagata Prefecture's Hanagasa festival troupe fill a street of downtown Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture during the Tohoku Kizuna Festival on June 9, 2024. The event features parades involving six northeastern Japan prefectures, with the aim of revitalizing the region following the 2011 earthquake-tsunami disaster.

Tohoku Kizuna Festival in Sendai

Tohoku Kizuna Festival in Sendai

A colorful paper lantern float from Aomori Prefecture's Nebuta summer festival is paraded through a street during the Tohoku Kizuna Festival in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, on June 9, 2024. The event features parades involving six northeastern Japan prefectures, with the aim of revitalizing the region following the 2011 earthquake-tsunami disaster.

[Breaking News] Power outage halts bullet trains in Japan

TOKYO, Japan Kyodo - JR Tokyo Station is crowded with passengers on Jan. 23, 2024, after shinkansen bullet train services were suspended between Tokyo and stations in eastern, central and northeastern Japan due to a power outage. (Kyodo)

Disney-themed shinkansen bullet train

Disney-themed shinkansen bullet train

Tohoku Shinkansen Line bullet trains featuring Disney characters are pictured at JR Sendai Station in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Miyagi on Dec. 22, 2023. They started running between Sendai and Tokyo the same day to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Disney Resort.

Disney-themed shinkansen bullet train

Disney-themed shinkansen bullet train

Tohoku Shinkansen Line bullet trains featuring Disney characters are pictured at JR Sendai Station in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Miyagi on Dec. 22, 2023. They started running between Sendai and Tokyo the same day to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Disney Resort.

Former Japan PM's widow Akie Abe

Former Japan PM's widow Akie Abe

Akie Abe, the widow of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, attends a speaking event at the Tohoku Juvenile Training School in Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Nov. 7, 2023.