'Melt-through' at Fukushima? / Govt report to IAEA suggests situation worse than meltdown (by Yomiuri Shimbun)

Nuclear fuel in three reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant has possibly melted through pressure vessels and accumulated at the bottom of outer containment vessels, according to a government report obtained Tuesday by The Yomiuri Shimbun.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110607005367.htm

Labor ministry inspects Fukushima nuke plant over exposed workers (by Mainichi Shimbun)

Workers install a pressure sensor inside the No. 1 reactor building at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant on June 3, in this photo provided by Tokyo Electric Power Co.


TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese labor ministry on Tuesday inspected the crisis-hit Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant to investigate the causes of the complex's workers being exposed to radiation exceeding the maximum allowable emergency limit.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110607p2g00m0dm091000c.html

Political parties should prioritize efforts to control nuclear crisis over power stalemate (by Mainichi Shimbun)

The ongoing political turmoil over when Prime Minister Naoto Kan should step down shows no sign of abating, with the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) trying to settle the situation by setting Kan's departure for this summer while the opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) insists he should resign by the end of June.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20110607p2a00m0na008000c.html

Only 15 percent of donations distributed to quake, tsunami victims (by Mainichi Shimbun)

Only about 15 percent of donations collected across the country for quake victims have been distributed to individual victims, the donation allocation panel said.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110607p2a00m0na011000c.html

Political parties should prioritize efforts to control nuclear crisis over power stalemate (by Mainichi Shimbun)

The ongoing political turmoil over when Prime Minister Naoto Kan should step down shows no sign of abating, with the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) trying to settle the situation by setting Kan's departure for this summer while the opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) insists he should resign by the end of June.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20110607p2a00m0na008000c.html

Memorial for Japan quake victims held in London (by Japan Times)

LONDON — A memorial ceremony for victims of the massive March 11 earthquake and tsunami was held Sunday at Westminster Abbey in London, with about 2,000 people attending in the rain.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110607a8.html

Fukushima radioactive water could overflow soon (by Asahi Shimbun)

Raising fresh concerns about its ability to bring the nuclear crisis under control, Tokyo Electric Power Co. announced June 3 that highly radioactive water pooled in underground pits could start rising above ground in less than three weeks.

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201106040157.html