Japan's nuclear emergency: Live blog

Japan's nuclear emergency: Live blog

By Al Jazeera Staff in

Asia

on March 15th, 2011.

A river flows through Kesennuma City, carrying a former family home [Picture: Reuters]

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Follow the latest events around the Pacific Rim after an 9.0-magnitude earthquake off Japan's coast triggered a devastating tsunami.

Blog: Mar11-12 - Mar13 - Mar14 - Mar15

(All times are local in Japan GMT+9)

• 12:00am

  Yukio Edano, the chief cabinet secretary, held a brief conference about the nuclear situation, these are the key points.
  
  - An appeal not to panic buy fuel especially in areas not affected by the quake, they think the containment vessel on Reactor No3 has been damaged 
  
  - Radioaction levels have fluctuated throughout the day, at one point all staff were evacuated for safety due to a dramtic increase in radiation at the front gate.
  
  - Tempratures are rising in reactors number 5/6 and in the spent fuel rod tank in reactor no 4.
  
  - They are considering the option of spraying water onto the heating reactors from the air.There are issues getting water into Reactor numbe 4 containment pool.
  
  
• 11:30am

  Al Jazeera's Wayne Hays reporting from Akita.
  
  
• 11:00am

  Al Jazeera's Wayne Hays reporting from Akita, said that there are conflicting reports on whether the situation is under control, some media reports that the fire is under control, we are awaiting Japanese official response for confirmation.

  There are concerns about nuclear reactors number 5 and six, the cooling system are not working properly there.

• 10:33am

  Blaze at Unit 4 of Fukushima Daiichi plant complicates problems that began with last week's quake and tsunami havoc.

  Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett reports from Kitakami, in northern Japan.
  
  
  
• 9:22am

  Nathi Ngubane, a scholar from the Open Air School for the physically challenged in South Africa submitted this cartoon in solidarity with the Japanese people.

  
  
• 7:05am

  Al Jazeera's Steve Chao, reporting from Akita, tells us:

  A fire has once again broken out at the No.4 reactor at Fukushima - the reactor that has been responsible for pumping out the high levels of radioactivity, which prompted government to issue that warning for those within 30km to stay indoors.

  Yesterday, Tepco asked US military officials for help putting out that fire - we're not sure how they're going to put this fire out.

  Yesterday, we heard from Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who we're told believed Tepco was hiding information from state officials, and there's a concern among people that they're not being told the full truth about what's going on.

  It is of critical concern.

  There's concern here as well that the nuclear fallout may reach here, on the other side of Japan. Everyone is watching wind directions. At the moment, it is blowing out to the east, to the sea - but if it blows south, Tokyo is just 250km away.

• 6:35am

  Japan's nuclear safety committee say radiation levels of 400 millisieverts an hour had been recorded near Fukushima's No.4 reactor earlier today.

  Exposure to over 100 millisieverts a year is a level which can lead to cancer, says to the World Nuclear Association.

  Radiation levels in Tokyo, 250km south of the crippled plant, remain normal.
• 6:20am

  More than half a million people have evacuated their homes and are staying in shelters. In Rikuzentakata, one girl carries her belongings as the army move in to assist the recovery effort.

  

  [Picture: GALLO/GETTY]
• 5:59am

  Just before midnight, we reported that the ongoing crisis at Fukushima nuclear plant had been upgraded to a level 6 on the 7-point International Nuclear Events Scale. Andre-Claude Lacoste, president of France's ASN nuclear safety authority said:

  We are now in a situation that is different from yesterday's. It is very clear that we are at a level six, which is an intermediate level between what happened at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl.

  We are clearly in a catastrophe

  Meanwhile, the US-based Institute for Science and International Security said the situation had "worsened
  considerably" and that "it may unfortunately reach a level 7 event".

  A level 6 event means that consequences are broader and countermeasures are needed to deal with the radioactive contamination.

  A level 7 event would constitute a larger release of radioactive material, and would require further extended countermeasures.

  The international community should step up assistance to Japan, said the thinktank. A level 7 event has only been declared once - for the Chernobyl disaster, which killed 56 - and released 400 times the radioactive material than had been in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
• 5:45am

  Two workers are missing at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant after yesterday's explosion, says Japan's nuclear safety agency.

  The employees have not yet been identified, but it's understood they were in the turbine area of the No.4 reactor when a fire broke out.

  An agency official also told reporters there is now a crack in the roof of the reactor building, where workers are desperately trying to prevent the radioactive cores of the plant's reactors overheating - which would lead to the release of dangerous radioactive material into the atmosphere.
• 5:35am

  After explosions and fires at the 40-year-old Fukushima nuclear power plant, fears are growing over the impact of radiation leaks.
  
  Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett reports from Kitakami, in northern Japan.

  
  
• 5:25am

  After several Japanese carmarkers suspended production following the disasters, Toyota and Subaru are halting some production at North American factories - to assess availability of parts.

  Subaru of America says it has suspended overtime at its plant in Lafayette, Indiana. The plant, Subaru's only North American factory, employs 3,500 workers and built 150,000 vehicles last year, including the Outback and Tribeca wagons and the Legacy sedan.

  Toyota is suspending overtime and production on Saturdays at all of its North American plants to assess the availability of car parts.

  Both are trying to conserve parts after the huge earthquake and tsunami, which is disrupting shipments from Japan to the US.

  Japanese automakers Nissan and Honda say their North American plants have not been affected so far.
• 4:57am

  Official death toll now stands at 3,373. Tens of thousands still missing.
• 4:51am

  Tokyo Electric Power Company are considering the removal of panels from the No.5 and No.6 reactors at its damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant to prevent any hydrogen build-up, says the IAEA.

  It was a build-up of hydrogen at the plant's 1-3 units that had led to previous explosions at the complex, said the agency - the UN's nuclear watchdog, which added:

  Units 5 and 6 were shut down at the time of the earthquake but both reactors are currently loaded with fuel.

  When the nuclear fuel rods become exposed and superheated, the water poured onto them - to cool them - can turn to steam before it comes into contact with the rods - this produces hydrogen, raising pressure in the reactor core.
• 4:29am

  We've got a new map online, which you can interact with by clicking here. It gives you geo-tagged tweets, YouTube videos, Ushahidi reports - and earthquake sites, news reports, seismic data... and photos.Check it out.

  
• 4:20am

  In one of the most technologically literate countries on Earth, people look to traditional ways of communications after the earthquake and tsunami wiped out much of the nation's infrastructure.

  

  [Picture: Reuters]
• 4:01am

  Kyodo news agency has quoted the Japanese prime minister as losing his temper at executives of the crisis-hit Fukushima nuclear power facility operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company. In a phone call, he reportedly shouted at them:

  The TV reported an explosion. But nothing was said to the premier's office for about an hour ...

  What the hell is going on?
  

• 3:56am

  Naoto Kan, Japan's prime minister, addressed the nation late yesterday. He said:

  The possibility of further radioactive leakage is heightening ... We are making every effort to prevent the leak from spreading. I know that people are very worried but I would like to ask you to act calmly.

• 3:46am

  More on Fukushima's No.2 reactor. Yukiya Amano, the IAEA chief, told reporters there was "a possibility of core damage" - estimated at less than five per cent of the fuel.

  He said there was also possible damage to the bottom of the primary containment vessel. He told reporters:

  Is it a crack? Is it a hole? Is it nothing? That we don't know yet.

  He said the pressure in the vessel had not dropped dramatically - which would have happened if there was a large hole in the container.

  The has also been a fire at a spent fuel pond at another reactor on the site, he confirmed.
• 3:15am

  With entire towns destroyed, the desperate search for tens of thousands of missing people goes on. The military has seen its largest mobilisation in decades in an attempt to find survivors amid the devastation.
  
  Al Jazeera's Tom Ackerman reports from north-east Japan.

  
  
• 2:58am

  As calls in Libya continue to grow for a no-fly zone to be imposed there ahead of a UN Security Council meeting, the IAEA has announced a 30km-radius no-fly zone around the crisis-hit Fukushima nuclar power plant in north-east Japan.

  Catch up on our Libya coverage, by clicking here.
• 2:41am

  Our online coverage of Japan's disaster has now been gathered together, so you can read our ongoing in-depth coverage all in one place. Click here to see if there's anthing you missed.

  
• 2:23am

  While prayer vigils are held to commemorate the victims of the earthquake and tsunami, Indian officials announce they will test foodstuffs imported from Japan for radioactivity.

  Thailand, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines have already ordered similar tests.
• 2:15am

  A Buddhist monk helps a man in Mumbai, India, light a candle during a vigil held to pay respect to those killed in the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

  

  [Picture: Reuters]
• 1:55am

  Europe's energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger has dubbed Japan's nuclear disaster an "apocalypse", saying Tokyo had almost lost control of events at the Fukushima power plant.
• 1:45am

  The Japanese MotoGP - originally planned for April 24 - has been postponed until October, the International Motorcycling Federation has announced.

  Honda Racing Corporation head Shuhei Nakamoto said the course had suffered in the disasters that have struck Japan.

  Motegi has some circuit and grandstand damage. It will take some weeks to repair everything.

• 1:38am

  That "group of scientists" has been named as the Union of Concerned Scientists, a coalition of 200,000 academics and private citizens, including Nobel-prize winning scientists.

  They said the radiation plume from the Fukushima nuclear power plant could reach Tokyo, and that a
  "jerry-rigged" cooling system at the plant would be hard to maintain if all workers there were evacuated.

  Nuclear power and safety experts at the group said they were "very concerned" that ongoing activities at the plant would become more challenging for on-site workers. A larger radiation plume could travel hundreds of miles, the scientists said in a telephone briefing.

  A crack in the containment vessel - which the IAEA said may have been damaged by yesterdy's explosion - could allow radiation to exit the reactor in case of a core meltdown, they added.

  They concluded that the Japanese government should extend the evacuation zone around the troubled station.
  
• 1:13am

  Tokyo Electric Power Co says levels of cooling water at the No.2 reactor of its Fukushima nuclear power plant are recovering smoothly, after fuel rods were fully exposed yesterday.
• 1:06am

  The EU says it will conduct 'stress tests' on its nuclear plants, says AFP.

  There are currently 195 nuclear power plants in the region, with 19 under construction, says the European Nuclear Society.
• 1:00am

  Japanese officials say that 50 workers remain at the crisis-hit Fukushima nuclear power plant, but may be pulled out. A "group of US scientists", quoted by Reuters says it is unsure if "jerry-rigged cooling" would work if all the workers are evacuated.

  The as-yet-unnamed group says radiation could travel several hundred miles, and says the Japanese government should extend the evacuation zone.

  
  
• 12:53am

  Our team has been busy translating some tweets  - here's a selection, which show the growing desperation...

  
  @TakC_MD_PhD Lots of people are on the verge of death because of food and medicine shortages. Please don't kill people who don't need to die. Please, please whatever you have to do, get the essentials to the stricken areas. Let me know what I can do. I don't want any more of my countrymen to die.
  
  @PushCool  @Akinori_Japan Petrol shortage and complete disappearance of toilet rolls. Let's use it sparingly as it’s precious
  
  @Shintaro_SUZUKI @FKSminpo At Minami Souma Watanabe Hospital they don't have enough food for the patients, they will run out in a few days. Please help.
  
  @utyu895 Request to the media. Why do you cover scenes of misery, lots of crying faces, interview people who are upset and suffering badly? Please show us where the food is distributed, where help may be reached. Try to help the victims rather than just broadcast misery and suffering.
• 12:35am

  Steff Gaulter, Al Jazeera's senior meterologist, tweets:

  Rain has now turned to snow in #Fukushima. Winds have now swung round, coming from N/NW, clearing any radiation to the S/SW.

  You can follow her @WeatherSteff - and check out her more detailed report she filed just a couple of hours ago. Click here to read it.
• 12:18am

  Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of quake-hit Japan's nuclear power plants at Fukushima, says it may use a helicopter to pour water on the rooftop fuel rod pool - to immerse the 20-years-worth of used fuel that also needs to be kept cool to avert meltdown.
• 12:09am

  Japan's nuclear crisis has sparked panic buying of iodine pills in the United States, with online bids exceeding $500 for one packet, reports AFP news agency.

  But health experts have warned the pills are of limited use.

  Potassium iodide, a preventative for radiation sickness, completely ran out of stock at pharmacies across the country's West Coast, who had a rush on the over-the-counter pills.
• 12:07am

  Following explosions in at least two reactor cores at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant - and as the developing crisis is rated at level 6 of seven levels on the International Nuclear Events Scale - attention is turning to just what is happening inside the 40-year-old power plant in north-east Japan.
  
  Al Jazeera's Dan Nolan explains how a meltdown would happen.
• 12:02am

  Welcome to our Japan liveblog for March 16. Here we'll continue to keep you updated on events in Japan as they unfold, after a huge earthquake triggered a 10m tsunami - severely damaging at least one nuclear power plant. But if you want to catch up, you can read our blogs for reports from March 15.