Japan Faces Ongoing Nuclear Crisis After Powerful Earthquake

Japanese officials are considering extending the evacuation zone around the Fukushima nuclear plant due to radiation concerns, following a powerful earthquake on April 11 that struck northeastern Japan, just a month after the area was hit by a monster quake and tsunami. The earthquake, initially reported to be 7.1-magnitude, was later lowered to 6.6 by the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake's epicenter was about 101 miles northeast of Tokyo and about 50 miles south of Fukushima, where the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was crippled by a 9-magnitude temblor on March 11.

Key Takeaways:

• The earthquake, initially reported as 7.1-magnitude, was later lowered to 6.6 by the U.S. Geological Survey.
• A tsunami warning issued by Japan's Meteorological Agency was canceled.
• Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were asked to evacuate due to the earthquake.
• Power was knocked out for about 220,000 households and businesses in Fukushima after the earthquake.
• Japan's monthlong atomic crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant is far from being stabilized.
• Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the risk of massive radiation emission is becoming increasingly smaller, but the crisis is still ongoing.
• The nuclear crisis was set off by the March 11 earthquake, Japan's strongest, followed by a 30-foot tall Pacific Ocean tsunami that killed thousands and caused hundreds of billions of dollars in economic damage.
• Tokyo Electric Power Co. has been dumping low-level radioactive water from a nuclear waste disposal facility into the Pacific Ocean to create more storage room for high-level contaminated water.
• A 7.1-magnitude aftershock hit the northeast region on Thursday, but didn't appear to have caused any further damage to the Fukushima plant.
• Bank of Japan Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa expressed concerns about the impact of the disaster on smaller businesses in the region.

Statistics:

• The earthquake's magnitude was initially reported as 7.1, but was later lowered to 6.6 by the U.S. Geological Survey.
• The epicenter of the earthquake was about 101 miles northeast of Tokyo.
• The quake's epicenter was also about 50 miles south of Fukushima.
• About 220,000 households and businesses in Fukushima lost power after the earthquake.
• The nuclear crisis has lasted for over a month, with no resolution in sight.
• The economic damage from the disaster is estimated to be in the hundreds of billions of dollars.
• The plant has 60,000 tons of radioactive water in the basements of the reactors, which is being pumped into holding pits.
• The plant has been pumping inert nitrogen gas into the No. 1 reactor to prevent a hydrogen explosion.

Sources:

• U.S. Geological Survey
• Japan's Meteorological Agency
• CNN
• Tokyo Electric Power Co.
• BBC
• Kyodo News
• Bank of Japan
• Reuters