As the search and rescue efforts continue, the stark results of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan's north east coast on Friday are becoming clearer, with the death toll expecting to reach well over 10,000. Fears continue over the stability of the country's nuclear plants as a third explosion occured at the Fukushima Daiichi plant this morning and radiation levels in the area shot up.
TUESDAY MARCH 15:
UPDATE 15.07: The magnitude of today's quake which rocked the Shizuoka prefecture has been revised upwards to 6.4. No major damage or injuries were reported following the earthquake.
UPDATE 14.53: Kyodo is reporting that Japan's government is considering using helicopters to pour water on the spent fuel pool of one of the troubled reactors at Fukushima to help cool it. The remarks came from defense minister Toshimi Kitazawa today.
The idea is on hold for the moment as authorities figure out how such a plan would affect the fuel rods underwater and SDF personnel involved.
UPDATE 14.47: The IAEA has eased fears about any other plants in Japan and announded that all units at the Fukushima Daini, Onagawa and Tokai nuclear power plants are in a safe and stable condition (i.e. cold shutdown).
However, concerns remain over the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The agency said attempts to return power to the entire Daiichi site are continuing and sea water injections to cool the reactors in units 1, 2 and 3 are also ongoing.
In its update, it said, "The IAEA continues to seek details about the status of all workers, reactors and spent fuel at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
"An evacuation of the population from the 20-kilometre zone around Fukushima Daiichi is in effect. The Japanese have advised that people within a 30-km radius shall take shelter indoors. Iodine tablets have been distributed to evacuation centres but no decision has yet been taken on their administration."
A no fly zone has also been implemented around the plant.
UPDATE 13.38: Kanto region earthquake revised down to magnitude 6.0. Witnesses in Tokyo are reporting shaking buildings.
No tsunami alert issued following latest quake.
UPDATE 13.34: Reuters reporting a 6.2-magnitude earthquake in the Kanto region in eastern Japan.
UPDATE 13.31: TEPCO has said it is unable to pour water into the troubled no. 4 reactor at Fukushima.
UPDATE 12.54: A 70-year-old woman was rescued in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture today, a full 92 hours after the earthquake and tsunami hit on Friday. The rescue buoyed relief teams as it occured after the usual 72-hour window when the probability of finding surviviors declines substantially.
UPDATE 12.43: Spent nuclear fuel pool is exposed to the outside air because of holes in the wall of the outer building at reactor no. 4 at Fukushima, TEPCO revealed today.
A further ominous update from TEPCO: the water in a pool storing spent nuclear fuel rods may be boiling.
UPDATE 12.38: As Japan deals with the ongong nuclear crisis and the devastating results of Friday's earthquake and tsunami, the country's sporting organisations try and come to decisions about their events.
The International Skating Union has postponed the World Figure Skating Championships that were due to be held in Tokyo from March 21-27.
In baseball, the Pacific League has also decided to postpone its season-opening games on March 25 but the Central League will go ahead and hold its games scheduled for the same day, Nippon Professional Baseball said today.
UPDATE 12.05: The National Police Agency in Japan has now revised its dead and missing toll up to at least 10,000 today.
UPDATE 12.04: Radiation is now too high for TEPCO workers to stay in Fukushima nuclear plant control rooms, reports Kyodo news agency.
UPDATE 12.03: French nuclear agency says Fukushima nuclear accident is level 6 on INES scale. Chernobyl was rated 7 on the same scale.
UPDATE 10.46: South Korea's Meteorological Administration released the results of a hypothetical weather simulation which shows most of the radioactive particles from Japan's damaged nuclear power plant will drift toward the Pacific.
It emphasised the results are hypothetical as it does not have concrete data from the Fukushima plant but added that it conducted the simulation using the latest weather data to find how the radioactive particles will spread in the next 24 hours
UPDATE 10.18: The UN weather agency has said today that winds are dispersing radioactive material over the ocean and there is no danger for Japan at the moment.
UPDATE 09.56: About five million homes are to lose power today as a result of TEPCO's planned blackout to conserve energy.
UPDATE 08.49: EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger will convene a meeting of a group of nuclear experts in Europe today to coordinate EU policy in the light of Japan's nuclear crisis.
"We must also raise the question of if we in Europe, in the foreseeable future, can secure our energy needs without nuclear energy," Oettinger told German television.
Some countries have called on Europe's nuclear plants to undergo stress tests to reassure people worried by the crisis in Japan.
UPDATE 08.45: Although the final death toll is expected to be above 10,000, the current official toll of dead or missing persons has surpassed 6,000.
The National Police Agency said 2,475 people were confirmed dead while 3,611 were missing but many unidentified bodies have been found in quake-hit coastal areas which will inevitably raise the death toll further.
The agency has identified 1,060 bodies so far, of which around 420 were returned to their families.
UPDATE 08.44: Japan's news agency Kyodo is reporting that the spent nuclear fuel pool at Fukushima reactor 4 may be boiling, and the water level falling.
UPDATE 08.14: Chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano has said the cooling systems in the Daiichi no. 5 and no. 6 reactors are no longer functioning. He also said there is no more dangerous radioactivity being emitted by the no. 4 reactor.
He remains adamant that "very-high-level radioactive substance has not been emitted continuously from the No. 4 reactor."'
UPDATE 07.45: Prime Minister Naoto Kan calls for calm from the Japanese public but fears of food shortages has seen empty shelves in grocery stores in Tokyo and surrounding areas.
UPDATE 07.44: American bank JP Morgan Chase has pledged US$5m to near-term relief and recovery efforts in Japan in the aftermath of its worst earthquake on record.
UPDATE 07.43: Tokyo markets plummet up to 14pc on nuclear worries as investors sell off shares on Tuesday.
UPDATE 07.09: Radiation levels shot up in Tokyo and its surrounding area this morning following another explosion at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, this time at the no. 2 reactor.
MONDAY MARCH 14:
UPDATE 19.36: The threat of a nuclear disaster seems to be receding in Japan as the three troubled reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi plant cool off. TEPCO workers continued to work on covering the rods, which were exposed on Monday. Seawater has been used to return water levels so overheating could be averted.
Experts believe all three reactors will now be written off as damage will be too substantial to repair.
UPDATE 17.47: The IAEA has confirmed that Japan has asked the UN nuclear watchdog to send experts to Japan in the wake of today's worrying events at Fukushima. The IAEA and Japan are currently in talks and the watchdog says it is sure the administration is providing as much information as it can on the situation in its nuclear plants.
UPDATE 17.46: The US nuclear regulatory commission says the Japanese government has formally asked it for help with cooling nuclear reactors.
UPDATE 15.07: Fuel rods are once more completely exposed at the Fukushima power plant's no. 2 reactor, increasing the threat of a complete nuclear meltdown. TEPCO revealed the concerning news just before midnight local time, stating a steam vent of the pressure container of the reactor that houses the rods was closed. This led to a sudden drop in water levels inside the reactor, explained the power company.
UPDATE 14.44: Reports from the ground are stating that relief workers are running out of body bags for the victims of Friday's earthquake and tsunami. The expected toll is likely to exceed 10,000 with some sources saying it will be significantly higher than that as thousands remain missing.
UPDATE 14.42: Credit ratings agency Moody's has said that Japan will not fall into a fiscal crisis as a result of Friday's natural disaster. Analysts at the firm believe "the Japanese economy as having the ability to absorb the shock over time".
''Reconstruction spending will likely prove to be a very effective and justifiable fiscal stimulus," added Moody's.
UPDATE 12.09: Friday's earthquake and tsunami is set to cost the insurance sector about US$35bn, making it one of the most expensive disasters ever, just behind 2008's Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.The Stoxx 600 European Insurance Share Index was down 1.3pc this morning.
UPDATE 11.54: Fuel rods at the No. 2 reactor of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant were fully exposed today as water levels dropped, TEPCO has revealed. The plant operator has started to pour water into the reactor.
UPDATE 10.40: The US Navy 7th Fleet has detected low-level radioactivity from 17 helicopter crew members who were conducting rescue operations near Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture. The fleet said in a statement that the radiation came from a plume released from the Fukushima plant.
The fleet has temporarily suspended the operations of its ships.
UPDATE 10.38: Reuters are reporting that many staple food items have been sold out in Tokyo as residents continue to worry about food supplies.
UPDATE 10.36: Japanese cabinet passes proposal to use 30bn yen in reserve fund for relief work.
UPDATE 10.01: Japan's Meteorological Agency has warned of a possible major aftershock within the next 3 days, Japan's Kyodo news agency reports. Officials told reporters that aftershocks with an intensity of 5 and over on the Japanese scale of zero to seven have been registered nearly 200 times since Friday's record earthquake. Agency expert Takashi Yokota said the likelihood of a tremor measuring five or over within the next 3 days remains at 40pc, and such a tremor could trigger a tsunami.
UPDATE 08.32: TEPCO has said the number one and number two reactors in the Fukushima plant have pulled out of the emergency. Cooling functions at the nuclear power plant's reactors had failed, the plant operator said today, following a blast in its number 3 reactor earlier in the day.
UPDATE 08.04: Japanese police have pushed the official toll of dead or missing persons to 5,000 but the final figure is still expected to exceed 10,000 as thousands of bodies are found in coastal towns.
2,000 bodies have been discovered on two shores on the coast of the Miyagi prefecture, police confirmed today.
UPDATE 07.23: In order to soothe markets and maintain business confidence, the Bank of Japan has eased its monetary policy, adding trillions of yen to its asset buying programme.
''With a view to preempting a deterioration in business sentiment and an increase in risk aversion in financial markets from adversely affecting economic activity, the Policy Board decided to increase the amount of the Asset Purchase Program,'' the BOJ said in a statement.
UPDATE 07.15: At 11am local time, another explosion occured at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant's troubled No. 3 reactor. Reports from Japan are stating that 11 workers were injured in the blast but the reactor's container was not damaged.
Jiji news agency is reporting that a further seven people are missing following the explosion.
UPDATE 07.09: Tokyo shares fell 6.4pc in afternoon trading, while the yen also took a dive, as the markets react to Friday's disaster.
"We possibly cannot ignore the impact that this quake will have in terms of geographical span and scale—as well as the psychological impact," said Credit Suisse strategist Shun Maruyama in Tokyo.
SUNDAY MARCH 13:
UPDATE 22.31: Radiation levels at the Fukushima number one plant have topped the legal limit again, Tokyo Electric Power Co. reported to the government on Monday morning (local time).
The power company also said it will begin power outages later than expected on Monday morning to limit the amount of affected areas. The rationing will take place to make up for an expected power shortage but the company said demand was not as high as expected since the quake on Friday.
UPDATE 1954: US Nuclear Regulatory Commission said today that America will feel no radiation from Japan.
"All the available information indicates weather conditions have taken the small releases from the Fukushima reactors out to sea away from the population," the NRC said in a statement.
"Given the thousands of miles between the two countries, Hawaii, Alaska, the U.S. Territories and the U.S. West Coast are not expected to experience any harmful levels of radioactivity."
UPDATE 1949: Rescue teams from around the world have started to land in Japan to begin efforts to locate thousands of missing people following Friday's quake and tsunami.
More than 90 countries and organisations have now offered assistance to Japan. Teams from the US, China and New Zealand landed today, while others are on route by air from Russia.
Swiss and German rescue teams, along with specially-trained dogs, are on their way to Minamisanriku in the Miyagi prefecture, where about 10,000 people remain unaccounted for.
UPDATE 17.40: About 37 people have already been exposed to radiation near the Fukushima plant, and a further 160 more are feared to join them, according to the Fukushima prefectural government and the national government's nuclear safety and disaster management agencies.
The IAEA are also warning that "accumulation of hydrogen is possible" at reactor 3 in Fukushima. Such a build-up could lead to a second explosion there, said the agency.
UPDATE: 15.45: A Volcano on Southern Japan's Kyushu island, some 1,500 kms from the epicentre of Friday's earthquake, has errupted, according to the Meteorological Agency. It issued a warning today that Shinmoedake volcano had resumed activity. It is not clear whether the event is linked to the seismic activity of Friday.
UPDATE 14.10: Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda said the government will monitor how financial markets receive the disaster after they open as scheduled on Monday. The Prime Minister said earlier that Japan is ready to take decisive action against any ''speculative'' moves in financial markets. The Bank of Japan is expected to provide 1trn yen to the financial system to prevent the markets from becoming unsettled - Kyodo news agency.
UPDATE 13.55: AP reports that the French Embassy has advised its citizens to leave Tokyo in case radiation cloud heads to the city, despite official reassurances that no iminent danger.
UPDATE 11.05: Japan's Prime Minister Kan addressing nation says this is biggest crisis to hit the country since World War II.
UPDATE 10.54: Japan Prime Minister Naoto Kan, seeks to reassure world, saying Japan nuclear problem is 'fundamentally different' from Chernobyl - Reuters.
UPDATE 10.40: Japan is still grappling with crises at both the Fukushima Daiichi and Fukushima Daini nuclear power stations, although Japanese officials still claim the low radiation levels involved pose no risk to human health. Both plants are operated by TEPCO, who report that a mix of sea water and Boron are being used to keep some of the reactors cool.
UPDATE 10.05: The magnitude of Japan's massive earthquake was revised upward today to 9.0, making it one of the largest in the history of the world, the Japan Meteorological Agency has said. The agency says a major aftershock is still likely, although it has removed its tsunami alert for now.
UPDATE 09.30: The death toll from Friday's devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern and eastern Japan will likely surpass 10,000, the Miyagi police chief said today, according to Japan's Kyodo news agency.
SATURDAY MARCH 12:
UPDATE 17.05 Fears for up to 10,000 people who are missing in city of Minamisanriku alone. Shocking 'before and after' video from Japan State TV (via Channel 4 News) on You Tube
UPDATE: 15.40 Japan's Kyodo news agency is currently putting the death toll at 1,700, with thousands more missing.
UPDATE 10.00 A massive explosion today rocked the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant which was already the subject of fears of a reactor meltdown, but officials are saying the reactor has not been affected.
FRIDAY, MARCH 11:
Japan's main news agency is reporting that at least 1000 people have been killed in the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit its northern coast today. The official death toll is expected to rise significantly with police already stating they have found between 200 and 300 bodies in Sendai. About 359 people are also missing.
UPDATE 19.38 - ECUADOR: State of emergency declared in Ecuador as it braces itself for tsunami
UPDATE 19.35 - JAPAN: Mixed reports coming from Japan. Some news agencies stating no fresh tsunami warning issued after latest quake in Nagano and Niigata.
UPDATE 19.12 - JAPAN: Reactors at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in the Niigata prefecture, where a 6.6-magnitude aftershock just hit, are operating as normal, according to Kyodo news agency
UPDATE 19.10 - JAPAN: The whole coast of Japan again been issued with a tsunami warning after strong quakes hit again.
UPDATE 19.04 - JAPAN: Reports emerging another earthquake has rocked the Nagano and Niigata prefectures in Japan. Reuters and Kyodo say the magnitude is 6.6 on the Richter Scale.
UPDATE 19.01 - JAPAN: Radioactive steam could be released from troubled plant in Fukushima to relieve pressure. There is a risk of a small leak, according to the country's trade minister.
UPDATE 15.24 - US: White House Chief of Staff says fears about tsunami on Hawaii, California seem to have passed.
UPDATE 15.01 - INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE: US President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan to hold telephone talks about the quake relief.
UPDATE 14.58 - JAPAN: Defense Ministry in Japan readies 300 aircraft and 40 ships for relief work.
Over 900 flights have been cancelled across Japan's airports.
UPDATE 14.46 - HAWAII: The all-clear will not be given until after dawn in Hawaii but damage from the tsunami is limited. Reports from the islands state the largest waves were two metres high but did not reach residential areas.
UPDATE 14.40 - JAPAN: Up to 70,000 people evacuated to shelters in Sendai, the worst hit city of the quake.
Television footage is showing fires blazing in wide areas of Kesennuma in the Miyagi prefecture.
The Kyodo news agency stating that one train derailed and contact lost with one other in Miyagi.
UPDATE 13.49 - PHILIPPINES: Similar to Philippines, the tsunami has hit but little damage reported yet.
UPDATE 14.34 - INDONESIA: The tsunami has hit but no damage has been reported as yet.
UPDATE 14.33 - IRELAND:The Irish Embassy in Japan has no reports as yet of any Irish citizens being injured. It has been in contact with Irish citizens and will continue to make contact with all Irish citizens who have registered their details with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Ireland in Tokyo.
UPDATE 14.11 - JAPAN: Coastguard looking for ship with 80 passengers that was swept away by 10-metre high tsunami.
UPDATE 1402 - INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE: The United Nations said 30 international search and rescue teams were on alert to go to Japan to provide assistance. US President Barack Obama said the United States stood "ready to help the Japanese people in this time of great trial" and the Defense Department are preparing troops for the relief.
The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs told The Journal that it was too early to talk about deploying aid.
Twenty-five nations, including the US, Russia, Thailand, South Korea and China, have offered either monetary assistance or troops for the relief aid.
Tweet from Japan: The headline you won't be reading: "Millions saved in Japan by good engineering and government building codes". Buts it's the truth. @daveewing
UPDATE 13.56 - US: Evacuations "very possible" in California, reports Reuters in the US.
UPDATE 13.54 - JAPAN: 8,000 defence force troops have been dispatched for the relief effort in northeast Japan.
UPDATE 13.52 - INDONESIA: Reports are emerging that a volcano has erupted in Indonesia following the earthquake in Japan. The Canadian Press said today that Mount Karangetang spewed lava and authorities are attempting to evacuate residents.
UPDATE 13.51 - JAPAN: Police in Miyagi say 200 to 300 bodies have been found in the city of Sendai.
UPDATE 13.47 - HAWAII : Conditions changing in Hawaii with spectacular scenes as the Diamond Reef is sucked completely dry. For images, see the live stream here. People told to sit tight in where they were evacuated to. Many have been placed in high floors in skyscrapers.
UPDATE 13.18 - JAPAN: Police in Sendai are reporting a major explosion at a petrochemical plant.
UPDATE 13.15- HAWAII: According to the Associated Press, tsunami waves have begun to slam Hawaii, sweeping through islands but these reports are unconfirmed.
Meanwhile, the BBC are saying that waves hitting Indonesia are about half-a-metre high so damage will be limited.
UPDATE 13:02: On the nuclear question, Japan has declared a state of atomic power emergency but says that no radiation leaks have been detected at or near any nuclear power plants. However, a senior government official is on his way to Fukuoka nuclear plant and residents have been asked to evacuate the area around the Fukushima plant, where some cooling functions are not working.
UPDATE 12.59: Just days after his appointment as Foreign Minister, Takeaki Matsumoto, has to deal with one of the greatest natural disasters to hit the nation. He has confirmed that 25 nations and regions have offered assistance.
Japan has asked for the help of the US military.
UPDATE 12.50: Reports are emerging that a train is unaccounted for in Miyagi, where the tsunami also hit.
UPDATE 12.45: According to news agency Kyodo, a ship carrying 100 people was swept away by the tsunami offshore Japan.
-Thousands of people are "stuck" in Japan's airports, with over 700 flights cancelled. Power outage in about four million homes.
-A complete evacuation has been ordered in all coastal areas of Hawaii. See full story here.
-Warnings have been lifted in New Zealand and Australia.
-Indonesia had been expecting the tsunami to hit at 11am (Irish time) but so far nothing has been felt.
-The 8.9-magnitude quake hit at 2.46pm local time (5.46am GMT) and even though Japan is one of the most accustomed nation to tremors, today’s has been extremely different, being the biggest to rock the State in 140 years.
-The US Geological Survey earlier verified a magnitude of 7.9 at a depth of 15.1 miles and located the quake 81 miles east of Sendai, on the main island of Honshu. It later upgraded it to 8.9.