Okinawa Prefecture

A devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake has struck Taiwan's east coast, leaving one person dead and over 50 injured, as reported by Reuters on Wednesday. The powerful tremor, originating in the Pacific Ocean, rattled buildings and infrastructure, causing widespread panic and damage in its wake.

The Shuri Palace, which is part of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, has burned almost completely in a big fire that broke out that night, world agencies have reported.

20 firefighting teams are involved in the extinguishing of the fire. The castle is not inhabited and there have been no reports of any injuries. Police officers are investigating the cause of the fire.

Japan's government is considering a new way to get people to consider life outside Tokyo: Pay them to leave, reported Quartz.

Fallen window from a US military helicopter injured a child in a Japanese school, Associated Press reported.

BELGRADE - The Japanese dance company "Izena no kai" will perform at the National Theater in Belgrade, the Japanese Embassy in Belgrade announced Tuesday.

"Izena no kai" was founded in 1988.

Since then, they have performed many times in Japan and around the world, always bringing the atmosphere of Okinawa and the Amami Islands onto the stage.

The governor of Okinawa said on Sept.14 he will revoke approval for work on a US air base in southern Japan, in the latest setback to the controversial plan.

A U.S. military helicopter crashed in waters off the Japanese southern island of Okinawa during a training mission on Aug. 12, injuring six people and prompting Japan?s government to demand a probe and steps to prevent a recurrence. 

Japan said on August 4 it was suspending construction of a contentious U.S. air base on the island of Okinawa for a month to give time for talks between the central government and island authorities opposed to the facility. 

Oscar-winning animator Hayao Miyazaki on May 13 threw his weight behind a fund aimed at blocking a controversial plan to move a U.S. military base on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa.