Japan Quake

Depression, chronic anxiety and thoughts of suicide continue to plague the people of Japan – post-tsunami.

Though this month marks the anniversary of Japan's devastating earthquake that struck the nation last March, taking nearly 16,000 lives and injuring more than 25,000 people, there is no need for reminders as residents continue to grapple with the aftermath.

Looking to combat the hopelessness felt by many of the people today, the Japan Campus Crusade for Christ is launching a suicide-prevention campaign, given that March also happens to traditionally be the highest suicide month. more >>

The nation’s first faith-based academic disaster research center located at Wheaton College in Illinois, aims to equip Christian churches and organizations to respond to natural catastrophes in the best way possible.

Wheaton College launched the Humanitarian Disaster Institute (HDI) just before the start of the fall semester. It is also one of the few disaster or humanitarian centers in the Midwest, according to school officials.

The institute is using its experience in Haiti and a planned trip to tsunami-affected areas in Japan to equip relief organizations. more >>

LAKE FOREST, Calif. – Seven months after Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, about 50 members of a church that was located just a few miles from the destroyed Fukushima 1 Nuclear Power Plant are still looking for a place to call home.

Still leading his dwindled congregation housed in a campsite outside Tokyo, Pastor Akira Sato has authored a book about the story of Fukushima First Bible Baptist Church. Prior to the disasters, Sato’s followers were part of a rural four-campus, multisite church having about 200 members.

Rurou no Kyokai (Exodus Church) is currently the best-selling Christian book in Japan. Written in Japanese, Sato and his publishers are in the process of having it translated into several languages, including English. more >>

Two separate earthquakes were reported in Japan and Cuba Thursday, with neither temblor resulting in injuries or immediate damage.

A magnitude 6.2 quake struck off Japan’s northeastern coast, shaking buildings in Tokyo. Occurring about 225 kilometers east of Tokyo at a depth of 6.2 miles, the quake was centered off the coast of Ibaraki, according to the nation’s Meteorological Agency. The agency said the earthquake presents no threat of a tsunami.

In a separate event Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey registered a magnitude 6.0 quake off the coast of Cuba. The temblor was centered about 68 miles from the north coast of Jamaica. The earthquake occurred about 25 miles off Cuba’s coast, nearly 38 miles southeast of the capital city Havana. more >>

Japanese reconstruction minister Ryu Matsumoto resigned from his post eight days into the job after offending local earthquake and tsunami victims in the northern region of Japan.

His resignation is a setback to Prime Minister Naoto Kan who is dealing with decreasing approval ratings and is already struggling to pass a bill to fund Japan’s largest reconstruction effort since World War II.

Matsumoto’s resignation came after a TV station aired footage of him acting insensitive to Yoshihiro Murai, the governor of the tsunami devastated region of Miygai. Murai showed up late to a meeting with the reconstruction minister. more >>

A 6.7-magnitude earthquake off of Japan's pacific coast struck at about 21:50 UTC or early Thursday in Japan.

A tsunami warning was quickly issued due to the quake but later canceled about an hour later.

Japanese and U.S. meteorologist agencies detected the earthquake and located the epicenter to be about 330 miles (530 km) north-east of Tokyo. more >>