Topic: Tsunami

Tokyo Electric Power, Japan's biggest utility and owner of the devastated Fukushima nuclear plant, will be taken over by the government after the country's trade minister on Wednesday approved a $12.5 billion capital injection.

Japanese utility Hokkaido Electric Power began shutting the country's last active nuclear reactor on Saturday, leaving the world's third-biggest user of atomic energy with no nuclear-derived electricity for the first time since 1970.

A 8.6 magnitude earthquake and strong aftershocks struck off Indonesia Wednesday, raising fears of a disastrous tsunami as in 2004.

It was not like December 2004. Sirens wailed, warnings blared and police moved millions of people away from coastlines around the Indian Ocean as Wednesday's 8.6 magnitude earthquake off northern Indonesia sparked fears of another devastating tsunami. 

Here are the 10 strongest earthquakes recorded since 1900, by order of magnitude as Indonesia issued a tsunami warning after a huge 8.7 magnitude earthquake struck off its westernmost province of Aceh on Wednesday.

Thailand's national disaster prevention center issued a tsunami warning for six southern provinces along the Anadaman coast on Wednesday after a huge earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia.

A 8.6 magnitude earthquake and strong aftershocks struck off Indonesia Wednesday, raising fears of a disastrous tsunami as in 2004.

The simulations shocked this sleepy community on the tip of Japan’s Shikoku island: a huge undersea quake could bring a tsunami as high as 112 feet here, a government-appointed expert panel said. The waves could arrive in minutes and engulf most of the town, swallowing up even the foothills that the residents had counted on for high ground, the NYT reports.

Japan should aspire to phase out nuclear power completely, its energy minister said on Friday, even as the government struggles to persuade a wary public that it is safe to restart reactors after the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years. 

Tokyo Electric Power, troubled operator of the tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear power plant, formally decided on Thursday to ask the government to inject 1 trillion yen ($12.06 billion) in tax money to stay afloat, Kyodo news agency said.

The possibility of a nuclear power-free summer in Japan draws closer when one of two remaining reactors shuts down for on Monday for maintenance, raising concerns about a power crunch if none of those taken off-line after the Fukushima crisis is restarted.

Japan's controversial Hamaoka nuclear plant, shut down after Fukushima, wants to reopen once a 54-ft.-high, mile-long wall is finished. But the plant also sits on a seismic fault line, raising more than a few doubts.

Major creditors of Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) are ready to lend the loss-making utility 1 trillion yen ($12.4 billion) if they approve its turnaround plan, bank sources said on Thursday.

Regional cities like Aizu-Wakamatsu could be crucial to Japan’s effort to attract foreign investment, the New York Times reports.

As Japan marks the first anniversary of its worst nuclear accident ever, the debate over a shift to greener energy has not concluded.