Japan nuclear leak 50% bigger than reported

KASHIWAZAKI, Japan -- The radioactive water leak at an earthquake-damaged nuclear plant in northern Japan was 50 percent bigger than previously announced, but still below danger levels, the power company running the facility said today.

The water leaked into the Sea of Japan after Monday's 6.8-magnitude earthquake shook the seven-reactor Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant. After reviewing data, Tokyo Electric Power said today that leak was actually 1.5 times the amount previously announced.

The mayor ordered the plant be shut down until its safety could be confirmed after a long list of problems -- including radiation leaks, burst pipes and fires -- came to light.

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is the world's largest nuclear plant in power-output capacity. Signs of problems after Monday's quake came first not from officials but in a plume of smoke that rose when the quake triggered a small fire at an electrical transformer.

It was announced only 12 hours later that the temblor also caused a leak of about 315 gallons of water containing radioactive material. Officials said the leak was well within safety standards. The water was flushed into the sea.

Later Tuesday, it said 50 cases of "malfunctioning and trouble" had been found. Four of the plant's seven reactors were running at the time of the quake, and they were all shut down automatically by a safety mechanism.

Hiroshi Aida, mayor of Kashiwazaki, near the epicenter that is home to the plant and 93,500 people, ordered operations halted Wednesday for "safety reasons."

Across town, more than 8,000 residents spent their second night in shelters. The death toll -- nine, with one person missing -- was not expected to rise significantly. Most of the newer parts of town escaped major damage.

The malfunctions and a delay in reporting them fueled concerns about the safety of Japan's 55 nuclear reactors, which have suffered a string of accidents and cover-ups. Inspections were ordered for nuclear power plants in Japan.

The plant in Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, 135 miles northwest of Tokyo, eclipsed a nuclear power station in Ontario as the world's largest power station when it added its seventh reactor in 1997.

The Japanese plant, which generates 8.2 million kilowatts of electricity, has been plagued with mishaps.