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The alloy described in the news article was developed through the "KUMADAI Magnesium Alloys Practical Use Project":
http://www.msre.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/english/project.html
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/economy/technology/AJ201304180051
Scientists develop heat-resistant magnesium alloys for aircraft - AJW by The Asahi Shimbun
Japanese scientists have developed two strong, nonflammable magnesium alloys that could be used in aircraft construction.

As far as I know, this is the most detailed article to be published in English on the recent Minamata disease Supreme Court ruling. It's a fairly meaty article -- worth reading. Here's one quote that I think is representative of the terrible treatment patients have received:
"Chie Mizoguchi, who started suffering health problems around 1955, applied for certification as a Minamata disease patient in 1974. She would have had to live around 18 more years to hear the first decision on her application: the Kumamoto prefectural government’s rejection in 1995."
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201304170076
Supreme Court ruling on Minamata disease comes 36 years after patient's death - AJW by The Asahi Shi
Chie Mizoguchi started feeling numbness in her limbs when a mysterious ailment spread in seaside communities in Kyushu, leading to sensory, vision and motion disorders.

Mercury in the environment (in Japan and throughout the world) is also a contemporary issue:
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201304160101
Researchers: Air pollution from China raises mercury levels around Mt. Fuji - AJW by The Asahi Shimb
Levels of mercury in the skies around Mount Fuji were found to be 10 times higher than that of the average urban area in 2007, a new survey says.

This video about the Minamata disease ruling is in Japanese but quite good. It was broadcast by NHK on their 7 PM national news show.
http://youtu.be/7kd3hgkPxQk
水俣病裁判 16日最高裁判決

Landmark Minamata disease ruling: The Japan Times published the Kyodo article on the ruling that I posted yesterday. There's a great photo on the web page (different from the one you see here).
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/04/17/national/supreme-court-recognizes-woman-as-minamata-victim/
Supreme Court recognizes woman as Minamata victim
The Supreme Court upheld on Tuesday a high court ruling that posthumously recognized a woman as a victim of Minamata disease, an industrial-related malady caused by mercury poisoning. The top court's ...

This landmark Supreme Court decision underscores the lack of a reasonable basis for the strict Minamata disease certification criteria: ". . . the court noted there is no scientific proof that all Minamata disease sufferers have developed a combination of the disorder of sensation plus separate symptoms."
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130416p2g00m0dm081000c.html
Top court recognizes woman as victim of Minamata disease
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's Supreme Court upheld on Tuesday a high court ruling that posthumously recog...

In the case of a deceased woman, Japan's supreme court ruled today that the Japanese government's certification criterion were excessively stringent and that the woman should have been recognized as a Minamata disease victim. Kumamoto Prefecture and the Japanese government have long been criticized for establishing excessively demanding criteria and thus unfairly failing to compensate many victims. Today, I think the supreme court's decision validates those criticisms and reflects very badly on the approach taken by the prefectural and national governments.
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20130416/t10013953751000.html
最高裁 水俣病と認める判決　NHKニュース
水俣病の認定についての裁判で、最高裁判所は、行政の審査では認定されなかった熊本県の女性を水俣病と認める判決を言い渡しました。

"On the 3rd Saturday and Sunday (eve of the festival on Friday) of April, all Ushibuka citizens participate in the festival, and the whole city is enveloped in a festive mood for 3 days. The Haiya Dance is particularly breathtaking, with about 5,000 people, young and old, divided into groups and dancing throughout the city, wearing individual Japanese summer kimonos or happis. In addition, various events such as local performing arts and a marine product fair are held."

http://kumanago.jp/en/events/detail/430000003562.html

"Two buses, both carrying South Korean tourists, have collided in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, injuring 27."
http://newsonjapan.com/html/newsdesk/article/101990.php
This occurred in Aso. The part of the road where the buses collided had been washed away in last year's heavy rain. According to one report I heard, one of the drivers failed to notice a man at the road who was signaling him to stop. Fortunately, the injuries seem to have been minor.
http://youtu.be/M4UnunYDRBk
熊本・阿蘇市で大型観光バス同士が正面衝突　27人病院に搬送(13/04/11)
熊本・阿蘇市で11日午後2時すぎ、大型観光バス同士が正面衝突する事故があった。 http://www.fnn-news.com/news/headlines/articles/CONN00243910.html

The other day I posted about the RocketNews24's article on bee shochu. Now, it's been picked up by the Huffington Post. I think it's interesting (and disappointing) that the most trivial topics get picked up like this while other more important issues are ignored.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/11/wasp-infused-shochu_n_3061735.html
PHOTOS: Wasp-Infused Liquor Might Be The Grossest Thing Ever
The intrepid folks over at RocketNews24 recently trekked out to Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture in search of a huntsman they'd learned was whipping up batches of wasp-infused shochu, a clear liquor similar to vodka. Not only did they find him, they decided to sample his wares.

The man interviewed in this article lives and hunts in Kumamoto.
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/04/10/the-best-way-to-kill-bambi-an-interview-with-one-of-japans-few-gun-owners/
The Best Way to Kill Bambi: An Interview with One of Japan’s Few Gun Owners
In Japan it is a crime to own a gun; simple as that! …Okay, not quite. It’s not an easy task, but with proper training and a hard-earned permit, it is possible to become a legal gun owner in Japan. Down in Kumamoto Prefecture, we managed to share a word with one such gun owner. This 68-year-old man…

Here's a screen shot from March 6th's RKK news. The point is made here (as in the Kumanichi article I introduced this morning) that the number of days over the officially designated limit have been about the same this year as last year. That doesn't mean that there isn't a problem, but just that it's not necessarily a new problem.

The media frenzy about the PM2.5 issue is new this year, but the air quality problem itself has been around for a while. This graph from a Kumanichi article on the issue shows similar levels in the past few years.

http://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20130402003.shtml

Hmmm. It seems that the author of this article was sent to Kumamoto from Tokyo by RocketNews just to look into this. I can think of more important topics to investigate but, since the article has been published, here you go:
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/04/06/alcohol-made-with-fermented-wasps-gives-new-meaning-to-the-phrase-get-your-buzz-on/
Alcohol Made with Fermented Wasps Gives New Meaning to the Phrase “Get Your Buzz On”
By all accounts Japan’s giant wasps are dangerous creatures. And yet, our team recently learned of one huntsman from Kumamoto Prefecture who has a hobby of fermenting these monstrous bugs in batches of shouchuu (Japanese liquor similar to vodka). It merits saying that even in Kumamoto, selling this…

If the weather is good, this might be a great opportunity to enjoy a beautiful sunset walk:
Date: April 14
Time: 4:40 PM to about 7 PM
Where: Uto-shi, Ouda (網田) Shimin Ground parking lot
Web page with more info:
http://kumanago.jp/topics/?mode=detail&id=904
Thumbnail photo:
http://kumanago.jp/thumb.php?mw=300&mh=240&path=./topics/photo/1365062802.jpg

The page now has 400 likes! Thanks for your support! And, if you don't mind, please "share" an occasional post from this page with your friends in Kumamoto so that more people can join in!

This event is in progress: "In Tsuetate Onsen, the Koinobori (carp streamer) Festival is held from April to the first week of May. About 3,500 koinobori swim above the Tsuetate River to the flow of a refreshing spring breeze. This Koinobori Festival has been celebrated as a seasonal tradition in Oguni-machi for over 30 years."
Web page with Google map:
http://kumanago.jp/en/events/detail/430000003646.html
Photo:
http://kumanago.jp/thumb.php?path=./photo/430000003646/1332750820.jpg&mw=346&mh=246

I went to see this exhibit in March.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/04/04/national/minamata-exhibition-honors-doctor/
In addition to Dr. Harada's role as a leading advocate and researcher here in Kumamoto, he was also very active internationally:
"While conducting research on mercury-poisoning victims in Brazil, Canada, China and other areas of the world, he also contacted those who suffered carbon monoxide intoxication following mine accidents in the 1960s, according to the exhibition."
The exhibit is fairly small so I'm not sure I can recommend making a special trip to Minamata just to see it. On the other hand, if you are in or near the Minamata area, I recommend that you pop in to take a look at the photos.
Minamata exhibition honors doctor
Masazumi Harada was not only a doctor but also a humble individual, who offered sacrificial support to sufferers of Minamata mercury-poisoning disease and learned from them. An exhibition at Kumamoto Gakuen ...

There'll be a festival in Yamaga this weekend:
http://kumanago.jp/topics/?mode=detail&id=903
The following pdf (in Japanese, sorry), has more details:
http://kumanago.jp/topics/photo/1364886014.pdf
山鹿温泉祭が4月6日～7日に開催されます。 旬便り 熊本県観光サイト　なごみ紀行　くまもと
「火の国」くまもとの雄大な自然の中でゆったりのんびりくつろぎませんか。くまもとの多彩な観光地、美味しい特産品や伝統ある工芸品、イベント、キャンペーン、グルメなど盛り沢山の情報をご紹介した熊本県観光サイト・なごみ紀行です。

One of Kumamoto's outstanding features is its groundwater. It's my understanding that Kumamoto City is the only major city in Japan that relies entirely on groundwater. This year, Kumamoto has received a United Nations award for its efforts to maintain and conserve its groundwater resources.
http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/winners2013.shtml
The article is quite detailed and worth reading. I first learned about the award here:
http://www.waterworld.com/articles/2013/03/world-water-day-2013-japan-groundwater-recharge-project-praised.html
The article seems to be a shorter version of the one I've introduced above.
2013 edition: Winners | 'Water for Life' UN-Water Best Practices Award
Kumamoto City is located in the center of Kyushu, the southern major island of Japan. The city is blessed with rich greenery and abundant groundwater in the volcanic pyroclastic aquifer created by Mt. Aso.