Akhir 28, 1432 H/April 2, 2011, SPA -- Officials said Saturday that water contaminated with high levels of radiation had escaped into the sea from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, dpa reported. News of the leak came as Prime Minister Naoto Kan visited the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in north-east Japan and met workers dealing with the stricken power plant, the Kyodo News agency reported. The water reportedly escaped through a 20-centimetre crack in a pit near reactor number 2 where cables are stored, the country's nuclear safety watchdog said. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said the government wanted Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), the troubled plant's operator, to fill the crack with concrete quickly. Radiation levels in the pit were reportedly more than 1,000 millisieverts per hour. "We will also check whether there are cracks at other reactors as soon as possible," said Hidehiko Nishiyama, spokesman for the agency. But data from national science agencies showed that radioactive iodine registering at levels twice approved standards has been found in seawater 40 kilometres from the damaged Fukushima nuclear reactor. Reporting the data Saturday, the NHK broadcaster said the samples were taken three days prior. It was the first time radiation levels above accepted standards had been discovered so far from the coast. Japan's atomic authority told NHK that the iodine would dilute in the ocean and not threaten human health. But that was little solace to Japanese fishermen, who saw their livelihood threatened by the new radiation find. "What's to happen with our lives?" said one fishermen cited by JiJi Press. "When people hear 'Fish from Ibaraki,' I won't be able to sell the fish, even if I bring it to market myself," said one representative of a local fishermen's cooperative. Meanwhile, workers were trying to remove radioactive water from inside the power station's buildings to reduce the risk to staff as they try to restore the reactors' cooling systems. The company was reportedly considering using a large floating island to store the radioactive water. TEPCO on Saturday also restarted transferring water from a US Navy barge to the plant to cool the reactors and was planning to inject nitrogen into the reactor containment vessels to avoid further hydrogen explosions. The plant's power was knocked out by the earthquake and tsunami and the key cooling functions failed, leading to fires, explosions and radiation leaks. The prime minister on Saturday visited the region hit hard by the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters to comfort victims and thank those involved in the clear-up. "It is a long struggle but the government will support you until the end and do its best. Please remain tenacious," Kan told a group of firefighters in the city of Rikuzentakata in Iwate prefecture, badly affected by the magnitude-9 earthquake and tsunami on March 11. He also spent time at an emergency shelter set up in a school. The prime minister visited an operations base at a football training ground in Fukushima prefecture, 20 kilometres from the nuclear power station, to speak to soldiers and workers involved in trying to bring the situation at the plant under control. Kan also urged firefighters there to "give all your effort despite the harsh conditions." Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said it was important for the premier to see the situation for himself and talk to those affected during the one-day trip to the area. But the visit ran into some criticism, as Japanese noted that Kan had only stayed in some places for 20 minutes, barely giving himself time to meet survivors. Others noted that he provided only vague promises to set up emergency housing as soon as possible According to comments from Kan's inner circle, as reported by JiJi Press, Kan had wanted to travel to the disaster area much earlier, but had been stopped by other Japanese officials who said an official visit to the region would be too disruptive immediately after the disaster. Thousands of Japanese as well as US military personnel and rescuers were Saturday searching for the missing in the badly damaged city of Ishinomaki in Miyagi prefecture. The National Police Agency said the death toll stood at 11,734 on Friday at 9 pm (1200 GMT), with over 16,000 still missing.
