Timeline of the Fukushima Daini nuclear accidents
Encyclopedia
The Fukushima II nuclear accidents occurred after the 9.0 magnitude 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
on 11 March. This offshore earthquake
near the island of Honshu produced a large tsunami
in Japan, and a tsunami warning for over 20 countries. The earthquake triggered the shut down
all four of the reactors at the Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant and limited problems. By contrast, 11.5 kilometres (7.1 mi) away at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, one of the worst nuclear accidents in history unfolded.
(JST), unless noted, which is UTC plus nine hours.
??:??: Tsunami.
16:00: The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency
of Japan (NISA) initiates an emergency headquarters in an attempt to gather information on the 55 nuclear reactors in Japan. There is no report that radiation was detected outside plant borders.
15:30: Evacuation of residents within 3 km of Fukushima II and within 10 km of Fukushima I are underway.
21:40: The evacuation zone around Fukushima I is extended to 20 km, while the evacuation zone around Fukushima II is extended to 10 km.
A sound truck driven by members of an Uyoku dantai
group deliberately crashed through the front gate to the plant, then drove around the premises for 10 minutes before being stopped. The truck's occupants were arrested and required nuclear decontamination.
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
on 11 March. This offshore earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
near the island of Honshu produced a large tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
in Japan, and a tsunami warning for over 20 countries. The earthquake triggered the shut down
Scram
A scram or SCRAM is an emergency shutdown of a nuclear reactor – though the term has been extended to cover shutdowns of other complex operations, such as server farms and even large model railroads...
all four of the reactors at the Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant and limited problems. By contrast, 11.5 kilometres (7.1 mi) away at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, one of the worst nuclear accidents in history unfolded.
Timeline
Times are given in Japan Standard TimeJapan Standard Time
Japan Standard Time or JST is the standard timezone of Japan, and is 9 hours ahead of UTC. For example, when it is midnight in UTC, it is 09:00 in Japan Standard Time. There is no daylight saving time, though its introduction has been debated several times. Japan Standard Time is the same as...
(JST), unless noted, which is UTC plus nine hours.
Friday, 11 March
14:46: A 9.0 magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of Honshu Island at a depth of about 24 kilometres (14.9 mi).??:??: Tsunami.
16:00: The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency
Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency
The is a Japanese nuclear regulatory and oversight branch of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. It was created in 2001 during the 2001 Central Government Reform. It has a main office in Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo that works with the...
of Japan (NISA) initiates an emergency headquarters in an attempt to gather information on the 55 nuclear reactors in Japan. There is no report that radiation was detected outside plant borders.
Saturday, 12 March
04:30: Officials declare a heightened state of alert for Fukushima II and a state of nuclear emergency for Fukushima I.15:30: Evacuation of residents within 3 km of Fukushima II and within 10 km of Fukushima I are underway.
21:40: The evacuation zone around Fukushima I is extended to 20 km, while the evacuation zone around Fukushima II is extended to 10 km.
Sunday, 13 March
10:35: Fukushima II Unit 3 is confirmed as shutdown, cold and safe.- At Fukushima II, one worker is confirmed to have died in a crane accident, with four others injured. Fukushima II Units 1, 2, and 4 were being powered by offsite power.
Monday, 14 March
13:15: Fukushima II Unit 1 cooling system has been restored, with work continuing on Units 2 and 4.Wednesday, 16 March
19:50: The radiation level at Fukushima II power station (10km south of Fukushima I) is measured at 28.6 µSv/hour. refWednesday, 30 March
Smoke escaped from the Fukushima II nuclear plant. The smoke was being emitted from equipment which supplies power to a motor pump that collects outdoor water and stopped after workers turned off the motor.A sound truck driven by members of an Uyoku dantai
Uyoku dantai
Uyoku dantai are Japanese nationalist right-wing groups.In 1996, the National Police Agency estimated that there are over 1000 right wing groups in Japan with about 100,000 members in total.-Tennō period:...
group deliberately crashed through the front gate to the plant, then drove around the premises for 10 minutes before being stopped. The truck's occupants were arrested and required nuclear decontamination.
Saturday, 2 April
All four reactors of Fukushima II confirmed to be in cold shutdown and should remain that way as long as nothing disrupts the cooling.See also
- 2011 Japanese nuclear accidents2011 Japanese nuclear accidentsThis is a list of articles describing aspects of the nuclear shut-downs, failures, and nuclear meltdowns triggered by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.-Fukushima nuclear power plants:* Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant...
- Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disasterFukushima Daiichi nuclear disasterThe is a series of equipment failures, nuclear meltdowns, and releases of radioactive materials at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, following the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011. The plant comprises six separate boiling water reactors originally designed by General Electric ,...
- 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunamiThe 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
- List of civilian nuclear incidents (2010s)
- Lists of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents
- Nuclear safetyNuclear safetyNuclear safety covers the actions taken to prevent nuclear and radiation accidents or to limit their consequences. This covers nuclear power plants as well as all other nuclear facilities, the transportation of nuclear materials, and the use and storage of nuclear materials for medical, power,...
External links
- TEPCO News Releases, Tokyo Electric Power Company
- TEPCO near real-time radiation sensor data in English and Japanese; brief instructions for English-speaking readers on how to interpret the Japanese table data
- NISA Information update, Nuclear and Industrial Safety AgencyNuclear and Industrial Safety AgencyThe is a Japanese nuclear regulatory and oversight branch of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. It was created in 2001 during the 2001 Central Government Reform. It has a main office in Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo that works with the...
, the nuclear safety authority of Japan - JAIF Information update, Japan Atomic Industrial Forum
- JAEA Information update, Japan Atomic Energy AgencyJapan Atomic Energy AgencyThe was formed October 1, 2005 by a merger of two previous semi-governmental organizations. While it inherited the activities of both PNC and JAERI, it also inherited the nickname of JAERI, "Genken" 原研, an abbreviated word for "nuclear research"....
- IAEA Update on Japan Earthquake, International Atomic Energy AgencyInternational Atomic Energy AgencyThe International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957...
- Japanese Nuclear Emergency: EPA's Radiation Air Monitoring