Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster

E42988

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was a 2011 catastrophic failure at a Japanese nuclear power plant triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami, leading to core meltdowns, radioactive releases, and long-term environmental and policy impacts worldwide.

Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Fukushima nuclear meltdown 1

Statements (59)

Predicate Object
instanceOf industrial accident
nuclear disaster
radiological accident
technological disaster
affectedReactor Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
surface form: Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1

Fukushima Daiichi Unit 2
Fukushima Daiichi Unit 3
Fukushima Daiichi Unit 4
cause loss of cooling
loss of off-site power
loss of on-site backup power
station blackout
classification INES Level 7
country Japan
countryRegulator Nuclear Regulation Authority (Japan)
Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency
decommissioningStartDate 2011
environmentalImpact marine contamination in Pacific Ocean
radioactive fallout over eastern Japan
estimatedDecommissioningDuration 30–40 years
evacuationRadius 20 km
expandedEvacuationZone up to 30 km
governmentResponse declaration of nuclear emergency by Japanese government
mass evacuation of local population
healthImpact increased radiation exposure for emergency workers
psychological stress for evacuees
impact global nuclear policy changes
public opposition to nuclear power
shutdown of nuclear reactors in Japan
stricter nuclear safety regulations worldwide
INESLevel 7
location Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture
Ōkuma, Fukushima Prefecture
mediaCoverage extensive international news coverage
notableSubstanceReleased cesium-134
cesium-137
iodine-131
xenon-133
operator Tokyo Electric Power Company
surface form: TEPCO

Tokyo Electric Power Company
reactorType boiling water reactor
relatedTo 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
Japanese nuclear power phase-out debate
result contamination of air, soil, and water
core meltdown in Unit 1
core meltdown in Unit 2
core meltdown in Unit 3
decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi plant
hydrogen explosions in reactor buildings
long-term evacuation zones
release of radioactive materials
sameINESLevelAs Chernobyl disaster
startDate 2011-03-11
studiedBy International Atomic Energy Agency
United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation
World Health Organization
triggeredBy 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
surface form: 2011 Tōhoku earthquake

2011 Tōhoku tsunami

Referenced by (6)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

DARPA Robotics Challenge inspiredBy Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster
Heisei notableEventDuringEra Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster
Chernobyl disaster oneOfWorstNuclearAccidentsWith Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami relatedDisaster Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami relatedDisaster Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster
this entity surface form: Fukushima nuclear meltdown
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami triggeredEvent Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster