Offshore quake causes tsunamis, nuclear worries in Japan

A massive undersea quake that hit in March 2011 unleashed a tsunami that left more than 18,500 people dead or missing, and sent three reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters.

An natural disaster hit northern Japan on Tuesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, issuing tsunami advisories for much of the nation’s northern Pacific coast.

The tsunami warning has since been lifted. It was eerily reminiscent of the 2011 disaster, when much larger tsunamis rushed up rivers and overflowed, wiping away entire neighborhoods. Several thousand people along the coast evacuated or were told to evacuate. Earthquakes are not rare in Japan and people seem to be quite used to it and have contingencies in place. Passengers crowd at Sendai Station in Sendai, Miyagi prefecture, northern Japan Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016 after train services are suspended following an natural disaster.

No damage or injuries was reported. Even when in shutdown, nuclear plants need cooling systems operating to keep spent fuel cool. A spokesman said the cooling system had restarted soon after.

The auto maker Nissan suspended work at its Fukushima factory, which was badly damaged by the 2011 disaster known as the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Suga told reporters in Tokyo that the cause of the pump’s malfunction was under investigation, and added that Japan has the strictest nuclear regulations in the world.

There is no recorded casualty due to the natural disaster but there are various effects on some companies such as the Dainie nuclear power plant whose reactor 3 fuel pump stopped working due to the quake, according to the Guardian. There were no abnormalities observed at other nuclear plants in the country. Residents were relieved, though, that Tuesday’s quake was not as frightful as what had happened five and a half years ago.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the government was ready to respond.

He said the universities where 54 Malaysian students were studying in Fukushima were far from the coastal areas where the quake took place. Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant also experienced full meltdowns at three reactors. Passengers crowd around the information board posting full suspension of the Tohoku Main Line train service due to an natural disaster at Sendai Station in Sendai, Miyagi prefecture, northern Japan, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016. Coa.