福島第１原発、放射線量が微減
- 2011/3/20 12:06
東京電力によると、モニタリングカーの巡回測定による福島第１原発事務本館北の放射線量は20日午前８時30分時点で毎時2.625ミリシーベルト。放水作業を始めた19日午後２時は毎時3.443ミリシーベルトだったため、一連の冷却作業で放射線量が微減しているもようだ。
福島原発３号機、格納容器の圧力高まる 弁開放へ
- 2011/3/20 13:13
経済産業省原子力安全・保安院は20日午後、会見し、東京電力福島第１原子力発電所の３号機で原子炉格納容器の圧力が高まっていると発表した。東電は圧力を下げるために格納容器につながっている配管の弁を開ける作業に取り組むという。保安院によると、放射性物質を含む空気が一部外部に出ることになる。
福島第１原発、放射線量が微減
- 2011/3/20 12:06
東京電力によると、モニタリングカーの巡回測定による福島第１原発事務本館北の放射線量は20日午前８時30分時点で毎時2.625ミリシーベルト。放水作業を始めた19日午後２時は毎時3.443ミリシーベルトだったため、一連の冷却作業で放射線量が微減しているもようだ。
経済産業省原子力安全・保安院は20日午後、会見し、東京電力福島第１原子力発電所の３号機で原子炉格納容器の圧力が高まっていると発表した。東電は圧力を下げるために格納容器につながっている配管の弁を開ける作業に取り組むという。保安院によると、放射性物質を含む空気が一部外部に出ることになる。
福山哲郎官房副長官は20日午前のフジテレビ番組などで、東日本大震災で被災した福島第１原子力発電所の冷却作業について「一歩ずつ前進している。（冷却機能を回復する）１、２号機への通電…続き （11:51）
福島2號機恢復供電 將設法恢復機組控制
日本福島核一廠事故，東京電力公司已經從外部架設電纜，使2號機組恢復了供電。接下來將進行機械檢查後恢復機組的控制功能，如果一切順利，將可以從根本上冷卻反應爐及核廢料池。這也是福島核電廠6個反應爐中第一個恢復外部供電的機組。 東京電力公司表示，外部電力已經送達2號機組的總電路系統，今後力爭依次恢復中央控制室照明；反應爐溫度、壓力及輻射量的測定裝置；反應爐冷卻功能；燃料池冷卻功能。 與2號機組共用電路系統的1號機組，在經檢查後也將實施供電作業。目前工作人員正加緊將電纜延伸到靠臨時電源供電的5、6號機組。至於3、4號機組，由於線路鋪設處輻射量過高，作業遇到一些困難。 至於核電廠廠區內的輻射量也有所下降。19日下午2點，2號機組西北500公尺處附近的輻射量為每小時3443微西弗，20日下午4點30分減到每小時2830微西弗。
朱隸文：日本核災最壞的狀況應已過去2011/03/21 09:01
美國能源部長朱隸文(Steven Chu)20日在CNN電視台的「State of the Union」節目上表示，歐巴馬政府保守預估日本核災最壞的狀況應已過去。他指出，由於福島第一核電廠2號反應爐的輻射量較多，顯示該反應爐的放射性物質可能有些微溢出圍阻艙(containment vessel)，但以輻射量並不是太高的情況來看，洩漏情況應不嚴重。他並指出，其他兩座反應爐的圍阻艙應該仍完好。不過，朱隸文強調，目前仍無法確知實際情形。國際原子能機構(IAEA)的35位執委將在21日召開特別會議，屆時IAEA總幹事天野之彌(Yukiya Amano)將針對3月19日與日本首相菅直人(Naoto Kan)的會晤結果進行報告。彭博社21日報導，根據偵測，東京在當地時間20日下午3-4點的輻射量為每小時0.0480微西弗，而介於東京與受損核電廠之間的北茨城市(Kitaibaraki)在同一時間測到的輻射量則由3月18日的大於1微西弗下降至0.783微西弗。X光通常有50微西弗的輻射量。
福山哲郎官房副長官は20日午前のフジテレビ番組などで、東日本大震災で被災した福島第１原子力発電所の冷却作業について「一歩ずつ前進している。（冷却機能を回復する）１、２号機への通電…続き （11:51）
福島2號機恢復供電 將設法恢復機組控制
日本福島核一廠事故，東京電力公司已經從外部架設電纜，使2號機組恢復了供電。接下來將進行機械檢查後恢復機組的控制功能，如果一切順利，將可以從根本上冷卻反應爐及核廢料池。這也是福島核電廠6個反應爐中第一個恢復外部供電的機組。
東京電力公司表示，外部電力已經送達2號機組的總電路系統，今後力爭依次恢復中央控制室照明；反應爐溫度、壓力及輻射量的測定裝置；反應爐冷卻功能；燃料池冷卻功能。
與2號機組共用電路系統的1號機組，在經檢查後也將實施供電作業。目前工作人員正加緊將電纜延伸到靠臨時電源供電的5、6號機組。至於3、4號機組，由於線路鋪設處輻射量過高，作業遇到一些困難。
至於核電廠廠區內的輻射量也有所下降。19日下午2點，2號機組西北500公尺處附近的輻射量為每小時3443微西弗，20日下午4點30分減到每小時2830微西弗。
朱隸文：日本核災最壞的狀況應已過去
2011/03/21 09:01
美國能源部長朱隸文(Steven Chu)20日在CNN電視台的「State of the Union」節目上表示，歐巴馬政府保守預估日本核災最壞的狀況應已過去。他指出，由於福島第一核電廠2號反應爐的輻射量較多，顯示該反應爐的放射性物質可能有些微溢出圍阻艙(containment vessel)，但以輻射量並不是太高的情況來看，洩漏情況應不嚴重。他並指出，其他兩座反應爐的圍阻艙應該仍完好。不過，朱隸文強調，目前仍無法確知實際情形。
國際原子能機構(IAEA)的35位執委將在21日召開特別會議，屆時IAEA總幹事天野之彌(Yukiya Amano)將針對3月19日與日本首相菅直人(Naoto Kan)的會晤結果進行報告。
彭博社21日報導，根據偵測，東京在當地時間20日下午3-4點的輻射量為每小時0.0480微西弗，而介於東京與受損核電廠之間的北茨城市(Kitaibaraki)在同一時間測到的輻射量則由3月18日的大於1微西弗下降至0.783微西弗。X光通常有50微西弗的輻射量。
香港文匯報：注水降溫見效 福島輻射趨零
(日核危機)
http://www.cdnews.com.tw 2011-03-20 11:24:56
日本福島第一核電站的核輻射危機露曙光，經279名工程師不眠不休搶修後，連接5號和6號機組核廢料池的冷卻功能已經恢復，池內溫度正在下降，1至4號反應堆表面溫度亦已降至100℃以下；報道指，2號反應堆也已接上電纜，最快今日開始可以陸續為其餘4個機組的冷卻系統恢復供電。共同社昨晚引述東京消防局消息指，福島核電站附近的輻射水平已降至接近零。
經過搶修之後，於當地時間昨日清晨4時半左右，6號機組的3台緊急發電機有2台已可正常運行，得以和供電正常的5號機組一同進行水循環工作，冷卻核廢料。冷卻系統運作漸見成效，5號機組核廢料池昨晨5時的溫度為攝氏68.8度，4小時後降至67.6度。
鋪設1.5公里電纜 最快今供電
正常情況下，核廢料池溫度應保持在25度以下，但由於電力供應中斷，5、6號機組核廢料池溫度震後逐漸升至超過60度。東電昨日在5號和6號機組的頂部，鑽了3個3至7.5厘米的小洞，防止再發生氫氣爆炸。
工作人員又已鋪設1.5公里長電纜，連接2號機組，經檢查後最快可在今日恢復供電。由於1號和2號使用同一道電線，理論上兩者應可同時恢復電力，但前提是系統正常。東京電力指2號機外部受損較小，意味從外射水較難，故計劃搶先為2號機供電，輸送冷卻水到反應堆，接著是1號、3號及4號機。
1號反應堆降溫 或需時357天
另外，3號機組經過連日射水之後，官房長官枝野幸男表示情況「得到一定程度控制」，並透露正著手準備由自衛隊向4號機核廢料池注水。防相北澤俊美則說，根據自衛隊直升機昨晨5時45分偵測，1至4號機組的表面溫度已降到100度以下，但未知反應堆和冷卻水池的溫度是否也降至同樣溫度。
歐盟能源專員昨日表示，根據國際原子能機構(IAEA)資料，1號反應堆可能需要357天才能降溫，故歐盟決定給予日本政府所需的一切協助。
FocalPoint Consulting Group核能專家穆爾指出，如果冷卻系統的水管、水泵和電線仍能運作，那麼只須數小時便可冷卻反應堆芯，並為核廢料池注水，防止它們過熱。之後，當局便須為設施作損毀及風險評估，為時可能數天；如果沒有發現新問題，核電站的即時危機可以解除。
逾4萬居民測輻射 67人受污染
福島第一核電站發生事故後，截至17日縣內已有逾4.2萬人接受輻射檢查，其中67人證實被檢測出核輻射，主要是在衣鞋上沾有放射性物質，但輻射量不會對健康造成危害，也沒有居民需要進行全身清洗。
敢死隊滅火復電 無名英雄搏命暫解危機 一、二號機組終可來電
 左圖為兩列長長的消防車隊正疾馳在東北災區的道路上。（美聯社）  降溫奏效右圖為日本自衛隊18日以高壓水柱向福島第一核電廠三號機組澆水降溫，力阻核災擴大。（美聯社） |
日本福島第一核電廠核能災變搶救工作，注水與供電雙管齊下，終於露出一線曙光。防衛大臣北澤俊美十九日表示，一到四號機組上空測得的表面溫度都已低於攝氏一百度，顯示廠外注水降溫的作業獲得一定成效。為四座機組恢復供電工程，也正緊鑼密鼓進行，預計近日內就會傳出佳音。
由於危機情勢迫在眉睫，東京電力公司、日本自衛隊、警察廳、東京消防廳、大阪市消防局等，投入大批敢死隊前去滅火，有越來越多的無名英雄主動報名冒死上火線，只為救日本國民脫離爐心熔毀及核爆的威脅。
前去核電廠救災的人都是匿名前往，許多人為了怕家人反對，甚至到出發的前一刻才以簡訊通知家人。有網友說，核電廠四周可說是輻射的地獄，但這批英雄仍視死如歸，抱著「我不入地獄誰入地獄」的決心去支援救災，實在讓人佩服。
東京電力公司為了讓福島第一核電廠的二號機組恢復供電，又徵召了二百七十九名員工前往現場鋪電線，他們必須曝露在輻射能的致死危險中，將輸電線纜連接到二號機組。
穿著防護衣，戴著防護口罩和測量輻射能量的徽章，廿人一組輪流作業，越接近機組輻射物質的量就越高，超過八十微西佛時徽章的警報就會響，一號和二號機組在他們的努力下，總算恢復電力。
不過，前去修復電力設備的工作人員當中，有六人輻射量已超過一百微西弗 (mSv），厚勞省原本限定緊急作業的輻射限量為一百微西弗，但單就這次事故提升到二百五十微西弗。
網友們說，這些英雄明知每個反應爐機組已殘破不堪，救火作業相當困難，仍不顧自己受輻射汙染的危險冒死前往救核災。大家不僅心懷感恩，還同心祈禱盼這批英雄的努力能有效控制災情。
東電指出，已在二號機組廠房外設置配電盤，並繼續向廠房內鋪設外部電纜，預定廿日凌晨零時展開通電程序。一旦確認中央控制室照明、緊急備用的柴油發電機和冷卻系統抽水幫浦功能無損，二號反應器爐心冷卻系統或可在當日恢復運作。
三號機組燃料棒冷卻池注水作業也持續進行，東京消防廳十九日出動一部每分鐘可噴水三噸、水柱高度達廿二公尺的「超級幫浦」消防車支援。
五、六號機組緊急柴油發電機也已恢復工作，燃料棒冷卻池水開始循環，溫度上升的狀況已逐漸緩和，目前控制在七十度以下，但距離正常溫度攝氏廿五度仍有待努力。
9成溺死於海嘯 躲過了地震 被惡水捲走生命
痛失至親 ▲日本宮城縣女川町1名婦女19日跪在街頭，手撫著剛被消防員從斷垣殘壁中搶救出來的屍袋，聲聲呼喚著躺在屍袋裡的母親，哀痛不已。（美聯社）
東日本大地震過後九天，日本媒體昨天首度提到罹難者的關鍵死因，根據《讀賣新聞》報導，千葉大學法醫學教授岩瀨博太郎針對死者進行調查，發現有九成是溺死；且高齡死者中，多數穿了七到八件厚重衣物，且手拿重要物品，說明非因來不及逃難，而是已做好逃難準備，卻因意料外的大海嘯被捲入而淪為波臣。 岩瀨博太郎是在十三日到十六日針對死傷慘重的岩手縣陸前高田市的一二六位死者進行調查，結果發現有九成是因為溺水而亡。這項結果跟一九九五年阪神大地震中有八成是因建築物崩塌被壓死有極大差異。 岩瀨教授檢視屍體時也發現，死者中四成、約九十人的胸部肋骨、頭部、以及手腳等部位都有骨折，應該是被在海嘯中沖走以時速卅到四十公里漂流的汽車強力撞擊，或是在洶湧海嘯中被沖垮的房屋殘骸、木材撞擊所致。 另外，岩瀨也發現，在五十名高齡死者中，多數穿著襯衫、上衣甚至夾克達七到八件，懷裡也帶著印鑑、保險證及相片簿等，還有人帶巧克力，他認為，不是因為來不及逃難，而是已做好了逃難準備，卻因料想之外的大海嘯被捲入水中而淪為波臣。 另外，《讀賣新聞》也報導，曾在一九九五年阪神大地震中出動救災的神戶市消防局，這此也派特搜隊到東北地區救災，但多天來他們在被海嘯肆虐死傷慘重的宮城縣南三陸町搜救時，「不但活人沒救到，連死人也沒發現」，說明這次地震真的與阪神很不一樣。
痛失至親 ▲日本宮城縣女川町1名婦女19日跪在街頭，手撫著剛被消防員從斷垣殘壁中搶救出來的屍袋，聲聲呼喚著躺在屍袋裡的母親，哀痛不已。（美聯社）
東日本大地震過後九天，日本媒體昨天首度提到罹難者的關鍵死因，根據《讀賣新聞》報導，千葉大學法醫學教授岩瀨博太郎針對死者進行調查，發現有九成是溺死；且高齡死者中，多數穿了七到八件厚重衣物，且手拿重要物品，說明非因來不及逃難，而是已做好逃難準備，卻因意料外的大海嘯被捲入而淪為波臣。
岩瀨博太郎是在十三日到十六日針對死傷慘重的岩手縣陸前高田市的一二六位死者進行調查，結果發現有九成是因為溺水而亡。這項結果跟一九九五年阪神大地震中有八成是因建築物崩塌被壓死有極大差異。
岩瀨教授檢視屍體時也發現，死者中四成、約九十人的胸部肋骨、頭部、以及手腳等部位都有骨折，應該是被在海嘯中沖走以時速卅到四十公里漂流的汽車強力撞擊，或是在洶湧海嘯中被沖垮的房屋殘骸、木材撞擊所致。
另外，岩瀨也發現，在五十名高齡死者中，多數穿著襯衫、上衣甚至夾克達七到八件，懷裡也帶著印鑑、保險證及相片簿等，還有人帶巧克力，他認為，不是因為來不及逃難，而是已做好了逃難準備，卻因料想之外的大海嘯被捲入水中而淪為波臣。
另外，《讀賣新聞》也報導，曾在一九九五年阪神大地震中出動救災的神戶市消防局，這此也派特搜隊到東北地區救災，但多天來他們在被海嘯肆虐死傷慘重的宮城縣南三陸町搜救時，「不但活人沒救到，連死人也沒發現」，說明這次地震真的與阪神很不一樣。
311海嘯至少23公尺 高過7層樓
2011.03.20 03:59 am
「讀賣新聞」昨天報導，根據日本最新公布的研究結果，三一一強震後摧毀日本東北部的海嘯，至少有廿三公尺高，以台灣樓房一層樓約三點二公尺算，海嘯高度超過七層樓。
這項調查是日本「港灣空港技術研究所」根據在岩手縣大船渡所做的記錄分析而來，海嘯將這個區域的城鎮，一個個完全沖毀。這項研究是利用地震當天全球定位系統（GPS）和測量工具進行。
根據紀錄，日本最大的海嘯為卅八點二公尺高，出現在一八九六年，當時也是因大地震發起。
311海嘯至少23公尺 高過7層樓
2011.03.20 03:59 am |
「讀賣新聞」昨天報導，根據日本最新公布的研究結果，三一一強震後摧毀日本東北部的海嘯，至少有廿三公尺高，以台灣樓房一層樓約三點二公尺算，海嘯高度超過七層樓。
這項調查是日本「港灣空港技術研究所」根據在岩手縣大船渡所做的記錄分析而來，海嘯將這個區域的城鎮，一個個完全沖毀。這項研究是利用地震當天全球定位系統（GPS）和測量工具進行。
根據紀錄，日本最大的海嘯為卅八點二公尺高，出現在一八九六年，當時也是因大地震發起。
這項調查是日本「港灣空港技術研究所」根據在岩手縣大船渡所做的記錄分析而來，海嘯將這個區域的城鎮，一個個完全沖毀。這項研究是利用地震當天全球定位系統（GPS）和測量工具進行。
根據紀錄，日本最大的海嘯為卅八點二公尺高，出現在一八九六年，當時也是因大地震發起。
日本政府開始疏散撤離福島居民
綜合外國媒體報道，日本首相菅直人當地時間3月19日向最大在野黨自民黨總裁谷垣禎一發出邀請，希望他出任賑災大臣，從而組成朝野各黨聯合的“救國內閣”，但谷垣拒絕了菅直人的邀請。同一天，日本官方首次承認部分農產品已遭受核污染。
菅直人邀請遭在野黨拒絕
19日上午，有報道稱，菅直人在日本首都東京與執政黨民主黨的重要代表人物鳩山由紀夫以及小澤一郎和前原誠司舉行了會談，就邀請在野黨黨首出任內閣成員一事進行了商議，並達成了一致意見。
根據日本內閣法，現在的內閣成員為17人。菅直人計劃增加3個名額，邀請谷垣和公明黨代表山口那津男加入內閣，分別擔任賑災大臣等重要職務，以便組建聯合救國內閣。不過，谷垣當天表示他尚未收到自民黨發出的入閣邀請，而且即便收到也會拒絕。
谷垣說：“根本沒有這樣的事情，我完全不會考慮(加入內閣)。”他同時強調，在自民黨的建議下已經設置了有關賑災的朝野雙方聯席會議，在救災對策和核電站事故應對方面自民黨一定會全力配合。此外，自民黨參院幹事長小坂憲次也已拒絕了組成“救國內閣”的建議。
部分機組的冷卻功能恢復
日本東京電力公司19日繼續從外部向發生核洩露事故的福島第一核電站引入輸電線路，以確保獲得足夠電力來恢復核電站內的冷卻功能。如果進展順利，2號機組有望在20日之前完成供電修復作業。
此外，6號機組的三台緊急發電機中的一台已經恢復運行。再加上未受損的一台，目前可以正常運行的發電機有兩台。這些裝置已經可以通過與供電正常的5號機組一同進行水迴圈作業來冷卻核廢料，並進行注水作業。
有專家指出，冷卻功能的恢復對於乏燃料池具有重要意義。乏燃料池儲存從反應堆中卸出的使用過的核燃料，一般通過水迴圈冷卻這些乏燃料，遮罩輻射。正常情況下，乏燃料池溫度應保持在25攝氏度以下，但由於電力供應中斷，5號和6號機組乏燃料池溫度在震後逐漸升至60攝氏度左右。
日本承認農產品受污染
日本內閣官房長官枝野幸男在19日下午舉行的記者會上宣佈，由於福島縣的牛奶和茨城縣的菠菜已經被超標準的核輻射量污染，日本厚生勞動省已下令禁止這兩種商品的銷售。
枝野表示，污染檢測工作是在18日進行的，結果顯示福島縣的牛奶和茨城縣的菠菜遭受的核輻射量已經超過了日本食品衛生法的相關標準。厚生勞動省隨後向福島縣和茨城縣政府發出了禁止上述商品銷售的命令。
這是福島第一核電站發生核泄漏事故以來，日本政府首次承認農產品受到了污染。枝野強調，災區各級政府一定會加強對農副產品的檢測和檢查，防止受污染的商品流入市場。
福島居民大撤離
日本厚生勞動省19日表示，福島第一核電站方圓20至30公里以內養老院裏的老年人以及尚在住院的全體病患者已經開始疏散，這一行動共涉及大約1500人，他們將被轉移至位於日本中部的栃木、新潟等縣。
此外，首批從福島縣集體撤離的1000多名災民也已經啟程，他們分別來自南相馬市和飯館村，他們的臨時安置點也在栃木縣和新潟縣。福島縣政府表示，已有不少居民自行撤至其他縣市，希望進行集體疏散的只有上述兩個地區，總共有3600多人。
另據日本警方發佈的消息，截至當地時間19日15時，此次日本大地震和海嘯災難已經造成7320人死亡，另有1萬多人下落不明。
三國外長會議召開
第五次中日韓外長會議19日如期在日本京都舉行，中國外長楊潔篪、日本外務大臣松本剛明和南韓外交通商部長官金星煥都出席了會議。松本對中韓兩國向日本大地震災區派出救援隊等幫助表示感謝。會後他透露說，中韓兩國外長針對福島第一核電站事故要求日方在今後也及時進行通報。
會談伊始，松本就三國今後的合作提議說：“希望各方一致將防災和核能安全作為最緊要任務加以應對。”松本在會談仲介紹了日本對核電站事故所採取的措施，三方還就北韓局勢等共同關心的國際問題交換了意見。
三國外長會議舉行之前，松本分別與中韓外長舉行了自他上任以來的首次會談，對兩國所提供的援助表示感謝。楊潔篪強調，中方將根據日方的需要進一步提供援助，他還邀請菅直人和松本在適當的時候訪華。金星煥就此次地震表示：“南韓政府感同身受，將給予最大程度的援助。”
中日韓外長會談由這三國輪流主辦，日本是今年的東道主。三方目前正在就將於5月21日、22日舉行的三國首腦會談進行協調，此次三國外長會議旨在為首腦會談整理議題等。外長會談的日程因大地震而縮短，考察京都市等計劃均被取消。
(來源：中國日報網 柳洪傑 )
Japan Nuclear Fight May Have Turned Corner
By KOSAKU NARIOKA
TOKYO—The battle to bring the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan under control may have turned a corner, with cooling functions at two reactors apparently working again, a development that could ease a nuclear emergency that has gripped the nation for more than a week.
The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric PowerCo., said it got cooling functions at reactors No. 5 and No. 6 working and that temperatures at the spent fuel storage pools at these reactors are closer to regular levels.
More Coverage of the Japan Earthquake
Also Sunday, the utility reported some success in hosing down the troubled No. 3 reactor, the focus of the most intense efforts to keep the temperature of radioactive material under control. The radiation level there had fallen to 2,758 microsieverts per hour late Saturday versus 3,443 microsieverts earlier in the day. The more recent level is just above the highest recommended level of exposure per year, according to U.S. guidelines.
Officials also said they restored power cables to the troubled No. 1 and No. 2 reactors and hoped to restore power later Sunday.
Japan's Self Defense Force started shooting water Sunday at the plant's No. 4 reactor, though this operation was later halted. The SDF was trying to direct water into the reactor's spent fuel tank to help cool fuel rods and keep them immersed in water to prevent them from overheating and releasing more radioactive material.
The United Nation's nuclear watchdog said Saturday that the nuclear accident at the plant hasn't widened in the past three days and that the risk of a worst-case-scenario meltdown is now reducing day by day, though the situation still is very serious.
"I prefer not to speculate about the future, but as days go by, the risk of a total meltdown is reducing," said Graham Andrew, special adviser to the International Atomic Energy Agency's director general, at a press briefing in Vienna, adding "there are still risks that it could get worse."
Underscoring the lingering risk, Tokyo Electric, known as Tepco, said Sunday morning local time that high radiation levels are delaying the restoration of power to the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors, which have been the main focus of concern in recent days because of the fear that pools of spent fuel rods stored there could overheat, resulting in the release of radioactive material.
While the No. 5 and No. 6 reactors are the least problematic of all of the reactors that were slammed by a tsunami after a magnitude 9.0 quake rocked northeastern Japan on March 11, the fact that Tepco has managed to make progress in keeping their temperatures down is a major step in helping to contain the threat of overheating and the possibility of further radiation leakage.
As of early Sunday, the temperature in the pool at reactor No. 5 was 37.1 degrees Celsius, while the temperature for reactor No. 6 was 41.0 degrees, Tepco said. Japan's nuclear regulatory agency said that the temperature in the pool Saturday at reactor No. 5 was 48 degrees and 67 degrees at reactor No. 6.
A typical spent fuel pool is kept at a temperature below 25 degrees Celsius under normal operating conditions.
Power for reactors No. 1 and No. 2 were initially expected to be restored Saturday afternoon, but moved back the timing as workers had to shield many pieces of equipment from the water spraying operations.
Another Tepco spokesman said on Saturday that in order to supply power to all of the reactors all of the cables need to be connected and checked along with other equipment.
Even if cables and other equipment function properly, to operate the reactor's cooling system the company will first have to check that all the equipment used in the system still works, the spokesman said.
—Mari Iwata, Juro Osawa and Flemming Emil Hansen contributed to this article.Reeling From Crises, Japan Approaches Familiar Crossroads
By NORIMITSU ONISHI
Published: March 19, 2011
TOKYO — Such was the power of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake on March 11 that it bent the tip of Tokyo Tower, the 1,093-foot Eiffel-like structure that has stood as the symbol of Japan’s postwar rebirth for half a century. For the first time since it was erected in 1958, the tower no longer points directly upward, the direction that Japan followed for much of its history after World War II.
Shiho Fukada for The New York Times
2011 Kesennuma and much of northeastern Japan were struck by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and the tsunami that it set off.
Related
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Times Topic: Japan — Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Crisis (2011)
Associated Press
1923 An estimated 140,000 people were killed in an earthquake that devastated Tokyo, a city then largely built of wood.
The earthquake, whose epicenter was more than 200 miles north of here, and the resulting nuclear crisis, will change this nation. The open question is how, and how much. Will it, along with the bent Tokyo Tower, be a final marker of an irreversible decline? Or will it be an opportunity to draw on the resilience of a people repeatedly tested by calamity to reshape Japan — in the mold of either the left or the right? This disaster, like the 1923 Tokyo earthquake and the 1995 Kobe earthquake, could well signal a new era.
Among the concerns raising questions are the shrinking, starting in 2005, of Japan’s population, the country’s loss to China last year of its vaunted status as the world’s second-largest economy and the aggressive pursuit of nuclear power.
Japan’s economy is likely to suffer, at least in the short term, as power disruptions hobble its industries. If the reactors do melt down, in the worst case, or even if there is a steady release of radioactive vapor, there are implications for public health; on Saturday, the Japanese government announced that some foodstuffs from farms near the nuclear plant contained elevated levels of radiation. Japan’s reputation — and its self-image — as an efficient, prosperous and smoothly functioning society has been dealt a blow.
“It’s not an exaggeration to say that we will think of Japan in terms of pre-earthquake and post-earthquake because it has already fundamentally changed Japanese society,” said Yasuyuki Shimizu, a 39-year-old who has drawn attention in Japan for the work of his organization, Life Link, in preventing suicides. “The values of postwar Japan, and the postwar feeling of security, also now lie in ruins. Whether Japan will change in a positive or negative way, we don’t know yet.”
But others argue that the long-term impact on Japan will be more limited — so long as the troubled reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, about 170 miles north of here, do not suffer a complete meltdown and affect Tokyo, the nation’s heart. Despite the psychological shock to the nation, the earthquake and tsunami devastated a thinly populated region far from Tokyo and the nation’s other center of gravity, Osaka in western Japan.
“If the nuclear problem doesn’t get bigger, and there’s no panic in the Tokyo area, and no curfew that’s imposed, I don’t think this disaster will be remembered as that significant an incident,” said Eiji Oguma, 49, a professor of policy management at Keio University, adding that he thought it would be compared instead with the 1995 Kobe earthquake, which, rather than spurring lasting change, came to be seen as a symbol of the end of Japan’s bubble era.
Still others saw the disaster as a moment for change, including Takafumi Horie, 38, an entrepreneur who lost his Internet company, Livedoor, in 2006 on minor charges of securities fraud after brashly challenging the business establishment.
“It’s possible that this calamity will rid Japan of its old order,” Mr. Horie, now one of Japan’s most popular authors and bloggers, wrote in an e-mail, adding, “It’s an opportunity to build a new Japan.”
But first is the rebuilding. There are many factors working against Japan’s ability to carry it out as successfully as it has in the past: the absence of strong national leadership, the country’s declining economic strength and the simple lack of young people in the northern region.
When Japan resurrected itself after even bigger disasters, like the 1923 earthquake that destroyed Tokyo or the war that ended with the atomic destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan was a vigorous, young and growing country, said Kazutoshi Hando, 80, a historian of the period between the Meiji Restoration in 1868, when Japan began its drive to modernize, and World War II. Today, the population is expected to keep shrinking.
Dozens of Reactors in Quake Zones
Japan, Taiwan Account for Most Sites in High-Activity Areas; 'Large Margins of Safety' Factored In at U.S. Plants
By MAURICE TAMMAN, BEN CASSELMAN and PAUL MOZUR
Dozens of nuclear reactors operate in earthquake-prone regions around the world, including at least 14 in high-hazard areas, a Wall Street Journal analysis shows.
Most of those plants are in just two places: Japan and Taiwan, both islands with limited natural resources that have chosen the risks of nuclear calamity over complete dependence on foreign sources of energy.
Threat by Land and Sea
Dozens of nuclear reactors operate in earthquake-prone regions around the world. Among them, least 14 are in high-hazard areas. See a map and database of all of them.
Both are now being forced to re-evaluate that calculation amid Japan's unfolding nuclear crisis. A poll in Taiwan taken Monday—four days after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Japan triggered massive devastation and deadly tsunamis—showed that 55% of respondents lacked confidence in the island's nuclear facilities.
The Wall Street Journal looked at the location of more than 400 nuclear reactors across the world—as well as another 100 that are either planned or being built—using data provided by the World Nuclear Association, a London-based industry group. The Journal then used data from the Global Seismic Hazard Program, a 1999 study by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Swiss Seismological Service, to determine the earthquake risk at each plant.
According to the analysis, 48 of the world's operating nuclear reactors, or 11%, are in areas known to have at least moderate earthquake activity. These include the Fukushima Daiichi reactors at the center of Japan's nuclear crisis. Fourteen, or 3%, are in areas of high activity. Ten of those are located within a mile of a coastline, making them at risk for both earthquakes and tsunamis.
Japan and Taiwan together account for 10 of the 14 high-activity reactors. But the U.S. has two reactors in such areas and Slovenia and Armenia has one each. Armenia has another planned.
The nuclear industry says reactors world-wide are built to withstand the most powerful quakes thought possible at each location, plus usually an added safety factor in case those projections are wrong. The Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan apparently survived last week's powerful earthquake intact, only to fall victim to the aftermath.
"There are large margins of safety factored into our plants," said Tom Kauffman, a spokesman for the Nuclear Energy Institute, a U.S. trade group.
Late Friday, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued an information notice that represents its first official attempt to explain the event at Fukushima Daiichi to operators of the 104 commercial reactors licensed in the U.S.
The notice also included a recitation of steps American regulators have taken, over the years, to make sure that reactors are prepared for natural disasters or other extraordinary events–a section intended to reassure the public that U.S. regulators and industry are prepared. Preparation includes the development, the NRC said, for restoring cooling water to reactor vessels and spent fuel pools, both of which have suffered failures in Japan.
Of the more than 100 nuclear reactors in the U.S., only the two at Diablo Canyon Power Plant on the central California coast, are in a high-activity area. The Humboldt Bay plant on California's northern coast, was shut down in 1976 because of earthquake fears but still holds some spent nuclear fuel on the site.
Kory Raftery, a spokesman for Diablo Canyon operator Pacific Gas & Electric Co., said the plant is designed to withstand a 7.5-magnitude quake from the nearby San Andreas fault. Several other less well-known faults run even closer to the plant, including one less than a mile away that was discovered in 2008, but the reactors have been tested to withstand projected quakes from those as well.
But scientists sometimes have underestimated how powerful quakes can be. The temblor that struck Japan was more than 10 times bigger than the Daiichi plant had been tested to withstand. In 2007, the world's biggest nuclear plant, Japan's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, was damaged after it was hit by a quake far stronger than its designers anticipated.
Antinuclear activists in Japan have long warned that the country's reactors are more vulnerable to earthquakes than operators and government regulators acknowledge.
"A nuclear disaster which the promoters of nuclear power in Japan said wouldn't happen is in progress," said the Citizens' Nuclear Information Center, an antinuclear group based in Tokyo, in a statement this week.
Nuclear power has also been controversial in Taiwan, where all four of the island's existing reactors are built near major fault lines. Two more reactors are under construction near the densely populated cities of Taipei and New Taipei.
The Atomic Energy Council, Taiwan's nuclear regulator, said all its plants are built to withstand earthquakes of magnitude 7 or above and tsunamis of 12 to 15 meters. Both the regulator and government-owned nuclear operator Taiwan Power Company have pledged to take quick steps to increase safety margins if necessary.
Energy experts say it may be hard for Japan and Taiwan to move away from nuclear power. "Developing nuclear is a way to both diversify and reduce dependence on imported oil gas and coal," said Jone-Lin Wang, managing director of global power for the energy consulting firm IHS CERA and a native of Taiwan.
To be sure, most countries have tried to locate nuclear plants outside of quake zones.
"There are not that many places where reactors are built on these major fault zones," said Ben van der Pluijm, a geologist at the University of Michigan. "Japan is probably the poster child."
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