Japan
Nitrogen Puffs and Two Landings: Japan's Plan to Fetch Phobos Soil by 2031
MMX leaves Tanegashima at 04:41:03 JST Tuesday, 19:41:03 UTC Monday. The mission is a five-year chain of firsts, and the dates show where it can break.
Japan's 9.9 Alert Used Two Epicenters and a Formula for Domestic Quakes
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake off Kamchatka became a 9.9 alert across eastern Japan for eight minutes. The weather agency's own map shows how it was built.
Why Japan's Business Year Starts in April, Not January
A 19th-century cash crunch forced Japan to shorten its fiscal year and move the start to April. The fix outlived the crisis, and now governs hiring, school terms and earnings season for the world's fourth-largest economy.
Why a Damaged QR Code Still Scans
A coffee stain or a peeling sticker shouldn't kill a QR code, and usually it doesn't. Here's the redundant-data trick, borrowed from deep-space communication, that keeps damaged codes readable.
Why Some Earthquakes Come in Swarms, Not One Big Shock
Tuesday's magnitude 7.1 Kumamoto earthquake struck as one sudden jolt, while sequences in the Philippines and the Canary Islands unfolded as sprawling swarms. The difference comes down to fluid, not fault size.
Japan Twice Pull Back to Draw 2-2 With the Netherlands
Twice behind in Dallas, Japan twice levelled, with Kamada's goal a minute from time denying Ronald Koeman's Netherlands a winning start.