Following increased seismic activity detected since September 23, 2017, Shinmoedake volcano (Kirishimayama) in Kyushu, Japan started erupting at 20:34 UTC on October 10, 2017, coating nearby cities and towns with a thin layer of ash. The last eruption of this…
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the JMA as M6.0 hit near the east coast of Honshu, Japan at 20:22 UTC on September 26, 2017 (05:22 JST, September 27). The agency is reporting a depth of 30 km (18.6 miles). USGS is reporting M5.9 at a depth of 32.4 km…
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the JMA as M5.9 hit off the east coast of Honshu, Japan at 16:37 UTC on September 20, 2017 (01:37 JST, September 21). The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). USGS is reporting M6.1 at a depth of 10 km. If…
After ripping through the Okinawa island chain, Japan and passing close to China, forcing the evacuation of more than 200 000 people, Typhoon "Talim" is now on its way toward mainland Japan. It is expected to be a Category 1 hurricane equivalent when it…
Tropical Storm "Talim" formed September 9, 2017 in the Pacific Ocean and intensified into a typhoon late September 11. Although its yesterday's track took it over northern Taiwan and into SE China, today's track has drastically changed and Talim is…
At least 11 people have been killed and 14 are still missing as of late Friday, July 7, 2017, after three days of extremely heavy rainfall caused massive floods and landslides in parts of southwest Japan. The rain is still falling throughout the region and many…
As of 10:30 JST (01:30 UTC) Thursday, July 6, 2017, about 450 000 people across western Japan were ordered to evacuate their homes and seek shelter, after extremely heavy rains started early Wednesday, July 6, causing major floods and landslides. As of late…
Japan has more measurable earthquakes than any other country and has over 100 active volcanoes. These both result from Japan being wedged among four major tectonic plates. The tectonics are complicated, but in this animation, IRIS attempted to look at the basic…
During the afternoon hours of May 15, 2017, residents of Okinawa, Japan were surprised to see a funnel cloud looming just off the coast. The waterspout never touched ground and there are no reports of damage or injuries. The phenomenon was associated with a…
After engulfing a large part of northern China, including capital Beijing on Thursday, May 4, 2017, dust storm from Mongolia reached the Korean Peninsula and Japan over the weekend. In China, the storm reduced visibility to less than 1 km (0.62 miles) and forced…
