logo
ENFRع
#

Latest news with #ToshifumiKitamura

Tsunami hits Russia, Japan: Why these waves are they so destructive? Key questions answered
Tsunami hits Russia, Japan: Why these waves are they so destructive? Key questions answered

First Post

time30-07-2025

  • Science
  • First Post

Tsunami hits Russia, Japan: Why these waves are they so destructive? Key questions answered

Tsunami waves have struck Russian and Japanese coasts after an 8.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Russia's sparsely-populated far-east region. The Western coast of the United States is also on alert. Here we explain why tsunamis are so destructive. read more The devastated Takekoma area in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, in 2011, three days after an earthquake and resulting tsunami hit the region. (Photo: Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP) Tsunami alerts were issued across much of the Pacific on Wednesday after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Russia's far east. Here are key facts about tsunamis and the damage they can cause: Shock of water A tsunami is a shock of water that spreads through the sea, usually triggered by a strong earthquake beneath the ocean floor. The sudden, violent movement of the Earth's crust can thrust up or drive down a section of the seabed — with the rift displacing vast quantities of water that move as waves. ALSO READ — 8.8 magnitude quake: Tsunami waves hit Russia coast and Japan's Hokkaido; alerts in place for Alaska, Hawaii STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Tsunamis radiate in all directions from their source and can cover enormous distances, sometimes at the speed of a jet plane. They are a rare phenomenon but can create dangerously powerful currents and cause deadly flooding in coastal areas. Other causes Large quakes are the main driver of tsunamis, but the phenomenon can also be sparked by other cataclysmic geographic events, such as volcanic eruptions and landslides. In 1883, a volcano shattered the Pacific island of Krakatoa, causing a blast that could be heard 4,500 kilometres (2,800 miles) away, followed by a tsunami that killed around 30,000 people. Large storms or a meteorite falling into the ocean can also be powerful enough to cause a tsunami, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 'Harbour wave' The word 'tsunami' comes from the Japanese words for 'harbour' and 'wave'. Tsunamis are sometimes referred to as 'tidal waves' but experts say this is inaccurate because they are not related to tides. At their point of generation, tsunamis have a relatively small wave height, with peaks far apart. As the waves approach the shore they are compressed by the shelving of the sea floor, reducing the distance between the peaks and vastly increasing the height. When they hit the coast, tsunami waves can strike repeatedly over several hours, or even days. Roman historian To those on the shore, the first sign of something amiss can be the retreat of the sea, which is followed by the arrival of large waves. 'The sea was driven back, and its waters flowed away to such an extent that the deep seabed was laid bare and many kinds of sea creatures could be seen,' wrote Roman author Ammianus Marcellinus of a tsunami that struck Alexandria in 365 AD. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Huge masses of water flowed back when least expected, and now overwhelmed and killed many thousands of people… some great ships were hurled by the fury of the waves onto the rooftops.' How much damage? Several factors determine the height and destructiveness of a tsunami. They include the size of the quake, the volume of displaced water, the topography of the sea floor and whether there are natural obstacles that dampen the shock. The Pacific Ocean is particularly prone to earthquakes and therefore to tsunamis, but over the millennia tsunamis have occurred in many parts of the world. The tsunami of December 2004 in the Indian Ocean was caused by a 9.1 magnitude earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It released energy equivalent to 23,000 of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Around 220,000 people in 11 nations were killed, many of them thousands of kilometres from the epicentre. (This is an agency copy. Except for the headline, the copy has not been updated.) STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Inside Japan's secret death chambers where the very worst criminals are executed
Inside Japan's secret death chambers where the very worst criminals are executed

Metro

time30-06-2025

  • Metro

Inside Japan's secret death chambers where the very worst criminals are executed

Japan's death row inmates stand on the red square to be hanged (Picture: JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images) Inside what looks like a normal, grey office block, lie the secretive execution rooms where Japan's most notorious criminals are taken to be hanged. The country's use of the death penalty has come into the sportlight again after it carried out its first execution since 2022, of a serial killer who promised to help vulnerable girls and women kill themselves, but then raped and dismembered them, keeping their body parts in cold storage. 'Twitter killer' Takahiro Shiraishi, so-called because of the method he used to first contact his victims, is reported to have spent his last moments at Tokyo Detention House in Katsushika City. From the outside, the building looks unassuming. But deep within its walls lies a chamber with a glass wall where criminals are taken to be hanged – with only an hour or two of notice. In 2010, media were given a rare opportunity to see one of the country's few remaining execution rooms, where the country's worst criminals are put to death. The sterile wood paneled room with garish blue curtains (Credits: JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images) Tokyo Detention House looks like any grey office building (Credits: Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP) Inside the nondescript building, which is surrounded by a low wire fence, criminals on death row are taken to a morbidly empty room. They then stand facing a viewing platform separated by a window, and are made to stand in the middle of a red square. The square marks out a trap door which will give way beneath their feet, sending them plunging down to be hanged. Medics then confirm their death and wipe the body down in a last sterile act. Prisoners are often told of their fate only hours before their execution, meaning families and lawyers are often left in the dark until after the execution has taken place. Before being led to their fate, convicts pass a small gold statue of Kannon, a Buddhist goddess associated with mercy. Witnesses of the hangings have told of their horror as they watch officers pull the mechanical levers to drop prisoners, blindfolded and hooded to muffle their screams, through the floor into a chamber below. View from the platform into execution room (Photo credits: JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images) Despite several years without executions, human rights campaigners feared executions were making a comeback after 21-year-old Yuki Endo, who murdered the parents of a girl after she rejected him, was sentenced to death in January 2024. Yuki was just 19 when he stabbed the girl's parents, attacked and injured her sister with a machete and burned the house down, making him the first person in Japan to be given death penalty for a crime committed between the ages of 18 and 19, the MailOnline reported. The most recent executed prisoner before last week was Tomohiro Kato in 2022, who killed seven people in 2008 by driving a truck into a crowd at the Akihabara shopping district. Why are Japan's executions so secretive? Japan's death penalty law requires that the executions must follow 'utmost secrecy', according to the Death Penalty Information Centre. This extends to the convicts themselves, who typically find out about their execution on the morning it takes place, a local newspaper wrote, citing lawyer Yoshikuni Noguchi who once witnessed an execution. After the announcement, the convict is moved to a special room and monitored by security officers. Where the hooded and blindfolded convict will hang (Credits: JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images) Families are supposed to be told about the execution, but according to the UN and campaigners this isn't always the case. Lawyer Noguchi recounted an execution, describing in detail how with one pull of the lever, the body of the inmate was dropped through the hatch. He had to grab the rope to stop it from shaking. The experience impacted him deeply, with those around him saying he looked pale. He later resigned from his role as a prison officer. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page One of the most infamous convicts executed at Tokyo Detention House is cult leader Shoko Asahara, 63, real name Chizuo Matsumoto. After founding the Aum Shinrikyo cult in 1984, he attracted loyal supporters into his bizarre ideology and world of rituals, such as drinking bathwater and wearing electrical caps for synchronised brain waves. But behind the scenes, the cult was stockpiling weapons, and on March 20, 1995, Asahara and his worshippers released sarin nerve gas into the busy Tokyo subway. The attack killed 13 people. Asahara was eventually convicted of having killed 27 people in 13 murders and other assaults and kidnappings during six years of trying to build his twisted, alternative empire. Following his failed appeals for his release, the mass murderer was hanged on July 6, 2018 with six other cult members. Amnesty International feared that the appointment of Fumio Kishida as Japan's Prime Minister in 2021 showed the country's 'lack of respect for right to life'. Critics of capital punishment like Amnesty argue that death penalty is unacceptable, saying it denies human rights and it is irreversible and mistakes can happen. Amnesty also claimed it does little to deter crime and it is used in countries with problematic human rights record like China, Iran and Saudi Arabia. A version of this article was published in March 2024. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: Will a 'mega-quake' strike next week after a Japanese manga predicts 'great disaster'? Arrow MORE: Disturbing documentary about 'most evil reality show ever' now streaming on BBC Arrow MORE: Mystery of 600-year-old Japanese mummified 'dragon' solved

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store