TSUNAMI

The Japanese government on Wednesday estimated the direct damage from a deadly earthquake and tsunami that struck the country's northeast this month at 16-25 trillion yen ($185-308 billion), making it the world's costliest natural disaster.

The Japanese government estimates material damage from a deadly earthquake and tsunami that struck the country's northeast this month at 15-25 trillion yen ($185-308 billion), making it the costliest ever natural disaster, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Wednesday.

- Japan's government said on Wednesday it estimated damage from the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit northeast Japan this month at about 16-25 trillion yen ($197-308 billion).

The following is the IAEA update on Fukushima nuclear power plant in earthquake-torn Japan, dated March 23.

A slew of celebrities are coming together to create a digital-only compilation album to raise money for earthquake and tsunami relief efforts in Japan.

The official death toll from Japan’s epic earthquake-tsunami catastrophe has now surpassed 22,000 (including people who are listed as missing), according to the National Police Agency.

Summary of Conditions at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

The average transaction prices for key fuel-efficient Japanese imported cars in the United States are starting to creep up in the wake of the quake and tsunami in Japan that caused supply disruptions, according to an analyst.

Babcock & Wilcox said it is in discussions with Toshiba Group to provide nuclear technical assistance and services to secure and maintain the safety of the nuclear power plants at Fukushima Daiichi in Japan.

Japanese carrier NTT Communications said on March 22 it is steadily restoring communications services, although some still remain disrupted.

Sony Corp. has suspended production at more Japanese plants after a massive earthquake on March 11 has made it difficult for the plants to get raw materials and components.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said that radioactive Materials were detected from the seawater around the discharge canal (south) of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.

Professor Yuko Aoyama from Clark University Geography Department says the collective spirit in Japan is very high at the moment, in an interview to IBTimes on Japan's earthquake and the resultant tsunami and their impact on the world's third largest economy.

Japan tried to keep the yen in check on Tuesday as it grapples with the aftermath of a deadly earthquake and tsunami, warning markets that Tokyo was keeping a close watch on the currency and would act together with its G7 partners if needed.

Japanese authorities are struggling to ascertain data and information on the number and status of foreigners who were in Japan when the earthquake and tsunami struck ten days ago.

The financial impact to Japan from last week’s earthquake-tsunami could be as high as $235-billion, according to a report issued on Monday by the World Bank.

Some Japanese are outraged by the alarmist tone and sensationalistic reporting of the earthquake-tsunami tragedy by foreign media. Some media sources have just plain printed factual errors.

Tokyo Electric Power Company is reporting that as of 7 a.m. Eastern time power is available in the four damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which will help to stabilize the reactor cores and the spent fuel pools.

In one of the few happy stories to come from the earthquake tragedy in Japan, an 80-year-old woman and her 16-year-old grandson have been rescued from the rubble of their home in the coastal city of Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture, the epicenter of the tragedy, according to Kyodo news agency.

The Fukushima reactor buildings are square, not circular, and had to absorb the force of the tsunami wave straight on.

Though the human tragedy caused by the Japan disaster is incalculable, its economic impact may be less harsh than previously thought. An analyst said on Monday there will be some near-term impact but it will not be sufficient to dent the region’s strong growth prospects this year.