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Fukushima
About Fukushima
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster occurred on March 11, 2011, following a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan. The tsunami overwhelmed the seawall and flooded the emergency diesel generators, causing total station blackout at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Without cooling, three reactor cores melted down. Hydrogen explosions destroyed the reactor buildings of Units 1, 3, and 4. No direct radiation deaths were immediately attributed to the accident, though one worker died from lung cancer in 2018 attributed to radiation exposure. More than 150,000 people were evacuated. The World Health Organization projected minimal health effects for the general public. However, the psychological impact of displacement was significant. The disaster prompted Japan to phase out nuclear power, though this policy was partially reversed. Germany accelerated its nuclear phaseout. Fukushima demonstrated that even advanced nuclear safety systems could be overwhelmed by extreme natural events.