Another strong aftershock of 9.0 magnitude that struck the northeast coast of more than one month's disaster struck the region, more wear on the nerves taut through stop-and-go containment efforts in an atomic plant affected .
Emergency workers in north-east of the site affected by the tsunami Fukushima nuclear Tokyo began shipping tons of high water activity and eye long-term plans to encase hazardous spent fuel rods in steel coffins.
The government for its part, concerned about food safety after the plant radiation leak in the air, land and sea, ordered the suspension of shipments of mushrooms in the region, having restricted the vegetables and dairy products.
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The Cabinet Office cut its assessment of the number three in the world economy for the first time in six months, in light of the tectonic catastrophe March 11 that killed over 13,000 people and left 15,000 missing.
"The economy was improving, but has recently shown signs of weakness due to the impact of the great earthquake of eastern Japan, the Cabinet Office said in its monthly economic assessment. "It remains in serious condition."
The disaster devastated the infrastructure facilities and manufacturing, breaking the chains of supply and the key to bringing the power shortages that have crippled the production of Japan's largest companies such as Sony and Honda.
Toyota, the world's largest manufacturer of automobiles, said parts shortages force to halt production for several days at five European plants over the next two months after announcing similar measures in most of its North American plants 14.
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The International Monetary Fund on Monday cut its 2011 growth forecast for Japan - which has long fought weak demand, deflation and high public debt - to 1.4 from 1.6 percent, citing "considerable uncertainties".
Japan estimates the reconstruction cost up to 25 trillion yen ($ 295,000,000,000).
nuclear disaster on Tuesday Japan was elevated to the top of seven - the same "major accident" category of Chernobyl - although officials stressed that less radiation was released and no one had been killed by pollution.
Unlike Chernobyl 25 years ago, when the reactor exploded and killed tens of exposure to radiation in a matter of weeks, the Japanese team has been able to work on site, pushing efforts to finally close the plant down.
Overnight began to pump highly radioactive water runoff to the left of the reactor operations suffocation, after being released by the dumping space of less than 10,000 tons of polluted water into the Pacific Ocean. Focus: Japan's nuclear evacuees rejected by health fears
"Workers are pumping a total of 700 cubic meters in the tunnel trench, with the hope of reducing the water level," said a spokesman for the nuclear safety agency. "This work is expected to take four or five days."
Get rid of water more toxic that workers can resume the crucial task of repairing the reactor cooling systems has been eliminated by the tsunami 15 meters high and damage to subsequent hydrogen explosions.
Workers also refocused attention on the spent fuel rods stored in containment pools next to reactors that threaten to throw the radiation in the air unless they are constantly covered and chilled with circulating water.
The embattled plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) expects to eliminate the time and safely contain the thousands of spent fuel rods.
As a preliminary step, we took a water sample from the reactor pool four, using a vessel connected to the arm of a 62 meter concrete boom pump.
"This is for more information on the status of the spent fuel pool," a TEPCO spokesman. "They're going to have to put the spent fuel rods in a kind of container over time.
"Removing them from the pools of the plant is one of the ultimate goals."
The Asahi Shimbun newspaper, citing internal documents TEPCO reported on a plan to lower steel coffins in the pools to seal and remove the fuel rods, perhaps the use of stairs because the original cranes may be damaged.