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US: Deadly Winter Storm Grips North Carolina

A weekend winter storm brought record snowfall and extreme cold to the U.S. Southeast, killing two people in traffic accidents and causing more than 1,000 crashes in North Carolina. Coastal areas suffered severe damage, including homes washed away. North Carolina saw a foot of snow in several areas, Charleston, South Carolina set a new daily snowfall record, and Florida experienced its coldest temperatures in over a decade.

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Nuke victims forum opens in Hiroshima

The two-day World Nuclear Victims Forum begins in Hiroshima, western Japan, on Oct. 5, 2025. About 40 people from Japan, South Korea, the United States and Pacific island nations affected by nuclear accidents, nuclear bomb tests and uranium mining attended the forum, co-sponsored by the Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear Weapons Abolition.

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Nuke victims forum opens in Hiroshima

The two-day World Nuclear Victims Forum begins in Hiroshima, western Japan, on Oct. 5, 2025. About 40 people from Japan, South Korea, the United States and Pacific island nations affected by nuclear accidents, nuclear bomb tests and uranium mining attended the forum, co-sponsored by the Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear Weapons Abolition.

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Nuke victims forum opens in Hiroshima

The two-day World Nuclear Victims Forum begins in Hiroshima, western Japan, on Oct. 5, 2025. About 40 people from Japan, South Korea, the United States and Pacific island nations affected by nuclear accidents, nuclear bomb tests and uranium mining attended the forum, co-sponsored by the Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear Weapons Abolition.

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Nuke victims forum opens in Hiroshima

The two-day World Nuclear Victims Forum begins in Hiroshima, western Japan, on Oct. 5, 2025. About 40 people from Japan, South Korea, the United States and Pacific island nations affected by nuclear accidents, nuclear bomb tests and uranium mining attended the forum, co-sponsored by the Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear Weapons Abolition.

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Toyota, NTT to team up on AI-aided driving

Toyota Motor Corp. President Koji Sato (L) and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. President Akira Shimada attend a press conference in Tokyo on Oct. 31, 2024, as the two companies agreed to jointly develop a platform using artificial intelligence-supported driving software aimed at reducing vehicle accidents.

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Toyota, NTT to team up on AI-aided driving

Toyota Motor Corp. President Koji Sato (L) and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. President Akira Shimada shake hands during a press conference in Tokyo on Oct. 31, 2024, as the two companies agreed to jointly develop a platform using artificial intelligence-supported driving software aimed at reducing vehicle accidents.

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Toyota, NTT to team up on AI-aided driving

Toyota Motor Corp. President Koji Sato (L) and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. President Akira Shimada shake hands during a press conference in Tokyo on Oct. 31, 2024, as the two companies agreed to jointly develop a platform using artificial intelligence-supported driving software aimed at reducing vehicle accidents.

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Toyota, NTT to team up on AI-aided driving

Toyota Motor Corp. President Koji Sato (L) and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. President Akira Shimada attend a press conference in Tokyo on Oct. 31, 2024, as the two companies agreed to jointly develop a platform using artificial intelligence-supported driving software aimed at reducing vehicle accidents.

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Toyota, NTT to team up on AI-aided driving

Toyota Motor Corp. President Koji Sato (L) and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. President Akira Shimada shake hands during a press conference in Tokyo on Oct. 31, 2024, as the two companies agreed to jointly develop a platform using artificial intelligence-supported driving software aimed at reducing vehicle accidents.

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(SpotNews)NEW ZEALAND-SOUTH ISLAND-BUS CRASHES

(240718) -- WELLINGTON, July 18, 2024 Photo by Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM) -- This photo taken on July 18, 2024 shows the site of bus crashes in South Island, New Zealand. Four Chinese tourists were injured due to bus crashes on State Highway in South Island in Thursday morning's foggy weather, said the Chinese Consulate General in Christchurch. The official Radio NZ reported that four people were taken to nearby hospitals due to the crashes. The accidents took place on State Highway 8 in South Island at around 8:38 a.m. on Thursday. There were two buses involved in the single-vehicle incidents. The two crashes happened separately 100 meters apart from each other, said the report. Photo by Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM)

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39 killed in rain-triggered accidents in Pakistan

STORY: 39 killed in rain-triggered accidents in Pakistan SHOOTING TIME: April 15, 2024 DATELINE: April 16, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:16 LOCATION: Islamabad CATEGORY: SOCIETY/ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. various of the flood disaster 2. various of rescue efforts STORYLINE: Thirty-nine people were killed in rain-related accidents across Pakistan over the last three days, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Monday. The country's east Punjab had been worst-hit in the ongoing rain spell with 21 fatalities in separate lightning incidents, the NDMA said in a statement. Seven people were killed in roof collapse and lightning incidents in the southwestern province of Balochistan, whereas eight, including children, died when the roofs of their houses collapsed in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. In Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, two people died after slipping into the river, while one man died after being buried under an avalanche in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, the NDMA added.

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Mickey Mouse Copyright Expiration Inspires Video Game

Handout screen grab of the horror version of Mickey Mouse as seen in the game Infestation: Origins. Steamboat Willie lost US copyright protection on January 1, 2024, prompting a stream of films, games and parodies that will likely displease Disney. Just in the last two days, independent video game creators and film directors have announced two horror movies and a video game featuring the character, while memes are spreading online showing Mickey in absurd and inappropriate scenes, including nautical accidents and terrorist attacks. On Monday, video game developer Nightmare Forge revealed the trailer for Infestation 88, a horror game that sees a haunted-looking Steamboat Willie hunt the player down in a dark warehouse – two weeks after game developer Fumi released a trailer for a noirish “jazz-filled shooter” called Mouse, in which you play a Steamboat Willie-like gangster mouse causing bloody havoc. Photo by Nightmare Forge Games via ABACAPRESS.COM

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Mickey Mouse Copyright Expiration Inspires Video Game

Handout screen grab of the horror version of Mickey Mouse as seen in the game Infestation: Origins. Steamboat Willie lost US copyright protection on January 1, 2024, prompting a stream of films, games and parodies that will likely displease Disney. Just in the last two days, independent video game creators and film directors have announced two horror movies and a video game featuring the character, while memes are spreading online showing Mickey in absurd and inappropriate scenes, including nautical accidents and terrorist attacks. On Monday, video game developer Nightmare Forge revealed the trailer for Infestation 88, a horror game that sees a haunted-looking Steamboat Willie hunt the player down in a dark warehouse – two weeks after game developer Fumi released a trailer for a noirish “jazz-filled shooter” called Mouse, in which you play a Steamboat Willie-like gangster mouse causing bloody havoc. Photo by Nightmare Forge Games via ABACAPRESS.COM

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Mickey Mouse Copyright Expiration Inspires Video Game

Handout screen grab of the horror version of Mickey Mouse as seen in the game Infestation: Origins. Steamboat Willie lost US copyright protection on January 1, 2024, prompting a stream of films, games and parodies that will likely displease Disney. Just in the last two days, independent video game creators and film directors have announced two horror movies and a video game featuring the character, while memes are spreading online showing Mickey in absurd and inappropriate scenes, including nautical accidents and terrorist attacks. On Monday, video game developer Nightmare Forge revealed the trailer for Infestation 88, a horror game that sees a haunted-looking Steamboat Willie hunt the player down in a dark warehouse – two weeks after game developer Fumi released a trailer for a noirish “jazz-filled shooter” called Mouse, in which you play a Steamboat Willie-like gangster mouse causing bloody havoc. Photo by Nightmare Forge Games via ABACAPRESS.COM

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Mickey Mouse Copyright Expiration Inspires Video Game

Handout screen grab of the horror version of Mickey Mouse as seen in the game Infestation: Origins. Steamboat Willie lost US copyright protection on January 1, 2024, prompting a stream of films, games and parodies that will likely displease Disney. Just in the last two days, independent video game creators and film directors have announced two horror movies and a video game featuring the character, while memes are spreading online showing Mickey in absurd and inappropriate scenes, including nautical accidents and terrorist attacks. On Monday, video game developer Nightmare Forge revealed the trailer for Infestation 88, a horror game that sees a haunted-looking Steamboat Willie hunt the player down in a dark warehouse – two weeks after game developer Fumi released a trailer for a noirish “jazz-filled shooter” called Mouse, in which you play a Steamboat Willie-like gangster mouse causing bloody havoc. Photo by Nightmare Forge Games via ABACAPRESS.COM

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13 killed, 41 injured in two road accidents in Pakistan

STORY: 13 killed, 41 injured in two road accidents in Pakistan DATELINE: June 12, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:43 LOCATION: Islamabad CATEGORY: OTHERS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the site STORYLINE: At least 13 people were killed and around 41 others injured on Monday in two separate road accidents in Pakistan, the rescue service and authorities reported. The authorities said that at least nine people were killed and 18 others were injured early Monday morning when a bus fell into a deep ravine in Kotli district of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. According to reports, around 35 passengers were on the bus returning to Gujranwala city of Pakistan's eastern Punjab province after attending a religious ceremony in Nairian area. Separately, four people were killed and 23 others injured in the wee hours of Monday in Sheikhupura district of Punjab after a bus turned turtle due to over-speeding while taking a turn at Sheikhupura Motorway, the rescue service reported. Rescuers have reached the sites of the two accide

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U.S. military shooting range under construction raises concerns in S. Korea

STORY: U.S. military shooting range under construction raises concerns in S. Korea DATELINE: May 12, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:57 LOCATION: Seoul CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of shooting range construction site STORYLINE: The construction of a shooting range used by the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) in South Korea without prior notification to local authorities has raised concerns about noise and safety risks among local residents. Local broadcaster KBS reported that logging work began in March on a hill in downtown Changwon, about 300 km southeast of the capital Seoul, and the shooting range will be completed in two years. However, as apartment complexes, shopping centers and industrial parks are concentrated within a radius of 1.5 km from the shooting range, nearby residents are greatly concerned about the noise at the site and the risk of emergency accidents. The report said that local authorities were unaware of the project until residents raised complaints. Local residents have raised petitions on

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19 killed, 26 injured in 2 road accidents in Pakistan's Sindh

STORY: 19 killed, 26 injured in 2 road accidents in Pakistan's Sindh DATELINE: April 25, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:54 LOCATION: Islamabad CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the accident site 2. various of the rescue STORYLINE: At least 19 people were killed and over 26 others injured on Monday in two separate road accidents in the Jamshoro district of Pakistan's southern Sindh province, a police official said. Senior Superintendent of Police of Jamshoro Imran Qureshi told Xinhua that in the first accident, a loaded trailer collided with a passenger van on the Indus Highway near the Sehwan area of the Jamshoro district, leaving 13 people dead and seven others injured. The official said that the accident occurred due to overspeeding and careless driving of the trailer that hit the van from the front. In another road accident, at least six people died and 19 others sustained wounds near the Thori Phatak area of Manjhand town of the Jamshoro district, added the official. The accident occurred w

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Toll rises to 20 in bus-truck collision in northern Senegal

STORY: Toll rises to 20 in bus-truck collision in northern Senegal DATELINE: Jan. 17, 2023 LENGTH: 0:01:23 LOCATION: Dakar CATEGORY: OTHERS SHOTLIST: 1. various of traffic accident sites STORYLINE: Twenty people were killed and 24 others injured, 19 of them seriously, in a collision between a bus and a truck in northern Senegal on Monday, government spokesperson Abdou Karim Fofana said. Local media earlier put the number of dead at 19 in the crash that occurred in the town of Ngueune Sarr, in the department of Louga. Fofana said all the victims have been brought to hospitals in Louga and Saint-Louis. "All arrangements have been made to take care of the injured." Monday's collision came about a week after another major accident in Senegal's central Kaffrine region, where 42 died after two buses collided on Jan. 8. In response to that tragedy, the government convened an interministerial meeting and announced a number of measures to combat road accidents. "The Senegalese government is continuing to impl

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2 workers die at Fukushima Daiichi, Daini nuclear plants

NARAHA, Japan - Senior officials of Tokyo Electric Power Co., including Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant chief Akira Ono (C), bow during a press conference on Jan. 20, 2015, in the northeastern Japanese city of Naraha, as two workers died in separate accidents at the Daiichi plant and the nearby Daini complex, despite TEPCO's pledge to improve working conditions at the site of the 2011 nuclear disaster.

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Charity concert in Ukraine

KIEV, Ukraine - A charity concert is held in Kiev, Ukraine, on March 11, 2012, the first anniversary of the quake and tsunami in Japan, in which Ukrainian and Japanese musicians played pieces composed for people affected by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident in Ukraine and the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The proceeds will be donated to the people affected by the two accidents.

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U.S. military, Okinawa residents exchange opinions

NAHA, Japan - Residents living around U.S. military bases in Okinawa Prefecture (front row) exchange opinions with representatives of the U.S. forces to deepen mutual understanding during a meeting in the city of Okinawa on Feb. 25, 2011. The two sides discussed topics including effective ways to reduce accidents and crimes involving U.S. base personnel as Okinawa Prefecture hosts the bulk of U.S. forces in Japan.

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Super-lightweight planes enjoy popularity despite accidents

MITO, Japan - A super-lightweight plane crashes in the town of Goka in Ibaraki Prefecture on March 29, killing the two people on board.

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Fragments fall off from Air India plane's engine

NARITA, Japan - An investigator (standing on L) from the transport ministry's Aircraft and Railway Accidents Investigation Commission checks an engine of an Air India Boeing 747 at Narita International Airport on Sept. 23, a day after two fragments that apparently fell off from one of the jetliner's engines hit two cars near the airport. The aircraft, bound for Delhi, reported engine trouble and flew back to the airport shortly after take-off.

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NEC, NTT develop robot helping parents monitor kids at remote sites

TOKYO, Japan - NEC Corp. and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. said on Oct. 25 they have jointly developed a robot to enable parents to watch over children at remote locations via Net-linked video cameras and instruct it on how to care for them via Net-linked cellphones. The two firms said that they will test the robot at two nursing schools in Tokyo and Minami-Alps, Yamanashi Prefecture, from November to the year-end, with an eye to applying it to commercial use in view of the growing need to protect children from crimes and accidents while parents are away.

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2 killed, 8 injured in van-trailer collision in southern Pakistan

STORY: 2 killed, 8 injured in van-trailer collision in southern Pakistan DATELINE: Dec. 14, 2022 LENGTH: 00:00:29 LOCATION: Islamabad CATEGORY: OTHERS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the accident site STORYLINE: At least two people were killed and eight others injured on Monday in a collision between a van and a trailer in the Naushahro Feroze district of Pakistan's southern Sindh Province, local media reported. According to the reports, the accident took place in the wee hours at the Dadu-Moro link road when a van collided with a trailer laden with sugarcane, resulting in the killing of two persons on the spot. Police and rescue teams reached the site and shifted the victims to a hospital, local media said, adding that the injured included women and children. Reportedly, the ill-fated van was going from Dadu district of Sindh to Khairpur district of the province. Road accidents frequently happen in Pakistan, mainly due to poorly maintained vehicles, dilapidated roads and negligence of road safety measures. X

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1 killed, 30 injured in separate road accidents in Pakistan

STORY: 1 killed, 30 injured in separate road accidents in Pakistan DATELINE: Dec. 14, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:43 LOCATION: Islamabad CATEGORY: OTHERS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the site STORYLINE: At least one person was killed and 30 others were injured in two separate road accidents in Pakistan on Sunday, rescue workers reported. One person was killed and 21 others were injured when a passenger coaster went off the road and fell down the mountains in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, rescue workers said. According to rescue workers, the accident occurred due to brake failure, adding that the vehicle got stuck in trees after it fell from the mountains, resulting in the death of a coaster conductor on the spot. Following the accident, rescue workers reached the site and shifted the victims to a local hospital, said the rescue workers. Separately, nine people were injured in a collision between a van and a tractor trolley on the main bypass road in Pakistan's southern Sindh province, rescue w

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(1)Panel concludes multiple errors caused near-miss of JAL planes

TOKYO, Japan - Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Chikage Ogi (L) receives a final report on the near-miss incident between two Japan Airlines (JAL) passenger planes in January 2001 from Junzo Sato, chairman of the Aircraft and Railway Accidents Investigation Commission on June 12. The report concluded that air traffic control's error in giving the wrong flight numbers when asking the pilots to change course and the pilots' decision to follow air traffic control instead of the computerized Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) were two of the main causes.

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2 hurt in 3 hot air balloon accidents in Saitama Pref.

SAITAMA, Japan - A hot air balloon lies on a field after crashing in Konosu, Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, on Jan. 25. One of the two people aboard suffered a broken bone in the lower back. In the race from Toyama Prefecture, two people were injured in three separate accidents.

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Steps installed to prevent platform accidents

TOKYO, Japan - Workers sent from East Japan Railway Co. set up steps at Tokyo's JR Hamamatsucho Station March 3 to prevent platform accidents. Steps were placed in the wake of the Jan. 26 accident at JR Shin-Okubo Station, where two men were killed while trying to rescue a drunken man who fell onto the track. There were no evacuation spaces at the station.

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11 killed, several injured in road accidents in Pakistan

STORY: 11 killed, several injured in road accidents in Pakistan DATELINE: Nov. 29, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:42 LOCATION: Islamabad CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the two separate road accidents sites STORYLINE: At least 11 people were killed and several others injured on Sunday in two separate road accidents in Pakistan, local media reported. Local media said that five people were killed and two others injured in a collision between a car and a tractor in Larkana District of Pakistan's southern Sindh Province. The accident took place on the underpass highway near Khairpur Juso area due to fog resulting in the casualties. All the deceased were from the same family and the victims were the residents of Larkana, the reports said. Separately, six people were killed and six others injured after a van plunged into a ravine in Sharda area of Neelum Valley district in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, police told media. All the victims were shifted to a local hospital, police said, adding that some of th

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618 killed in two-month rain-related incidents in Pakistan

STORY: 618 killed in two-month rain-related incidents in Pakistan DATELINE: Aug. 16, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:38 LOCATION: Islamabad CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of affected areas in Pakistan where heavy monsoon rains wreaked havoc STORYLINE: At least 618 people were killed and 982 others injured in separate rain-triggered accidents across Pakistan over the last two months, the country's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Monday. Revealing the data of the cumulative losses incurred to human life and property from June 14 to August 14, the authority said that the killed people included 230 children and 134 women who were mainly living in the areas where heavy monsoon rains wreaked havoc. A total of 103 districts with a population of 1,087,654 were affected by the rains, the NDMA said, adding that 10,464 people stranded due to rain and flash floods have been rescued. The report said that 15,205 people are living in relief camps set up by the authority in the flood-hit distr

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Electric scooters spark traffic security concerns in Türkiye

STORY: Electric scooters spark traffic security concerns in Türkiye DATELINE: Aug. 1, 2022 LENGTH: 00:03:45 LOCATION: Ankara CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the cars, e-scooters and people on the streets in Türkiye 2. SOUNDBITE (Turkish): YIGIT DEDEOGLU, Expert on road safety from Istanbul STORYLINE: The electric scooter has become essential to people living in Türkiye's big cities, as it offers an alternative to public transport amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the soaring fuel prices. But as the two-wheeled electric vehicle proliferated on the streets, so did the traffic accidents, which sparked a debate in Türkiye over their safety. According to official data, between April 2021 and June 2022, eight people were killed and 899 others injured in the country's accidents involving e-scooters. In a crash on July 12 this year, a 23-year-old woman lost her life after being hit by a car while riding an e-scooter on her way home. The accident happened in Istanbul, Türkiye's largest city with

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10 killed, several injured in road accidents in Pakistan

STORY: 10 killed, several injured in road accidents in Pakistan DATELINE: May 3, 2022 LENGTH: 0:01:12 LOCATION: Islamabad CATEGORY: OTHERS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the site STORYLINE: Ten people were killed and several others injured in separate road accidents on Monday in Pakistan, local media reported. Seven people were burnt to death after a vehicle fell into a dry canal in Nawabshah district of Pakistan's southern Sindh province, local media said. The accident occurred when an over-speeding vehicle lost control and crashed into the canal on the national highway, according to the reports. A fire erupted in the vehicle following the accident, resulting in the death of seven people including two children and four women, police told local media. Immediately after the incident, police said, locals rushed to the spot and removed the victims from the vehicle, adding that the injured were shifted to the local hospital. Police said that the victims belonged to the Moro city of the province.

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Organ donors remembered in China's Ningxia as Tomb-sweeping Day approaches

STORY: Organ donors remembered in China's Ningxia as Tomb-sweeping Day approaches DATELINE: March 31, 2022 LENGTH: 0:01:48 LOCATION: YINCHUAN, China CATEGORY: SOCIETY/HEALTH SHOTLIST: 1. various of the memorial activity 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): DONG LE, Cornea donor's father 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): TAO JUN, Director of Ningxia Human Organ Donation Service Center STORYLINE: As Tomb-sweeping Day approaches, a memorial was held at a cemetery in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, to honor organ donors. Among them is an 8-year-old cornea donor who was buried here on the day. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): DONG LE, Cornea donor's father "My 8-year-old suffered from sudden cerebrovascular malformation. After two days of rescue, unfortunately, she was gone. My wife and I decided to donate her corneas to help people in need. May more children grow healthily and stay away from accidents." SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): TAO JUN, Director of Ningxia Human Organ Donation Service Center "We hold memorials

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PAKISTAN-PISHIN-ROAD ACCIDENT

(220301) -- PISHIN, March 1, 2022 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken with mobile phone shows a damaged bus at a road accident site in southwest Pakistan's Pishin on Feb. 28, 2022. At least five people were killed and 28 others injured in two road accidents in Pakistan during the last 24 hours, local media reported Monday morning. (Str/Xinhua)

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Kanden Engineering's Newly Introduced VR Device for Experiencing Danger

Kanden Engineering Co., Ltd. (Kita Ward, Osaka City) expanded its facilities for experiencing dangerous acts during construction, inspection, and diagnosis of electrical equipment, etc., and opened the new "Safety and Technology Training Center" (Settsu City, Osaka Prefecture) on April 14. The facility will be used to train about 600 people a year, including all employees and subcontractors. The company analyzed past occupational accidents such as electric shock, crashes and falls, and equipment accidents caused by mishandling, and compiled a booklet with mottoes and lessons learned, "100 Failures of Engineering Version," which took two years to complete. The related investment was about 45 million yen. Mr. Aoshima hopes that the booklet and the facility will "help people improve their sensitivity to danger with their minds and bodies. (November 14, 2019, Safety & Technology Training Center, Settsu City, Osaka Prefecture; Credit: Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun / Kyodo News Images)

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STOP Pedal" commercialized by Nanki Industry

Nanki Industries (Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture) has been getting a lot of attention for its "STOP Pedal," which has increased from two to three inquiries a day to 20 to 30 inquiries a day as traffic accidents caused by elderly drivers stepping on the wrong pedal have become a social problem. "The number of inquiries has increased from two to three a day to 20 to 30 a day, as traffic accidents caused by elderly drivers mistakenly stepping on the gas pedal have become a social problem," said Mr. Minami. The product is installed in place of the accelerator pedal in automobiles. The only problem is that the system is not compatible with all car models and production cannot keep up with the demand. We want to reduce the number of traffic accidents and eliminate accidents caused by wrong steps," said Mr. Minami. (Photo taken on July 4, 2019, location unknown, credit: Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun / Kyodo News Images)

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2 hurt in 3 hot air balloon accidents in Saitama Pref.

SAITAMA, Japan - A hot air balloon lies on a field after crashing in Konosu, Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, on Jan. 25. One of the two people aboard suffered a broken bone in the lower back. In the race from Toyama Prefecture, two people were injured in three separate accidents.

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Fragments fall off from Air India plane's engine

NARITA, Japan - An investigator (standing on L) from the transport ministry's Aircraft and Railway Accidents Investigation Commission checks an engine of an Air India Boeing 747 at Narita International Airport on Sept. 23, a day after two fragments that apparently fell off from one of the jetliner's engines hit two cars near the airport. The aircraft, bound for Delhi, reported engine trouble and flew back to the airport shortly after take-off. (Kyodo)

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NEC, NTT develop robot helping parents monitor kids at remote si

TOKYO, Japan - NEC Corp. and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. said on Oct. 25 they have jointly developed a robot to enable parents to watch over children at remote locations via Net-linked video cameras and instruct it on how to care for them via Net-linked cellphones. The two firms said that they will test the robot at two nursing schools in Tokyo and Minami-Alps, Yamanashi Prefecture, from November to the year-end, with an eye to applying it to commercial use in view of the growing need to protect children from crimes and accidents while parents are away. (Kyodo)

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Nuclear disaster drill amid coronavirus pandemic

Two men, (front, L) each playing the role of someone suspected of coronavirus infection, ride a bus during an emergency evacuation drill in the Fukui Prefecture town of Oi in central Japan on Aug. 27, 2020, under a scenario of simultaneous accidents having occurred at Oi and Takahama nuclear power plants in the prefecture amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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Charity concert in Ukraine

KIEV, Ukraine - A charity concert is held in Kiev, Ukraine, on March 11, 2012, the first anniversary of the quake and tsunami in Japan, in which Ukrainian and Japanese musicians played pieces composed for people affected by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident in Ukraine and the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The proceeds will be donated to the people affected by the two accidents. (Kyodo)

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U.S. military, Okinawa residents exchange opinions

NAHA, Japan - Residents living around U.S. military bases in Okinawa Prefecture (front row) exchange opinions with representatives of the U.S. forces to deepen mutual understanding during a meeting in the city of Okinawa on Feb. 25, 2011. The two sides discussed topics including effective ways to reduce accidents and crimes involving U.S. base personnel as Okinawa Prefecture hosts the bulk of U.S. forces in Japan. (Kyodo)

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