JAPAN: Japan quake stirs nuclear fears and displaces thousands

A day after a massive earthquake killed nine people and destroyed hundreds of homes in northwestern Japan, a nuclear power plant was ordered to close down on Tuesday (July 17) until its safety is confirmed. The quake triggered a fire and a leak of contaminated water from the plant, the world's largest. Water, gas and electricity supplies were also cut by Monday's quake in Niigata prefecture which measured 6.8 on the Richter scale. More than 12,000 people huddled in evacuation centres after their homes were flattened. The nine who died were all elderly. Around 1000 people were injured. Naohiro Kondo, who's staying at the temporary shelter, says he can never feel at ease because he has no idea what his home may look like now. Moyo Sugimoto, who is 81, says she can't stay in her house because all the furniture is scattered over the floor. As aftershocks continued, forecasts for wet weather raised fears of mudslides that could add to the devastation. In Kashiwazaki, people lined up with plastic bottles for fresh water, which was trucked in by local officials and a contingent of about 500 members of the armed forces. The navy shipped in emergency rations, convenience stores and supermarkets gave out rice balls and bottled water, and soldiers made rice balls and distributed them at schools and other evacuation centres. Asia's largest utility, TEPCO, Tokyo Electric Power Co., will not reopen its nuclear power plant, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, until its safety can be confirmed after a small fire and radiation leak at the facility. It said 1.2 cubic metres (42.38 cu ft) of water contaminated with radioactive material leaked into the sea but should not affect the environment. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki told a news conference according to data released by the plant operators, the quake was bigger than the seismic level that the reactors were designed to withstand. The admissions by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) have reignited fears about nuclear safety in a country that relies on atomic power for one-third of its electricity but has faced repeated cover-ups of past accidents by atomic power utilities. "I believe that nuclear power plants can only be operated with the trust of the people," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters in Tokyo, some about 250 km (155 miles) southeast of Niigata prefecture, where the quake struck on Monday morning. "For this, if something happens they need to report on it thoroughly and quickly. We need to get them to strictly reflect on this incident," Abe added. Businesses in Niigata have been counting the cost of the quake. Storage facilities at a brewery making sake were damaged by the tremor. Bottles were scattered everywhere. And one liquor shop owner complained not one single bottle was left intact in his store. Local traffic has also been disrupted and more mudslides are feared in the town of Kashiwazaki. The earthquake caused several landslides, one severely affecting local train tracks, forcing local train services to be suspended. As rain is expected in the area Tuesday night, local people fear there are more problems ahead.

ITN Source | July 17, 2007

Tags:. .reflect. .cabinet. .storage. .rice. .facility