Japan quake aftermath -- Live Report March 17-18

05:30 am

The Department of Homeland Security is screening passengers and cargo entering the United States from Japan for "even a blip of radiation," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Thursday.

05:20 am

An exercise, named Caribe Wave 11, is due to test the warning systems of 33 countries in Caribbean region on March 23 by issuing the first full-scale simulated tsunami alert, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said on Thursday.

04:50 am

US President Barack Obama said on Thursday that he does not expect harmful radiation sparked by the crippled Japanese nuclear plant will reach the US, including its territories in the Pacific Ocean.

04:50 am

Japanese engineers raced on Friday to restore a power cable to a crippled nuclear power plant in the hope of restarting pumps desperately needed to pour cold water on overheating fuel rods and avert a catastrophic release of radiation.

04:24 am

Airlines pulled in extra, larger aircraft on Thursday to help thousands of people leave Tokyo, and some began screening planes, passengers and crew for radiation as Japan raced against nuclear disaster.

04:10 am

Japan's nuclear crisis spurred German Chancellor Angela Merkel to pledge a faster shift from nuclear power on Thursday and seemed to thwart Italy's plans to reintroduce atomic energy.

03:40 am

The US Defense Department said Thursday it has sent a nine-member hazards expert team to Japan, which is dealing with potentially catastrophic scenario stemming from a quake and tsunami damaged nuclear power plant.

03:30 am

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday he wanted to visit Japan by the end of this month given the consent of Japanese government, which is a gesture to show solidarity in Group of Eight and Group of Twenty.

03:20 am

Emergency workers frantic to regain control of Japan's dangerously overheated nuclear complex turned to increasingly elaborate methods Thursday to cool nuclear fuel rods at risk of spraying out more radiation.

03:00 am

Airlines pulled in extra, larger aircraft on Thursday to help thousands of people leave Tokyo, and some began screening planes, passengers and crew for radiation as Japan raced against nuclear disaster.

02:50 am

German embassy in Japan would be moved to the southern city of Osaka temporarily, as the capital Tokyo is being threatened by radiation from damaged nuclear reactors in Fukushima, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

02:20 am

The State Department says the first evacuation flight of US citizens has left Japan in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that sparked a crisis at a nuclear power plant.

01:45 am

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday reaffirmed the UN readiness to "provide any additional assistance" to disaster-stricken Japan if requested, a UN readout said here.

01:35 am

There is no indication of radiation danger at this stage in US territories, a US government official said on Thursday.

00:50 am

Airlines pulled in extra, larger aircraft on Thursday to help thousands of people leave Tokyo, and some began screening planes, passengers and crew for radiation as Japan raced against nuclear disaster.

00:41 am

A senior UN nuclear watchdog official on Thursday described the situation at Japan's disaster-hit nuclear power plant as "reasonably stable" compared to the previous day.

00:15 am

Health Minister Ferruccio Fazio says Italy will tighten controls on food imports from Japan due to possible radiation contamination.

00:08 am

The UN nuclear watchdog said on Thursday the situation at the damaged Japanese nuclear power plant remained very serious but no major worsening had occurred since Wednesday.

00:05 am

The Pentagon said on Thursday it was sending a nine-member team specializing in biological and nuclear hazards to advise Japan's military.
The

11:45 pm

The Pentagon announced on Thursday that it would allow all dependents of US military personnel to leave Japan's Honshu island, potentially with military assistance, amid concerns about radiation from a crippled nuclear plant.

11:45 pm

The Japanese economy is strong enough to recover from the impact of devastating earthquake and massive tsunami, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Thursday.

11:33 pm

US President Barack Obama will make a statement about Japan later on Thursday, he told reporters at the White House during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny.

11:15 pm

The United States has authorized the first evacuations of Americans out of Japan, taking a tougher stand on the deepening nuclear crisis and warning US citizens to defer all non-essential travel to any part of the country.

11:10 pm

The elderly couple fled their home on foot as the warning sirens blared. But they could not keep up with their neighbors and fell behind as the tsunami rushed in.

11:10 pm

The head of the UN atomic agency has left for Tokyo to assess the nuclear crisis unleashed by the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan's northeastern coast.

10:52 pm

Another 387,000 Japanese residents had been forced from their homes and were in temporary accommodation -- the quality of which varied greatly. According to the most recent figures, released by Japan's national police agency, at least 15 people have died in refugee camps.

10:42 pm

Japanese officials said Thursday that more than 15,000 people were either killed or left missing by the devastating earthquake and tsunami which ravaged the country's northeast last week.

10:33 pm

The National Police Agency said that the disaster had so far left 5,692 people dead and 9,506 others unaccounted by 8 p.m. (1100 GMT) Thursday.

9:40 pm

A woman holds her baby at a shelter for survivors at a village that was destroyed by an earthquake and tsunami in Yamada, northeast Japan March 17, 2011.[Photo/Agencies]

8:40 pm

Japan will continue dropping water from the air on the No.3 reactor of its quake-stricken nuclear power plant on Friday, the country's nuclear safety agency said on Thursday night. In a separate statement, the Fukushima Daiichi plant's owner, Tokyo Electric Power Co , said white smoke or steam had been seen coming from the No 2 reactor.

8:35 pm

France says finance chiefs from the Group of Seven industrialized nations will hold a video conference call on the situation in Japan, where a devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis have roiled markets and propelled the yen to record highs. French Finance Ministry spokesman Jean-Marc Plantade said the talks will "probably" happen late Thursday Paris time, but gave no further details.

8:20 pm

China's Foreign Ministry urges Japan to tell the world in an "accurate and swift way" about radiation risks.

8:05 pm

Japanese officials suspended army helicopter flights Thursday to dump water on an overheated reactor at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex disabled by last week's tsunami. They are evaluating if the unusual measure worked.

7:15 pm

The Japanese economy would not collapse despite the triple strike of earthquake, tsunami and radioactive leaks, Ernst & Young Chairman and Chief Executive Officer James S. Turley said here Thursday.

In the short term, the calamities would do serious harm to the Japanese economy and trade, in particular the supply of auto parts and computer chips, but it would not collapse and the world economy would not enter a double-dip recession, Turley told a media conference.

7:05 pm

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called the situation at Japan's stricken nuclear power plant a "colossal national disaster" and catastrophe on Thursday and said he hopes it will not cause serious problems elsewhere.

6:48 pm

Emergency crews temporarily withdrew a water cannon from Japan's quake-stricken nuclear power plant on Thursday because of high radiation levels, broadcaster NHK said.

The water cannon had been called in to spray the Fukushima Daiichi complex's No.3 reactor, which contains plutonium fuel and has been the top priority for authorities.

6:28 pm

China's seawater, as a source of salt, would not be affected by radioactive leaks following explosions at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant in Japan, said the country's marine environment watchdog Thursday amid a salt panic among the public.

The National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center said in a statement that currents in the Pacific Ocean out from Fukushima were flowing west to east, while China is located to the west of Japan.

5:38 pm

The Japanese government has agreed to provide an assistance of 888 million rupees (around 12.3 million U.S. dollars) to Nepal for the Food Aid Project under the Food Aid scheme.

The exchange of notes was signed by Rameshore Prasad Khanal, secretary of Nepal's Finance Ministry and Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Tatsuo Mizuno at a program in the capital Kathmandu on Thursday. According to the notes, the grant assistance shall be used exclusively for the procurement of rice and its shipping-related services. It will also be utilized for the implementation of economic and social development projects.

5:08 pm

The Japanese government is warning people that a power blackout might strike Tokyo this evening due to fuel shortages, according to Japan NHK TV.

Train services have been reduced and officials have asked people to conserve energy.

5:05 pm

Britain has chartered two planes to evacuate its nationals in case commercial airlines are full.

Foreign Minister Alistair Burt said: "Because the situation was unsafe on the streets yesterday and it was difficult to get to the airport, we understand the situation is clearer today, we are encouraging UK citizens to leave on commercial flights. If that isn't enough, we've already chartered two planes to help people get to Dubai. But at present, we think the situation is appropriate for people to leave commercially, and we're advising them to do so."

4:22 pm

The Group of Seven finance chiefs will discuss on Friday the financial and economic impact of last week's massive earthquake and unfolding nuclear crisis, Japanese official said, while dismissing the need for a joint G7 action to curb the soaring yen. G7 sources told Reuters earlier the group's finance ministers and central bankers would hold a conference call to talk about possible steps to calm financial markets.

Fears of a catastrophic leak at a quake-crippled nuclear plant have wiped hundreds of billions of dollars off global stock markets while the yen bolted to all-time highs on speculation that Japanese insurers would be forced to bring money back home to settle huge quake-related damage claims. Economics Minister Kaoru Yosano, however, insisted neither the currency nor the Japanese stock markets in such a state of turmoil that would warrant G7 action and what Tokyo was looking for was its peers'

4:12 pm

Tokyo stocks closed lower Thursday with the key Nikkei index down 1.44 percent. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Average shed 131.05 points to 8,962.67. The broader Topix index was down 6.83 points, or 0.84 percent, to 810.80.

4:05 pm

Passengers wait for their flight at Narita international Airport in Narita, east of Tokyo, March 17, 2011. Public trust in the Japanese government faces its biggest test since World War Two over the handling of the nation's nuclear crisis, raising concerns that a breakdown in confidence could fuel panic and chaos if appeals for calm go unheeded.[Photo/Agencies]

2:06 pm

Good afternoon from the live update desk of chinadaily.com.cn. Here are the latest developments on the continuing crisis in Japan.

• Two Japanese army CH-47 helicopters dropped tons of water on the crippled reactor at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant this morning, but Tokyo Electric Power says this had no effect and the temperature continues to rise. Eleven water cannons are due to be deployed this afternoon.

• The United States started an evacuation of its citizens. The US State Department is sending a chartered aircraft to Tokyo to help Americans leave Japan because of the situation at the stricken nuclear plant. Australia has also now told its nationals to leave Tokyo.

• Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan briefs US President Obama on efforts to contain the nuclear emergency. US to fly a high-altitude drone over the stricken complex to assess the situation.

• The Nikkei after being down 5.0 percent earlier today is now down just 0.5 percent. Bank of Japan offers to inject a further 6 trillion yen.

• Japan’s National Police Agency says 5,178 people are dead, 8,606 missing, 2,285 injured as freezing temperatures and snow storms hamper rescue efforts.

1:22 pm

Tokyo Electric Power says radiation level unchanged despite choppers dousing reactor, reports Kyodo news.

12:43 pm

A Japan Air Self-Defense Force CH-47 Chinook helicopter collects water from the ocean to drop on the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Fukushima March 17, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

12:32 pm

The US State Department says it is sending a chartered aircraft to Tokyo to help Americans leave Japan because of the situation at the stricken nuclear plant.

The department has also authorized the "voluntary" departure of family members of diplomatic staff, Reuters reports.

12:20 pm

Rising pressure in reactor 3 which contains plutonium and uranium is again giving cause for concern. The operator says the reactor is its "priority".

The temperature in reactor 5 is also increasing, according to Reuters.

11:15 am

The Chinese embassy in Tokyo said Thursday that one Chinese national was killed in Japan following Friday's great quake.

The Chinese victim was killed in Ishinomaki city, Miyagi Prefecture, when the quake-triggered tsunami hit the area, according to the embassy's working groups in quake-hit areas.

10:46 am

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, speaking at a news conference, says the Japanese PM Naoto Kan held a 30 minute telephone conversation with US President Barack Obama.

Obama expressed sympathy to the Japanese public and also offered ongoing US support.

10:40 am

Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa, speaking at a news conference, said the mission to drop water on the crippled nuclear plant by helicopter had to be aborted due to high radiation levels.

10:05 am

The National Police Agency said Thursday that Friday's catastrophic quake and ensuing tsunami have left 5,178 people dead and 8,606 others unaccounted for in Japan by 10:00 am local time (0100 GMT) Thursday.

10:00 am

Eleven high pressure water cannon trucks normally used to quell riots in Japan are due to start spraying water on the reactor at the disaster-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Japan NHK TV reports.

9:53 am

Japan Economics Minister Kaoru Yosano says the currency and stock markets have stabilized, after sharp swings early in the day, and reiterated that the yen's rise to a record high against the dollar was very speculative, according to Reuters.

9:31 am

An operation to douse water on the crippled reactor by helicopter has been suspended in order to limit the crews’ exposure to radiation, Japan NHK TV reports.

US nuclear official Gregory Jaczko had warned: “The doses they could experience would potentially be lethal doses in a very short period of time."

Two CH-47 Chinook helicopters had lead plates attached to the bottom of each chopper and the crew wore protective suits as they dumped four loads of water on the plant in a bid to avert an even bigger disaster.

9:20 am

A military helicopter drops water on the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in this still image taken from video footage March 17, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

9:12 am

Good morning from the live update desk of chinadaily.com.cn. Here are the latest developments on the growing crisis in Japan.

• Two Japanese army helicopters began spraying water on reactor 3 at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant in the past few minutes. The CH-47 helicopters will each dump 7.5 tons of water in the hope of cooling the spent nuclear pool and avert more radiation from being released into the atmosphere.

• Japanese shares have fallen again in early trading, erasing a portion of the gains from a one-day post-quake rally. The benchmark Nikkei 225 shed 3.6 percent to 8,765.00 points early Thursday. The Bank of Japan offers to inject a further 5tn yen ($61bn) into the banking system.

• The United States is advising its citizens to stay 80 kilometers (50 miles) away from the Japanese nuclear plant after President Barack Obama was briefed on the "deteriorating situation".

• The UN atomic energy chief will fly to Japan today to seek first-hand information on what he called a “very serious” situation.

• Japan’s National Police Agency say 4,314 people have been confirmed dead and 8,606 others unaccounted for in Japan at 8:00 am local time.

05:05 am

The UN atomic energy chief said he plans to fly to Japan on Thursday to seek first-hand information of what he called a "very serious" situation at a disaster-stricken nuclear power plant in his home country.

03:05 am

The top US nuclear regulator told Congress on Wednesday that radiation levels around Japan's troubled nuclear power plant may give emergency workers "lethal doses" of radiation, preventing them from getting near the plant.

03:00 am

The UN nuclear watchdog chief said on Wednesday he intended to call a meeting of the agency's 35-nation governing board as soon as possible after he returns from a trip to Japan this week.

03:00 am

The US dollar dipped to 79.84 against the Japanese yen in late New York trading session on Wednesday, the lowest level in four months and also close to the all-time low of 79.75 set on April 19, 1995.

02:50 am

The operator of Japan's tsunami-crippled nuclear plant says it has almost completed a new power line that could restore electricity to the complex and solve the crisis that has threatened a meltdown.

01:20 am

Emergency workers forced to retreat from a tsunami-stricken Japanese nuclear power plant when radiation levels soared prepared to return Wednesday night after emissions dropped to safer levels.

00:45 am

Situation in Japan's earthquake- damaged nuclear power plant is "very serious," Yukiya Amano, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told the press on Wednesday.

00:35 am

With the "catastrophic impact inflicted" on Japan by the devastating earthquake and tsunami, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Wednesday voiced his concerns over the situation of the Fukushima nuclear power plant where high amounts of radiation have been detected.

00:30 am

Panic over radiation leaks at Japan's earthquake-damaged nuclear plant may be diverting attention from potentially worse threats to public health from a tsunami, like the cold and disrupted supplies of water.

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