Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster
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The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was an energy accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Ōkuma, Fukushima, initiated primarily by the tsunami following the Tōhoku earthquake on 11 March 2011. Immediately after the earthquake, the active reactors automatically shut down their sustained fission reactions. However, the tsunami disabled the emergency generators that would have provided power to control and operate the pumps necessary to cool the reactors. The insufficient cooling led to three nuclear meltdowns, hydrogen-air explosions, and the release of radioactive material in Units 1, 2, and 3 from 12 March to 15 March. Loss of cooling also caused the pool for storing spent fuel from Reactor 4 to overheat on 15 March due to the decay heat from the fuel rods.
See also
- Comparison of Fukushima and Chernobyl nuclear accidents
- Environmental issues in Japan
- Fukushima disaster cleanup
- Japanese nuclear incidents
- Japanese Nuclear Safety Commission
- List of civilian nuclear accidents
- Lists of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents
- Nuclear power in Japan
- Nuclear power phase-out
- Radiation effects from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster
- Timeline of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster
