Seventy years ago today, Japan attacked a naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, killing and wounding thousands of Americans. The enemy might have been Japan, but in the American melting pot there were many Japanese faces. The Pearl Harbor inspired solidarity in America soon gave way to distrust and a staggering suspension of the U.S. Constitution. "War Relocation Camps" for 100,000 Japanese-Americans were set up, and entire families of American citizens were forced to halt their lives and move. Some of those relocated Japanese-Americans petitioned the U.S. to serve in combat as a way of demonstrating their loyalty. The petitions were accepted, and soon Japanese-Americans were fighting as both volunteers and drafted servicemen.

It's been six months since three reactors at the Fukushima nuclear plant over-heated following a tsunami, forcing 100,000 people living within a 12 mile radius of the site to evacuate. Today, the reactors are still not fully stabilized, but radiation levels in one area of what has come to be known as the "exclusion zone" have dropped. The BBC's David Shukman is one of the few journalists to venture inside the exclusion zone.

It’s been over four months since the earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan and crippled the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, which led to partial nuclear meltdowns in three of its reactors. Japan's government now says that those reactors are stable, and are headed toward a cold shutdown.

April 1st is the traditional "entrance day" for classes of new employees in Japan. It's a time when hundreds of thousands of recent college graduates would have just finished their first day at work, a day full of official ceremonies and welcome parties. However, as the country struggles to cope with multiple recent crises, Japan's newest workers face an uncertain future.

We’ve heard the reports and told the stories of Japan, how it’s facing its worst crisis since World War II, about a death toll in the tens of thousands, the massive destruction of entire cities, and continuing threats of nuclear meltdown. Now, here’s more terrifying news: The threat of earthquakes hasn’t gone away — it has increased. Thomas Jordan is the Director of the Southern California Earthquake Center. And his work shows that Japan is under an increased threat for aftershocks. He appears in a new NOVA special "Japan's Killer Quake," which premiers tonight on PBS. Collum Macrae is one of the producers of the documentary.

It’s been two weeks since the earthquake and tsunami hit Northeastern Japan. Ever since that day, Japanese officials have been working tirelessly to avert a nuclear disaster. Friday morning, Japanese nuclear safety officials said that they suspect that the reactor core at one unit of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant may have breached. That raises the possibility of more severe radioactive contamination to the environment. Henry Fountain, Science Reporter for The New York Times explains the latest.

More than 600 nonprofits have offered relief goods and materials to the people of Japan since the earthquake and tsunami. But with the exception of twelve countries with specialized search and rescue teams and a handful of international aid organizations, the Japanese government is politely turning them down. The Japanese Red Cross Society has yet to appeal for funds. Still, just like after every major natural disaster, dozens if not hundreds of new nonprofits have been registered. In the case of a major world economy like Japan, where and how does it make sense to give? 

The threat of nuclear disaster, the stories of missing loved ones, and the struggle to get relief to those stranded are all part of Japan's post-quake reality. As the country begins to recover, food supplies are threatened and questions loom over long term health effects of radiation in and around Fukushima prefecture. And now, the economic effects of the disaster are beginning to hit Tokyo and other parts of the country.

Oil prices are solidly back over the $100 dollar per barrel. Political unrest in the Middle East has kept oil rising for the past months followed by concerns that Japan, the world's third largest economy and a nation that imports 60 percent of its fuel, would be reducing its oil usage, knocked oil futures back down briefly last week. But Monday, oil futures for April rose by more than $1 hitting $102.96 a barrel in trading on Wall Street.

So far more than 8,000 people have been confirmed dead in Japan, but some 13,000 or more are still missing. In addition, nearly 500,000 Japanese have been displaced by the earthquake, tsunami and the nuclear crisis. Now, 11 days after that initial impact from the tsunami and quake, aid workers are shifting from rescue to relief missions, helping those who have been left behind.

The tsunami came too quickly. Japan's coastal towns had only a 30-minute warning, which was barely enough time to escape the wave, and for many disabled citizens, not enough time at all. The disabled are among the most vulnerable victims of the recent destruction in Japan. Yukiko and Shoji Nakanishi are members of a Japanese relief organization that is working tirelessly to provide shelter and evacuation support to northern Japan's disabled populations. 

Operation Odyssey Dawn began Saturday with coalition missiles targeting Moammar Gadhafi's tanks and air defenses. Is the United States leading this effort? Meanwhile, relief and rescue efforts continue in Japan and time is of the essence as over 12,000 people are still missing and 8,000 have been confirmed dead so far. 

Yesterday the first U.S. government-chartered flight left Japan for Taipei, carrying about 100 family members of American diplomats. The State Department has urged American citizens to leave Japan due to the worsening situation at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Pentagon spokesperson Colonel Dave Lapan said, "these measures are temporary and dependents will return when the situation is resolved."

Yesterday we asked listeners: What do you want to know about the ongoing crisis in Japan? You gave us plenty to work with, and now we're going to have some of your best questions answered by our expert guest, David Biello, associate editor of environment and energy for Scientific American.

Washington is facing two major foreign policy situations. The U.N. Security Council has voted to act broadly in Libya, imposing a no-fly zone and even leaving open other forms of conflict in order to protect the civilian population. With ten member states voting for the measure and five abstaining, it is an historic move in a complicated region. And in Japan, a dire nuclear threat continues while survivors of last weekend's earthquake and tsunami struggle to find food and shelter. How is Washington tackling these two situations? 

The situation at the Fukushima Power Plant in Japan continues to worsen. U.S. Media is reporting that water levels are dropping in more than one of the six reactors at the plant, leaving nuclear fuel rods exposed. The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission has warned that Japanese regulators may be downplaying the risk of radiation levels at the plant; and the commission has advised that Americans evacuate the area within 30 miles of Fukushima.

The chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has given a much more dire analysis of the nuclear threat bearing down on Japan than Japanese officials. Gregory Jaczko told Congress yesterday that the damage to at least one reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant was more serious than Tokyo has described, and suggested Americans in that country stay at least 50 miles away — well above the Japanese evacuation area of 12 miles from the plant.

The tsunami that hit Japan's coast, washed away streets, brought down buildings and wiped away landmarks, essentially erasing any map of the region. This poses an immense challenge to relief teams who have to work immediately and systematically to save victims.

The crisis in Japan has finally hit home for stock markets around the world. Investors are concerned that electronics manufacturers, who import chips from Japan could be affected by lapses in the supply chain. Two of Japan's top companies, Honda and Toyota have halted production at their Japanese plants and Detroit is highly dependent on parts from Japan. At the same time, the disaster in Japan has raised questions about the energy industry here in the United States. 

Photographer Michael Forster Rothbart has taken pictures of Bhopal and spent two years living in Chernobyl. He’s also photographed the Semi Polygon nuclear test site in Kazakhstan. He has first-hand knowledge of what happens once the news cameras leave and life continues in places changed forever by nuclear disaster. He shares some of the images and stories that have stayed with him after traveling through towns hit by calamity.