Japanese engineers released radioactive water into the sea today as Japan's government told the operator of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant to move quickly to stop radiation seeping into the ocean.
Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) said it would release more than 10,000 tons of contaminated water that was about 100 times more radioactive than legal limits in order to free up storage capacity for more highly contaminated water.
"We are very sorry for this region and those involved," a tearful Tepco official told a news conference.
Engineers are also planning to build two giant "silt curtains" made of polyester fabric in the sea to hinder the spread of more contamination from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant, 240km north of Tokyo.
The silt-blocking fence will take several days to prepare, said Hidehiko Nishiyama, deputy director-general of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA).
Radioactive iodine 4,800 times the legal limit was recorded in the sea off the plant last week. The contamination later fell to 11 times, but spiked to 630 times the legal limit on Saturday, said Japan's Nuclear and Industry Safety Authority.
"If the current situation continues for a long time, accumulating more radioactive substances, it will have a huge impact on the ocean."The plant operator released low-level radioactive seawater that had been used to cool overheated fuel rods after it ran out of storage capacity for more highly contaminated water, chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano said.
"We need to stop the spread of (contaminated water) into the ocean as soon as possible. With that strong determination, we are asking Tokyo Electric Power Co to act quickly," said Mr Edano
"We have instructed strict monitoring of the ocean to firmly grasp the impact on the environment," said Mr Edano.
Engineers are still struggling to regain control of damaged reactors at the plant in the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986, with the government urging Tepco to act faster to stop radiation spreading.
The 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami left nearly 28,000 people dead or missing. The world's costliest natural disaster has hit economic production and left a damages bill which may top $300 billion.
"The damage from the nuclear crisis and the subsequent power shortage will last for several years," said Eiji Hirano, former assistant governor of the Bank of Japan (BOJ).
In the face of Japan's biggest crisis since World War Two, one newspaper poll said nearly two-thirds of voters wanted the government to form a coalition with the major opposition party and work together to recover from the natural disaster.
Japan's two biggest parties may put aside bitter rivalry to join forces but partisan bickering could delay funding for massive reconstruction.
More than 163,710 people are living in shelters, with more than 70,000 people evacuated from a 20km exclusion zone around the nuclear plant. Another 136,000 people living a further 10km out have been told to leave or stay indoors.
Reuters