On August 9, 2004, a major accident occurred in the turbine of the reactor at the Mihama Nuclear Power Plant due to insufficient cooling water. This accident was the biggest nuclear accident in Japan’s history until the Fukushima disaster. Although Japan announced that there was no radioactive leakage in the accident, the steam leaking from the plant turbines caused the death of 5 people. Eighteen people were burned almost completely. Although high-level precautions were taken in and around the plant, 400 people working there were exposed to radiation.
Credit: National Land Image Information (Color Aerial Photographs), Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism