4 complain of illness after steam eruption near Hokkaido's Niseko

Four people have so far complained of illness in a town near Hokkaido's Niseko mountain resort after steam erupted during drilling for a geothermal energy development project, Mitsui Oil Exploration Co. said Saturday. A high level of arsenic has been detected from water collected near the site in Rankoshi. Mitsui Oil, which is in charge of the project, said it is looking into what caused the illness, although it refrained from giving any details of the symptoms for privacy reasons. Mitsui Oil began drilling on June 25 to survey the potential resource, and the steam erupted four days later. The...