Forth Japanese Nuclear Reactor on Fire

Short update. This situation is getting worse by the minute. The French embassy has warned that radiation could be hitting Tokyo within 3 1/2 hours from now. I doubt that as the prevailing winds are blowing away from Tokyo. But that is what they have warned.


The Japanese government has also increased the evacuation zone from 2 kilometers, to 3, to 10, to 20 and now to 30 kilometers. I roundly criticized the Japanese government mishandling of this crisis here.

World Nuclear News reports:

Prime minister Naoto Kan has requested that everyone withdraw from a 30 kilometer evacuation zone around the nuclear power plant and that people that stay within remain indoors. He said his advice related to the overall picture of safety developments at Fukushima Daiichi, rather than those at any individual reactor unit.

Fire at unit 4

Kan also confirmed a fire burning at unit 4, which - according to all official sources - had never been a safety concern since the earthquake. This reactor was closed for periodic inspections when the earthquake and tsunami hit, therefore did not undergo a rapid and sudden shutdown, although it was of course violently shaken.

We are now heading for an underground shelter for a few days.

I hope to be able to update, but am having problems with the Internet and there mght be power outages. Will report again ASAP. 


Thanks to my friend Graham Carpenter in Kansai