Japan has ordered the mandatory evacuations of two towns in Fukushima Prefecture, 15 May, almost three days after it was reveled that Reactor 1, of Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant, was melting down.

Families with children kindergarten age or younger, and pregnant women, are the first to be evacuated.  At least 7,700 people will be evacuated from the small towns.  Local officials claim they have secured places for the families to stay.

Farmers are being given extra time so they can move their livestock.  The evacuation was ordered because of increased radiation levels in the towns.

The first death connected to the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has occurred.  A 60 year old man working for a subcontractor, fell unconscious while removing nuclear waste.

Tokyo Electric Power Company officials say he was wearing a full protective suit, and claim he was not exposed to radiation.  It’s reported that the worker complained of feeling ill before collapsing.  He was rushed to a hospital where he died.

Tokyo Electric Power Company, and Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency officials, announced that a shield will be built to entomb Reactor 1, at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

It was discovered that Reactor 1 did indeed experience fuel rod melt down!  To try and reduce the amount of radiation spewing from the reactor a shield will be built around it. Construction will start in June.  TEPCo still has to deal with contaminated water pouring from the building.

Officials with Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency say it’s too late now that fuel rods in Fukushima Daiichi Reactor 1 have melted down!  Tokyo Electric Power Company officials wanted to pump more water into the reactor, in the hopes of stopping the meltdown.

Nuclear Safety officials think the melted rods have cooled enough in the water at the bottom of the reactor, that there might not be too much concern.  However, TEPCo believes that holes in the reactor vessel have been created by the meltdown, which is causing large amounts of radioactive water to pour into the Pacific Ocean.

The Agency suggested that TEPCo should inject water only to the point of keeping the bottom of the reactor filled.

Two prefectures bordering Fukushima Prefecture, have discovered that plants are contaminated with cesium.

Tochigi and Ibaraki Prefectures have cesium contamination well about safe limits.  As much as 3,600 becquerels of cesium has contaminated pasture land, and crops!  The government’s safe limit is 300 bequerels.

Farmers are being told not to feed their animals the grass.  Crops are so contaminated that farmers are being told not to harvest, or ship their crops.  Some contaminated parsley had already been shipped to market.

Even after Tokyo Electric Power Company plugged a leak, Reactor 3 is still pouring water contaminated with cesium into the Pacific Ocean.

The water is pouring out of a pipe containing electrical cables, but officials still don’t know where the water is originating.  The latest tests of the ocean water showed cesium contamination at 620,000 times safe limits!

Tokyo Electric Power Company says contaminated water is pouring from Reactor 1.  This after workers were finally able to enter the building and check gauges.  The gauges showed that despite hundreds of tons of water being injected, the water levels were low.

TEPCo suspected faulty gauges. Workers checked the gauges again, after more water was pumped in, and they discovered the water levels actually dropped.

Now officials are worried that the water could be pouring from a hole in the reactor itself.  When checked on the morning of 12 May, workers discovered the fuel rods fully exposed.   Water levels are a full meter (3.2 feet) below the rods!

TEPCo is pumping in water, but the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency believes rods have started melting.