Japan Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Crisis

Introduction

The earthquake off the coast of Japan on March 11, 2011 was one of the biggest recorded, measuring 9 on the richter scale.

It was the resulting tsunami, however, that caused the most destruction. It devastated the northeast of Japan, leaving many thousands dead or missing, and hundreds of thousands homeless or evacuated from the area.

In addition, various power generators failed. Some older nuclear power stations risked meltdown and suffered explosions and radioactive leaks. Workers have battled for weeks to try and bring the situation under control. Radioactive material has been detected in various places.

Earthquake and tsunami damage to the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant in Japan. Source¹

It is thought that the cost of the earthquake and tsunami could be over $300 billion — the world’s most expensive natural disaster on record.

An aerial view of damage to northern Honshu (top) and Minato (bottom), Japan, a week after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami devastated the area. Sources: top², bottom³

There are global economic repercussions as well, given Japan’s key position in the world economy.

Back to top

More information

There are so many issues that this tragic event has caused that I can’t cover them on my own. However, below are a list of stories from Inter Press Service as they cover this event and its aftermath:

Back to top