Powerful quake hits Japan, Fukushima residents urged to flee

TOKYO - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 hit northern Japan on Tuesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, generating a tsunami that hit the nation's northern Pacific coast.

The earthquake, which was felt in Tokyo, was centred off the coast of Fukushima prefecture at a depth of about 10 km (6 miles) and struck at 5:59 a.m. (2059 GMT) the agency said.

A 60 cm (2 foot) tsunami had been observed at Fukushima's Onahama Port and a 90 cm (3 foot) tsunami at Soma soon after, public broadcaster NHK said. The region is the same that was devastated by a tsunami following a massive earthquake in 2011.

A tsunami warning of up to 3 metres (10 feet) has been issued.

One woman suffered cuts to her head from falling dishes, Kyodo news agency reported, citing fire department officials.

Tokyo Electric Power Co, known as Tepco, said on its website that no damage from the quake has been confirmed at any of its power plants, although there have been blackouts in some areas. Tepco's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant caused Japan's worst nuclear disaster when it was knocked out by the 2011 tsunami.

Tohoku Electric Power Co said there was no damage to its Onagawa nuclear plant, while the Kyodo news agency reported there was no irregularities at the Tokai Daini nuclear plant in Ibaraki Prefecture.

Television footage showed ships moving out to sea from Fukushima harbours as tsunami warning signals wailed.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. Japan accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

The March 11, 2011, quake was magnitude 9, the strongest quake in Japan on record. The massive tsunami it triggered caused world's worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl a quarter of a century earlier.

An Iwaki city fire dept official said there was smoke or fire at Kureha's research centre in a petrochemical complex in Iwaki city at 6:17 a.m., but it was extinguished at 6:40 a.m. Other details were not clear, he said, adding that no other major damage in the city has been reported at the moment.

One hotel in Ofunato, badly hit by the 2011 quake, told guests to stay in the facility, which is on high ground.

The U.S. Geological Survey initially put Tuesday's quake at a magnitude of 7.3 but down graded it to 6.9.

All nuclear plants on the coast threatened by the tsunami are shutdown in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. Only two reactors are operating in Japan, both in the southwest of the country. Even when in shutdown nuclear plants need cooling systems operating to keep spent fuel cool.

(Writing by William Mallard; Additional reporting by Yuka Obayashi, Chris Gallagher, Jon Herskovitz and Aaron Sheldrick; Editing Richard Balmforth and Lincoln Feast)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Fukushima operator discovers pipe leaking radioactive water

TOKYO - The operator of Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear plant said Sunday it had found highly radioactive water dripping from a pipe connecting two coolant tanks, and had patched it up with tape.

The discovery came hours after Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said late Saturday it had found new radiation hotspots at four sites around coolant tanks, with one reading at 1,800 millisieverts per hour -- a dose that would kill a human left exposed to it in four hours.

But the radiation was largely beta ray with weak penetration force, which workers can easily block by wearing protection jackets, a TEPCO spokesman said.

TEPCO has long struggled to deal with the huge amounts of water used to cool reactors that went into meltdown after being struck by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

The government has promised to get more involved in the plant's clean-up after TEPCO's efforts came in for fierce criticism.

The pipe at one of the four sites was found to be dripping one drop about every 90 seconds. It was repaired using special material and plastic tape.

Water with a radioactivity of 230 millisieverts per hour was found below it, TEPCO said.

It said workers also found two other hotspots, where they measured 70 and 220 millisieverts per hour near tanks. The fourth hotspot measured 1,800.

"We have to suspect that the high radiation levels were detected due to the toxic water oozing out of the flange connections," the spokesman said, adding the company has not yet come to a conclusion.

Last week the plant operator admitted that 300 tonnes of toxic water had leaked from one large tank -- one of around 1,000 on the site -- before anyone had noticed.

The spill sparked fears the toxic water may have seeped into the ocean. It was categorized as a Level 3 event, the most serious category since the meltdown itself.

In response to growing domestic and international criticism of TEPCO's handling of the crisis, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday promised the world his government would play a greater role in stopping leaks of highly radioactive water.

"The accident in Fukushima cannot be left entirely to Tokyo Electric Power. There is a need for the government to play a role with a sense of urgency, including taking measures to deal with the waste water," he said.

Abe's pledge came as the world's nuclear watchdog urged Japan to explain more clearly what was happening at Fukushima and avoid sending "confusing messages" about the disaster.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Fukushima victims sue Japan gov't, TEPCO

TOKYO - Hundreds of people affected by the Fukushima nuclear crisis in Japan filed a class action lawsuit Monday demanding greater efforts to clean up the contaminated region two years on from the disaster.

Some 800 plaintiffs filed the case with the Fukushima District Court, demanding 50,000 yen ($520) a month each from the government and Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) until the area is restored, their lawyers said in a statement.

The plaintiffs are mostly from Fukushima, but also include some residents of neighbouring prefectures, the lawyers said.

"Through this case, we seek restitution of the region to the condition before radioactive materials contaminated the area, and demand compensation for psychological pains until the restitution is finished," the statement said.

The case was filed as Japan marked the second anniversary of a 9.0-magnitude earthquake on March 11, 2011, which unleashed a giant tsunami along the northeastern Pacific coast.

The natural disasters killed nearly 19,000 people, including those whose bodies are yet to be recovered.

The huge waves crippled reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which went through meltdowns and explosions, spewing radioactive materials into surrounding areas.

The Fukushima accident forced tens of thousands of residents near the area to abandon their homes and jobs in heavily contaminated areas. It is not clear when they can return home, if ever.

"Through this case, we will clarify the responsibility of TEPCO, which caused the accident, and the government which neglected to take sufficient safety measures and promoted nuclear power with utilities as a national policy," the statement said.

"This case is not only aimed at saving victims, but also at pushing the government to thoroughly change its pro-nuclear policy and therefore prevent people becoming victims in the future," it said.

The court filing came as people all over Japan bowed their heads in silence to remember those killed by the tsunami two years earlier.

Ceremonies were held in towns and cities throughout the disaster zone, as well as in Tokyo, where Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko led tributes to those who lost their lives in the natural disaster.

No one is officially recorded as having died as a direct result of the disaster at Fukushima.

source: abs-cbnnews.com