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Breaking story... this post may be updated...
Updated:
Subsequently, Reuters reported:
| Tweets about Fukushima |
All Japan's nuclear power plants on the coast threatened by the tsunami are shut down in the wake of the March 2011 disaster, which knocked out Tokyo Electric Power Co's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, spilling radiation into the air and sea.
A spokeswoman for Tokyo Electric Power, known as Tepco, said the cooling system for a storage pool for spent nuclear fuel at the reactor at its Fukushima Daini Plant had been halted. A spokesman said the cooling system had restarted soon after.
No other damage from the quake has been confirmed at any of its power plants, although there have been blackouts in some areas, the spokeswoman said.
Only two reactors are operating in Japan, both in the southwest. Even when in shutdown, nuclear plants need cooling systems operating to keep spent fuel cool.
Earlier:
A tsunami warning was issued and waves could come come ashore at any moment after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck in Japan just before 6am Tuesday morning (4pm ET Monday). Initial measurements put that quake at 7.3 on the Richter scale, but that was later downgraded
Asahi Shimbun reports:
There were no immediate reports of damage or injury, which struck at 5:59 a.m.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. was checking its nuclear plants in Fukushima for damage, public broadcaster NHK said. The utility could not immediately be reached by Reuters.
Tohoku Electric Power Co. said there was no damage to its Onagawa nuclear plant.
Television footage showed ships moving out to sea from Fukushima harbors, as the meteorological agency warned of a tsunami of 3 meters for Fukushima, where TEPCO's Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant was devastated in a March 2011 quake and tsunami.
Live stream from Japan:
Initial reports:
According to an initial report by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the quake hit approximately 37 kilometers off the Japanese coast, east south-east from the city of Namie in the Fukushima prefecture just before 6am local time. The Japan Meteorological Agency, which issued the official tsunami warnings, reports the quake was relatively shallow, striking at a depth of approximately 10 kilometers.

In 2011, a major earthquake in a similar area triggered a massive tsunami that killed thousands of people and caused a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Breaking story... this post may be updated...
Updated:
Subsequently, Reuters reported:
| Tweets about Fukushima |
All Japan's nuclear power plants on the coast threatened by the tsunami are shut down in the wake of the March 2011 disaster, which knocked out Tokyo Electric Power Co's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, spilling radiation into the air and sea.
A spokeswoman for Tokyo Electric Power, known as Tepco, said the cooling system for a storage pool for spent nuclear fuel at the reactor at its Fukushima Daini Plant had been halted. A spokesman said the cooling system had restarted soon after.
No other damage from the quake has been confirmed at any of its power plants, although there have been blackouts in some areas, the spokeswoman said.
Only two reactors are operating in Japan, both in the southwest. Even when in shutdown, nuclear plants need cooling systems operating to keep spent fuel cool.
Earlier:
A tsunami warning was issued and waves could come come ashore at any moment after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck in Japan just before 6am Tuesday morning (4pm ET Monday). Initial measurements put that quake at 7.3 on the Richter scale, but that was later downgraded
Asahi Shimbun reports:
There were no immediate reports of damage or injury, which struck at 5:59 a.m.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. was checking its nuclear plants in Fukushima for damage, public broadcaster NHK said. The utility could not immediately be reached by Reuters.
Tohoku Electric Power Co. said there was no damage to its Onagawa nuclear plant.
Television footage showed ships moving out to sea from Fukushima harbors, as the meteorological agency warned of a tsunami of 3 meters for Fukushima, where TEPCO's Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant was devastated in a March 2011 quake and tsunami.
Live stream from Japan:
Initial reports:
According to an initial report by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the quake hit approximately 37 kilometers off the Japanese coast, east south-east from the city of Namie in the Fukushima prefecture just before 6am local time. The Japan Meteorological Agency, which issued the official tsunami warnings, reports the quake was relatively shallow, striking at a depth of approximately 10 kilometers.

In 2011, a major earthquake in a similar area triggered a massive tsunami that killed thousands of people and caused a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Breaking story... this post may be updated...
Updated:
Subsequently, Reuters reported:
| Tweets about Fukushima |
All Japan's nuclear power plants on the coast threatened by the tsunami are shut down in the wake of the March 2011 disaster, which knocked out Tokyo Electric Power Co's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, spilling radiation into the air and sea.
A spokeswoman for Tokyo Electric Power, known as Tepco, said the cooling system for a storage pool for spent nuclear fuel at the reactor at its Fukushima Daini Plant had been halted. A spokesman said the cooling system had restarted soon after.
No other damage from the quake has been confirmed at any of its power plants, although there have been blackouts in some areas, the spokeswoman said.
Only two reactors are operating in Japan, both in the southwest. Even when in shutdown, nuclear plants need cooling systems operating to keep spent fuel cool.
Earlier:
A tsunami warning was issued and waves could come come ashore at any moment after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck in Japan just before 6am Tuesday morning (4pm ET Monday). Initial measurements put that quake at 7.3 on the Richter scale, but that was later downgraded
Asahi Shimbun reports:
There were no immediate reports of damage or injury, which struck at 5:59 a.m.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. was checking its nuclear plants in Fukushima for damage, public broadcaster NHK said. The utility could not immediately be reached by Reuters.
Tohoku Electric Power Co. said there was no damage to its Onagawa nuclear plant.
Television footage showed ships moving out to sea from Fukushima harbors, as the meteorological agency warned of a tsunami of 3 meters for Fukushima, where TEPCO's Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant was devastated in a March 2011 quake and tsunami.
Live stream from Japan:
Initial reports:
According to an initial report by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the quake hit approximately 37 kilometers off the Japanese coast, east south-east from the city of Namie in the Fukushima prefecture just before 6am local time. The Japan Meteorological Agency, which issued the official tsunami warnings, reports the quake was relatively shallow, striking at a depth of approximately 10 kilometers.

In 2011, a major earthquake in a similar area triggered a massive tsunami that killed thousands of people and caused a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.