Japan faces inauspicious start to new year with resilience

TOKYO – Just four days into 2024, calamity (災) is already a front-runner for when Japan chooses its word of the year come December.

First, a

devastating earthquake

, then a

fiery plane collision

at Japan’s busiest airport. These were followed by an inferno that razed Japan’s oldest shopping arcade, and then a

random stabbing incident

on a public train.