The operations of a new decontamination system at the earthquake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant were suspended Saturday, dpa quoted the Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) as reporting. The new treatment system is supposed to clean highly radioactive water that has been accumulating at the plant and preventing critical repair work. The decontamination operations that started Friday were stopped Saturday afternoon after the radiation level of a component meant to absorb radioactive caesium had reached its limit and needed to be replaced, plant operator TEPCO said. The system would be working again by Monday at the earliest, according to the company. The contaminated water is runoff from the coolant that was injected after the plant's reactors stopped functioning following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Industry Minister Banri Kaieda also asked people who live near other nuclear plants, which have been temporarily shut down for routine checks, to agree to their reopening. He warned of possible energy shortages over the summer, when demand is increased as many Japanese turn up their air conditioning, according to the news agency Kyodo. "Appropriate" emergency measures had been taken to prevent serious accidents, he said. But local authorities are hesitating. They want each of the measures named by the minister to be thoroughly checked in each of the power stations, which have remained switched off after the Fukushima disaster. Meanwhile, thousands took part in Buddhist memorial services on Saturday, the 100th day since the Great East Japan Earthquake, as it has come to be known, struck 70 kilometres out at sea, killing 15,400 people. More than 7,700 people are still officially missing.
