July 2007
An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8
jolted a wide area on the west coast of Honshu Island this morning,
killing nine people, and injuring more than 900 others. The quake caused
the world's largest nuclear power plant to leak radioactive water into the
sea, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency and company and
emergency officials.
Four of the seven reactors at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station were operating or set to begin
operation when the earthquake struck. They automatically shut down when
the earth began to shake, but an electric transformer outside one of the
reactors caught fire and burned for about two hours.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. said in a statement that 1.5 liters (.39 gallons)
of water containing radioactive materials had leaked from a unit closed
for maintenance at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant.
The radioactive water was released into the ocean and had no effect on the
environment, the utility company said in a statement. The level of the
radioactivity in the water was below the legal standard of concern, the
company said.
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Akira Amari has instructed TEPCO
President Tsunehisa Katsumata not to resume operations at the plant until
safety is assured.
The focus of the initial quake was located around 60 kilometers southwest
of the city of Niigata, about 17 kilometers under the seabed, the Japan
Meteorological Agency and the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The quake was felt as far away as Tokyo located some 200 kilometers to the
southeast.
The shaking continued throughout the day and into the night. A strong
quake measuring 5.7 magnitude struck at 3:37 Monday afternoon, and more
than 70 aftershocks shook Niigata Prefecture by nightfall. Another strong
tremor, measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale, struck just after 11 pm on
Monday night.
The initial quake hit at 10:13 am on a holiday Monday, disrupting public
transportation and destroying about 780 homes. Some 10,000 people in
Niigata Prefecture were forced to evacuate. Power and water supplies were
disrupted throughout the quake zone.
Water and gas services for Kashiwazaki City's 35,000 households were
suspended after reports of gas leaks, while nearly 24,000 households in
the stricken area were without power as of this afternoon.
The shaking shattered oceanside roads and bridges, and one-metre-wide
cracks appeared in the ground along the coastline.
Bullet trains in the area were stopped and one train was derailed at a
station. No injuries were reported.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was campaigning for a July 29 House of
Councillors election in Nagasaki City when the initial quake hit. He flew
to Kashiwazaki where he told reporters and emergency officials that his
government would work to quickly restore services.
The government has established an emergency task force at the premier's
office in Tokyo and a government investigation team, led by State Minister
for Disaster Management Kensei Mizote has now inspected the affected
region.
About 450 Ground Self-Defense Force personnel were deployed to the area
and the Maritime Self-Defense Force will use a transport vessel to deliver
15,000 emergency rations and 2,100 blankets to victims by Tuesday evening.
Environmentalists used the incident to caution about the dangers of
nuclear power. Friends of the Earth-U.S. Executive Director Norman Dean
said, "This accident is a reminder that nuclear power is not safe," said
Dean. "Nuclear reactors are vulnerable to natural disasters and
unintentional human errors, as well as intentional sabotage such as a
terrorist attack."
"Like the disaster at Chernobyl and near-disaster at Three Mile Island,
today's accident reminds us that nuclear power is hardly the safe panacea
its supporters claim it to be," said Dean.
"Energy conservation and wind and solar power are cleaner and safer than
nuclear power, and they are a better way to fight global warming."
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