Obstacles impeding nuke crews in Japan

TOKYO -- Highly radioactive iodine seeping from Japan's damaged nuclear complex may be making its way into seawater farther north of the plant than previously thought, officials said Monday, adding to radiation concerns as the crisis stretches into a third week.

Mounting problems, including badly miscalculated radiation figures and no place to store dangerously contaminated water, have stymied workers struggling to cool down the overheating plant and avert a disaster with global implications.

Adding to the unease across Japan, a strong earthquake shook the region and prompted a brief tsunami alert early Monday. A magnitude-6.5 quake was recorded off the battered Miyagi prefecture, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

No damage or injuries were reported, and TEPCO said the quake would not affect work to stabilize the nuclear plant.

The coastal Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant has been leaking radiation since a magnitude-9.0 quake on March 11 triggered a tsunami that engulfed the complex. The wave knocked out power to the system that cools the nuclear fuel rods.

On Monday, workers resumed the laborious yet urgent task of pumping out the hundreds of tons of radioactive water.

The contaminated water has been emitting radiation at more than 1,000 millisieverts per hour in a recent reading at Unit 2 -- some 100,000 times normal amounts, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano repeated Monday that the contaminated water in Unit 2 appeared to be from temporary partial meltdown of the reactor core and the spike in radiation seemed limited to the unit.

But new readings show contamination in the ocean has spread about a mile farther north of the complex than before. Hidehiko Nishiyama of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said Monday he is reversing his previous position: He does now suspect radioactive water from the plant as the source.

Yesterday, TEPCO officials said radiation in leaking water in the Unit 2 reactor was 10 million times above normal. The day ended with officials saying the figure had been miscalculated and offering apologies.

The death toll since the March 11 disasters stood at 10,668, police said.