Smoke pours from the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture on July 16. KYODO PHOTO

The malfunctions and a delay in reporting them following the July 16 6.8-magnitude temblor fueled concerns about the safety of the nation's 55 nuclear reactors, which have suffered a string of accidents and cover-ups.

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is the world's largest nuclear plant in power output capacity. Japan's nuclear plants supply about 30 percent of the country's electricity, but its dependence on nuclear power is coupled with misgivings over safety.

The power plant suffered broken pipes, water leaks and spills of radioactive waste when it was hit by the quake, the plant's operator said.

Signs of problems, however, came first not from the officials, but in a plume of smoke that rose up when the quake triggered a small fire at an electrical transformer.

It was announced 12 hours later that the magnitude 6.8 temblor caused a leak of about 1,200 liters of water containing radioactive material. Officials said the water leak was well within safety standards. The water was flushed into the sea.

The company also said a small amount of radioactive materials cobalt-60 and chromium-51 had been emitted into the atmosphere from an exhaust stack.

Across town, more than 8,000 residents hunkered down in shelters. The death toll — nine, with one person missing — was not expected to rise significantly. Most of the newer parts of town escaped damage.

The Japan Times Weekly: July 21, 2007
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