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By Chisa Fujioka and Jon Herskovitz

  TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese military helicopters and fire trucks poured water on an overheating nuclear facility on Thursday and the plant operator said electricity to part of the crippled complex could be restored in a desperate bid to avert catastrophe.

  Washington and other foreign capitals expressed growing alarm about radiation leaking from the earthquake-shattered plant, 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo. The United States said it was sending aircraft to help Americans leave Japan.

  " The situation continues to be very serious," International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano told reporters at Vienna airport as he left with a group of nuclear experts for Japan.

  Workers were trying to connect a 1-km (0.6-mile) long power cable from the main grid to restart water pumps to cool reactor No. 2, which does not house spent fuel rods considered the biggest risk of spewing radioactivity into the atmosphere.

  One official from the plant operator told a late night briefing the cable could be connected within hours. Other officials said it was unclear if water pumps at reactor No. 2, which sustained less damage from a series of explosions, would work.

  U.S. officials took pains not to criticise Japan's government, but Washington's actions indicated a divide with its close ally about the perilousness of the world's worst nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

  The top U.S. nuclear regulator said the cooling pool for spent fuel rods at reactor No.4 may have run dry and another was leaking.

  Gregory Jaczko, head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, told a congressional hearing that radiation levels around the cooling pool were extremely high, posing deadly risks for workers still toiling in the wreckage of the power plant.

  " It would be very difficult for emergency workers to get near the reactors. The doses they could experience would potentially be lethal doses in a very short period of time," he said in Washington.

  Japan's nuclear agency said it could not confirm if water was covering the fuel rods. The plant operator said it believed the reactor spent-fuel pool still had water as of Wednesday, and made clear its priority was the spent-fuel pool at the No.3 reactor.

  On Thursday morning alone, military helicopters dumped around 30 tonnes of water, all aimed at this reactor. One emergency crew temporarily put off spraying the same reactor with a water cannon due to high radiation, broadcaster NHK said, but another crew later began hosing it.

  Health experts said panic over radiation leaks from the Daiichi plant was diverting attention from other life-threatening risks facing survivors of last Friday's earthquake and tsunami, such as cold, heavy snow in parts and access to fresh water.

  Inside the complex, torn apart by four explosions since a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami hit last Friday, workers in protective suits and using makeshift lighting tried to monitor what was going on inside the six reactors. They have been working in short shifts to minimise radiation exposure.

  The latest images from the nuclear plant showed severe damage after the blasts. Two of the buildings were a mangled mix of steel and concrete.

  " The worst-case scenario doesn't bear mentioning and the best-case scenario keeps getting worse," Perpetual Investments said in a note on the crisis.

  Financial leaders of the world's richest nations will hold talks on Friday on ways to calm global markets roiled by the crisis and concern it will unravel a fragile global economic recovery.

  One G7 central banker, who asked not to be named, said he was " extremely worried" about the wider effects of the disaster in Japan, the world's third-largest economy.

  Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, whose country is not part of the G7, called the situation a " colossal national disaster" .

  But Japanese Economics Minister Kaoru Yosano told Reuters the country's markets were not unstable enough to warrant joint G7 currency intervention or government purchases of shares.

  The yen surged to a record high against the dollar on market speculation Japan would repatriate funds to pay for the massive cost of post-disaster reconstruction. The yen rose as high as 76.25 per dollar, surpassing the previous record high of 79.75 reached in the wake of the Kobe earthquake in 1995.

  Japan's Nikkei average fell sharply on opening on Thursday, but ended the day down just 1.44 percent. The Nikkei has fallen more than 12 percent this week.

  CRITICAL REACTOR CONTAINS PLUTONIUM

  High radiation levels on Wednesday prevented helicopters from dropping water into reactor No. 3 to try to cool its fuel rods after an earlier blast damaged its roof and cooling system.

  Another attempt on Thursday appeared to partly succeed, with two of four water drops over the site hitting their mark. The giant, twin-blade aircraft have to make precisely timed flyovers and drops to avoid the brunt of the radiation.

  The plant operator described No. 3 -- the only reactor that uses plutonium in its fuel mix -- as the " priority" . Experts described plutonium as a pernicious isotope that could cause cancer if very small quantities were ingested.

  Sebastian Pflugbeil, president of the private German-based Society for Radiation Protection, said Japan's efforts to pull the Fukushima plant back from the brink signalled " the beginning of the catastrophic phase" .

  " Maybe we have to pray," he said, adding that a wind blowing any nuclear fallout east into the Pacific would limit any damage for Japan's 127 million people in case of a meltdown or other releases, for instance from spent fuel storage pools.

  The government warned Tokyo's 13 million people to prepare for a possible large-scale blackout but later said there was no need for one. Still, many firms voluntarily reduced power, submerging parts of the usually neon-lit city in darkness.

  In a possible sign of panic, one bank, Mizuho, said all its automated teller machines in the country crashed twice in the day after excessive transactions at some branches.

  ANXIETY IN TOKYO - AIRPORTS BUSY, STREETS QUIET

  A U.S. State Department official said flights would be laid on for Americans to leave Japan, and family of embassy staff had been authorised to go if they wanted.

  Scores of flights to Japan have been halted or rerouted and air travellers are avoiding Tokyo for fear of radiation.

  On Thursday, the U.S. embassy in Tokyo urged citizens living within 80 km (50 miles) of the Daiichi plant to evacuate or remain indoors " as a precaution" , while Britain's foreign office urged citizens " to consider leaving the area" .

  The latest warnings were not as strong as those issued earlier by France and Australia, which urged nationals in Japan to leave the country. Russia said it planned to evacuate families of diplomats on Friday, and Hong Kong urged its citizens to leave Tokyo as soon as possible or head south.

  Japan's government has told people within 30 km (18 miles) of the plant to stay indoors.

  At its worst, radiation in Tokyo has reached 0.809 microsieverts per hour this week, 10 times below what a person would receive if exposed to a dental x-ray. On Thursday, radiation levels were barely above average.

  But many Tokyo residents stayed indoors, usually busy streets were nearly deserted and many shops were closed. At the second-floor office of the Tokyo Passport Centre in the city's Yurakucho district, queues snaked to the first floor.

  " Since yesterday we have had one-and-a-half times more people than usual coming to apply for a passport or to enquire about getting one," said Shigeaki Ohashi, a passport official.

  SNOW COMPOUNDS MISERY FOR TSUNAMI SURVIVORS

  The plight of hundreds of thousands left homeless by the earthquake and tsunami worsened following a cold snap that brought heavy snow to worst-affected areas.

  Supplies of water and heating oil are low at evacuation centres, where many survivors wait bundled in blankets.

  About 850,000 households in the north were still without electricity in near-freezing weather, Tohuku Electric Power Co. said, and the government said at least 1.5 million households lack running water.

  " It's cold today so many people have fallen ill, getting diarrhoea and other symptoms," said Takanori Watanabe, a Red Cross doctor in Otsuchi, a low-lying town where more than half the 17,000 residents are still missing.

  The National Police Agency said it has confirmed 4,314 deaths in 12 prefectures as of midnight Wednesday, while 8,606 people remained unaccounted for in six prefectures.

  (Additional reporting by Linda Sieg, Terril Yue Jones, Nathan Layne, Elaine Lies, Leika Kihara and Mayumi Negishi Writing by Nick Macfie and Jason Szep Editing by John Chalmers and Dean Yates)

 

I finally see japanese really take the nuclear crisis seriously. They failed to act fast. I really hope countries that own nuclear plant will learn the mistakes that the japanese made in this crisis. However now there is hope that this crisis could be contained. I expect some good news tomorrow :P Good luck for those who brought today. There might be a relief rally for the efforts 50 faceless japanese hero did :) I respect them. Salute !

 

 

 

 

 

 

niuyear      ( Date: 17-Mar-2011 14:41) Posted: Kadhafi must be very happy that no one pays attention to him this whole week.      lol!

 

thinking of singapore as a best place to stay, better think twice. korea housing is cheap and living in japan is not that expensive.

 

I've  alway  hold a strongly bearish thinky on singapore education system. In fact, the education journey from a  child to adulthood is too lengthy, unless one willingly wish to compare those from china.   In europe, the education system is good. It's not about scoring full A for a certificate, it is on the willingness of oneself upgrade their knowledge. europe don't speak english at all. I means it was as their business language only. The percentage of english speaking class had dramatically decrease in near term.

In singapore, i learn that they like to compare own apple to a bad apple. the reason is quite simple... It tell ppl that own apple is alway sweeter than the other. WHY no own apple with good apple. It obviously showing other that they have no good apple under one sleeve

Afterall, is still the character of a person that really matter.

 

 

I think ppl tend to act poor instead of being really poor. It quite true in urban area than those of rural area, i mean farmer. How the government want to utilise public money is of their own reputation  risk thingy. in the end, they are paid and are  the one tidying up the mess. thinking of " mia" is speculative. every word or movement from them are broadly broadcast through the media worldwide.

Ya. i agree that the poor are those sick, old and lonely. they need government support to for a living. anyway human do live in the earth planet once in the live time.

Holland cpf policy is OK. i think singapore copy their version many many years ago.

the dutch once says that we are  here to work for a living,  not live to work.... .

pharoah88      ( Date: 17-Mar-2011 16:20) Posted: # O V E R H E A R D # WHY  do  Governments  ALWAYS  ACT  POOR in TIMES of CITIZENS'  CRISIS ? ? ? ? Every month  US$BILLIONS  are spent on  regional  MEETINGS and they NEVER  ACT  POOR but  instead  ALL  ACT  RICH    staying  at  5-STAR  SUITES  and  flying  FIRST CLASS ? ? ? ? TRUE  or  FALSE  ? ? ? ?

 

 

# O V E R H E A R D #

WHY  do  Governments  ALWAYS  ACT  POOR

in TIMES of CITIZENS'  CRISIS ? ? ? ?

Every month  US$BILLIONS  are spent on  regional  MEETINGS and they NEVER  ACT  POOR

but  instead  ALL  ACT  RICH    staying  at  5-STAR  SUITES  and  flying  FIRST CLASS ? ? ? ?

TRUE  or  FALSE  ? ? ? ? 

 

Ms LOW  shares  her  PROFITS from  JAPAN  POWER  PLANTS  with  the  JAPANESE consumers !

M A G N A N I M O U S !    LEADERSHIP

Low's father, who was present at the ceremony, was clearly proud of his daughter's generosity -- the S$1 million comes out of her own pocket.

He said the family has friends in Japan and the company also has business ties there. It imports equipment from Japan and supplies coal to Japanese power plants.

krisluke      ( Date: 17-Mar-2011 15:54) Posted: S’porean donates S$1 million for Japan relief efforts Touched by the news about Japan's earthquake and tsunami disaster, one Singaporean decided she wanted to do more. 24-year-old Elaine Low  presented her contribution to Japanese Ambassador to Singapore Yoichi Suzuki on Wednesday -- a cheque for S$1 million. Ms Low  is  the daughter of Datuk Low Tuck Kwong, 63, founder of Bayan Resources, an Indonesia-based coal-mining company. She is in charge of business development at the company. Ms Elaine Low makes her generous contribution to the victims of the Japan disaster. (ST Photo) Ambassador Suzuki said Low's donation was the largest the embassy had received so far for the tsunami victims, and it would boost the morale of those affected by the disaster. Low, who  is leaving it to the Japanese to decide how best to use her donation to help victims, said, " My family and I feel that it's an unfortunate disaster and wanted to offer our help." The cheque presentation was held at the Japanese Embassy in Nassim Road. Low's father, who was present at the ceremony, was clearly proud of his daughter's generosity -- the S$1 million comes out of her own pocket. He said the family has friends in Japan and the company also has business ties there. It imports equipment from Japan and supplies coal to Japanese power plants. The family had previously donated to disaster victims in China and Indonesia, he added. Low, who lives in Singapore, did not want to answer more questions about herself or her gift, saying her family preferred to keep a low profile. According to The Straits Times, all she would say was: " We sincerely just want to help the people affected by this unfortunate event." Ambassador Suzuki revealed that the money would probably go to the Japanese Red Cross Society to decide how to use it for disaster victims. Kazuo Shibata, president of The Japanese Association, Singapore, who also attended the cheque presentation ceremony, said he was surprised an individual had given so much. " I was really glad to know that a Singaporean would pay so much attention to what's happening in Japan. I do not know of any Japanese who has donated such a huge amount so far," he said. In  the meantime, Singapore Red Cross Society has collected S$235,000, excluding the S$500,000 pledged so far by the Singapore Government. The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) said it will be collecting donations at all mosques starting tomorrow. Humanitarian group World Vision Singapore has received more than S$190,000 in donations, while Mercy Relief has collected S$43,282. Swissotel the Stamford and Fairmont Singapore aim to raise S$25,000 through a charity dinner on Sunday. All revenue will go to disaster victims. Find out how you can help Japan here. Follow Yahoo! News on  Twitter and become a fan on  Facebook.

 

S’porean donates S$1 million for Japan relief efforts

Touched by the news about Japan's earthquake and tsunami disaster, one Singaporean decided she wanted to do more.

24-year-old Elaine Low  presented her contribution to Japanese Ambassador to Singapore Yoichi Suzuki on Wednesday -- a cheque for S$1 million.

Ms Low  is  the daughter of Datuk Low Tuck Kwong, 63, founder of Bayan Resources, an Indonesia-based coal-mining company. She is in charge of business development at the company.

Ms Elaine Low makes her generous contribution to the victims of the Japan disaster. (ST Photo)

Ambassador Suzuki said Low's donation was the largest the embassy had received so far for the tsunami victims, and it would boost the morale of those affected by the disaster.

Low, who  is leaving it to the Japanese to decide how best to use her donation to help victims, said, " My family and I feel that it's an unfortunate disaster and wanted to offer our help."

The cheque presentation was held at the Japanese Embassy in Nassim Road.

Low's father, who was present at the ceremony, was clearly proud of his daughter's generosity -- the S$1 million comes out of her own pocket.

He said the family has friends in Japan and the company also has business ties there. It imports equipment from Japan and supplies coal to Japanese power plants.

The family had previously donated to disaster victims in China and Indonesia, he added.

Low, who lives in Singapore, did not want to answer more questions about herself or her gift, saying her family preferred to keep a low profile.

According to The Straits Times, all she would say was: " We sincerely just want to help the people affected by this unfortunate event."

Ambassador Suzuki revealed that the money would probably go to the Japanese Red Cross Society to decide how to use it for disaster victims.

Kazuo Shibata, president of The Japanese Association, Singapore, who also attended the cheque presentation ceremony, said he was surprised an individual had given so much.

" I was really glad to know that a Singaporean would pay so much attention to what's happening in Japan. I do not know of any Japanese who has donated such a huge amount so far," he said.

In  the meantime, Singapore Red Cross Society has collected S$235,000, excluding the S$500,000 pledged so far by the Singapore Government.

The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) said it will be collecting donations at all mosques starting tomorrow.

Humanitarian group World Vision Singapore has received more than S$190,000 in donations, while Mercy Relief has collected S$43,282.

Swissotel the Stamford and Fairmont Singapore aim to raise S$25,000 through a charity dinner on Sunday. All revenue will go to disaster victims.

Find out how you can help Japan here.

Follow Yahoo! News on  Twitter and become a fan on  Facebook.

 

Kadhafi must be very happy that no one pays attention to him this whole week.      lol!

 

 

 

JAPAN PREPARED TO RECONNECT PLANT, HELICOPTERS DUMPING WATER NOW ON REACTORS

9:34 ET: Regulators in Japan are speaking nowon the situation. We're covering LIVE.

The speaker gave a rundown of the situation at the 6 reactors.

The power plant will be re-hooked up to the grid soon, though even then it will be awhile before everything's working at full speed.

 

8:53 PM ET: IF you turn to NHK right now, you can watch helicopters dropping water on the plant right now.

8:41 PM ET: BREAKING Japan Nuclear Agency says nuke plant could be reconnected to power grid THIS afternoon.

8:38: A couple flashes from Reuters. One is that TEPCO is preparing, again to inject more water. The other is that radiation levels are actually DECLINING around the reactor. So, all things considered, not horrible news.

8:25 PM ET 3/16: The Nikkei has opened. After its big rally on Wednesday, stocks are diving.

Meanwhile, Stars and Stripes has details on the Pentagon's worst-case-scenario disaster preparation.

THE LATEST:  All of the water is gone from one of the spent fuel pools, says U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission chief Gregory Jaczko. That means there's nothing to stop the fuel rods from getting hotter and melting down, according to the AP.

Meanwhile TEPCO says it can't confirm when a power line meant to ease the crisis will be completed. This contradicts an earlier report that said the powerline was nearly ready, which caused the market to shoot higher.

Japan's Police Agency raised the quake death doll over 4,000, with more than 8,000 missing.

The Japanese Nuclear Agency will brief the press at 8PM ET, according to CNBC.

14:54 ET: The Japan electric company says that a new power line that will solve the nuclear crisis is nearly ready, according to the AP. That headline has seen markets rebound as a result.

The wire could help to bring electricty back to the complex, which could assist with the cooling of the reactors.

  This follows disturbing comments from US authorities. Energy secretary Steven Chu says a reactor may have experienced  " partial meltdown" and that the situation is worse than 3 Mile Island.

Also U.S. nuclear regulatory committee chief Gregory Jaczko said radiation levels are " extremely high." Jackzko also believes reactor 4 has no water and has called for radius to be evacuated larger than that called for by Japanese officials.

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EARLIER: The UK's Foreign Office is now advising all British citizens in Tokyo, and north of Tokyo, to move away from the area, according to Sky. 

The U.S. government is telling its citizens that live within 50 miles of Fukushima to remain indoors or evacuate, according to Reuters.

Click here for a map showing the affected area >

UPDATE 12:36: Now the EU Energy Commissioner responsible for the earlier catastrophe comment says he did not say a catastrophe was going to happen, rather that it was his fear.

IAEA  has denied the situation is " out of control," via CNBC.

UPDATE 11:55: Fuel rods in reactors 4, 5, and 6 are now exposed and four reactor units have core damage, according to the IAEA (via Bloomberg).

The EU energy minister responsible for the earlier comments claims he got his information from the EU, IAEA, Japan, and media reports.

UPDATE 11:01 Horrible headline crossing the wires via RanSquawk: EU ENERGY CHIEF SAYS POSSIBLE CATASTROPHIC EVENT IN NEXT HOURS.

He's also -- and this is via Dow Jones -- calling the situation " out of control"

The market briefly got hammered by this but has already recovered.

Update 9:16: DigitalGlobe has a great before-after image of the explosions at the reactors.

 

 

Update 6:51 AM: A depressing read here from the New York Times sizing up the situation.

Update 5:51: And now according to Kyodo Wire, there are concerns at #5 and #6.

Update 5:03 AM: According to broadcaster NHK, Japan's Defense Forces have aborted its latest plans to spray water on reactor #3.

Evidently it was deemed too dangerous, due to radiation. Plans are being drawn up for a ground attack on the nuke plant -- i.e., water canons, which are not reassuring.

Update 4:49 AM ET: Nouriel Roubini's shop RGE Monitor (via @tracyalloway) has sent out a note on the crisis, predicting it gets upgraded from a 4 to a 5. The note is authored by Mikka Peneda:

This year marks Chernobyl's 25th anniversary, and how ironic it is that the world has a new nuclear emergency on its hands: Japan's Fukushima power plant, operated by TEPCO. The situation at Fukushima continues to worsen, with explosions at two more reactors and the radiation released surpassing that of Three Mile Island. The 40-year-old reactors, designed by General Electric, were due for decommissioning at the end of this month.

The Fukushima nuclear incident will likely be upgraded from a level 4 to a 5 on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale. The scale runs from 0 to 7—the most severe. The incident will remain " an event with local consequences," although this excludes the consequences for the expansion of nuclear power generation around the world. Three Mile Island was a level 5 Chernobyl was a level 7—the only level 7 event so far.

Regarding Three Mile Island...

In 1979, Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island (TMI) power plant experienced a cascade of events more similar to those of Fukushima. TMI was a pressurized water reactor Fukushima was a boiling water reactor. There's little difference between the two insofar as both used water to cool and regulate the reactors, except that TMI had a pressurizer. Like Fukushima, Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) was vented into the air to reduce pressure in the core, releasing some fissile products (Cesium-137 and Iodine-131—the same products released from Fukushima). TMI-2 also experienced a small hydrogen explosion, which tore off the exterior walls of the containment building, and a partial core meltdown. Cleanup cost US$975 million and took 14 years to complete.

 

 

Update 3:53 ET AM ET: NHK has released pictures showing again just how badly damaged reactors #3 and #4 are.

There's also talk of another possible radiation leak at reactor #2 due to a collapse in pressure.

 

 

Update 1:25 am EST March 16: Tokyo Electric Power Co. just released this photo of reactors #4 (center) and #3 (left) at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant taken the day before. (Photo: TEPCO via Yomiuri)

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said that the most recent spike in radiation may stem from a damaged containment vessel in reactor No. 3, where rising smoke or steam was also observed on Wednesday. (via Marketwatch and CNN)

 

Around the same time when a fire broke out in reactor #4 yesterday, there was another explosion in reactor #2 that ruptured a containment vessel. Both almost simultaneous incidents (along with the smoke from reactor #3 on Wednesday) caused the surge in radiation, which forced the Japanese government to evacuate the workers.

 

Update 11:39 pm EST: Japan has evacuated most workers and suspended temporarily efforts to prevent the Fukushima nuclear plant from melting down after increasing radiation levels became too dangerous for workers to remain at the facility, AP reports.

About 50 technicians are the only people who currently remain at Fukushima.

Update 6:46: The plan to use helicopters to pour water into one of the reactors that's emitting radiation has been scrapped.

A Tokyo Electric Power Co. spokesman said the " helicopters were deemed impractical, but that other options were under consideration, including fire engines," according to AP.

Update 5:46: Fire breaks out again at reactor #4, according to Reuters, citing NHK.

Update 4:31: Because there isn't enough wrong with it, Japan says that the roof of reactor #4 is broken.

And now, via Reuters, there are two workers missing.

Update 2:35: The IAEA is out with a new statement, which includes this line:

As of 00:16 UTC on 15 March, plant operators were considering the removal of panels from units 5 and 6 reactor buildings to prevent a possible build-up of hydrogen in the future. It was a build-up of hydrogen at units 1, 2, and 3 that led to explosions at the Daiichi facilities in recent days.

Update 12:09: IAEA's director general Yukiya Amano: New information about reactor core is " worrying." That headline is via Bloomberg.

Some other details from a press conference:

• The suppression chamber at unit #2 appears to be damaged.
• The cause of the fire at unit #4 is unknown.
• The Japanese government has been asked to improve its information sharing with the IAEA

Update 10:45: According to Reuters, TEPCO's new plan is to dump water by helicopter, which sounds incredibly desperate. And some minor good news: All of the TEPCO power plants OTHER than the main one are fine, according to the IAEA.

Update 9:36: To add insult to injury, Japan was just hit with another 6.2 earthquake, and buildings in Tokyo are said to be shaking.

Update 9:14: Another horrible headline from Kyodo Wire: TEPCO unable to pour water into No. 4 reactor's storage pool for spent fuel

Update 8:35: Via ForexLive, TEPCO is saying that spent fuel rods in reactor #4 are exposed to the air. That sounds horrible.

Update 8:16: The radiation is too high for TEPCO workers to stay in the control room says KYODO WIRE.

Update 7:47 AM: France: The nuclear crisis is now a level-6 crisis on a scale of 7.

Update 7:10 3/15: According to reports, a frustrated Naoto Kan asked TEPCO execs " What the hell is going on?"

This is from Swedish paper Expressen.se:



 

 

 

Update 3:40 AM ET 3/15: After a night of terror, there is a brief calm. Radiation has pared back a little bit, and according to government spokesman Yukio Edano there isn't any indication of new radiation coming out. In fact, via TimeOutTokyo, Edano says the latest readings outside of Fukushima don't show radiation readings that are harmful to humans.

However (via CNBC) temperatures continue to rise.

Global markets are off their lows a bit, but are all down across the board.

The latest from Kyodo: There are concerns over water levels at reactor #4, which is where there was a fire earlier.

The latest: The state of panic around the world is palpable. There was an explosion at reactor #2 and a fire at reactor #4, coincigin with a surge in radiation. Update: the fire at reactor #4 has been put out.

Markets are diving around Asia. The Nikkei closed down 10.5%!

PM Naoto Kan addressed the nation, and told everyone within a 30KM radius to stay indoors, as radioactive material shoots forth.

50 workers will stay at the plant to pump seawater into three reactors and battle the fire at the fourth, according to the NYT.

KYODO Wire is now reporting that a small amount of radiation has been discovered in Tokyo.

UPDATE 7:21 PM ET MARCH 14: At 6:10 AM Japan time, another blast went off, this time at reactor #2. That's the third blast from the trouble Fukushima plant.

Following that, a fire was reported at reactor #4

Meanwhile, experts from the IAEA are coming to Japan, and word is that TEPCO has evacuated all non-essential personell.

According to KYODO Wire, TEPCO is admitting, for the first time, the possibility of a meltdown. It also sounds as though this latest blast was the most serious, as it may have damaged the container, not just outer walls.

The NYT has more details on the blast, and explains why this one may have been different than the other two.

Meanwhile, radiation levels outside Fukushima have spiked.

Update 10:04: President Naoto Kan is addressing the nation on the situation at the plant. He's urging everyone in the 20KM radius of the plant to leave (which is not actually new).

Via Time Out Tokyo:

• " We are doing everything we can."
• " I would like to ask the nation to remain calm, even though this is an incident of great concern. And with that, I end my message."

Cabinet Chief Yukio Edano: Now Reactor #4 is on fire.

Digital Globe (via NYT) has some remarkable new satellite images from the damaged plant (note: this doesn't appear to be from the latest blast).

 

-------------

THE LATEST: Authorities have failed to keep Fukushima Daiichi reactor 2 under water, and it's now exposed, increasing the threat that radioactive material may enter the air, according to The New York Times.

A prolonged struggle continues to keep reactors 1 and 3 underwater.

The New York Times did not confirm earlier reports that nuclear fuel rods were melting in the reactors.

1:19 PM ET: The nuclear crisis at Japan's Fukushima power facilities continues, with 3 reactors fuel rods now melting down, according to Sky.

TEPCO has admitted that rods are again exposed at reactor 2.

GE and Toshiba are the companies responsible for the parts going into the Fukushima Daiichi reactors. The reactors, however, are near retirement age, having come online in the mid-seventies.

Read more on the reactor's history here>

 

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EARLIER ON DAY 4: 11 people were injured in an explosion at Reactor #3, according to the BBC. This was somewhat expected and warned about yesterday. A wall at one of the reactors collapsed.

Meanwhile, according to Kyodo Wire, the cooling function has been lost at a third reactor -- reactor #2. TEPCO disagrees, and says that both reactors 1 and 2 are likely safely cooled down, per FT Alphaville.

According to the New York Times, the situation could play out like this for months.

As the scale of Japan’s nuclear crisis begins to come to light, experts in Japan and the United States say the country is now facing a cascade of accumulating problems that suggest that radioactive releases of steam from the crippled plants could go on for weeks or even months.

Also worrying is news that the crew of the USS Ronald Reagan has been exposed to a radiation cloud off the coast of Japan.

The Japanese safety agency has said that there is " no chance" of a Chernobyl at Fukushima, according to Sky News.

Here's video of this morning's explosion:



 

We're now well into day three of the crisis at the Fukushima power plant.

Below the line our coverage of day two, and below that is our coverage of day one.

The latest is that all eyes have turned to reactor #3. Originally reactor #1 was the concern, but at least the official word is that it's somewhat under control. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano has suggested that there are issues getting adequate water into the reactor to cool the rods. It's possible, however, that there's a problem with the water gauge. This is unclear. A partial meltdown is possible.

There have also been warnings of a second explosion, similar to the one on Saturday afternoon, as pressure builds up inside reactor #3.

Update 8:55 AM ET: According to Reuters, there is a third reactor, in which authorities are using seawater for coolant.

Update 9:38: There's a low level " emergency" at a new power plant -- the Onagawa plant -- according to the IAEA, and France is warning its citizens to get out of Tokyo, thanks to fears of radiation..

Update 12:24: The cooling system has reportedly stopped at yet another plant, the Tokay No. 2 plant, which is in Japan's Ibaraki prefecture. This would make the third plant that has seen issues. Fukushima, Onagawana, and now this.

Update 4:31: World Nuclear News has a good update on the situation, which is still very tense, but there appears to be some optimism and relief that things have stabilized at the closely watched reactor #3.

--------------------------

Day 2:

There was an explosion at the plant at around 3:30 in the afternoon in Japan, and at least 4 are injured. Massive plumes of smoke can be seen. More recently, Japan has flooded the main Fukushima reactor with seawater in a last-ditch attempt to avert a full meltdown.

According to Russia Today, there have been 50K evacuated in the vicinity. Beyond that, the roof of one reactor apparently collapsed.

People in a wide vicinity have been told to cover their mouths as much as possible.

Update 5:10 AM: CNN is reporting that the evacuation zone has been expanded to 20KM around the plant.

Just outside the 20KM radius, notes CNN, is the city of Minamisoma, population 72K.

Update 8:06 AM: Kyodo has a long article explaining the latest, and at this moment there may still be reasons to be hopeful, specifically noting that the explosion is at the plant, near the reactor, but not inside vulnerable reactor #1.

The NYT also has a good technical explanation of what's going on, including this hopeful sounding note:

Naoto Sekimura, a professor at Tokyo University, told NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, that “only a small portion of the fuel has been melted. But the plant is shut down already, and being cooled down. Most of the fuel is contained in the plant case, so I would like to ask people to be calm.”

Meanwhile, large aftershocks continue to rock the area.

See here for satellite photos of the damage.

Update 3:11 PM: It's been awhile since any official 'progress report' on the plant, however this report from the FT is encouraging, noting that enough seawater has been pumped into the plant to the point that it's not " dangerously low."

Update 3:59: The first news in awhile, and it's not good. Two quick flashes from Reuters, one citing Japanese officials saying the cooling system at reactor #3 is NOT working, and another saying that 140K have now been evacuated from the Region.

Update 4:53: Now Reuters says two American nuclear power experts are headed to Japan. This doesn't sound a stable situation.

Update 5:10: Reminder, you can watch English-language coverage LIVE from NHK here.

They're discussing the use of seawater to cool the plant.

Image: NHK

Update 5:56: There's a new headline from Kyodo Wire " 6th reactor at Fukushima nuke plant loses cooling functions." It's not clear if this a new reactor than the latest one previously reported to have lost cooling function.

: Japanese minister Yukio Edano giving a press conference on the nuke situation right now. Watch here at NHK.

 

• No change to radiation readings outside the plant.
• Coolant problems continue at reactor #3 (already known).
• Minimal amount of radioactive vapor being released.
• 9 people have been bussed out of the region with some exposure. 4 have had a high level.
• On reactor #3: Venting out air.

Q& A time:

Will the number of people exposed continue to grow from 9?

Edano: No, the exposure was related to yesterday's release.

Press conference over.

Bottom line: At reactor #1, seawater has been injected and rods are underwater. Similar situation at reactor #3.

9:09 PM ET: The reactor has been flooded with seawater to avert a full meltdown. Officials are trying to figure out whether they can also flood #3. The New York Times describes these as extraordinary measures that will likely permanently disable the reactors. There is evidence that a partial meltdown has already occurred.

EARLIER: This video, via Gabe Rivera, shows the moment the explosion happened at the 1:22 second mark.



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  Note: This post has several updates. Scroll to the bottom for the latest. The original post was at approximately 4:30 AM on March 11.

Original post: Ominous flash from Kyodo Wire:

The operator of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant reported an abnormality Friday following a powerful earthquake which hit a wide area in northeastern Japan including Fukushima Prefecture, the industry ministry said.

The system to cool reactor cores in case of emergency stopped at the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors of the plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co., it said.

There are reports that the Japanese PM will declare a nuclear emergency.

Update: There's no evidence of any radioactive leakage, but officials have confirmed that the cooling process for the nuclear plant has not yet gone according to plan.

Update 2: Japan has declared a nuclear emergency.

Update 3: 2000 residents near the Fukushima Nuclear Plant have been urged to evacuate.

Update 4: According to reports, Japanese jets have been ordered to fly over the Fukushima Nuclear plant

Update 5: According to Reuters, a Dam has broken in the same region as the at-risk nuclear power plant.

Update 6: The owner of the plant, TEPCO, says the reactor pressure is rising, and there are risks of a radiation leak, according to Reuters.

Update 7: Now the trade minister says a leak is possible.

Update 8: Word is, Japanese authorities will release a small amount of radioactive vapor into the air to ease pressure.

Update 9: Japan just expanded the evacuation range from 3 KM to 9 KM, says Reuters.

Update: 4:29 PM ET: Anti-nuclear expert Kevin Kamp explains the nightmare scenario in Fukushma, via Forbes and the Institute for Public Accuracy:

“The electrical grid is down. The emergency diesel generators have been damaged. The multi-reactor Fukushima atomic power plant is now relying on battery power, which will only last around eight hours. The danger is, the very thermally hot reactor cores at the plant must be continuously cooled for 24 to 48 hours. Without any electricity, the pumps won’t be able to pump water through the hot reactor cores to cool them. Once electricity is lost, the irradiated nuclear fuel could begin to melt down. If the containment systems fail, a catastrophic radioactivity release to the environment could occur.

“In addition to the reactor cores, the storage pool for highly radioactive irradiated nuclear fuel is also at risk. The pool cooling water must be continuously circulated. Without circulation, the still thermally hot irradiated nuclear fuel in the storage pools will begin to boil off the cooling water. Within a day or two, the pool’s water could completely boil away. Without cooling water, the irradiated nuclear fuel could spontaneously combust in an exothermic reaction. Since the storage pools are not located within containment, a catastrophic radioactivity release to the environment could occur. Up to 100 percent of the volatile radioactive Cesium-137 content of the pools could go up in flames and smoke, to blow downwind over large distances. Given the large quantity of irradiated nuclear fuel in the pool, the radioactivity release could be worse than the Chernobyl nuclear reactor catastrophe of 25 years ago.”

Meanwhile, Kyodo is reporting that local radiation levels are 8 times more than normal.

Update 4:43 PM: Now according to Kyodo, radiation is measured at 1000x normal.

Update 5:05: The entire world is now watching the Fukushima plant. Here's a link to a satellite image of the plant, just to get some more perspective on where this is.

 

  :

Update 5:33: Both reactors at the plant have been damaged, and officials say they have " lost control" of the pressure, according to Reuters.

Update 7:39: The latest from Kyodo Wire: Government holds emergency meeting on the plant, and is taking unprecedented step of demanding the plant open a key valve.

Update 7:51: At least 20,000 people are being evacuated from the region says Reuters, which ominously quotes an expert who thinks there may be just a few hours until meltdown.

Update 3/12 12:19 AM: This just came from Reuters on twitter... REUTERS FLASH: #Japan nuclear authorities say high possibility of meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi No. 1 reactor - Jiji

Update 3/12 12:26: Now a headline from Kyodo Wire: Fukushima nuke plant might be experiencing nuclear meltdown. From AP via Steve Herman: A meltdown would potentially put humans at risk within a 6 KM range. What is a nuclear meltdown? Wikipedia has a good primer. WSJ: Authorities pouring water into reactor to " stop the meltdown."

Update 3/12 2/21: First positive headline in awhile from Kyodo: Pressure successfully released from Fukushima No. 1 reactor.

Saturday 3:50 ET: There's been a large explosion at the nuclear plant and the outer wall has been destroyed, according to Reuters.

Update 3:59: Massive clouds seen after Fukushima explosion. Reports of at least 4 injured.

Click here for dramatic pictures of the disaster >

Update 6:12