Japan

She has paid more than £3,500 ($4,390) for a 16-day tour, as under the country's Covid-19 restrictions she is not allowed to roam around on her own.

But Ms Ronayne, who lives in the UK, is still keen to make the trip.

"This will be my first time in Japan and also my first time in Asia. I am looking forward to it. I have been watching [Japanese reality TV show] Terrace House to learn some phrases," she said.

The Japanese government will fund new equipment through the Non-Project Grant Assistance to the tune of 150 million YEN.

“Fish and fisheries are an integral part of most societies and Tonga is heavily dependent on its fisheries and ocean resources for their basic livelihood, for food, transport, economic development and culture,” Hu’akavameiliku said.

The Wallaroos performance was full of errors, while the Japanese success was based on some outstanding defence.

Both sides scored two tries with Australia having the chance to steal the result late in the game but normally reliable goal kicker Lori Cramer missed a penalty attempt in the 77th minute.

The result will improve the world ranking for the Japanese who are currently ranked 12.

The Japanese also beat Fiji 28-14 earlier in the series.

The Japan Meteorological Agency released a report of an expert panel on the surge mechanism on Thursday.

It cites barometric waves, or changes in atmospheric pressure due to the eruption shock, as a main cause. But it says further studies are also needed on other factors that may have pushed up sea levels.

After the eruption in the South Pacific, tidal surges of a few centimeters to more than 1 meter were observed across Japan and damaged ships and fish-farming facilities.

There were some reports of fire, the government said, and a number of people sustained injuries, but none of those immediately appeared serious. Public broadcaster NHK said one person had died.

The quake on Wednesday was felt in Tokyo, some 275km away, where the shaking of buildings was long and pronounced. Hundreds of thousands of homes in the capital were plunged into darkness for an hour or more, although power was fully restored by the early hours of Thursday morning.

This is the third provision of Japan made AstraZeneca vaccines following the donation of 26,800 doses in August and 7,000 doses in December 2021.

These AstraZeneca vaccines will enable Tonga to achieve their target of vaccinating 70 percent of a total population.

The Government of Japan hopes that all eligible people will be fully vaccinated as soon as possible.

A statement said the Government of Japan is continuously committed to assist Tonga for their vaccination work as well as recovery effort from the volcanic eruption and tsunami in various ways.

The assistance will ensure that about 19,250 people, including 10,000 children will be able to have sufficient access to safe drinking water, a clean environment, as well as good health.

The commitment constitutes the continuation of the strong partnership between the people of Japan and UNICEF aiming to improve the lives of all children living in the Pacific.

The plaintiffs, aged between six and 16 at the time of the disaster, say they got cancer from radiation exposure.

All of them underwent surgery to remove parts or all of their thyroid glands, their lawyer said.

However, they may struggle to prove that the radiation led to their cancer.

Their lawsuit is seeking $5.4m (£4m) in compensation from the plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco).

A Tepco spokesman said the company was aware of the case filing and would address it once they had seen the details of the complaint.

The ministry plans to study ways to transport emergency relief supplies by using SDF ships and aircraft.

State Minister of Defense Oniki Makoto said the ministry and the SDF will take thorough measures for the afflicted people in Tonga.

In an online briefing on Wednesday, Fiji-based UN coordinator for relief operations Jonathan Veitch said removing ash from the airport runway on Tonga's main island has proved more difficult than first thought, preventing aircraft from delivering relief supplies.

The US warned of strong currents and waves, and coastal flooding.

The huge underwater volcanic eruption caused waves of more than a metre to crash into Tonga.

The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano was heard across the South Pacific, and eventually as far away as the US.

A tsunami warning has been issued for parts of Australia's east coast and Tasmania, and the north and east coast areas of New Zealand's North Island.