March 21, 2011

The nuclear power plants in Japan after the March 11 , 2011 earthquakes could become a major nuclear disaster.
Keep watching this page for updates and insights by Raymond Rouse on the issues from a nuke scientist's point of view.

Continuing Updates:

IAEA Status of Fukushima

INES Leaflet on Nuclear Accidents

Continuing Updates on Earthquakes around the world

February 29, 2012
Government feared nuclear crisis would engulf Tokyo, report shows

Fukushima's 'cold' reactors pose a constant threat

Containing Fukushima: Saving Japan from Itself (Part 1)

Containing Fukushima: Saving Japan from Itself (Part 2)

Fukushima contamination 'chronic and lasting'

February 28, 2012
Fukushima Nuclear Plant: Japan leaders feared 'Devil's Chain Reaction'

CNN: Look inside Fukushima's meltdown zone (video)

Fukushima nuke plant still vulnerable, says plant chief

CBS News: Japan government "collasped" during nuke crisis- Report- Details just beginning to emerge- Officials overwhelmed, terrified

NYT: Top Japan official warned of "denomic chain reaction" after Daiichi meltdowns- "We would lose Fukushima Daimi, then we would lose Tokai"- "We would lose Tokyo itself"

Yomiuri Jet Flyer: Walls of 'other structures' at Fukushima plant were also blown away

February 27, 2012
NRC officials suspected a 'detonation at Reactor No. 1 weeks before Gunderson postulated that scenario at No. 3

US Dept. of Energy memo indicates 'after-shock' resulted in explosion at Reactor No. 1: NRC Chairman

3 mayors snub Hosoni, Hirano over radioactive storage plan

February 26, 2012
Japan nuclear agency says hospital was too busy to properly treat victims after Fukushima

Watch: NHK Japan shows aerial footage at Fukushima- Helps grasp amount of contaminated liquid at plant (video)

February 25, 2012
Reports of nuclear fuel road pieces being ejected from Fukushima reactors and /or spent fuel rods

February 24, 2012
Asahi Source: Locations in chiba came under heavy nuclear fallout; Borders Tokyo- Contamination has potential to affect ecosystems

February 23, 2012
BBC's 'Inside the Meltdown': I'm getting 100 millisieverts here! 100 millisieverts: "Everyone not working take cover in the truck!" (Video)

NRC Transcript: Evacuation zone "would possibly have to get beyond 50 miles"

Kyodo: " Potentially up to six spent-fuel pools in a degraded condition-NRC Transcript

Okinawa snow event canceled over radiation fears

February 22, 2012
Gunderson in Japan: 1,000,000 additional cancers from Fukushima over next 20 years- Based on university studies at Three Mile Island

Report indicated five Fukushima workers have most likely received a fatal dose of radiation- NRC Transcript

February 21, 2012
NHK: 42% of residents' radiation exposure tops annual limits- Survey excluded people working in places with high radioactivity

February 20, 2012
Tokyo Professor: government was in fact lying to us constantly

February 19, 2012
Canada denies refugee status to Japanese trying to excape Fukushina radiation

February 18, 2012
Prime Minister Kan considered possiblility of all six reactors melting down- "Up until around March 15, we were losing ground to the invisible eneny- Japan Times

February 17, 2012
Radiation attatched to face of Fukushima worker around Reactor No. 3 who waas collecting debris

February 16, 2012
Tepco no longer monitoring thermometer- Temperature remains steady- Will stop added water injections if government says it's reasonable

February 15, 2012
Fukushima nuclear Disaster: Plant planned tsunami risk assessment, but too late

WSJ: Troubling questions raised by thermometer at No. 2

Mainichi: Japan government seeking more date to treat people with radiation exposure

Officials defends secrecy over worst-case nuclear disaster scenario

February 14, 2012
Japanese medical experts deeply concerned about children's radiation exposure- 51% of kids contaminated with cesium-137 at Fukushima hospital

M6 quake hits eastern Japan; Fukushima nuclear plant safe

February 13, 2012
Bloomberg: Reactor No. 2 temperature breaches safety level- Now almost double Feb. 1 level

Mystery: Radioactive black substance reported 25km from Fukushima

February 12, 2012
Official: Flakes fell like show after first Fukushima explosion " it was like a movie"

February 11, 2012
NHR: Tepco "believes" Reactor No. 2 is in a state of cold shutdown (video)

February 10, 2012
Japan Media: "Wasteland" at Fukushima Daimi perfect place for Tepco to set-up decomtamination factory

February 9, 2012
Officials make first inspection of Fukushima Daini: Still using temporary cooling- Cores dinn't "seriously" overheat- Most important task is keeping reactors in 'cold shutdown'

February 8, 2012
Former Prime Minister's special adviser: Fukushima "opened Pandora's box"- Crisis far from resolved

Japan Times: "Massive amounts of slurry, a mixture of sand and water, have been prepared to contain radioactive materials as a last resort"

Guardian on Cold Shutdown: Top official conceded they have 'no idea' about location of molten fuel, but 'assume' it is resting at bottom of containment vessels-Tepco: No. 2 temp "seems to be close to peaking out"

February 7, 2012
Tepco: Recriticality "probably" did not occur at Reactor No. 2- "difficult to judge" whether temperature rising or falling

Bloomberg: "Nuclear reaction threat" as temperature rises- head of Japan nuke institute: "Nobody is sure about the location of melted fuel- a similar incident will probably occur again"

U.S. government kept worst-case Fukushima scenario secret from public- "Possibility of radiation exceeding safe levels for thyroid doses in Alaska"

February 6, 2012
Asahi: Tepco checking if "chain of nuclear fission has occurred again in melted fuel" at Reactor No. 2 after temperature rises sharply

FOX DC: Temperature soars mysteriously inside Fukushima nuclear plant, despite pumping in more water

February 5, 2012
FNN": Temperature rising at Reactor No. 2 pressure vessel (video)- Fukushima worker more worried about No. 2 than No. 4

February 4, 2012
Yomiuri Headline: 573 deaths "related to nuclear crisis"

Professor on NHK: Study to help look at what Fukushima's impact on humans might be 300 years from now (video)

February 3, 2012
More leaks found at crippled Japan Nuclear Plant

Official admits decontamination only for reducing EXTERNAL exposure to radiation........

February 2, 2012
Reuters: Major new leak at Japan's nuclear plant- Frozen pipe burst in Reactor No. 4- Tepco checking other reactors for similar problems

February 1, 2012
Asahi column: Nuclear explosion at Unit No. 3 would have blown reator vessel to pieces

Tepco sends emergency email to journalists: Leakage at Reactor No. 4- "They assume the water is from the well of the reactor"

Mayor of village near Fukushima plant urges residents to return to homes

January 2012 Updates

December 2011 Updates

November 2011 Updates

October 2011 Updates

September 2011 Updates

August 2011 Updates

July 2011 Updates

June 2011 Updates

April 27 - May 31, 2011 Updates

April 18 - 26, 2011 Updates

April 10 - 17, 2011 Updates

April 2 - 9, 2011 Updates

March 27 - April 1, 2011 Updates

March 11 - 26, 2011 Updates