5.3 Earthquake Hits Near Fukushima Nuclear Plant

A 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit Japan today near the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Fukushima has badly damaged during the earthquake and subsequent tsunami back in March of 2011 and has been the source of constant worry in Japan. The earthquake today struck about 110 miles northeast of Tokyo and 13 miles under the Fukushima Prefecture.

According to the AFP, the epicentre of the earthquake was about 30 miles southwest of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company told Kyodo News that it was monitoring the power plant and that it had not seen any irregularities. TEPCO said that the plant did not receive any damage during today’s earthquake.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center pegged the earthquake at a magnitude of 5.3 while the Japan Meteorological Agency said that it was a 5.8 magnitude earthquake. Both agencies said that there was no risk of a tsunami.

The 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit just hours after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took a tour of the Fukushima nuclear plant. After the tour, Shinzo Abe ordered TEPCO to shut down all six reactors at the plant in order to focus on the radioactive water leaks.

Abe said: “I told (TEPCO) to ensure decommissioning of reactors No. 5 and 6 so that they can concentrate more on dealing with the accident… One of the main purposes of this visit was to see it for myself, after I made those remarks on how the contaminated water has been handled.”