A 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit early Friday morning at the nuclear facility which suffered catastrophic meltdowns during the 2011 tsunami in Japan.
Officials with Tokyo Electric Power Company said they observed no abnormality in radiation after the quake according to the Japanese news agency Kyodo News. Continue reading
Over 400,000 people have been forced to leave their homes after Typhoon Man-yi struck central Japan.
The Japanese Meteorological Agency said the country received “an unprecedented amount of rainfall” in central prefectures of Kyoto, Fukui and Shiga. In some places three inches of rain fell per hour. Continue reading
A day after the Japanese government announced plans to fund an “ice wall” to keep radioactive material from the damaged Fukushima nuclear reactor facility from reaching the ocean, officials admitted that radiation levels at the site of a leak is 20% higher than previously mentioned.
The current level around the most recent leak is 2200 millisieverts, enough to give a lethal dose of radiation to a human without hours if they had no protective materials. Continue reading
After various worldwide news sources discovered the leaking of contaminated water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant was worse than previously known, the Japanese government has pledged to create an “ice wall” that will stop damage to the environment.
The “wall” would be a series of pipes placed in the ground that will contain coolant materials aimed at freezing the Earth around the facility. Government scientists believe this will keep radioactive water from seeping into the groundwater or flowing into the ocean. Continue reading
A radioactive water leak at the damaged Fukushima nuclear facility in Japan has forced the country’s nuclear agency to raise the alert level of the problem.
The International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale first listed the leak as a level one, lowest on the seven point scale. The Japanese government now says the leak should be considered level three. Continue reading
One Japan’s most active volcanoes erupted in one of its largest eruptions Sunday.
The volcano shot an ash plume at least 16,000 feet into the air according to the Kagoshima Local Meteorological Observatory. The plume was the largest recorded plume in the volcano’s history. (Records began in 1955.) Large rocks were spotted flying from the mouth of the volcano. Continue reading
A strong earthquake hit the same northern Japan region Sunday that was devastated by a massive quake and tsunami over 2 years ago.
The 6.0 magnitude quake began shortly after midday, 30 miles below the seabed off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture. Continue reading
Japan’s industrial output fell sharply in June, dealing a blow to a government trying to jump start the nation’s ailing economy.
Industrial output fell 3.3% in June when compared to May. The output was 4.8% below the June 2012 levels. At the same time, consumer household spending fell 0.4% in June when analysts had expected a climb of 1%. Continue reading
The recently discovered H7N9 bird flu has now infected a second country.
Taiwan reported its first confirmed case of the virus Wednesday. A 53-year-old man is in critical condition at a hospital according to the Centers for Disease Control. The man had been working in China and returned to Taiwan via Shanghai. Continue reading
A week of earthquakes across Japan is heading into the weekend with a 7.0 magnitude quake.
The major quake, which fortunately did not spark a tsunami, comes two days after a 6.2 magnitude quake that struck about 110 miles south of Tokyo. Continue reading
