PM Naoto Kan on Plutonium Leak: Japan on 'Maximum Alert'

Plutonium Found in Soil Near Fukushima Daiichi Shows Gravity of Situation

While Tepco says that the plutonium found in the soil near Fukushima Daiichi was not a direct threat to human health, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said that the country is on "maximum alert" in terms of dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami.

Meanwhile, the radioactive core of Reactor #2 seems to have melted through its containment vessel. The public, meanwhile, is growing impatient with the government's mixed messages on food and tap water safety.

• Fukushima Daiichi: Feature Coverage
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PM Says Japan "maximum Alert" Over Nuke Crisis

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The detection of plutonium outside the plant means that Reactor #3 has been breached. The Japanese government is under pressure to expand the evacuation zone around Fukushima Daiichi, which is currently a 12-mile radius.

Once Fukushima Daiichi is repaired, that exclusion zone will remain unsafe- the 70,000 people evacuated cannot realistically expect to return to their homes.

An op-ed at Japan Times discusses the perceived future of nuclear energy, and our collective inability to see beyond the current production-and-delivery model, and it is worth a read.

Locally-produced wind and solar energy may currently be more expensive, but starts to look like a bargain compared to the cleanup and health costs associated with a nuclear disaster. Windmills fail more gracefully than nuclear fuel cores.

Also see: Why Are There So Many Ways of Measuring Radiation?