Cuban official asks Biden’s gov’t to reconsider sanctions
Associated Press

February 11, 2021

1 of 3

HAVANA (AP) — A top Cuban official said on Thursday that declassified U.S. documents pointing out deficiencies in the response to health issues reported by American diplomats on the island show some of the falsehoods the Trump administration used to impose measures against Cuba.

Johana Tablada, deputy director for U.S. affairs at Cuba’s Foreign Ministry, said the new U.S. government should consider reversing measures imposed by Trump against the island after tensions increased because of the health incidents and other issues.

Between late 2016 and May 2018, several U.S. and Canadian diplomats in Havana complained of health problems from an unknown cause. Trump’s administration officials suggested that Cuba may have been behind the incidents or allowed alleged sonic attacks against the diplomats, something the island has always denied.

A declassified assessment by the State Department, made public on Wednesday by the nonprofit National Security Archive, indicated there was a poor response to the incidents and a lack of coordination. The report was completed in 2018, but not released publicly, and it’s not conclusive about what caused the reported health problems.

The Cuban government is interpreting the document to mean there were no actual attacks against the diplomats.

“If there was no attack, the U.S. consulate in Havana should not be closed, Cuban families should not be prevented from assisting loved ones in Florida and vice versa, bilateral agreements should not be affected,” Tablada said.

Former President Barack Obama’s administration eased or lifted sanctions after restoring full diplomatic relations with Cuba in 2015. Trump later reversed many of his predecessor’s decisions.

President Joe Biden’s government has promised to renew relations with Cuba.

Thailand’s pro-democracy protesters clash with police

BY CHALIDA EKVITTHAYAVECHNUKUL

1 of 11

Pro-democracy protesters position themselves on the sidewalk during a rally in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, Feb. 13,2021. The rally in the Thai capital was organized by the Ratsadorn movement, which campaigned last year for Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and his government to step down, the constitution to be amended and the reform of the monarchy to make it more accountable.(AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

BANGKOK (AP) — Pro-democracy protesters in Thailand clashed with police Saturday night while seeking the release of four comrades awaiting trial on charges of defaming the monarchy.

The four top leaders of the student-led movement were ordered to stay in custody Tuesday on the so-called lese majeste charge, which carries a punishment of three to 15 years in prison. They were also charged with sedition.

The protest movement campaigned last year for Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and his government to step down, the constitution to be amended to make it more democratic and the monarchy reformed to make it more accountable.

The demand about the monarchy is the most controversial, because the institution has been widely considered an untouchable, bedrock element of Thai nationalism.

Police deputy spokesperson Krissana Pattanacharoen said more than 20 police were injured and seven or eight protesters detained. There was no information on the number of protesters hurt when they tried to breach heavily defended police lines.

At one point, footage showed riot police descending on and beating a medical volunteer who was waiting for his friend, another volunteer, to fix his motorcycle. The man wore a green vest identifying him as part of medical volunteers offering service at protests.

The volunteer service said the man was taken to a police station, and police said he was released Sunday morning.

The protest began at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument, where participants were urged to write their wishes for Thailand’s future on a big red cloth that was wrapped around the structure as those present sang the national anthem.

Members of the crowd of about 1,000 also removed plants that had been placed around the monument, alleging they had been put there last week to deny space for protesting.

Attapol Buapat, one of the protest leaders, said that if their friends were not freed from jail within seven days, protesters from around the country would head to Bangkok to join a big rally next Saturday.

“They should have been allowed bail,” said Attapol, also known as as Kru Yai.

The protesters then tried to march to the Bangkok City Pillar Shrine, the capital’s symbolic spiritual center, which is treated as the protector of the country and the monarchy.

At least 100 police in riot gear backed up by two water cannon trucks blocked their path. Attapol won agreement from the police to allow four protest representatives to carry out activities at the shrine. However, he could not control the crowd and front-line protesters dismantled barriers set up by police and threw bottles and smoke bombs at them.

After the four protest representatives returned from the shrine, organizers declared an end to the rally and the crowd began to disperse.

Seven activists charged on eighth day of Myanmar protests against coup


Protesters hold placards at a rally Saturday against the military coup outside the U.S. embassy in Yangon, Myanmar. Photo by Nyein Chan Naing/EPA-EFE


Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Seven activists were issued arrest warrants on Saturday, the eighth day of Myanmar's protest against the military coup, over their social media posts.

The activists were charged under section 505 (b) of the Penal Code for allegedly defaming the state and threatening "public tranquility," in their social media posts, the National Administrative Council said in a statement, Anadolu Agency reported.

Among those charged Saturday, were Min Ko Naing, whose name means Conqueror of Kings, and Kyaw Min Yu, also known as Jimmy, who both served time in prison after participating in the 1988 pro-democracy uprisings in the country, along with five other democracy activists and social influencers.

Naing has been described by The New York Times as the most influential person in Myanmar after the country's civilian leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained along with other high-ranking elected government officials in a coup weeks ago.

Naing and Yu went into hiding with the other five when the military overthrew the civilian government on Feb. 1, according to the Anadolu Agency report.

Naing urged people in the country to resist in all ways as the protests started three days after the coup.

The five other activists charged include singer Linn Linn, who is a former bodyguard of detained leader Kyi; Insein Aung Soe; Myo Yan Naun Thein, the director of Bayda Institute for a Just Society; presenter Maung Maun Aye and Facebook cele Ei Pencilo, The Irrawaddy reported.

Soe had communicated anti-military messages on social media, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said in a daily briefing.

The same charge the seven activists face, which carries a punishment of up to two years, has been used widely to stifle political dissent under previous military regimes, according to the Irrawaddy report.

Myanmar's eighth day of protest against the military coup Saturday featured a 10-minute moment of silence at some demonstrations and more unity across society, according to the AAPP daily briefing.

"There was a 10-minute silence of respect for the day of independence hero General Aung San birth, father of currently-detained State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi at some demonstrations," the daily briefing said.

"More and more sections of society are coming together, a number of demonstrations were hundreds of thousands in size around the country, peacefully fighting for democracy," the AAPP added.

In particular, six policemen and one traffic police from Loikaw and Demawso Township joined the protest Saturday, bringing the total number of policemen joining the Civil Disobediences Movement to 61, according to the briefing. A police force demanded two of the policemen who took part in a protest Saturday in Hpa-an Township, Kayin State, return, and people shielded the two policemen from backlash in response.

Since the coup began, medical staff members have also joined the CDM, a strike campaign that rejects the rule of the military, Voice of America reported.

On Saturday, protesters in Yangon, held signs reading "Stop the kidnapping at night" in response to recent night raids, according to the Voice of America report.

The protests have continued despite a ban on gatherings of five or more people. There has also been a military-imposed curfew from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. in several towns in Myanmar.

On Friday, the new military government released more than 23,000 prisoners, but Kyi and other politicians and activists remain in detention. The State Administrative Council ordered the release to to mark Union Day, a national holiday in Myanmar.

Lawmakers call for independent commission to investigate Capitol riots

Rep. Madeliene Dean, D-Pa., Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., on Sunday expressed support for a "9/11-style" independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 siege on the Capitol. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo

Feb. 14 (UPI) -- Lawmakers on Sunday supported a call for the formation of a "9/11-style" independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 siege on the Capitol after former President Donald Trump was acquitted of allegedly inciting an insurrection.

House impeachment manager Rep. Madeliene Dean, D-Pa., Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., told ABC News' This Week they would support a full investigation into the potential coordination that led to Trump supporters making their way inside the Capitol as Congress worked to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had previously suggested the idea of a 9/11-style commission in a Feb. 3 letter also calling for measures to increase security for lawmakers.

On Sunday, Dean highlighted the historic nature of the destruction that took place on Jan. 6.

"For the first time in however many years, we had an insurrection incited by the president of the United States," she said. "The House was desecrated, the Capitol was desecrated. People were terrorized. This was incited by the president of the United States. Of course, there must be a full commission, not guided by politics, but filled with people who would stand up to the courage of their conviction, like Dr. Cassidy."

Cassidy on Saturday joined every Senate Democrat and six other Republicans in breaking with the GOP in the 57-43 vote in favor of convicting Trump, which ultimately fell short of the 67 votes needed to secure a conviction.

On Sunday, Cassidy told ABC News that Trump's actions fell within his definition of inciting and insurrection and that he believes there should be "a complete investigation" into what happened at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

RELATED Senate votes to award officer Eugene Goodman the Congressional Gold Medal

"Why was there not more law enforcement, National Guard already mobilized, what was known, who knew it, and when they knew it, all that, because that builds the basis so this never happens again in the future," he said.

Although the GOP overwhelmingly voted to acquit Trump, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell condemned the former president's actions in a speech after the vote, saying Trump exhibited a "disgraceful dereliction of duty" but said that impeachment is a "narrow tool" that is not intended to take aim at a president who is no longer in office.

"There is no question -- none -- that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day," he said. "The people that stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their president. And having that belief was a foreseeable consequence of the growing

Harvard Law professor's 'comfort woman' article under review, journal says


An article by a Harvard Law professor who has described the history of “comfort women” forced to serve in Japanese wartime brothels as “pure fiction” is being investigated, the International Review of Law and Economics said. 

File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo

Feb. 12 (UPI) -- A controversial article on "comfort women" is under review after complaints from the academic community about the work authored by J. Mark Ramseyer, a professor of Japanese legal studies at Harvard Law School.

The International Review of Law and Economics said it has been notified of issues related to the piece, "Contracting for sex in the Pacific War," a week after Harvard Law students denounced the article.

"The International Review of Law and Economics is issuing an Expression of Concern to inform readers that concerns have been raised regarding the historical evidence in the article list above," the journal said in statement Thursday.

"These claims are currently being investigated and the International Review of Law and Economics will provide additional information as it becomes available."

Legal experts have said the article, which has been released online but is not available in print until March, contains incorrect claims about the women, who, according to Ramseyer, were involved in a "consenting, contractual process."

"The economic relationship that was deployed, even according to Ramseyer's own research, is very close to what we would ordinarily call debt slavery," said Harvard Law School professor Noah Feldman, according to the Harvard Crimson earlier this week.

Feldman, who said the arrangement is similar to sharecropping contracts in the Jim Crow South, also said they are "designed to and do exploit the vast power discrepancy between different actors and institutions."

RELATED Harvard Law students decry professor's paper on 'comfort women'

Ramseyer's ideas may have little sway on the international stage, where the United Nations has already found conclusive evidence of atrocities against "women victims of military sexual slavery during wartime."

But in Japan, where the government has challenged calls for an apology, the notion the women from Korea, China, Taiwan, the Philippines, and the Netherlands were voluntary sex workers has joined mainstream discourse.

Last month, Ramseyer said in an article published in Japan Forward, a site of Japan's right-leaning Sankei Shimbun, the reports of comfort women were "pure fiction."

The article was published a week after a South Korean court ordered Japan to pay about $90,000 per plaintiff.

Fin whale songs could help map the ocean floor


Researchers say the songs of fin whales -- like the one pictured -- could be used to improve seismic ocean surveys, and in some cases replace the airguns that are generally used by surveyors. Photo by Aqqa Rosing-Asvid/Wikimedia



Feb. 11 (UPI) -- The fin whale is the loudest species in the ocean. The mammal's long, loud, low-frequency vocalizations can travel for hundreds of miles.

Fin whale songs are so strong, in fact, they generate seismic data that can be used to probe the structure and composition of Earth's seafloor.

Scientists described the fin whale's potential as a seismic source in a new paper, published Thursday in the journal Science.

"The idea to study subsurface signals in whale calls was rather a coincidence," lead study author Václav Kuna told UPI in an email.

RELATED Canada bans the captivity of whales, dolphins

"I am a seismologist and I was studying earthquakes at the Blanco Fracture Zone west of the Oregon coast. Accidentally, I found fin whale call recordings in our data and -- given my seismological perspective -- I was wondering whether they could be used similarly as airguns," said Kuna, a geophysicist and graduate research assistant at Oregon State University.

Airguns are the seismic source of choice for scientists mapping the ocean floor, but the massive blasts can be disruptive to marine species, especially whales and dolphins that use sound to communicate with each other and hunt for food.

Conducting seismic surveys using airguns requires time, energy and money -- finite resources. Fin whales all over the world are constantly singing, for free.

RELATED Grieving orca mother releases dead calf after 17 days


Scientists knew fin whales were quite loud, but until now, it wasn't clear that their songs could generate useful seismic data.

"Seismic stations record all kinds of mechanical waves -- earthquakes, ocean wave noise, engines of ships ... and also whale songs," Kuna said. "In principle, all these sources generate the same kind of mechanical wave that can be picked up by the station."

For the study, Kuna and research partner John Nábelek, a professor of seismology at Oregon State, analyzed fin whale song data recorded by a series of seismometer stations positioned on the floor of the Pacific Ocean.

RELATED Whale dies after eating more than 17 pounds of plastic

What surprised the pair was not the presence of fin whale songs among data collected by seismometers, but the amount of seismic data generated by the songs.

The sound waves are strong enough that they penetrate several feet into the ocean floor, reverberating off layers of rock and sediment.

Kuna and Nábelek found seismic data generated by the songs was sufficient to constrain the thickness and density of oceanic sediment and basaltic rock layers beneath the stations.

RELATED New study analyzes calls of blue whales

Though fin whale songs won't replace air guns, they can help scientists characterize oceanic crust and gain insights in the composition of oceanic sediments -- information useful to both geologists and climatologists.

The seismic data generated by fin whale songs could also be used for what seismologists call "static corrections," a process that helps scientists more precisely pinpoint the origins of earthquakes.

"Shallow structure -- mainly sediment thickness and velocity -- varies from site to site," said Kuna. "When locating earthquakes, these variations introduce unknown time shifts in arrivals of earthquake waves. If we know the shallow structure, we can correct the records at individual stations, which leads to higher quality of earthquake location."

"The study shows that whale and animal vocalizations carry more information than we thought previously," Kuna said. "I hope that the paper will encourage other scientists to study other animal vocalizations and come up with more potential applications."

Instead of adding more human noises to the ocean, Kuna hopes scientists will take advantage of the sound waves that are already reverberating beneath the ocean surface.

COVID lies, conspiracy theories build on boredom, beliefs

The coronavirus pandemic has shown just how susceptible people are to believing misinformation and conspiracy theories. What are the psychological reasons for this?




More and more people don't believe scientific facts about COVID and think governments want to take away their freedom


These days, many people have a hard time detecting misinformation. Jacqueline F. is one of them. In 2019, she fell for a screenshot of a fake newspaper article posted on Instagram claiming that Chilean police had abused and hung protesters. At the time, the country was in the middle of large-scale protests that began in response to a hike in public transport ticket prices. Jacqueline said she was shocked by the Instagram post and asked herself: "What are these police officers doing?"

Jacqueline eventually realized that she had been duped. Others have become even more likely to believe misinformation and conspiracy theories.

"That depends on a person's predisposition," the University of Bielefeld professor Andreas Zick, who studies conflict and violence, told DW. He said an individual might be more inclined to "believe conspiracy myths if that person already holds certain beliefs" or feels hostile towards certain groups or institutions, such as the police, the government or climate activists.

The internet is teeming with content that will echo and reinforce beliefs, Zick said. People limit themselves to channels that reflect theirs. "This creates more than an echo chamber," he added. "It is more like a parallel universe that caters to all kinds of needs."

Fear plays a major role in such tendencies, said professor Andreas Kappes, a psychology lecturer at City University London. Someone scared of syringes may not want to get vaccinated, he said, and therefor scour the internet for information claiming that vaccinations are dangerous and best avoided. Kappes said the key question was why certain people refuse to accept scientific findings. This is not, he said, a matter of education.

Watch video 03:00 Mistrust curbs India’s COVID-19 vaccination drive

Media literacy

The ability to discern trustworthy from untrustworthy sources plays a key role, the neuroscientist and author Franca Parianen told DW. "Conspiracy theorists tend not to make a clear distinction between expert sources and random YouTube videos," Parianen said. She added that schools are not doing enough to teach media literacy.

People are also more susceptible to believing misinformation if they have experienced a major loss of control at some stage in their life, Parianen said. Misinformation, she added, can give such individuals a sense of stability.

"Suddenly, the world makes sense," Parianen said. "When conspiracy theorists feel unsure about their beliefs, they will try even harder to convince others they are right." After all, Parianen said, having people share their worldview confirms their beliefs.

Shutdown-induced boredom matters, too. "Boredom encourages some people to get lost in conspiracy theories," Parianen said. With ample free time, they find themselves browsing different social media pages and online discussion groups. Identifying with a certain group, she says, can provide a sense of community and counteract loneliness.

Algorithms are also to blame

The dissemination of misinformation can not only be explained by psychological factors. Jens Koed Madsen, a senior research assistant at Oxford University, says social networks are also to blame. A US study found that misinformation spreads much faster on Twitter than real news does. The reason, Madsen says, is that misinformation tends to make use of "emotional language, it's often very sensationalist." Sometimes, he adds, utterly absurd and funny misinformation is shared by individuals who are not even duped by it.

Watch videoV02:49 YouTube youth fight fake news in France

Individuals who believe in conspiracy theories are not immune to rational arguments, says Andreas Kappes. But "if you [simply] disagree, people will not listen." To reach them, he says, you must first find some common ground. Then you can engage in a discussion and reference facts. Kappes says it is important to give these people a sense of stability.

"Findings aspects in life that one can control, or getting involved in democratic organizations, can help," says Parianen. "Establishing stable social bonds also helps." In addition, learning to tell apart trustworthy and untrustworthy sources is essential.

Acquiring this competence can help ordinary people, like Jacqueline F., avoid falling for misinformation. She says she felt somewhat ashamed when they realized she had been deceived. These days, she spends more time researching news stories to find out what is true. "When I am unsure if something is true or false, I search for further information," she says. "I try to use reliable sources and avoid dubious websites."

 

Germany to fine firms for rights breaches in supply chains

The German government has published a draft supply chain law that aims to hold companies accountable for human rights breaches. Ministers have described it as Europe's strongest legislation against worker exploitation.

Myanmar coup: Neighborhood groups block night arrests

Security forces have stepped up late-night arrests of civil servants, doctors and others. But defiant activists came up with a plan to stop them

Watch video 03:41 Myanmar protests may not "make a lot of difference"

Crowds defied curfews in Myanmar during the night into Saturday, following rumors that police were about to launch a fresh wave of raids on anti-coup activists.

The civil disobedience began hours after a seventh consecutive day of nationwide rallies— the largest so far — ended on Friday.

Demonstrators have held huge daily protests across the country after the military ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi and seized power on February 1.

The UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on Friday calling on Myanmar to release Suu Kyi and other officials from detention. It urged the military government to refrain from using violence on protesters.

Watch video 02:41 Myanmar protesters demand new constitution

What activists did overnight:

Neighborhood groups sprung up to stop arrests of activists, skirting a junta ban on Facebook.

News of such arrests circulated widely on social media, including in memes captioned: "Our nights aren't safe anymore" and: "Myanmar military is kidnapping people at night."

Also on Saturday, the military ordered the arrest of seven well-known backers of the protests for their comments on social media.

Among the seven are pro-democracy activists Min Ko Naing and "Jimmy" Kyaw Min Yu — veterans of the 1988 student uprising. Others facing arrest warrants include a singer, a television presenter, a writer and a political analyst.

In a statement, the military's True News team warned people should report back to police if they see any of the seven listed or risk punishment if they are found sheltering them.

It said the activists could face a sentence of up to two years for comments that the military considers a threat to national stability.

"I am so proud to have a warrant issued along with Min Ko Naing. Catch me if you can," writer Ei Pencilo said to her more than 1.6 million followers on Facebook.

'We are not afraid'

In the nation's business hub, Yangon, people called others outside to gather and protest by banging pots and pans — an action traditionally associated with driving out evil in the country.

"We didn't know who will be taken, but when we heard the sound, we went out to join our neighbors," said Tin Zar, a storekeeper in Yangon's north.

"Even if they shoot, we are not afraid," she told news agency AFP.

One group swarmed a hospital in the city of Pathein, 190 kilometers (almost 120 miles) west of Yangon, after rumors that a popular local doctor would be taken. The group chanted a Buddhist prayer urging protection from harm.

"If I have problems, I will ask for your help," doctor Than Min Htut told the group, flashing a three-finger salute that has come to symbolize resistance to the coup.

Than Min Htut spoke to AFP on Saturday to confirm he was still free and would continue to participate in the civil disobedience campaign.

Airline staff, health workers, engineers and school teachers were among groups protesting on Saturday

'Not isolated incidents'

"Family members are left with no knowledge of the charges, location, or condition of their loved ones. These are not isolated incidents, and nighttime raids are targeting dissenting voices. It is happening across the country," the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a watchdog group for political prisoners, wrote in a statement.

The United Nations human rights office on Friday said more than 350 people, including officials, activists and monks, have been arrested in Myanmar since the February 1 coup. The UN noted some faced criminal charges on "dubious grounds."

No let-up from protesters

The protests continued unabated on Saturday in Yangon, the capital Naypyitaw, the second city Mandalay, and other towns.

Airline staff, health workers, engineers and school teachers were among groups protesting.

In Yangon, some protesters held signs commenting on the nighttime disappearances.

The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper claimed thousands of people had joined pro-military demonstrations in parts of Myanmar on Friday. News agency Reuters was not immediately able to verify the report.

Watch video 03:37 Amnesty International: Myanmar forces use live ammunition

What happens next?

Army chief Min Aung Hlaing has warned striking civil servants to return to work. The new regime has set up a hotline to report government employees joining demonstrations.

So far, the generals appear undeterred by the widespread condemnation on the streets and from the international community.

The junta has proclaimed a state of emergency lasting a year. It had promised to hold fresh elections, but with no precise time frame.

mvb, kmm/rc (Reuters, AFP)

Japan: More than 150 injured in strong Fukushima earthquake

The cleanup is underway from a 7.3-magnitude earthquake off Japan's eastern coast. The tremor came nearly 10 years after a huge quake that sparked a tsunami and nuclear meltdown.



The earthquake caused widespread damage but many people escaped with only minor injuries


The clean-up operation in Japan continued Sunday after a powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of eastern Japan during the night.

Around 150 were injured, according to officials.

Most injuries were reported in the quake-prone Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures, close to the epicenter. But tremors were felt as far as capital Tokyo.

"So far we have not received any reports of deaths," Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said during an emergency cabinet meeting on Sunday morning.

Saturday's earthquake struck just weeks ahead of the 10-year anniversary of a quake that triggered a tsunami, killing 18,000 people, and a meltdown at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant.

The earthquake triggered a landslide in Nihonmatsu city, Fukushima prefecture, northeastern Japan

The latest:

Power had been restored by early Sunday. Some 950,000 homes were without electricity initially after the quake.

Some bullet train services remain halted. East Japan Railway Co. said the bullet train on the northern coast will be suspended through Monday due to damage to its facility.

In the northern Fukushima city of Soma, a roof at a Buddhist temple collapsed.

Workers were clearing up a major coastal highway connecting Tokyo and northern cities where a major landslide occurred. Several other roads were also blocked by rocks.

Business continued on Sunday despite the massive earthquake

Experts warned of possible aftershocks. Many residents spent the night at evacuation centers, where tents were set up as part of coronavirus protection measures.

The military was also mobilized to provide water in some areas.

Broadcaster NHK said the government plans to set up a special liaison office to coordinate with affected regions.

Workers cleared debris from fallen buildings in the aftermath of the quake

Were any nuclear power plants damaged?

There were no irregularities at the Fukushima nuclear power plants, or at the Kahiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant, owner Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said.

The utility also said there was no change in the radiation levels around its plants.

There were no irregularities at the Onagawa nuclear facilities, government spokesman Katsunobu Kato told a briefing carried on public broadcaster NHK.

Many bullet trains were cancelled with some cancellations expected to run into Monday

'Ring of fire'

Japan sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

The country accounts for around 20% of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

kmm/rc (Reuters, AFP, AP)