Japan to Implement Planned Power Cuts

Japan will implement planned power blackouts in order to prevent massive blackouts. Nearly two million households in northern Japan are without power, as the disaster damaged two nuclear power plants in the region.

Japan may implement planned power outages following a massive earthquake and tsunami. The disaster may have killed up to 10,000 people. The natural disaster damaged nuclear power plants in Fukushima prefecture in northeastern Japan, with leaks reported from facilities.

Almost two million households are without power in the freezing north. About 1.4 million are without running water. [Banri Kaieda, Economic, Trade and Industry Minister]: "In order to prevent massive unexpected blackouts, Tokyo Electric Power Co and Tohoku Electric may implement a managed blackout, by region."

In Fukushima prefecture, authorities have set up a 12-mile exclusion zone around the Fukushima Daiichi plant and a six-mile zone around another nuclear facility close by. Around 140,000 people have been moved from the area, while authorities prepared to distribute iodine to protect people from radioactive exposure. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said there might have been a partial meltdown of the fuel rods at the No. 1 reactor at Fukushima.

Tokyo Electric Power Company said radiation levels around the Fukushima Daiichi plant had risen above the safety limit but there was no immediate threat to human health.