A 5.3-magnitude earthquake has hit the Japanese prefecture that is home to the nuclear power plant crippled in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Tokyo has unveiled a half-billion dollar plan to stem radioactive water leaks at Fukushima, creating a wall of ice underneath the stricken plant, as the government elbowed the operator aside.

Japan’s top nuclear regulator has raised safety concerns about hastily built storage tanks and their foundations after signs of more leaks of radiation-contaminated water at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant.

The operator of Japan’s stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, which confirmed radiation readings are 18 times higher than previously measured, said yesterday that it found highly radioactive water dripping from a pipe connecting two coolant tanks, and patched it up with tape.

It has emerged that radiation levels at the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan are 18 times higher than previously suggested.

Japan’s nuclear regulator has upgraded the rating of a leak of radiation-contaminated water at its tsunami-hit nuclear plant to a “serious incident” on an international scale.

Deep beneath Fukushima’s crippled nuclear power station a massive underground reservoir of contaminated water that began spilling from the plant’s reactors after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami has been creeping slowly toward the sea.

A leak of highly radioactive water at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant could be the beginning of a new disaster, Japan’s nuclear watchdog said.

Japan’s nuclear watchdog is proposing raising the risk level of the leakage of highly radioactive water at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant from “an anomaly” to a “serious incident.”

The Japanese nuclear watchdog said it is taking the leakage of highly radioactive water at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant seriously.

Contaminated water with dangerously high levels of radiation is leaking from a storage tank at Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, the most serious setback to the clean-up of the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.

The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan has said it is struggling with its latest efforts to stop contaminated underground water leaks from running into the sea.

The operator of Japan’s crippled nuclear power plant said today that it has detected a fresh leak of radioactive water from one of the facility’s storage tanks.

The operator of Japan’s crippled nuclear plant says it is moving tons of highly radioactive water from a temporary storage tank to another because of a possible leak.

A strong earthquake struck today off the coast of north-eastern Japan in the same region that was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami last year.

Japanese authorities are investigating subcontractors on suspicion that they forced workers at the tsunami-hit nuclear plant to under-report the amount of radiation they were exposed to so they could stay on the job longer.

Japan’s Fukushima nuclear crisis was a preventable disaster resulting from “collusion” among the government, regulators and the plant operator, an expert panel said, wrapping up an inquiry into the worst nuclear accident in 25 years.

Nuclear power returned to Japan's energy mix today as the first reactor to be restarted since last year's earthquake and tsunami came back online.

A robust international nuclear safety action plan is being implemented in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, writes Yukiya Amano

A worst-case scenario sketched out by the Japanese government foresaw the end of Tokyo in a chain of nuclear explosions as the Fukushima crisis erupted last year, an independent panel said.

Asian stocks markets fell today, with trading thinned by year-end holidays and mixed economic news out of the US and Japan.

Japan is set to declare that the tsunami-devastated Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant has finally achieved a “cold shutdown”, meaning it has stabilised and is no longer leaking substantial amounts of radiation.

The utility company behind the unfolding Japanese nuclear disaster has reported a 571.7 billion yen (€5.17bn) quarterly loss, and its president is expecting the red ink to swell further over restoration and compensation costs.

JAPANESE nuclear regulators trusted that the reactors at Fukushima Dai-ichi were safe from the worst waves an earthquake could muster based on a single-page memo from the plant operator nearly a decade ago.

A MAJOR international mission to investigate Japan’s wrecked nuclear complex began yesterday as new information suggested that two more reactors suffered a meltdown in the aftermath of the tsunami.

A major international mission to investigate Japan’s wrecked nuclear complex began today as new information suggested that two more reactors suffered a meltdown in the aftermath of the tsunami.

The president of the utility behind the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl today announced he was stepping down in disgrace after reporting the biggest losses in company history.

Japan was to release a revised roadmap today for stabilising its stricken nuclear plant amid signs that three troubled reactors have suffered worse-than-expected damage from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

The FTSE 100 Index closed in the red today as a raft of disappointing earnings and falls among miners dragged the market lower.

The FTSE 100 Index fought back today despite a flurry of disappointing company updates and a lacklustre performance from the UK economy.

Japanese farmers took to the streets in Tokyo today demanding compensation for radiation contamination to their crops and livestock from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.

Authorities may for the first time ban access to the evacuation zone around Japan’s crippled nuclear plant today amid concerns over radiation risks to residents who may be returning to check on their homes.

The operator of Japan's crippled nuclear plant began pumping highly radioactive water from the basement of one reactor's turbine building to a makeshift storage area today - a key step in stabilising the complex.

Readings from a robot which entered two crippled buildings at Japan’s tsunami-flooded nuclear plant for the first time in more than a month displayed a harsh environment still too radioactive for workers to enter.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today promised solidarity and support for Japan as it recovers from a devastating earthquake and tsunami and copes with a nuclear crisis.

Japan’s nuclear safety agency told plant operators to check and improve outside power links to avoid earthquake-related breakdowns similar to those causing the country’s current nuclear crisis.

The operator of Japan’s tsunami-flooded nuclear power complex was seeking ways today to pull damaged spent fuel rods out of a storage pool at one of its reactors, citing surging radiation and elevated temperatures as worrisome signs.

Angry refugees forced from their homes near Japan's wrecked nuclear power plant protested outside the HQ of its operator today, demanding compensation.

JAPAN raised the crisis level at its crippled nuclear plant to a severity on a par with the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, citing high overall radiation leaks that have contaminated the air, tap water, vegetables and seawater.

Japan’s nuclear safety agency raised the severity rating of the crisis at its nuclear plant to the highest level today, on a par with the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

JAPAN has widened the evacuation zone around a stricken nuclear plant a month on from a huge natural disaster as another 7.1 magnitude quake and tsunami alert strained nerves anew.

Sirens wailed and people bowed their heads and wept along Japan’s devastated north-east coast today as they marked a month since the devastating tsunami which killed up to 25,000 people and unleashed a nuclear crisis.

PRIME Minister Naoto Kan promised yesterday he would “never abandon” survivors of Japan’s tsunami as he tried to focus attention on the future, despite a high-stakes battle at a nuclear plant.