A crack in a concrete pit near the Reactor 2 of the Fukushima Plant has been found to be the source of leakage of highly radioactive seawater which was said to reach around 4585 times the legal limit.TEPCO had  found the crack in a pit near the Reactor 2 which was leaking this dangerous seawater which was being used to cool the damaged nuclear reactors.An attempt to fill the crack in the pit by pouring concrete failed as the water made the sealing process through concrete impossible.Now a new polymer will be tried to seal the crack though it beats me why it did not occur to the engineers there that the water will make the process of pouring concrete fail.After almost 4 weeks since the nuclear crisis began in Japan operators of the plant are no closer to regaining control of damaged reactors, as fuel rods remain overheated and high levels of radiation are flowing into the sea.

Japan’s attempt to plug leaking reactor fails

Japanese officials grappling to end the nuclear crisis at the earthquake and tsunami-crippled Fukushima plant are focusing on a crack in a concrete pit that is leaking highly radioactive water into the ocean from a crippled reactor.Power plant workers attempted to fill the shaft with fresh concrete on Saturday, but that did not change the amount of water coming out of the crack, spokesmen for Tokyo Electric Co (TEPCO) told a news conference.They will try to block the leak on leak again on Sunday by injecting polymeric material into the trench and use additional concrete to prevent contaminated water from leaking into the sea.

Farmers in Fukushima get hit hard

Life in Fukushima will continue to get disrupted for many year as it looks likely that the Fukushima  plant is not getting under control despite massive efforts by international teams.The radioactivity spreading in the water and soil around the radiation emitting plant will make it impossible for normalcy to return for Fukushima citizens.The Farmers of Fukushima are particularly hit hard as anything labeled with the “F” name will not get buyers.After the devastating earthquakes and the tsunami,this is probably the last straw for the Fukushima farmers

Radiation worries hit Japan’s farmers hard

Japan’s worst crisis since World War II, with the authorities still trying to bring the damaged reactors under control, has sparked widespread fears about the safety of its food.he radiation worries are likely to put a further squeeze on farmers in northeast Japan, where the economy has been on a steady decline for years, hit by a falling birthrate and a rapidly ageing population.Japan is already home to some of the world’s most demanding consumers, who inspect freshness, quality of packaging and place of origin with almost religious zeal.

TEPCO faces partian nationalization

The beleagured owner of the Fukushima plant TEPCO faces partial nationalization as the government contemplates taking ownership of the very badly managed utility.Note TEPCO already was facing massive losses after it was forced to shut a nuclear plant 3 years ago.Now massive claims of damages are going to hit this company hard and its stock price has already tanked in anticipation.Shareholders have a good chance of totally getting wiped out while bondholders too may face big haircuts.

Reports: Gov’t to inject funds into TEPCO

Japanese newspaper has reported that the government will take control of Tokyo Electric Power — the operator of the stricken nuclear plant. It follows mounting public concerns over the crisis, and a huge potential compensation bill.The Mainichi newspaper said the government plans to inject public funds into the company, although it is unlikely to take more than a 50 percent stake. If the stake goes over 50 percent, TEPCO will be considered “nationalized”.Analysts say, putting TEPCO under government control isn’t necessarily good for shareholders. TEPCO will be repaying the taxpayer funding for some time, and would return little if anything to investors.