22 Nov (NucNet): Updated at 03:23 GMT: Japanese Nuclear operator Tokyo Electric Power Corporation (Tepco) said there are no abnormalities at either the Fukushima-Daiichi or Fukushima-Daini nuclear stations following a 7.4 magnitude earthquake off the coast of the prefecture early on 22 November 2016 local time.
The company said on its social media feeds that no abnormalities had been found, no radiation level changes detected, and no injuries reported after the earthquake.
Tepco said the cooling function of the Fukushima-Daini Unit 3 spent fuel pool resumed at 07:47 local time after cooling water supply stopped at 06:10 due to the earthquake.
Tepco said the stoppage was caused by the tremor and “strong acceleration” at the power plant. Unconfirmed reports said that at 06.38, the Fukushima-Daiichi and Daini stations had a tsunami wave about 1m high.
Coastal residents in Japan were ordered to move to higher ground after the earthquake struck off the coast of Fukushima prefecture.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for waves of up to 3m in Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures, and a tsunami advisory for much of the rest of northeast Japan’s Pacific coast.
Tsunamis of 1.4 metres and 90 centimetres were reported in Sendai and Soma about an hour after the earthquake, and the tsunami warning area was widened later in the morning.
Fukushima prefecture is home to the Fukushima-Daiichi and Fukushima-Daini nuclear power stations where seven reactors in operation at the time were destroyed by a huge tsunami following an offshore earthquake in March 2011.
The Japan Meteorological Agency put the quake at 7.4 magnitude while the United States Geological Survey said it was 6.9 magnitude. It struck at a shallow depth of seven miles) shortly before 06.00 local time on Tuesday (2100 GMT on Monday) in the Pacific off Fukushima.
