Japan Assesses Quake Damage

KASHIWAZAKI, Japan, July 18 -- The mayor of Kashiwazaki ordered that a nuclear power plant hit by a strong earthquake be shut down Wednesday until its safety could be confirmed after a long list of problems -- including radiation leaks, burst pipes and fires -- came to light.

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is the world's largest nuclear plant in power output capacity. Signs of problems after Monday's quake came first not from the officials, but in a plume of smoke that rose when the quake triggered a small fire at an electrical transformer.

It was announced 12 hours later that the magnitude 6.8 temblor, which killed nine people, also caused a leak of about 315 gallons of water containing radioactive material. Officials said the water leak was well within safety standards. The water was flushed into the sea.

Later Tuesday, officials said 50 instances of "malfunctioning and trouble" had been found. Four of the plant's seven reactors were running at the time of the quake, and they were all shut down automatically by a safety mechanism.

Hiroshi Aida, mayor of Kashiwazaki, a town that is home to the plant and 93,500 people, ordered operations halted Wednesday.

"The safety of the plant must be assured before it is reopened," he said.

Tokyo Electric Power, which operates the plant, said the quake was stronger than anything its seven-reactor Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant had prepared for. But none of the problems posed serious threats to people or the environment, the company said.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe criticized the delay in notifying the public. "They raised the alert too late. I have sent stern instructions that such alerts must be raised seriously and swiftly," Abe said.

Japan's 55 nuclear reactors, which supply 30 percent of the country's electricity, have had a long string of accidents and coverups.