Showing posts with label japan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label japan. Show all posts
Friday, December 9
Monday, March 14
Tsunami Devastates Japan
March 11, 2011, around 2:46PM (JST). A massive 8.9/9.0 magnitude earthquake hit the Pacific Ocean nearby Northeastern Japan causing damage with blackouts, fire and tsunami. This large earthquake triggered a tsunami warning for countries all around the Pacific Ocean. My country, Philippines, was alerted as well regarding the said incident.
When I watched the news from March 11 up to now and read some articles in the internet, the incident is so devastating and the impact was so great. Everybody is afraid to leave their homes.
I remember when I was still studying for the Civil Engineering board exams last 2007, I had the chance of watching the movie, Nihon Chinbotsu, also known as The Sinking of Japan. It's like part of the movie has happened to Japan. But of course, what happened in the movie must not happen in the real life. The movie is so heavy and devastating. Here is the clip of the movie:
Every people in the world are already sending prayers and donations for the Japan. For donations, visit 2011 Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami.
#PrayForJapan
Thursday, March 3
Japan's new TV tower becomes world's tallest
 |
The "Tokyo Sky Tree" tower. Japan can boast the world's tallest free-standing television tower as of Tuesday, when the under-construction Tokyo Sky Tree rose to a height of 601 metres (1,971 feet). |
TOKYO (AFP) - – Japan can boast the world's tallest free-standing television tower as of Tuesday, when the under-construction Tokyo Sky Tree rose to a height of 601 metres (1,971 feet).
The steel structure eclipsed China's 600-metre Canton Tower, which opened in Guangzhou in September -- although both are shorter than the world's tallest building, Dubai's 828-metre Burj Khalifa skyscraper.
The Tokyo Sky Tree rose to 601 metres at 1:29 pm (0429 GMT), when workers lifted part of its antenna section into place, said Tobu Railway, the main investor in the 65-billion-yen (790-million-dollar) project.
Already a popular landmark in eastern Tokyo, the broadcast tower is scheduled to reach its top height of 634 metres this month and be completed by the end of the year.
"We are delighted to see the tower become the world number one," said Tobu Railway spokesman Shota Mitsui. "But we still have more work to do, and we will continue enforcing safety first in completing the project."
To keep the structure safe during Japan's frequent earthquakes, the tower boasts a cutting-edge anti-seismic design, including pilings that fan out underground like the branches of a tree.
The tower consists of two parts, an outer steel frame and an inner shaft of reinforced concrete, which can move separately to cancel out their seismic energies -- a design idea borrowed from ancient Japanese pagodas.
A year ago, the tower surpassed the current television and radio transmission tower -- the 333-metre red-and-white Tokyo Tower, a symbol of Japan's post-war "economic miracle" -- as the country's tallest structure.
In early 2012, after Japanese television networks switch entirely to digital transmissions, Tokyo Sky Tree will take over television broadcasts to beam signals across the city's ever-rising skyline.
With two observation decks, the tower aims to attract an average 2.7 million visitors every year, Mitsui said.
He added that some 25 million people a year are expected to use commercial facilities inside the tower compound, including 300 shops and restaurants as well as an aquarium, a planetarium and a dome theatre.
Saturday, March 28
Japan allows its citizens same-sex marriage abroad
TOKYO (AFP) - - Japan has given the green light for its nationals to marry same-sex foreign partners in countries where gay marriage is legal, a justice ministry official said Friday.
Japan does not allow same-sex marriages at home and has so far also refused to issue a key document required for citizens to wed overseas if the applicant's intended spouse was of the same gender.
Under the change, the justice ministry has told local authorities to issue the key certificate -- which states a person is single and of legal age -- for those who want to enter same-sex marriages, the official told AFP.
Gay activists praised the move.
"This is one step forward," said Taiga Ishikawa, who leads a gay support group. "Gay Japanese have suffered a disadvantage... although they should be able to marry in some countries overseas."
Same-sex marriage is allowed in countries including Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, South Africa and some US states.
==========================================
About the Photo: Participants hold up placards as they take part in the Tokyo Pride Parade in 2007. Japan has given the green light for its nationals to marry same-sex foreign partners in countries where gay marriage is legal, a justice ministry official said Friday.
Source: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/afp/20090328/tls-japan-gays-rights-aeafa1b.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
