Hana Kobayashi

Asia Correspondent, Lonic

Hana reports from Tokyo on disaster response and public infrastructure, and has covered three major seismic events from the affected prefectures.

Disaster response
Japan
Public infrastructure

Reporting by Hana Kobayashi

A heat haze shimmering above an empty urban street at midday with harsh sunlight

Environment

South Korea Records Its Hottest Day Ever as Seoul Issues First Severe Heat Alert

Yangsan hit 42.5C on 2 August, a new national record, as Seoul issued its first-ever top-level heat warning and Daegu passed 40C amid a punishing Asian heatwave.

3 Aug 2026 7 min read

Emergency shelter tents lining a cracked road in a Japanese coastal town at blue hour

Science

Japan Earthquake 2026: What We Know as 300,000 Are Told to Leave

Thirteen deaths confirmed, hundreds of thousands under evacuation instruction and a rescue window measured in days. A clear account of the situation and the response.

1 Aug 2026 8 min read