Japan emperor addresses nation
A screen grab taken off Japanese public television NHK shows Japan's Emperor Akihito addressing the nation in Tokyo on March 16, 2011. Emperor Akihito said he was praying for the people's safety following last week's deadly earthquake and tsunami, and expressed his deep concern about the escalating nuclear crisis. In a rare television address to the nation, the 77-year-old monarch -- who is held in deep respect by many Japanese -- admitted the country still did not know how many people had died in the March 11 twin disasters. AFP PHOTO / HO / NHK
SENDAI, Japan, Wednesday
Japan’s Emperor Akihito delivered a rare address to a jittery nation in dread of nuclear catastrophe on Wednesday as millions struggled in desperate conditions after quake and tsunami disasters.
The television appearance by the emperor emphasised the severity of the crisis gripping Japan in the wake of the devastating quake and tsunami that hit on Friday, killing thousands and crippling a nuclear power plant.
Akihito said he was “deeply concerned” about the “unpredictable” situation at the stricken Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant, which has been hit by a series of explosions after the quake knocked out reactor cooling systems.
“I sincerely hope that we can keep the situation from getting worse,” Akihito said.
Japanese crews grappling with the world’s worst nuclear incident since Chernobyl briefly suspended work over fears of an increase in radiation at the plant 250 kilometres northeast of Tokyo.
And already jangled nerves were frayed further by a strong 6.0 magnitude earthquake that swayed buildings in Tokyo.
The official toll of the dead and missing after the quake and tsunami flattened Japan’s northeast coast rose to more than 12,000, with 3,676 confirmed killed, police said.
However, after the Tokyo stock exchange’s biggest two-day sell-off in 24 years sparked a global market rout, the headline Nikkei share index closed up 5.68 percent on bargain hunting.
The Bank of Japan pumped another 3.5 trillion yen ($43.3 billion) into the financial system, adding to trillions spent this week since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and towering tsunami crippled a large swathe of the economy.
The evacuation order at the Fukushima nuclear power plant came as a tall white cloud was seen billowing into the sky over the stricken complex.
Earlier, crews at Fukushima — who have been hailed as heroes — contended with a new fire and feared damage to the vessel containing one of the plant’s six reactor cores.
Japanese military helicopters were due to dump water on the stricken nuclear plant, which has been hit by four explosions and two fires, to help contain the overheating, but were forced back due to radiation, reports said.
Meanwhile, a pool containing spent fuel rods at Fukushima’s No. 4 reactor “is the major concern” in Japan’s nuclear crisis, presenting the risk of radioactivity being released directly into the air, a French safety agency said on Wednesday.
The deep tank at the reactor unit contains used fuel rods which are extremely radioactive and normally are kept immersed in cooling water.
