US fears worsening Japan crisis
By Jonathan Soble and Michiyo Nakamoto in Tokyo and April Dembosky in San Francisco Published: March 16 2011 06:15 | Last updated: March 17 2011 00:21 A top US nuclear safety official said late on Wednesday that the situation in Japan was worse than officials there had suggested. Gregory Jaczko, head of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission said his organisation believed one of the damaged reactors at the Fukushima plant – number four – had run dry and was emitting “extremely high” radiation levels.The damage, he said, “could possibly impact the ability to take corrective measures”. The Associated Press reported that Japanese officials were disputing the US assessment. The White House urged Americans in Japan to stay outside a 50-mile radius of the reactors. Japanese officials had ordered evacuations within 20 kilometres (12 miles). Helicopter pilots attempting to dump water into the overheated fuel-storage tank of a supra outlet Japanese nuclear reactor were forced to abandon the emergency manoeuvre because of high levels of radiation over the plant – the latest setback in Japan’s battle to avert an atomic disaster. Earlier on Wednesday Tokyo Electric Power ordered its skeleton crew of 50 remaining workers to move away temporarily from reactors inside the plant after radiation levels jumped. Plumes of white vapour were seen pouring from what authorities identified as the station’s No 3 reactor. The workers returned after about 45 minutes. Tepco said late on Wednesday that it had almost completed a new power line that could restore electricity to the complex and help solve the crisis that has threatened a meltdown. Spokesman Naoki Tsunoda said the power line to Fukushima Daiichi was almost complete. Officials plan to try it “as soon as possible” but could not say when. The new line would revive electric-powered pumps, allowing the company to maintain a steady water supply to troubled reactors and spent fuel storage ponds, keeping them cool. The ongoing uncertainty prompted China to “temporarily suspend approval of nuclear power projects, including those in the preliminary stages of development,” according to a statement issued after a meeting of the State Council, or cabinet. Financial markets continued to watch events with nervousness. The yen hit record high levels against the dollar in early Pacific area trading. And the Nikkei fell 2.2 per cent. The Bank of Japan injected Y5,000bn into the banking system on top of a total of Y28,000bn already offered in same-day operations this week. US and European stocks had fallen sharply on Wednesday. Yukiya Amano, the secretary-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency said the situation was “very serious” and that he planned to visit his home country as soon as possible, perhaps leaving on Thursday. He also said that on his return to headquarters in Vienna he could call an extraordinary meeting of the IAEA’s 35-nation governing board But he refused to criticise Japan. “There are too many elements that we do not know so it would be premature to pass judgment,” he told a press conference. Japanese authorities said radiation doses of 6.4 millisieverts per hour – about 10,000 times normal background radiation – had been detected inside the Fukushima plant, though readings soon fell back to about a third of that level. Elevated readings were not recorded outside the government-imposed 20km exclusion zone around the plant.Tepco and nuclear safety authorities said part of the reactor’s reinforced containment vessel may have been damaged, but technicians were unable to determine first-hand the exact source of the vapour leak. On Tuesday an explosion in a water tank under the containment unit of the neighbouring reactor No 2 also led to vapour escaping. In a televised address, Emperor Akihito, expressed condolences for victims of Friday’s devastating 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami and encouraged workers at Fukushima braving dangerous conditions to contain the emergency. “I strongly hope this situation can be resolved quickly without further deterioration,” he said. The helicopter effort had to be abandoned because radiation doses directly above the No 3 reactor were found to be above the 50 millisievert limit for military pilots. Authorities said they would try again on Thursday. Yuhei Sato, governor of Fukushima prefecture, said people in the district were “uneasy and angry”. “I want this situation resolved as soon as possible, and I want [Tepco and the government] to provide information quickly, accurately.” Tepco also said an estimated 70 per cent of the nuclear fuel rods had been damaged in the No 1 reactor and 33 per cent in the No 2 reactor. In yet another setback earlier on Wednesday a fire broke out for a second time at the building housing the No 4 reactor. Spent uranium fuel stored in a water tank in the building was feared to have been exposed, releasing more radioactive particles into the air. Temperatures remained high inside the spent-fuel tanks of reactors No 5 and No 6; Tepco said water was being poured into them to keep them cool.There were increased reports of injuries among the 50 or so workers remaining at the plant. Tepco evacuated 740 non-essential personnel on Tuesday. “Those 50 will be seriously damaged (by radiation),” a government official said. “Japanese people have to thank them a lot. It’s a kind of sacrifice.” “They’re in a tough situation,” said Elmer Lewis, a nuclear expert at Northwestern University in Chicago. “It gets to [a] point where the radiation gets high, they [the engineers] can only go certain places for short periods of time. There will be a need for more knowledgeable gucci outlet staff willing to go in. That’s a critical management and ethical issue.” Meanwhile the official death toll from Friday’s tsunami continues to rise. On Wednesday afternoon more than 4,340 people had been confirmed dead, with more than 9,000 still missing. Millions of people remain without power and at least 344,000 are being housed in 2,400 emergency shelters. The government has mobilised 100,000 members of the Self Defence Force, while international rescue teams continue to help in the search for survivors.Japanese homes and businesses from the earthquake-ravaged Tohoku region north of Tokyo continued to face power cuts, fuel shortages and reduced train services hampering relief efforts. Yukio Edano, chief cabinet secretary, took steps to limit panic buying of fuel on Wednesday, telling the public that there were sufficient supplies for the country as a whole in spite of shortages in the devastated north-east. At least six oil refineries are operating at reduced capacity having been damaged in the earthquake. On Tuesday concerns had spread over all six of the reactors housed at the Fukushima facility including three, Nos 4, 5 and 6, that were off line during Friday’s earthquake and previously thought to be safe. The damage inflicted on the nuclear power plant has led to rolling power outages, which is affecting not only manufacturing plants but hospitals and railways as well. Tepco said it would begin to impose blackouts on some areas in Tokyo, Chiba and other prefectures, although public transport companies would be exempted. .Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2011. You may share using our article tools. Please don't cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web.