Podcast

Future shaky for nuke plants

Updated: 2011-06-24 10:40

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Japan needs to overhaul its nuclear policies and may never be safe for atomic power because it is too prone to earthquakes, a leading seismologist and former nuclear safety adviser to the Japanese government said on Thursday.

Katsuhiko Ishibashi, a professor emeritus at Kobe University, said virtually all facilities around the country are in danger of the same kind of crisis faced by the Fukushima Daiichi plant after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

"It is very difficult to find a safe plant in Japan," said Ishibashi, who is also a former member of the government's nuclear safety committee.

Japan is one of the world's most seismically active countries.

Early on Thursday morning, an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 scale, which the China Earthquake Networks Center said was 7.0 on the Richter scale, struck off the coast of northeast Japan on Thursday, one of the areas devastated by the March 11 quake and tsunami.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries and a tsunami warning was lifted about an hour after the quake broke out, but authorities warned residents to be wary of mudslides.

Tokyo Electric Power Co, struggling to control radiation leaks at its damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, said there was no effect from Thursday's quake on its work to bring the reactors under control.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said there were no reports of abnormalities at Tohoku Electric Power's Higashidori and Onagawa nuclear power plants in northeast Japan. The operations of these reactors have been halted since the March disaster.

Ishibashi called for a new review of Japanese nuclear power plants. He has warned about the risks of nuclear energy previously, but Thursday's comments came amid growing opposition to nuclear power in Japan, which depends on it for about a third of its electric power.

Questions:

1. At which university is Ishibashi a professor?

2. What was the magnitude of Thursday’s earthquake according to the China Earthquake Networks Center?

3. What date in March was the massive quake and tsunami?

Answers:

1. Kobe University.

2. 7.0.

3. March 11.

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.