Fukushima

Fukushima A Ten-Year TimelineMarch 11, 2011: A powerful earthquake and tsunami damage the Fukushima Dai'ichi nuclear power plant situated in the prefecture of Fukushima, Japan.March 12-15, 2011: A loss of reactor core cooling in units 1, 2, and 3 leads to three nuclear meltdowns, hydrogen explosions, and the release of radioactive contamination.On March 15, residents living within a twenty-kilometer radius of the plant are evacuated.Those living within a twenty-to thirtykilometer radius are required to shelter inside their homes.March 17, 2011: The government establishes provisional regulation values for radioactive contamination in food and water.March 21, 2011: Food products exceeding regulation values are restricted from shipping.April 12, 2011: The International Atomic Energy Agency categorizes Fukushima as a "Level 7" accident on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale.This represents the highest level possible for a nuclear disaster.April 19, 2011: The government raises the annual radiation exposure limit in Fukushima from 1 mSv/y to 20 mSv/y.This twentyfold increase, which exceeds the predisaster recommended public health limits, causes public outcry and national protests.April 29, 2011: Toshiso Kosako, a radiation safety expert and a special advisor to the Cabinet, resigns from his position in protest of the increased allowable threshold in Fukushima.June 16, 2011: The government launches "Specific Spots Recommended for Evacuation" after discovering areas with doses above 20 mSv/year falling outside of the official evacuation zone.August 26, 2011: Naoto Kan, the prime minister of Japan and president of the Democratic Party of Japan, announces his resignation.He is replaced by Yoshihiko Noda.