Nuclear steam leak kills four in Japan

A steam leak killed four people and injured seven others today in the worst-ever accident at a Japanese nuclear power plant.

Two workers were in critical condition.

No radiation was involved and there was no need to evacuate the area around the plant in Mihama, 200 miles west of Tokyo, officials said.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi vowed to launch a thorough investigation into the accident, which follows a string of safety problems and attempted cover-ups at Japan’s nuclear power plants.

Fears about the safety of the country’s 52 nuclear power plants surged in 1999 after a radiation leak north-east of Tokyo killed two workers and exposed hundreds to radiation.

Three years later, an investigation revealed that Tokyo Electric Power, the world’s largest private utility, systematically lied about the appearance of cracks in its reactors during the 1980s and 1990s.

Today’s leak was caused by a lack of cooling water in the reactor’s turbine, said Kimihito Kawabata, a spokesman for plant operator Kansai Electric Power. The steam was believed to be about 270C (518F).

After the accident, Kansai Electric officials found a hole on the condenser pipe. The Mihama plant’s two other reactors were operating normally, officials said.

“There was no leak of radioactivity that could harm the environment,” said Nobutake Masaki, a Mihama town official. He added that the steam, which was not radioactive, leaked only inside the building.

Energy-poor Japan relies on nuclear power to supply 30% of its electricity.