Japan yesterday revised upward the severity of the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant to the same level as the worst global nuclear disaster ever at Chernobyl in 1986. 

The sudden elevation - from level 5 to level 7 on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale - raised suspicions in neighboring Korea and China that the Japanese government had delayed disclosing critical information regarding radiation leaks, depriving them of time to come up with their own protective measures. 

Seoul officials said they would watch closely to see if the situation worsens. 

Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency announced the revision by admitting that the amount of radioactive material released from the crippled plant at an early stage was estimated to have reached 10,000 terabequerels per hour for several hours. 

Kyodo News Agency yesterday quoted an official of Tepco, the owner and manager of the plant, as saying the radiation from the plant could surpass that leaked from Chernobyl if the crisis continues. Currently, Fukushima has released about 10 percent of the amount of radiation leaked by the Chernobyl disaster, the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan estimated. 

The Chinese government also urged Tokyo yesterday to provide it with information on the radiation more swiftly. 

Nuclear experts from Korea and Japan began discussions yesterday in Tokyo on radiation from the plant, the first face-to-face briefing for Seoul officials since the onset of the crisis on March 11. A second meeting is slated for today. 

“We will see what outcome the experts’ meeting in Tokyo will bring,” said an official of Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

According to the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety yesterday, traces of radiation from the Fukushima plant were detected in the air at all 12 of Korea’s detection centers, though they weren’t high enough to pose health risks.

Meanwhile, Japan’s Nikkei newspaper reported yesterday that the Korean government requested from Japan a joint study of radiation in the seawater near the crippled plant, quoting a diplomatic source.

Japan stopped dumping low-level radioactive water into the ocean on Monday after disposing 10,400 tons.

The Nikkei said Korea appears to be concerned about the effect of contaminated water on its fisheries. The Japanese government is reviewing how to respond to Seoul’s demand, Nikkei reported. 

The nuclear crisis showed little signs of a breakthrough, with the Japanese government saying Monday that it would order some people living outside its 20-kilometer (12.4-mile) exclusion zone to prepare to evacuate their villages or cities.

The top U.S. nuclear regulator told the Associated Press yesterday that he still sticks to a recommendation for U.S. citizens to stay at least 50 miles away from the plant.


By Moon Gwang-lip [joe@joongang.co.kr]