| Japan will
set up an independent panel to investigate radiation leaks, burst pipes,
flooding and other problems that plagued a nuclear plant after an earthquake
earlier this month, the government announced Tuesday.
The plant's operator also said parts of a six-meter (20-foot) crane inside the reactor building at one of the facility's seven reactors had been mangled — the first damage to be found so close to a reactor. So far, no problems have been found at the reactor itself, according to Tokyo Electric Power Co. spokesman Kensuke Takeuchi. In Vienna, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said it will send a team of investigators to Japan in the next few weeks to examine the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, which has been shuttered since the July 16, 6.8 magnitude earthquake. The moves come as Japan struggles to shore up confidence in its nuclear stewardship following a wave of problems at the plant, the world's biggest in terms of output, following the temblor. Trade Minister Akira Amari said the investigatory panel will begin work as soon as possible. No other details about the panel were immediately available. The findings are expected to be passed on to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency at a conference in September to share information that could help boost global nuclear safety standards, Kyodo News agency separately reported him as saying. The government has also proposed to the agency that Tokyo host a global workshop on atomic energy safety. Japan has said it would welcome investigators to the quake-hit nuclear site, responding to an offer last week from IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei. Japan originally rejected help from the agency, but changed its tune following petitions from local officials eager for more inspections to assuage domestic and international concerns. (suite)
|
suite:
TEPCO and nuclear regulators have stressed the amounts of radioactivity leaked were extremely low and posed no threat to the environment or local residents. But the damage still raised concerns, prompting the government to order it shuttered indefinitely until its safety can be confirmed. TEPCO also confirmed Tuesday that 2,000 tons of water flooded the basement of the building that houses the facility's No. 1 reactor. The leak had been announced in the days following the quake, but on Tuesday company spokesman Kiyoto Ishikawa said most of the water did not mix with any radioactive substances. The flooding posed no environmental hazards, he said. The trade minister also admitted Tuesday the government failed to thoroughly examine fault lines near nuclear power plants, saying a stricter review system is needed. TEPCO had earlier come under fire for being slow to notify the public about damage at the plant. In one incident, radioactive water had sloshed out of a tank and was flushed out to sea. In another, radioactive material was vented into the air in two separate instances. Plant officials said they had not foreseen such a powerful quake hitting the facility, and repeatedly underreported its impact afterward. Niigata prefecture, where the plant is located, estimates it suffered economic losses worth 1.5 trillion yen (US$12.37 billion; €8.95 billion) from the quake, of which 700 billion yen (US$5.77 billion; €4.17 billion) was linked to the closure of the power station. |