On March 11, 2011, an earthquake struck in the area of Fukushima and caused a 15-meter tsunami to disable the power supply and cooling of three Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors. All three reactors mostly melted within the first three days. Cooling the reactors was the primary task, but also they had to work to prevent radioactive materials from spilling out. (World Nuclear)

The dangers to people and the environment are obvious, but a nuclear meltdown also presents a serious threat on the economy. The public ends up having to pay for the mess through taxes and other charges, whereas, the companies who had originally been funding these reactors essentially escaped any financial responsibilities at all. (Greenpeace)

(propublica)

Regardless of the incident in Fukushima, Japan still wants to continue to use nuclear energy. A Japanese government panel decided that nuclear power would be a very important factor in their new energy plan going forward. The panel states, “”Nuclear power should continue to be used on the condition that its safety is ensured, and it is an important and basic power source that supports the stability of Japan’s energy supply and demand structure.” (Global Post)