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A reactor cooling system malfunctioned at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in Japan on Friday, prompting the country to declare a nuclear emergency in the aftermath of the large earthquake.
However, there was no information about a leak or contamination at any of Japan's eleven reactors, according to Prime Minister Naoto Kan.
Kan told a press conference, "Regarding our nuclear power facilities, so far no radioactive material has been leaked to the outside. Given the situation, an emergency disaster response has been set up as myself as a head. We will secure the safety of the people of Japan. We ask the people of Japan to act calmly."
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) echoed Kan's reassurance on Friday by issuing a release stating that the "The four Japanese nuclear power plants closest to the quake have been safely shut down."
Even so, the government declared a nuclear power emergency situation, which occurs if there is confirmation of radioactivity leaks from a nuclear power plant or a reactor cooling system breaks down.
In this case, it seems to be the latter, as Dow Jones reported that Tokyo Electric Power Co had filed an emergency report with the government Friday in which it said it faces a shortage of capacity to cool its reactors at Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.
The reactors at Fukushima should have multiple, redundant safety features installed to help cool reactor cores and prevent meltdown so its unclear what the company means by a "shortage of capacity." The eight reactors at Fukushima are "boiling water reactors," which means the reactor continues to produce heat even after fission stops so will need to be cooled.
Japan has long faced fears over the safety of its nuclear reactors given their location on top of four seismic plates. In 2007, an earthquake caused a radiation leak in Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear plant, though the IAEA later found that the Kashiwazaki Kariwa plant "behaved in a safe manner, during and after the earthquake."
TIME
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