Japan Nuclear Meltdown

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  7.3 Magnitude Quake Rattles East Japan, No Tsunami Risk

  A strong 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan's east coast late Saturday, rattling the region hit by the powerful 2011 quake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown just weeks before the disaster's 10th anniversary.

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  Woman Breaks Silence Among Fukushima Thyroid Cancer Patients

  She's 21, has thyroid cancer, and wants people in her prefecture in northeastern Japan to get screened for it. That statement might not seem provocative, but her prefecture is Fukushima, and of the 173 young people with confirmed or suspected cases since the 2011 nuclear meltdowns there, she is the first to speak out.

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  Fukushima Nuclear Plant Chief Says 'No Textbook' For Clean Up

  The man leading the daunting task of dealing with the Fukushima nuclear plant that sank into meltdowns in northeastern Japan warns with surprising candour: Nothing can be promised.

• Japan nuke crisis crew not told of danger: Worker

  The operator of a Japanese nuclear plant that went into a tsunami-triggered meltdown knew the risks from highly radioactive water at the site but sent in crews without adequate protection or warnings, a worker said in a legal complaint.

• Crowds rally in Tokyo for end to nuclear power

  Tens of thousands of people rallied at a Tokyo park on Monday demanding that Japan abandon nuclear power as the country prepares to restart another reactor shut down after last year's tsunami-generated meltdown at the Fukushima power plant.

• Japan's nuclear disaster: A timeline

  As Japan marks the first anniversary of the quake-tsunami that triggered meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear plant, here are key developments in the worst atomic accident since Chernobyl in 1986.

• Japan ministers were warned of Fukushima meltdown: Report

  Japan was on Saturday preparing to mark the first anniversary of its tsunami, as government papers revealed ministers were warned of the possibility of meltdowns at Fukushima just after the waves struck.

• Japan plans to scrap nuclear plants after 40 years

  Japan says it will soon require atomic reactors to be shut down after 40 years of use to improve safety following the nuclear crisis set off by last year's tsunami. Concern about aging reactors has been growing because the three units at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant in northeastern Japan that went into meltdown following the tsunami in March were ...

• Japan: Most plant workers evacuated, radiation levels rise

  Japan's nuclear crisis verged toward catastrophe on Tuesday after an explosion damaged the vessel containing the nuclear core at one reactor and a fire at another spewed large amounts of radioactive material into the air, according to statements from Japanese government and industry officials.In a brief morning address to the nation Tokyo time, Pri...

• Emergency cooling effort failing at Japanese reactor, deepening crisis

  Japan's struggle to contain the crisis at a stricken nuclear power plant worsened sharply early Tuesday morning, as emergency operations to pump seawater into one crippled reactor failed at least temporarily, increasing the risk of an uncontrolled release of radioactive material, officials said. With the cooling systems malfunctioning simultaneousl...

• Meltdown threat rises at Japanese nuclear plant

  Water levels dropped precipitously Monday inside a stricken Japanese nuclear reactor, twice leaving the uranium fuel rods completely exposed and raising the threat of a meltdown, hours after a hydrogen explosion tore through the building housing a different reactor.Water levels were restored after the first decrease but the rods remained exposed la...

• Japan: Scramble at reactor after new blast

  The risk of partial meltdown at a stricken nuclear power plant in Japan increased on Monday as cooling systems failed at a third reactor, possibly exposing its fuel rods, only hours after a second explosion at a separate reactor blew the roof off a containment building. (Read: Second explosion at Fukushima nuclear plant)The widening problems unders...

• The mechanics of a partial nuclear meltdown

  The difference between a partial meltdown and a full meltdown at a nuclear plant is enormous, both in the degree of damage and in the potential release of radiation, experts in nuclear power said. A partial meltdown, like those suspected at two reactors in northeastern Japan over the weekend, may not necessarily mean that any of the uranium fuel in...

• Japan scrambles to prevent full meltdown at crippled nuclear reactors

  Three days after a massive earthquake and tsunami, the Japanese authorities were still struggling on Sunday to avoid full meltdowns at a plant with two stricken reactors on Japan's coast. (See Pics: Japan quake triggers Tsunami)As of Sunday night, technicians' increasingly desperate measures to keep the reactors from overheating, and possibly melti...

• Japan quake: Officials scramble to avert meltdowns as nuclear crisis deepens

  Japanese officials struggled on Sunday to contain a widening nuclear crisis in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake and tsunami, saying they presumed that partial meltdowns had occurred at two crippled reactors and that they were bracing for a second explosion, even as they faced serious cooling problems at four more reactors. (Watch: Explosio...