Extremely serious levels of radiation have escaped. Dangerously high doses of radiation have been detected in or near the compounds of the quake-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture.
Extremely serious levels of radiation have escaped. Dangerously high doses of radiation have been detected in or near the compounds of the quake-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture.
Japan's worsening nuclear crisis will now be compared to the Chernobyl disaster in the former Soviet Union in 1986.
The Fukushima plant has six reactors. Of them, the No. 2 reactor has begun to release radioactive substances as the suppression pool connected to the reactor containment vessel was apparently damaged.
The No. 1 and No. 3 reactors are also in a perilous situation with their nuclear fuel rods exposed out of cooling water.
A hydrogen explosion has rattled the No. 4 reactor, whose operation had been suspended for inspection when the magnitude-9 earthquake struck March 11. Spent nuclear fuel rods kept in a pool with circulating water appear to have produced hydrogen. If they are exposed above water, then the dangers from the extremely strong radiation would hamper work to bring the situation under control.
Now, four nuclear reactors standing in a line are simultaneously spinning out of control.
The immediate challenge is to cut off the sources of radiation leaks. The work is dangerous, but this is a fight against time to keep the contamination of the people and the land to a minimum.
Japan's nuclear energy technology long accumulated through time and money must be fully utilized to support the efforts of Tokyo Electric Power Co., the plant's operator.
To avoid exposure, action at an early stage is of vital importance.
Radioactive materials are dispersed by the wind in tiny particles, comparable to invisible smoke or dust. People must pay attention to wind directions to avoid being caught in high concentrations of radioactivity.
The priority in evacuation must be put on children. The Chernobyl disaster showed that the risk of young children developing thyroid cancer is more than 100 times greater than that for adults. Society must share the idea that children should be the first ones protected from radioactivity.
Many people must be finding it difficult to believe the news unfolding before their eyes.
The earthquake and tsunami of unprecedented scale in Japan may have caused this situation.
But Japan should have developed nuclear energy not only with pride in its advanced technology, but also with cautiousness as a nation hit by atomic bombs.
This is a consequence of the history of Japan, which has placed nuclear power as a key pillar of its energy policy and enjoyed its benefits in the postwar period. Society as a whole must accept this consequence.
People in areas battered by the killer temblor and tsunami need homes, food and energy. Many people have lost their loved ones. They must be supported by the entire Japanese society.
The resilience of Japanese society is being questioned.