China says it is willing to provide help to Japan on earthquake - CNA

BEIJING: China is willing to provide necessary help to Japan on the massive earthquake that struck the country on New Year's Day, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday (Jan 3).

There have been no Chinese casualties reported from the earthquake, ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a regular press briefing.

Japanese authorities have confirmed 62 deaths so far, making the earthquake the deadliest in Japan since at least 2016.

Asked about the airplanes collision at Tokyo's Haneda airport on Tuesday, Wang said there were no Chinese citizens injured in the accident, adding that Japan had not made any request for assistance.

There were 14 Hong Kong tourists on the Japan Airlines plane involved, and the Chinese embassy in Japan has gotten in touch with them, Wang said.

The collision, which sparked concerns about runway safety, killed five of six crew on the smaller De Havilland Dash-8 Coast Guard turboprop, while all 379 people aboard the Japan Airlines Airbus A350 survived.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiYGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS9jaGluYS1zYXlzLWl0LXdpbGxpbmctcHJvdmlkZS1oZWxwLWphcGFuLWVhcnRocXVha2UtNDAyMjYzMdIBAA?oc=5

2024-01-03 08:12:15Z
CBMiYGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS9jaGluYS1zYXlzLWl0LXdpbGxpbmctcHJvdmlkZS1oZWxwLWphcGFuLWVhcnRocXVha2UtNDAyMjYzMdIBAA

Japan quake toll rises to 62 as weather hampers rescuers - CNA

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has issued a heavy rain warning in the area.

"Be on the lookout for landslides until the evening of Wednesday," the agency said.

In the coastal city of Suzu, mayor Masuhiro Izumiya said there were "almost no houses standing".

"About 90 per cent of the houses (in the town) are completely or almost completely destroyed... the situation is really catastrophic," he said, according to broadcaster TBS.

A woman at a shelter in the town of Shika told TV Asahi that she "hasn't been able to sleep" due to aftershocks.

"I've been scared because we don't know when the next quake will hit," she said.

Nearly 34,000 households were still without power in Ishikawa prefecture, the local utility said.

Many cities were without running water.

Shinkansen bullet trains and highways have resumed operations after several thousand people were stranded, some for almost 24 hours.

The US Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 7.5, while the JMA measured it at 7.6, triggering a major tsunami warning.

The powerful quake was one of more than 400 to shake the region through Wednesday morning, the JMA said.

Japan lifted all tsunami warnings after waves at least 1.2m high hit the town of Wajima and a series of smaller tsunamis were reported elsewhere.

Japan experiences hundreds of earthquakes every year and the vast majority cause no damage.

The number of earthquakes in the Noto Peninsula region has been steadily increasing since 2018, a Japanese government report said last year.

The country is haunted by a massive 9.0-magnitude undersea quake off northeastern Japan in 2011, which triggered a tsunami that left around 18,500 people dead or missing.

It also swamped the Fukushima atomic plant, causing one of the world's worst nuclear disasters.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiZmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS9qYXBhbi1lYXJ0aHF1YWtlLWlzaGlrYXdhLW5ldy15ZWFycy1kYXktaGVhdnktcmFpbi1yZXNjdWUtNDAyMjAxMdIBAA?oc=5

2024-01-03 02:27:00Z
CBMiZmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS9qYXBhbi1lYXJ0aHF1YWtlLWlzaGlrYXdhLW5ldy15ZWFycy1kYXktaGVhdnktcmFpbi1yZXNjdWUtNDAyMjAxMdIBAA

Runway safety concerns in focus as Japan probes Tokyo crash - CNA

"TECHNOLOGY GAP"

The Washington-based foundation has found that breakdowns in communication and coordination can play a role in runway crashes or near misses.

But a shortage of electronics to avoid collisions on the ground, rather than in the air where software to trigger avoidance has been available since the 1980s, is also a concern.

"Many of the serious incidents could have been avoided through better situational awareness technologies that can help air traffic controllers and pilots detect potential runway conflicts," Shahidi said.

The Federal Aviation Administration says some three dozen US airports are fitted with a system called ASDE-X that uses radar, satellites and a navigation tool called multilateration to track ground movements.

But National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy said in November the US aviation network - a bellwether for airports worldwide - lacks sufficient technology to prevent runway incursions.

In 2018, Airbus said it was working with Honeywell on a system called SURF-A or Surface-Alert designed to help prevent runway collisions.

But no date for implementation has yet been announced and rolling out complex new aviation systems can take years.

Far-reaching reforms of European and US air traffic networks that could accelerate the use of such computerised systems have faced chronic delays.

Airbus and Honeywell did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Steve Creamer, a former senior director at the International Civil Aviation Organization, said preventing a landing aircraft striking a plane is among the top five global safety priorities.

Although automated landings are increasing, experts say much still depends on visual checks by pilots who may be distracted by a high workload or the blur of a night-time runway.

"I think the investigation will focus a lot on the clearances ... and then also what the (JAL) crew could see. Could they physically see that airplane on the runway," said former US air accident investigator John Cox.

Lighting was an issue in a 1991 collision between a USAir plane and SkyWest Airlines aircraft at Los Angeles International Airport in California, for example.

"One of the things that came out of that was that the USAir crew physically could not see the SkyWest Metroliner there. Although it was on the runway, the lighting was such that you … physically couldn’t see it," he said.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMidmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS9qYXBhbi1haXJsaW5lcy1oYW5lZGEtYWlycG9ydC1maXJlLWNvbGxpc2lvbi1ydW53YXktc2FmZXR5LWNvbmNlcm5zLXByb2JlLTQwMjIwMDHSAQA?oc=5

2024-01-03 00:48:06Z
CBMidmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS9qYXBhbi1haXJsaW5lcy1oYW5lZGEtYWlycG9ydC1maXJlLWNvbGxpc2lvbi1ydW53YXktc2FmZXR5LWNvbmNlcm5zLXByb2JlLTQwMjIwMDHSAQA

5 coast guard crew killed after plane collides with Japan Airlines jet in Tokyo's Haneda airport - CNA

RUNWAYS REOPENING, CAUSE OF CRASH UNCLEAR

Haneda, one of the two main airports serving the Japanese capital, was closed for several hours following the accident, but the transport ministry official said three runways had since resumed operations.

JAL's rival Japanese airline ANA had earlier said it had cancelled 110 domestic flights departing and landing at Haneda for the rest of Tuesday due to the runway shutdown.

Transport minister Saito said the cause of the accident was unclear and the Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB), police and other departments would continue to investigate.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said authorities were working to ensure the accident at Haneda did not affect deliveries of earthquake relief supplies.

"This is a great regret as the crew members performed their duties with a strong sense of mission and responsibility for the victims of the disaster area," he said, referring to those killed on the coast guard plane.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMicWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS9qYXBhbi1haXJsaW5lcy1oYW5lZGEtYWlycG9ydC1maXJlLWNvbGxpc2lvbi1jb2FzdC1ndWFyZC1jcmV3LWtpbGxlZC00MDIxMzIx0gEA?oc=5

2024-01-02 15:11:00Z
CBMicWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS9qYXBhbi1haXJsaW5lcy1oYW5lZGEtYWlycG9ydC1maXJlLWNvbGxpc2lvbi1jb2FzdC1ndWFyZC1jcmV3LWtpbGxlZC00MDIxMzIx0gEA

5 dead on coast guard aircraft after collision with Japan Airlines plane at Tokyo Haneda airport - The Straits Times

TOKYO – Five people on board a coast guard aircraft died after a runway collision with a Japan Airlines (JAL) plane at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Jan 2, the Japanese transport minister said.

“Regarding the coast guard plane, we have been informed that the captain escaped and five people were confirmed dead,” Mr Tetsuo Saito told reporters.

The coast guard plane was headed to Niigata airport on Japan’s west coast to deliver aid to those caught up in a powerful earthquake that struck on New Year’s Day, killing at least 48 people.

Earlier reports said five of the coast guard crew were unaccounted for, while the captain escaped.

The coast guard plane collided with JAL Flight 516 shortly after the passenger jet landed.

Live footage on public broadcaster NHK showed the JAL aircraft bursting into flames as it skidded down the tarmac after landing at around 6pm local time.

It was later overwhelmed by the blaze despite efforts by rescue crews to control the fire.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiXGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0cmFpdHN0aW1lcy5jb20vYXNpYS9lYXN0LWFzaWEvYWlyY3JhZnQtb24tZmlyZS1hdC10b2t5by1oYW5lZGEtYWlycG9ydC1yZXBvcnRz0gEA?oc=5

2024-01-02 12:23:19Z
CBMiXGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0cmFpdHN0aW1lcy5jb20vYXNpYS9lYXN0LWFzaWEvYWlyY3JhZnQtb24tZmlyZS1hdC10b2t5by1oYW5lZGEtYWlycG9ydC1yZXBvcnRz0gEA

China calls on Taiwan's people to promote 'peaceful reunification' - CNA

TAIPEI: The head of China's Taiwan Affairs Office on Tuesday (Jan 2) called on Taiwan's people to promote the process of "peaceful reunification", saying it was the common desire of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Song Tao's message, which comes less than two weeks before Taiwan holds presidential and parliamentary elections on Jan 13, follows President Xi Jinping's remarks in his New Year Eve's address that China's "reunification" with Taiwan was inevitable.

"The motherland will eventually be reunified, and it will inevitably be reunified," Song said in his New Year's message on his office's website.

This is the common desire and common mission of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, Song added.

Taiwan's people should "promote cross-strait relations to return to the right track of peaceful development, and promote the process of peaceful reunification of the motherland", he said.

Taiwan's government rejects China's sovereignty claims. Both the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and the largest opposition party, the Kuomintang, say only Taiwan's people can decide their future.

China has offered Taiwan a "one country, two systems" model of autonomy, but no mainstream Taiwanese party supports that idea.

Song reiterated China's support for "one country, two systems" and opposition to Taiwan's formal independence or "interference by external forces".

His message made no mention of the election, which the Taiwan Affairs Office has cast as a choice between war and peace.

China has continued military pressure around the island, ended some tariff cuts for Taiwan and threatened further economic measures as the vote has neared.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiZmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS9jaGluYS1jYWxscy10YWl3YW5zLXBlb3BsZS1wcm9tb3RlLXBlYWNlZnVsLXJldW5pZmljYXRpb24tNDAyMDQzMdIBAA?oc=5

2024-01-02 04:00:16Z
CBMiZmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS9jaGluYS1jYWxscy10YWl3YW5zLXBlb3BsZS1wcm9tb3RlLXBlYWNlZnVsLXJldW5pZmljYXRpb24tNDAyMDQzMdIBAA

Lee Jae-myung: From factory worker to South Korean presidential contender - CNA

SEOUL: A rarity among politicians in status-obsessed South Korea, former child factory worker Lee Jae-myung rose to become a presidential contender, telling voters his working-class roots equipped him to fight inequality.

Lee, who was under treatment in Seoul after being stabbed in the neck on Tuesday (Jan 2), lost the tightest presidential election in South Korean history to Yoon Suk Yeol in 2022. The motive behind the attack was unknown.

Leading the country's main opposition party, Lee has since been a staunch critic of President Yoon, and is widely expected to run for the top office again in 2027.

"I had to work in a factory because I couldn't pay for school," he told AFP before the 2022 election.

"My parents were cleaners. I escaped poverty, but many around me are still stuck ... I want to change the system."

Lee's political rise coincided with growing worries about inequality, sky-high housing prices and youth unemployment.

His time in elected office has been marked by policies including cash handouts to young adults, free school uniforms and free maternity care.

He has previously vowed to expand his universal basic income scheme nationwide as president.

While his supporters say these policies are rooted in Lee's own experience and empathy for the less fortunate, his opponents accuse him of being a populist who will pile on debt to pay for these schemes.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMie2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS9zb3V0aC1rb3JlYS1sZWUtamFlLW15dW5nLWZhY3Rvcnktd29ya2VyLW9wcG9zaXRpb24tbGVhZGVyLXdvcmtpbmctY2xhc3Mtcm9vdHMtNDAyMDcyNtIBAA?oc=5

2024-01-02 09:07:00Z
CBMie2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS9zb3V0aC1rb3JlYS1sZWUtamFlLW15dW5nLWZhY3Rvcnktd29ya2VyLW9wcG9zaXRpb24tbGVhZGVyLXdvcmtpbmctY2xhc3Mtcm9vdHMtNDAyMDcyNtIBAA