Japan issues emergency at nuke plant; no leak

Tokyo: Japan declared a state of emergency Friday at a nuclear power plant after its cooling system failed following a massive earthquake. There was no radiation leak.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the measure was a precaution and that the Fukushima No.1 power plant was not in immediate danger. The plant has shut down.

The plant experienced a mechanical failure in the system needed to cool the reactor after a power failure during Friday's earthquake. The reactor core remains hot and requires cooling after a shutdown.

"We launched the measure so we can be fully prepared for the worst scenario," he said. "We are using all our might to deal with the situation."

It was the first time Japan has declared a state of emergency at a nuclear power plant.

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Fukushima is just south of the worst-hit Miyagi prefecture, where a fire broke out at another nuclear plant. The blaze was in a turbine building at one of the Onagawa power plants; smoke could be seen coming out of the building, which is separate from the plant's reactor, Tohoku Electric Power Co. said.

Another plant at Onagawa is experiencing a water leak.

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The U.S. Geological Survey said the 2:46 p.m. quake was a magnitude 8.9, the biggest earthquake to hit Japan since officials began keeping records in the late 1800s.

A tsunami warning was issued for a number of Pacific, Southeast Asian and Latin American nations.