Tokyo, March 20: Japan’s government has raised the possibility that the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant may be decommissioned as it is in no condition to be restarted.
“As the government has [nuclear energy] authorities, it’s difficult for me to say anything definite before following the appropriate procedures,” Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said at a media conference in response to a question about whether the government plans to close the plant.
“Looking at the plant from an objective point of view, I think it’s clear in a way if the Fukushima Daiichi [No. 1] plant is in a state of being able to function or not,” Channel NewsAsia quoted Edano as saying.
On March 11, an 8.9-magnitude earthquake, off the northeast coast of Japan’s main island, unleashed a 23-foot (7-meter) tsunami and was followed by more than 50 aftershocks for hours.
The earthquake set off nuclear problems by knocking out power to the cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
Since then four of the plant’s six reactor units have witnessed fires, explosions or partial meltdowns.
On Saturday, Japan’s government said a sample of tap water from Tokyo contained radioactive iodine, but the amount was below the tolerable limit for food and drink.
Japanese authorities have also halted sale of food from near quake-hit Fukushima prefecture because radiation above the national safety level have been found in spinach and milk produced in the area.
The government has ordered the evacuation of about 200,000 people living in a 20-kilometer (12.4-mile) area around the plant, and told people living between 20 kilometers and 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the plant to remain indoors.
Japan’s National Police Agency announced on Saturday that 8,133 people have been confirmed dead but 12,272 remain missing. However, unofficial sources put the death toll at well above 20,000.
The number of casualties is expected to rise as a cold snap has hit the country’s northeastern parts and 452,000 people have also been left homeless.
The March 11 quake is now considered Japan’s deadliest natural disaster since the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, which killed more than 142,000 people.
—–Agencies