Fukushima Daiichi: 10 years on

March 1, 2021, 2:12PMNuclear NewsLake Barrett

The Fukushima Daiichi site before the accident. All images are provided courtesy of TEPCO unless noted otherwise.

It was a rather normal day back on March 11, 2011, at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant before 2:45 p.m. That was the time when the Great Tohoku Earthquake struck, followed by a massive tsunami that caused three reactor meltdowns and forever changed the nuclear power industry in Japan and worldwide. Now, 10 years later, much has been learned and done to improve nuclear safety, and despite many challenges, significant progress is being made to decontaminate and defuel the extensively damaged Fukushima Daiichi reactor site. This is a summary of what happened, progress to date, current situation, and the outlook for the future there.

To continue reading, log in or create a free account!

Related Articles

Japan set to restart Kashiwazaki-Kariwa

November 25, 2025, 7:00AMNuclear News

Hideyo Hanazumi, governor of Niigata Prefecture in Japan, has approved the restart of two reactors at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant. The seven-unit facility, operated by Tokyo...

Deep Fission to break ground this week

December 8, 2025, 6:58AMNuclear News

With about seven months left in the race to bring DOE-authorized test reactors on line by July 4, 2026, via the Reactor Pilot Program, Deep Fission has announced that it will break ground on...