ALL the latest updates on the nuclear and humanitarian crises in Japan will be posted here as they come to hand.

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9.05am Another fascinating piece from the New York Times about the man who babysits Chernobyl.

The death of a nuclear reactor has a beginning; the world is watching this unfold now on the coast of Japan. But it doesn’t have an end.

7.46am The New York Times examines the impact on Japanese produce, including Kobe beef:

Even the perception of contamination, one Japanese agriculture expert said, could cause long-lasting "brand damage", especially if there was evidence of radiation spreading across Japan.

6.34am A wrap of latest developments:

Abnormal levels of radioactive iodine found in water supply in areas including Tokyo and Fukushima - officials say no threat to human health

Tainted milk found in Fukushima prefecture; contaminated spinach discovered in neighbouring Ibaraki prefecture

Power could be restored at Fukushima nuclear plant as early as today

Six plant workers exposed to high levels of radiation - more than 100 millisieverts - but continuing to work

5.34am And still the toll rises ... the number of people confirmed dead or listed as missing in Japan neared 20,000 early today. Police said 7653 people had been confirmed dead and 11,746 officially listed as missing - a total of 19,399 - as at 1am (AEDT).

Even so, the missing figures still do not include local reports from along the tsunami-hit coast of vast numbers of people unaccounted for.

2.32am Talk about cool in a crisis. Video has popped up on YouTube of one Japanese gamer who refuses to leave his Call of Duty even through the sixth biggest tremor on record.

Best quote: "Wait, wait, it's huge! It's massive! This is the biggest earthquake ever!"

Watch the world's coolest gamer here

11.28pm The rest of the world gets nervous. Germany has ordered an audit of its nuclear facilities and protestors have come out in Sofia against the Bulgarian government's plans to build a second nuclear plant near town of Belene.

With good reason? Maybe - the Japanese government has admitted there's radioactive iodine in Tokyo's tap water.

9.46pmAnother reminder that disaster is far from averted. A 5.9 magnitude earthquake has struck 98km south of the Fukushima plant.

Initial reports say it was strong enough to rattle buildings in Tokyo, but no tsunami alert was raised.

8.40pm More promising news. Engineers have linked an electricity line back up to reactor No 2 at the Fukushima plant. No power yet, though. That may come tomorrow if everything goes to plan.

8.23pm Ambulances, police and army buses are evacuating more than 800 hospital patients from facilities within a 30km radius of the Fukushima nuclear plant.

"The operation is likely to be completed within one or two days," said an official.

8.15pm Finally some small relief for Japan as a warm front brings respite to those left homeless by the disaster. AFP reports:

Although still bitterly cold at night, the mercury climbed to 10 degrees Celsius today in coastal Miyagi and Iwate prefectures, which bore the brunt of the giant wave triggered by a huge earthquake last week. The misery of the survivors – more than half a million of whom remain in evacuation shelters with no power and scant fuel, food and water – had been compounded by a severe cold snap on Wednesday that lasted for three days. The freezing weather was blamed for the deaths of a number of elderly, already weakened survivors, who had suffered most from the lack of power and heating in the ill-equipped shelters.

The race is now on to get fresh supplies to evacuation centres while the warmer weather lasts. You can read the full story here.

7.29pm Sailors unload relief goods for tsunami victims at Shiogama port in Miyagi prefecture, northern Japan. Picture: AP

7.04pm Food exports could be halted from areas near the Fukishima nuclear plant if tests find further contamination. The tainted milk was found 30km from the plant.

The Government is still urging against panic. "It's not like if you ate it right away you would be harmed," Yukio Edano said of the spinach, which contained about one-fifth the radiation you'd get from a single CT scan.

"(However) it would not be good to continue to eat it for some time," he said.

6.49pm More information about the contaminated milk and spinach has come through, including an assurance that the foods pose no immediate threat to humans from Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano.

The Government has ordered authorities to investigate where the products came from, how they were distributed and to suspend sales if necessary. AFP reports:

Mr Edano urged consumers to remain calm, noting that even if a consumer were to drink the contaminated milk for a year, the radiation level would be the equivalent of one CT scan.

6.32pm Radiation from the Fukushima nuclear plant has made its way into local produce.

A Government spokesperson said checks of milk from Fukishima prefecture and of spinach from neighbouring Ibaraki prefecture found they contained radiation levels exceeding safety limits.

5.48pm The Chinese Government says its citizens are not in danger from the nuclear drama unfolding in Japan, but that hasn't stopped them worrying. In fact now the country has a problem on its hands in the form of shops jacking up the price of salt.

AFP reports that people in China have been panic-buying salt in the mistaken belief it will protect them from radiation. That has inspired some unscrupulous shop owners to deliberately inflate the price by more than 400 per cent:

In the central province of Shaanxi, a supermarket was fined 50,000 yuan ($7793) for hiking the price of a 400g pack of salt from 1 to 2.5 yuan, while a wholesaler in Jilin, the province nearest Japan, was prosecuted for raising prices from 1.3 to 7 yuan.

The Chinese Government has promised to crack down on the retailers. In the meantime, residents have been asked to "consume rationally, buy reasonably, and don't believe or spread rumours".

5.14pm The Japanese Government is preparing an enormous financial aid package to help businesses damaged by the disaster, according to a report from AP:

The Nihon Keizai newspaper said today the Government would arrange low-interest loans or interest subsidies to companies for daily expenses or quake-related repairs. It said the total lending covered could be as high as ¥10 trillion ($125 billion).

4.33pm A train car washed away by the tsunami lies amid a graveyard in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan / AP

4.02pm An Australian military transport aircraft will stay an extra week in Japan. Meanwhile, Australia's 72-member Urban Search and Rescue Team is winding up its operations in readiness to head home this afternoon, after using sniffer dogs in difficult conditions in Minami Sanriku. Attorney-General Robert McClelland praised the team's efforts:

The team has been searching for survivors in areas in Northern Honshu that have been utterly devastated, tunnelling through collapsed buildings and overcoming logistical issues such as fuel shortages and poor communications. The team has also endured extreme weather conditions including temperatures as low as -17C on some nights in temporary shelters.

Australian recovery team members dismantle a damaged building in Minamisanriku, Miyagi Prefecture / AP

3.53pm The State Department is expanding the area for voluntary evacuations for family members of US personnel in Japan. Americans had already been told to avoid travel to Japan and evacuations had been authorised for family members of its personnel out of Tokyo, Nagoya and Yokohama. The department has issued an updated warning that expands the evacuation area to 13 other prefectures.

3.11pm In the quake-shattered city of Miyako, City Hall official Tatsuyuki Kumagai tells of deep anxiety the sheltering survivors are suffering.

Some cry, others say they're sick of the food. Or they really want to take a bath. The stress comes out in different ways.

2.55pm Plant operator TEPCO has not ruled out the last-resort option of entombing the plant in sand and concrete as Russia did with the Chernobyl plant in 1986, but says it is still focusing its efforts on cooling the facility.

2.49pm Life goes on for thousands of survivors amidst the rubble. This photo shows Ryori Elementary School students walking to their graduation ceremony in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, yesterday, just one week after the massive earthquake and tsunami. (Picture: AP Photo/Kyodo News)

2.35pm The man reported to have been rescued from his home in the earthquake-hit northeast of Japan after eight days, had been at an evacuation centre and had only returned home. The initial reports of his miraculous survival made headlines around the world as Japan struggles for any good news in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami.

2.33pm The operator of the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant says engineers have bored three holes in each of the roofs of the buildings of reactors 5 and 6 to avoid a potential gas explosion.

1.55pm Lee Yang-Sung, a surgeon, has told of the dire situation at Kesennuma's Inawashiro Hospital:

A lot of people have been having respiratory problems. We can monitor it, but we cannot do much more than that. We don't have hot water to keep their bodies clean and bed sores are becoming increasingly common. We are reaching our limit.

1.50pm An agency official told a news conference today power would be restored after four of the six reactors at Fukushima No.1 plant had been in danger of leaking dangerous amounts of radioactivity after an earthquake and tsunami led to a series of hydrogen explosions and fires at buildings housing the units. He said:

We are scheduled to restore electricity at number 1 and 2 within today. Reactors number 5 and 6 also will be powered within today. They are scheduled to restore power to number 3 and 4 tomorrow.

1.20pm Japan expects to restore power to reactors 1, 2, 5 and 6 today, the Atomic Agency says.

12.29pm The toll from the twin disasters has risen again. The latest figures from the National Police Agency show 7197 people have died and 10,905 are missing. Some of the missing may have been out of the region at the time of the disaster. In addition, the massive power of the tsunami likely sucked many people out to sea, and, if the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami is any guide, most of those bodies will not be found.

The rising toll comes after the gravity of the situation was highlighted when Tokyo Electric Power Co managing director Akio Komori broke down in tears at a press conference in Fukushima overnight. Picture: AP

12.22pm The military has found a survivorfrom Japan's massive earthquake and tsunami eight days after the twin disasters, NHK reports. It said the man, described as relatively young, was rescued today from a wrecked house in Kesennuma, Miyagi prefecture, and was in a stable physical condition, but in a state of shock and unable to speak.

11.47am This interactive piece recaps the key headlines and hot-spots of the past week of Japan's crisis.

11.29am Analysts say it's too early to calculate the cost to the automotive industry, but Goldman Sachs estimates shutdowns are costing Japanese automakers more than $150 million a day. Even if Japanese auto plants manage to restart in the next few weeks and make up lost production, threats will remain. Hundreds of car part suppliers were near the epicentre of the earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.

11.12am A week after the earthquake and tsunami that sparked a nuclear crisis, the Japanese government has conceded it was slow to respond to the disaster. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said:

In hindsight, we could have moved a little quicker in assessing the situation and coordinating all that information and provided it faster.

10.55am There are concerns for 10 Australians still unaccounted for in the areas of Japan most devastated by the 9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami. A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade statement said:

At this point all we know is that we have not been able to contact 10 Australians who we have reason to believe were in the worst affected areas. Communications remain difficult, and we are continuing to try to confirm their safety.

10.47am California's Governor Jerry Brown has urged residents not to be alarmed about a "minuscule" amount of the radioactive isotope xenon-133from Japan's crippled nuclear power plant detected in Sacramento.

As this very tragic situation in Japan unfolds, I want Californians to know that we are closely monitoring any potential impact on our state. I also want to emphasise that there is no threat to the people of California due to radiation in Japan.

10.37am The effort to cool the reactors has been given a boost, with plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) saying external power had been restored, NHK reported. It is hoped the electricity will kick start the reactors' cooling system but, as they have been hit by an earthquake, a tsunami, partial meltdowns, hydrogen explosions, fires and have had water dropped on them, that is far from certain. The No. 2 reactor would be the first to have its external power switched back on, TEPCO said.

10.22am The US is looking into a "fog of war" and lacking reliable information as it tries to assess the events unfolding at a stricken nuclear power plant in Japan, Obama administration officials told a group of US Senate staffers, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Meanwhile, a Getty photographer's image of a replica Statue of Liberty in Ishinomaki, Japan, illustrates the US influence in the disaster-struck nation:

10.07am Radioactive material from the damaged Japanese nuclear reactors has reached the West Coast of the US, a network of sensitive radiation stations has confirmed, The Seattle Times reports.

9.38am Graham Andrew, of the International Atomic Energy Agency, addresses radiation levels in Japan after monitoring in 47 cities:

"Dose rates in Tokyo and other cities remain far from levels which would require action. In other words, they are not dangerous to human health."

9.02am Kyodo News reports there have been a record 262 aftershocks of magnitude 5 or greater in the seven days since Friday's 9.0 quake.

8.07am BBC Environment correspondent Richard Black examines the raising of the nuclear crisis in Japan to level five and looks for clues as to what will happen next - whether it will in the end prove a disaster or a distraction from the serious impact of the tsunami.

7.27am There have been moving scenes across Japan as a minute's silence was held for earthquake and tsunami victims:

6.42am Japan acknowledged the nuclear crisis was worse than it previously stated overnight, raising the accident level to five - "an accident with wider consequences" - on the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES). The world's worst nuclear disaster, at Chernobyl in 1986, rated a seven. The New York Times is keeping account of the status of each the nuclear reactors.

5.45am The Australian's James Madden reports on an ongoing humanitarian crisis that has been overshadowed by nuclear fears:

They don't know when, or from where, their next meal is coming. They don't know how long they will be sleeping on the floors of schools and gyms. They don't know if they are far enough from the damaged Fukushima plant to be safe from harm. There is no power, daytime temperatures are well below zero and illness is taking hold. And all this while many of them are also dealing with the loss of loved ones.

5.40am A new report suggest Friday's tsunami would have been the biggest ever to hit Japan if it wasn't for a coastal levee. It's been calculated at 23m - Japan's biggest was 38.2m high in 1896.

5.26am Save the Children's Steve McDonald estimates 100,000 children are now homeless in Japan.

"We're already seeing families huddling around gas fires for warmth. In these sorts of temperatures, young children are vulnerable to chest infections and flu."

4.30am Interesting article from Reuters about why scientists don't just use the "Chernobyl solution" and cover the reactor in concrete.

"It's just not that easy," Murray Jennex, a professor at San Diego State University in California. "They (reactors) are kind of like a coffee maker. If you leave it on the heat, they boil dry and then they crack." "Putting concrete on that wouldn't help keep your coffee maker safe. But eventually, yes, you could build a concrete shield and be done with it."

4.01am The BBC is reporting the World Health Organisation has said Tokyo's radiation levels are increasing but are still not a health risk ... and it sees no reason to ban travel to Japan because of its nuclear crisis.

The organisation isn't advising travel restrictions outside the 30 kilometre exclusion zone around the Fukushima nuclear complex. It also says in general travellers returning from Japan don't represent a health hazard.

3.31am A man looks out from his destroyed liquor shop where he is collecting the items he can salvage in Kesennuma, Japan. Picture: Getty Images

3.30am Buildings turn off their lights and signs to save electricity in Tokyo last night. Picture: AP

3.20am The BBC has a report from weather expert Herbert Puempel who says radiation has only reached very low levels of the atmosphere.



"Meaning there is no reason to fear air travel, and no need for countries to screen passengers arriving from Japan."

3.10am The IAEA aserts the situation at the Fukushima nuclear plant is serious, but has not worsened significantly since Thursday (Reuters).

"The situation at the reactors at units 1, 2 and 3 appears to remain fairly stable".

2.45am Global markets continue to see-saw as uncertainty over Japan's recovery and the effect of the disaster and fallout from the unfolding nuclear crisis reigns.

The Bank of England and Bank of France yesterday both confirmed they would take part in a joint concerted action in foreign exchange markets against the yen to avoid volatility in the currency, on request from Japan and the G7 announced it would support the embattled nation (Reuters).

Locally, the already-struggling property sector is preparing for Japanese investors to pull out of the region and turn their attention to the critical rebuild phase of that country's affected northeastern prefectures (The Courier-Mail).

2.20am UN International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano says the battle to stabilise the Fukushima plant is "a race against time".

"This is a very grave and serious accident. So it is important that the international community, including the IAEA, handles this jointly." - Yukiya Amano "Especially cooling (the reactors) is extremely important, so I think it is a race against time."

1.55am Radioactive fallout from Japan's crippled nuclear plant has reached Southern California, but the first readings are "about a billion times beneath levels that would be health-threatening", a diplomat says.

Japan Ground Self-Defence Force members search though the rubble in the snow in Ishinomaki, Miyagi. Picture: AP

Rescue workers search through debris in Minamisanriku, Miyag. Picture: AFP

1.38am Yesterday around 50 tonnes of water were sprayed onto the Fukushima nuclear plant's storage pool, the second day such measures have been taken. Japan's nuclear safety agency has not been able to say if conditions at the plant are under control yet.

'This is the largest crisis for Japan. Every organization (of the government)...is making all-out efforts to deal with the problem," - Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan.

IAEA has also announced it will hold an emergency Monday meeting on Japan's nuclear accidents (Reuters).

1.10am Kyodo news agency reports Tokyo Electric has suspended any plans for rolling blackouts today as reports emerge the country continues to be lashed by freezing weather. The BBC has an account from Anne Koneka, who is currently in Koriyama:

"It's cold, below freezing, today. We're all just glued to watching the TV for the latest on the nuclear situation."

12.50am The number of people confirmed dead from last week's disaster has hit 6911, surpassing the toll from the massive tremor in Kobe in 1995, which claimed 6434 lives.

The March 11 quake is now Japan's deadliest natural disaster since the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, which killed more than 142,000 people.

12.32am Foreign pilots have refused to return to work in Japan, prompting the cancellation of flights, Kyodo news is reporting. Two foreign pilots, previously on vacation, have refused to come back to Japan apparently in response to their governments' advisory against trips to the country.



12.04am The government announced yesterday that Japan's crown prince and princess will not attend the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton next month, instead opting to stay in Japan (AP).

11.49pm Finland has moved its Tokyo embassy to Hiroshima as a precaution against the "uncertain" security in the capital city (AFP).

"The Embassy of Finland in Tokyo is transferring all its operations to Hiroshima ... prospects with regard to the security situation in Tokyo appear uncertain."

Policemen check cars in Minamisanriku, Miyag. Picture: AFP

11.24pm The latest update on the situation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, from Kyodo news.

Reactor No. 1 - Operation suspended after quake, cooling failure, partial melting of core, vapor vented, building housing reactor damaged Saturday by hydrogen explosion, roof blown off, seawater being pumped in.

Operation suspended after quake, cooling failure, partial melting of core, vapor vented, building housing reactor damaged Saturday by hydrogen explosion, roof blown off, seawater being pumped in. Reactor No. 2 - Operation suspended after quake, cooling failure, seawater being pumped in, fuel rods fully exposed temporarily, vapor vented, building housing reactor damaged Monday by blast at reactor No. 3, blast sound heard near suppression pool of containment vessel on Tuesday, damage to containment vessel feared.

Operation suspended after quake, cooling failure, seawater being pumped in, fuel rods fully exposed temporarily, vapor vented, building housing reactor damaged Monday by blast at reactor No. 3, blast sound heard near suppression pool of containment vessel on Tuesday, damage to containment vessel feared. Reactor No. 3 - Operation suspended after quake, cooling failure, partial melting of core feared, vapor vented, seawater being pumped in, building housing reactor damaged Monday by hydrogen explosion, high-level radiation measured nearby on Tuesday, plume of smoke observed Wednesday and presumed to have come from spent-fuel storage pool, seawater dumped over pool by helicopter on Thursday, water sprayed at it from ground on Thursday and Friday.

Operation suspended after quake, cooling failure, partial melting of core feared, vapor vented, seawater being pumped in, building housing reactor damaged Monday by hydrogen explosion, high-level radiation measured nearby on Tuesday, plume of smoke observed Wednesday and presumed to have come from spent-fuel storage pool, seawater dumped over pool by helicopter on Thursday, water sprayed at it from ground on Thursday and Friday. Reactor No. 4 - Under maintenance when quake struck, temperature in spent-fuel storage pool reaching 84 C on Monday, fire Tuesday possibly caused by hydrogen explosion at pool holding spent fuel rods, fire observed Wednesday at building housing reactor, pool water level feared receding, renewed nuclear chain reaction feared, only skeleton of building survived the fires.

Under maintenance when quake struck, temperature in spent-fuel storage pool reaching 84 C on Monday, fire Tuesday possibly caused by hydrogen explosion at pool holding spent fuel rods, fire observed Wednesday at building housing reactor, pool water level feared receding, renewed nuclear chain reaction feared, only skeleton of building survived the fires. Reactors No. 5, 6 - Under maintenance when quake struck, water temperatures in spent-fuel storage pools increased to about 64 C on Thursday.

Under maintenance when quake struck, water temperatures in spent-fuel storage pools increased to about 64 C on Thursday. Spent-fuel storage pools at all reactors - Cooling functions lost at all reactors, water temperatures or levels unobservable at reactors No. 1 to 4.

We have put this picture in before but it is a good guide for the differing levels of radiation. Original can be found here.

10.59pm Plant operator TEPCO has said power may be reconnected to Reactor No. 4 as early as tomorrow. Earlier today it said electrical cables should be connected to generators at reactors No. 1 and No. 2 by tomorrow morning.

10.38pm Japan's Prime MinisterNaoto Kan has just addressed the nation.He said he was proud of the way people had behaved and hoped more relief supplies would begin to reach those affected by the twin disasters.

He said the situation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant is still "very grave" stating many officials such as police and fire fighters had put their lives on the line to help fight the crisis.

"After World War II Japan is facing its largest crisis. We are getting global support. We do not have time to be pessimistic. We need to be resolved and have a strong resolution for each and every one of the Japanese people," - Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan. Picture: AFP

10.14pm Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano has tweeted the government's support and understanding to earthquake and tsunami victims (Note: ... appears between individual tweets).

"A week has passed since the Tohoku-Pacific Ocean earthquake occurred... Once again, I extend my deepest condolence and sympathy to those who have suffered... Those who were affected by the major earthquake have been going through severe and uncomfortable refugee lives... The Gov't is determined to make every possible effort to improve conditions of disaster victims."

He also appeared to deflect criticism that the Japanese government had not provided enough information about the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

"US Gov't senior official said all the measures that have been made by JPN have been prudent and appropriate... JPN has disclosed / will further continue to disclose relevant info on the development of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant."

10.00pm The Daily Telegraph is reporting an Australian firefighter working in the ruins of Minami Sanriku has been airlifted to a US Air Force base after being bitten on the face by a dog. The man sustained lacerations to his face.

"Unfortunately while extricating the dog, it became frightened and has bitten the officer on the face,'' - NSW Fire Brigade Commissioner Greg Mullins.

9.35pm The Royal Australian Air Force is working around the clock ferrying personnel and supplies from Okinawa to the Japanese disaster zone.

"It’s very fulfilling to rise above challenging circumstances and know that the job we are doing is making a very big difference to the effort here in Japan,” - Sergeant Derek Long

9.27pm Japanese PM Naoto Kan says the country will provide more information to the world on it's quake-triggered nuclear crisis. His pledge comes after IAEA chief Yukiya Amano pledged his support for Japan's efforts to combat the ongoing disaster (Kyodo).

''The international community's view is that they want more volume of accurate information more quickly,'' - Yukiya Amano

9.05pm Nine-year-old Toshihito Aisawa pictured at an evacuation centre in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, with two handwritten signs as he continues his search for his father, mother, grandmother and two cousins lost in the quake and tsunami. On one is written their names, on the other "I will come again tomorrow".

9.00pm Reuters has reported the Japanese nuclear agency is saying electrical cables will be connected to the generators at Reactors No. 1 and No. 2 by tomorrow morning. The agency also urged calm stating there is no need to expand the evacuation area beyond a 30km radius at this point.

8.41pm Japan's nuclear safety agency has raised the rating of the country's nuclear accident to a level 5 incident at reactors 1, 2 and 3, and a level 3 incident at reactor 4. The level 5 rating is a step up on the previous assessment of the situation, which was rated at level 4.

8.21pm The IAEA has announced it will start measuring radiation levels in Tokyo as early as today. Visiting chief Yukiya Amano said he hoped this would:

"Contribute to reassuring the Japanese public by having an international authority carry out its own observations in addition to such activities by Japan."

7.12pm The toll of 6539 confirmed dead so far makes this Japan's worst natural catastrophe since the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, which killed more than 142,000 people.

6.37pm Nissan Motor says it would monitor all its vehicles made in Japan for radioactivity, amid international concern over efforts to avert a nuclear catastrophe at a stricken atomic plant.

6.10pm The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will conduct a "comprehensive review" of the safety of all 104 US nuclear plants following what US officials are calling a "dangerous and complicated" situation at Japan's damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi reactors. President Barack Obama said today:

When we see a crisis like the one in Japan, we have a responsibility to learn from this event and to draw from those lessons to ensure the safety and security of our people.

6.03pm Caskets are placed at a mortuary in Rifucho, northern Japan. The official death toll is now 6539, with 10,354 still unaccounted for. Picture: AP



5.57pm Prince William has offered condolences for the "horror" engulfing Japan, as he attended a memorial for quake victims in Christchurch today:

This community, more than any other in the world, can appreciate the full horror of what is unfolding in Japan. Our thoughts and prayers are with them too.

5.52pm The government remains concerned for 11 Australians still unaccounted for in Japan. Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd says embassy officials are working around the clock to confirm their safety:

We are determined to do everything humanly possible to reduce that number right down.

5.48pm Australia's share market has closed higher today after shares took a hammering this week with the negative news about Japan's nuclear crisis.

5.42pm Save the Children's Steve McDonald estimates the disaster had left 100,000 children homeless:

We're already seeing families huddling around gas fires for warmth. In these sorts of temperatures, young children are vulnerable to chest infections and flu.

5.39pm Japan's disaster death toll at 6539, more than in the 1995 Kobe earthquake, police say.

5.36pm Japan has paused for a minute's silence exactly a week after the nation's northeast was smashed by a massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake and devastating tsunami.

5.33pm The head of the UN's nuclear energy agency says Japan is racing against the clock to cool the overheating nuclear reactors at its crippled power plant. International Atomic Energy Agency head Yukiya Amano gave the critical assessment after flying into Tokyo today and being briefed by Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan.

5.24pm As foreign governments advised their citizens to leave the stricken region, Tokyo's Narita International Airport is heaving with would-be passengers waiting anxiously for flights. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic said their flights out of Tokyo were very busy but Virgin said planes were not completely full.

5.18pm The World Health Organisation says the radiation risk from Japan's nuclear crisis remains highly localised, with no sign of an immediate threat elsewhere in Asia. Michael O'Leary, head of WHO in China, says there is "no evidence of a signicant spread of radioactive material" beyond the immediate area around the Fukushima nuclear plant.

4.45pm An Australian academic has praised the increasing use of social media during disasters, saying there had been a "beautiful display of humanity" on Facebook during recent catastrophes, including the Japanese quake and tsunami.

4.34pm Seven fire trucks are being used to resume an operation to cool one of the reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant by shooting water at the overheating spent fuel pool. The water-cooling operation was not able to resume until this afternoon because of fluctuating radiation levels in the area.

4.22pm Hundreds of people have gathered for a sombre vigil in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo district to pay their respects to the victims of last week's devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan. City officials and community leaders vowed to stand by Japan - which has longstanding cultural and business ties to Los Angeles.

4.10pm Japan's natural disaster may delay gadget releases including Apple's iPad 2, FoxNews.com reports. The country's electronics industry is likely to be hit by shortages due not only to factory damage but also logistical issues related to supply routes.

3.26pm Store owner Hiromaru Sasazaki, 43, has told of how he took to the water to survive the tsunami. Watch the video at The Australian.

2.53pm It will likely take weeks for Fukushima's nuclear reactors to cool down, according to Gregory Jaczko, chairman of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

2.31pm Japan's military says it does not plan further helicopter air drops of water on overheating reactors at a tsunami-ravaged nuclear plant, AP reports. Defense ministry spokesman Ippo Mayama said today that further helicopter runs were not planned, following several runs the day before. He did not say why. It was unclear what effect the water drops had on the targeted reactor.

1.54pm CNN has reported that radiation levels at the Fukushima nuclear plant reached their highest levels to date since the disaster struck last Friday.

1.40pm Japan's top government spokesman Yukio Edano says Tokyo is willing to accept US help in dealing with the country's nuclear crisis, and is discussing the matter with Washington.

"We are coordinating with the US government as to what the US can provide and what people really need."



"We have repeatedly asked for specific support, and indeed, they are responding to that."

1.32pm As expected, the death toll continues to rise, with the number of confirmed dead now at 6405, according to police.

The number of people missing increased to 10,295.

1.30pm

1.19pm Extra Jetstar jets and Qantas flights are on standby to help Australians leave Japan, reported Sky News.

1.16pm Japan's harrowing experience with its nuclear industry in recent days has forced the rest of the world to question the viability of nuclear power, reports The New York Times in this opinion piece.

1.11pm Japan's nuclear safety agency says smoke is rising from a building housing a damaged nuclear reactor at a power plant crippled by last week's tsunami, reported AAP. A spokesman for Japan's nuclear safety agency said the smoke was seen rising from Unit 2 at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant on Friday.

12.53pm Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has announced that the number of Australians missing has been revised down to 12 from 14 this morning, reported Sky News.

12.48pm Fear of radiation contamination has caused thousands of Japanese to flee their homes, reported The New York Times.



12.36pm Officials are reportedly planning to commence water spraying at Fukushima reactors tonight, reported the BBC.

Life goes on as usual in Osaka where many people from Tokyo have taken refuge after the quake and tsunami disaster. Picture: Getty Images

12.25pm Japanese news agencies are reporting the Tokyo Fire Department has sent numerous fire engines to the Fukushima nuclear plant.

12.17pm Radiation levels around troubled nuclear plant drop, as Japan makes small gains.

12.13pm Power is expected to be restored to Fukushima's reactors No. 3 and 4 by Sunday, reported Kyodo news agency.

12.03pm Access to search areas is improving with the removal of debris, meaning authorities can widen the search area, reported The Japan Times

11:53amMost experts believe giant earthquakes happen randomly - but the 9 magnitude quake that devastated Japan on March 11 may be changing that assumption, MarketWatch reports.

The Japan disaster followed two damaging earthquakes in New Zealand in recent months and an 8.8-magnitude quake off the coast of Chile in late February 2010.

11:47am The Bank of Japan today pumped three trillion yen ($37.4 billion) into the financial system to soothe money markets shaken by Japan's huge earthquake, devastating tsunami and a nuclear emergency, AFP reports.

The move was the latest in a series of cash injections by the Japanese central bank this week to ensure that financial institutions in disaster-hit regions do not run out of funds.

11:18am A video of a shivering dog staying loyally by the side of a fellow canine amid the Japan devastation. The dogs have now been rescued.

10:42am Maybe the internet has the answer. The Guardian is asking its readers the question: How would you solve Fukushima? Read the suggestions here.

10:35amUpdate on key Japan developments:

Tokyo shares surged 2.58 per cent in early deals today after the Group of Seven major economies agreed to intervene in markets to stabilise currencies following a quake and nuclear emergency

in early deals today after the Group of Seven major economies agreed to intervene in markets to stabilise currencies following a quake and nuclear emergency Japan is using helicopters and water cannons in a desperate bid to cool reactor fuel at Fukushima nuclear plant in a battle that may take weeks

in a desperate bid to cool reactor fuel at Fukushima nuclear plant in a battle that may take weeks US and Japanese officials disagree on the severity of the nuclear crisis, with many nations advising their citizens to leave Japan or stay tens of kilometres away from the stricken nuclear plant

10.27amAs the rescue effort focuses on finding human survivors, animal welfare workers race against time to save thousands of trapped and stranded animals abandoned to their fate in the aftermath of the quake and tsunami disaster, reported CNN.

10.20amIn a bid to explain what is happening at Fukushima to Japan's children an artist has come up with a novel solution, a cartoon featuring "nuclear boy" who has a problem with defecation and flatulence.

10.11am US data collection flights over the reactor at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant have shown that most of the radioactive contamination has not spread beyond the immediate exclusion area, reported The New York Times.

9.53am The Japanese news site Asahi Shimbun has published an article on how radiation exposure can be dealt with.

9.44am There is some speculation that the G7 might intervene to try to stabilise the yen. The currency slipped slightly against the dollar today, a day after hitting a post-war high, reported the BBC. A statement from the G7 is expected later today.

An elderly tsunami survivor who was a being treated at a hospital at the time of the tsunami now lies in a bed at shelter for earthquake victims in Kesennuma in Miyagi prefecture yesterday. Picture: AFP

9.13am The New York Times has created a great Q&A on the nuclear emergency at Fukushima and the humanitarian crisis elsewhere in Japan. It answers questions ranging from, Why is the media giving such hysterical coverage to Fukushima? Is there a danger in interacting with people who have been exposed to radiation from this disaster? and, I keep seeing the phrase "shut down" in reference to the nuclear reactors at Fukushima, but clearly they are not shut down as they are still generating tremendous energy in the form of heat. How is a nuclear reactor "turned off"?

9.07am The US Department of Homeland Security is screening passengers entering the country for radiation after small amounts were detected in arrivals at Chicago, Dallas and Seattle reports AP.

8.59am There are now half a million homeless Japanese in shelters according to The New York Times, a fact the paper says is being largely ignored as the world focuses on the looming nuclear threat at the Fukushima reactor.

8.50am The Guardian has revealed the heavy toll taken by the Japan quake on the country's ageing population as the death toll continues to rise.

"In one particularly shocking incident, Japan's self-defence force discovered 128 elderly people abandoned by medical staff at a hospital six miles from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant. Most of them were comatose and 14 died shortly afterwards."

8.35am Train services have been reduced and workers sent home in the Tokyo area after the government warned of unexpected blackouts, reported The Japan Times.

8.10am The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has reported there are now just 14 Australians who remain unaccounted for in Japan following last week's quake disaster.

7.56am Alarm over Japan's nuclear disaster is growing with more foreign governments advising their citizens to flee Tokyo. Six days after a massive earthquake and tsunami plunged Japan into its worst crisis since World War II, the United States and Britain chartered flights for nationals trying to leave and China moved thousands of citizens to Tokyo for evacuation.

7.44am A US nuclear Official has told The Los Angeles Times that the Japanese nuclear crisis could last for "weeks" before the situation is brought under control.

Japanese-American volunteer Darin Furukawa dressed in a traditional Japanese Samurai outfit, collects donations during an all day Red Cross fundraiser to support the Japanese earthquake relief efforts outside Los Angeles City Hall yesterday. Picture: AP

7.20am President Barack Obama has reiterated that his administration does not expect harmful levels of radiation from the troubled Japanese Fukushima nuclear facility to reach to any part of the US.

"I want to be very clear. We do not expect harmful levels of radiation to reach the United States, whether it's the West Coast, Hawaii, Alaska, or US territories in the Pacific."

7.10am Emergency workers are frantic to regain control of Japan's dangerously overheated nuclear complex and have turned to increasingly elaborate methods to cool the overheated reactors. So far they include using police water cannons, heavy-duty fire trucks and military helicopters and dropping bucket after enormous bucket of water onto the stricken system.

7.04am Australians have been told to leave Tokyo due to the radiation risk from the earthquake-damaged nuclear reactors.

7.02am The BBC is reporting that a power line has been successfully laid and connected to the No. 2 reactor at Fukushima according to the UN nuclear agency. It is hoped this will allow power to be restored to water pumps cooling the reactor.

Headlights of vehicles stream along a landscape destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami in Minamisanriku town, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan yesterday. Kyodo News

6.49am US Coal stocks are rising due to the uncertainty over the future of nuclear power after Japan's quake and tsunami disaster devastated the country's nuclear industry, reported Reuters.

6.36am Trace amounts of radiation from Japan have been detected in the mid-western US city of Chicago reported CBS. Japanese travellers landing at O'Hare airport reportedly triggered radiation detectors, however the amounts detected were very small.

6.26am Japan has pumped more funds into its shaky financial system after stocks fell and the yen surged to a record high, which Tokyo blamed on currency speculators following the huge earthquake.

The central bank injected another 6 trillion yen ($79.14 billion), increasing to 34 trillion yen ($448.46 billion) the total funds added to money markets since Monday to soothe jitters after last week's disaster.

The US Navy is shown lending a hand with the clean up, removing sediment yesterday from behind a damaged building. Sailors from Naval Air Facility at Misawa and its tenant commands are assisting with the clean up of the tsunami-damaged city. Picture: US Navy/Devon Dow

6.17am The operator of the quake-hit Japanese nuclear reactors, Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), opened an official Twitter account late yesterday, immediately drawing more than 117,000 followers.

Its Twitter account is @OfficialTEPCO available only in Japanese.

6.14am The US military has sent a team of experts to evaluate how American forces can assist Japan with the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear plant, the Pentagon says.

5.45am Mark Goldsmith, a journalist in Tokyo, sent AlertNet editor Tim Large this account of what it was like to experience the long-awaited “Big One” from his home just outside the capital:

"The funny feeling Friday was to stand there in the street after it was all over and to realise that something momentous had happened, but have no idea what it meant in the wider world.

"Clearly something very bad had happened, and it was experienced at almost the same time by millions, but we had no idea obviously where it had come from or what had happened as a result. Thank God for TV!"

5.20am AN IAEA expert says the situation at the Fukushima plant hasn't worsened "significantly" over the past 24 hours, but it would be premature to talk about a ray of hope.

Scientific and technical adviser to the head of the IAEA, Graham Andrew, says the current situation at units 1, 2 and 3 of the plant, whose cores had suffered damage from a number of explosions and fires, "appears to be relatively stable".

Rescue workers were frantically working to cool down the reactors by injecting sea water to prevent the worst-case scenario of a meltdown.

5.07am Barack Obama paid a visit to the Japanese Embassy this morning (FOX News).

An official said the US president wanted to sign a condolence book and "reiterate our nation's steadfast commitment to standing by the Japanese people during this time of crisis".

4.08am The Associated Press has this account about the conditions facing quake survivors and the devastating effect the quake has had on the elderly population in Japan.

Kinuyo Kojima, is a 65-year-old woman whose house washed away in the tsunami, she is currently sheltering in a high-school gym with other survivors.

"We live like animals." The stench of backed-up toilets has made some retch, and they complain of constipation from the diet of rice and little or nothing else. "You should have seen us when we got a piece of chicken yesterday," Kojima said. "We were so excited over a tiny piece of meat. It had been so long."

4.02am Barack Obama will make a statement about the situation in Japan later today (Reuters).

A woman is scanned for radiation exposure at a temporary scanning center for residents living close to the quake-damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant. Picture: AP

3.44am The International Monetary Fund says Japan has the financial means for a full recovery.



"The most important impact on Japan is the humanitarian one," - Caroline Atkinson, an IMF spokeswoman. "We believe that the Japanese economy is a strong and wealthy society and the government has the full financial resources to address those needs."

3.25am Fukushima local Mark Carney was just interviewed on Sky News, he spoke of the obstacles to leaving the region and his frustration at his inability to obtain information about the situation at the nuclear plant.



"My friend has a car but gas shortages mean you can't get out even if you have a car. Trains are not running to this part of the country, buses have been sort of running." "I'm weighing options on a safe and reliable way to try and leave without making my situation worse."



"I would love to have as much information as possible, if I said anything about being frustrated, I think the government foesn't frustrate me as much as TEPCO (nuclear plant's owners)."



The differences in what they are saying and what other sources have been saying is going on are frustrating."



"There has been a lack of information about what to do, until I heard information advising US citizens to leave I hadn't heard anything." "A lot of it has been watch the news and make up your mind on what to do with it."

3.16am A senior IAEA official has stated though the situation is "very serious" there has been no "significant worsening" at the Fukushima plant since Wednesday.

This statement comes as Japan's military ceases spraying water into the nuclear plant. It says over 30 tonnes of water has been sprayed into the building containing Reactor No. 3, using five water cannon trucks (NHK). It is unknown if the water has had the desired effect of cooling the storage pool containing heating rods.

3.14am Video footage taken by TEPCO showing the shocking damage to reactors at the nuclear plant.

2.46am The Japanese nuclear agency says the pool for cooling spent nuclear fuel at Reactor No. 4 remains a "serious concern" (BBC).

2.20am Latest update on the death toll has it at 5692 confirmed deaths while the official number of missing has increased to 9522, the National Police Agency said.

Katsuo Maiya, 73, cries in front of the rubble where his sister-in-law's house stood in Rikuzentakata. His sister-in-law and her husband were killed in Friday's quake. Picture: AP

2.16am Kyodo news agency has published the latest report on the condition of the Fukushima No. 1 plant.

Reactor No. 1 - Operation suspended after quake, cooling failure, partial melting of core, vapor vented, building housing reactor damaged Saturday by hydrogen explosion, seawater being pumped in.

- Operation suspended after quake, cooling failure, partial melting of core, vapor vented, building housing reactor damaged Saturday by hydrogen explosion, seawater being pumped in. Reactor No. 2 - Operation suspended after quake, cooling failure, seawater being pumped in, fuel rods fully exposed temporarily, vapor vented, building housing reactor damaged Monday by blast at reactor No. 3, damage to containment vessel feared, potential meltdown feared.

Operation suspended after quake, cooling failure, seawater being pumped in, fuel rods fully exposed temporarily, vapor vented, building housing reactor damaged Monday by blast at reactor No. 3, damage to containment vessel feared, potential meltdown feared. Reactor No. 3 - Operation suspended after quake, cooling failure, partial melting of core feared, vapor vented, seawater being pumped in, building housing reactor damaged Monday by hydrogen explosion, high-level radiation measured nearby on Tuesday, plume of smoke observed Wednesday and presumed to have come from spent-fuel storage pool, severe damage to containment vessel unlikely, seawater dumped over pool by helicopter yesterday, water sprayed at it from ground.

Operation suspended after quake, cooling failure, partial melting of core feared, vapor vented, seawater being pumped in, building housing reactor damaged Monday by hydrogen explosion, high-level radiation measured nearby on Tuesday, plume of smoke observed Wednesday and presumed to have come from spent-fuel storage pool, severe damage to containment vessel unlikely, seawater dumped over pool by helicopter yesterday, water sprayed at it from ground. Reactor No. 4 - Under maintenance when quake struck, fire Tuesday possibly caused by hydrogen explosion at pool holding spent fuel rods, abnormal temperature rise in spent-fuel storage pool, fire observed Wednesday at building housing reactor, pool water level feared receding, renewed nuclear chain reaction feared.

Under maintenance when quake struck, fire Tuesday possibly caused by hydrogen explosion at pool holding spent fuel rods, abnormal temperature rise in spent-fuel storage pool, fire observed Wednesday at building housing reactor, pool water level feared receding, renewed nuclear chain reaction feared. Reactors No. 5, 6 - Under maintenance when quake struck, water temperatures in spent-fuel storage pools increased to about 64 C yesterday.

Under maintenance when quake struck, water temperatures in spent-fuel storage pools increased to about 64 C yesterday. Spent-fuel storage pools at all reactors - Cooling functions lost, water temperatures or levels unobservable at reactors No. 1 to 4.

This photo released by plant operator TEPCO shows the top part of the badly damaged No. 4 reactor at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Picture: AP

1.52am A moving account about the 180 men left behind to battle the growing nuclear threat.



"I heard that he volunteered even though he will be retiring in just half a year and my eyes are filling up with tears." - Twitter user @NamicoAoto, whose father volunteered to fight the crisis. "You are the only ones who can resolve a crisis. Retreat is unthinkable." - Prime Minister Naota Kan "I don't know any other way to say it, but this is like suicide fighters in a war." - Keiichi Nakagawa, associate professor of the Department of Radiology at the University of Tokyo Hospital

1.51am Not everyone is as concerned about the nuclear threat. Reuters has this account from a Nagasaki survivor calmly waiting out the nuclear crisisin Tokyo.

"I may be a bit too callous about this due to the fact that I was really heavily exposed to radiation, but I don't think this is anything to turn pale over ... I was 3.6 km from the bomb, and they've evacuated for 20 km. I really don't understand this kind of feeling." - Kazuko Yamashita, who was five when the bomb was dropped

1.20am The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency told reporters he would like to visit the Fukushima site personally as he departed for Tokyo from Vienna with a small group of nuclear experts.

"The situation continues to be very serious." - Chief Yukiya Amano

1.18am Satellite photos appear to show Reactor No. 2 is also emitting smoke (Kyodo).

An earlier photo of the devastated Reactor No. 4 at the Fukushima nuclear complex. Picture: AP/TEPCO

1.05am Kyodo news agency has reported Japan's speaker of the upper house has suggested the country should close the Tokyo stock market and foreign exchange for a week to allow the market to stabilise and prevent further losses.

12.32am World leaders have expressed concern about the situation at the stricken nuclear plant. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was "very much deeply concerned"about the crisis while Russian President Dmitry Medvedev described the situation as a "colossal national disaster" and catastrophe (Reuters).

12.05am Australians are being advised to defer all non-essential travel to Tokyo and northern Japan because of the rising nuclear threat. DFAT has upgraded its travel advice to the highest possible rating.

Australians should no longer travel to Tokyo, surrounding areas and northern part of Honshu unless absolutely necessary.

11.54pm Reports coming through now of an earthquake occurring in Chiba, east of Tokyo.

Click here for earlier reports